I know this topic has been beaten to death by the internet forums, i have searched them for months and still have a few questions.
Basically i am looking for a Gravel Bike, for use for a bunch of 100 mile races, and possibly the Unbound 200 if i ever get in.
I want this bike to potentially house at least 2.1" if not 2.2" MTB tires.
I want it to be as light as possible, but still perform as good as i can make it.
I have looked at the Salsa Cutthroat and the Lauf Seigla as both can do what i want with the clearance.
Am i giving something up by getting a cutthroat/seigla and using it for tamer gravel roads in Southern MN? I am 6’ 1" 195 lbs for reference.
Or Am i better off buying a gravel “Race” Bike like the Salsa warbird and putting narrower tires (45ish) on it?
What other gravel bikes can house a 2.2" MTB tire?
I have a cutthroat (since 2017) and a specialized diverge. I love both of them and they both work great for specific gravel (cutty for mountainous Appalachian gravel, diverge for tamer or midwest gravel).
I dont want two gravel bikes, so i am highly likely to sell both and get a siegla. Im hoping that can be the do everything pretty good gravel machine.
The cutty is not a mid west gravel machine, high front end, not really aero. It sure is good for sketchy mountain gravel though.
The difference between 47mm and 2.2in (57mm) tires is really more about specific tire selection than the actual size. There’s not much practical difference between a 50c Conti Hardpack and a 54c Raceking. You might run them 1 psi different.
If you’re on rough terrain where the additional width is going to make a difference, you probably also need suspension. At some place like unbound, the attraction is the lower tire pressures preventing punctures. The other place where you might need 2.2 is for float if you’re on sand like western-lower Michigan.
keep in mind, a lot of these gravel tires in this space fit smaller than advertised. If you can find a 47-50c tire that will do the job, you probably don’t need to get too creative with your bike choice,
IMO the compromises for going over 40mm start to create limitations elsewhere so you should probably make sure you really need a tire wider than 40mm. Most bikes that clear 40mm can still run a front derailleur although I’m not sure if that matters to you. 40mm and less you can basically use like a road bike. When you go larger its more into drop bar mtn bike territory.
Interested to follow this thread as well. I think Lauf is the best option tho idk how it handles as an endurance / road bike for training on non gravel roads. Something like the Crux or Aspero is better for that I think.
One thing to keep in mind about the salsa cutthroat is the chainring size limitations. Think it can fit a 40 max which you will spin out downhill if you are racing gravel.
You’ve listed two of the more readily available “gravel” bikes that clear MTB tires… With those two, it’s worth noting that they are entirely different in their “fit”. With the Cutthroat being about 50mm taller stack in anything close to the same reach/top tube length.
As someone who hates it when people say gravel bikes are just drop bar hardtail’s, the Cutthroat is very much a drop bar mtb. It’s a ton of fun, but it’s a big, burly, upright bike. Thats awesome on chunk and trails, but as soon as you end up chasing a fast group on the road, you realize it’s a real hog.
The Warbird was well ahead of the curve when it was first created, but the latest iteration hasn’t kept up and is not future proof. No UDH, 45mm? That might be a pass 2 years ago, but not now
I have a Cutthroat and it’s overkill for most gravel around me…I still love riding it though It’s comfortable and very capable on rough stuff. My 60cm frame with power pedals, carbon wheels and 75mm Sram AXS dropper is ~22.5 lbs so not particularly light but not too crazy for a bike that big.
If I were in the market now, I’d get a Crux and run Tufo Thundero 700x48 (might fit Thunder Burts too from some stuff I’ve seen but can’t say for certain).
I am biased here as a Seigla Rigid (gen1 Force) user.
Best gravel bike purchase I have made.
Love the AXS, accepts wide tyres and use Thundero 48’s as daily tyre - use thinner/wider tyres when/where needed by race course specifics. Plenty of bang for buck with this purchase.
I have changed from the XPLR setup to GX, run 9-52 and have chainrings from 38-48t to play with gearing for differing race courses. New gen2 gives option of group set- would choose Transmission if I was to get another Lauf. Would still go with the rigid as 90% use but would like buy the spring fork to use/ test/try on specific courses. I do run the Redshift shock stem though.
It handles great on the road, a little rocket and whippy to throw around. I am 183cm and went with a Medium. No regrets as previous gravel bikes felt like I was on an oil tanker in Large size.
It’s comfortable and very capable on rough stuff. My 60cm frame with power pedals, carbon wheels and 75mm Sram AXS dropper is ~22.5 lbs so not particularly light but not too crazy for a bike that big.