BIKE TEST
Steve Shrubsall gives Giant’s gravel mile-muncher a multisurface mauling
People often look at gravel bikes and ask why… Why aren’t you using a road bike? Why aren’t you using a mountain bike? Why are you riding a hardtail with drop bars?
Indeed, I used to ponder the same kind of queries. Do we really need gravel bikes? What purpose do they serve in the UK, where quality gravel paths are not exactly in abundance?
With the Giant Revolt X, the plot thickens. Not only does the Taiwanese marque’s latest gravel offering come with 52mm tyre clearance, but you’ll also find a remotely operated dropper post, a flip-chip to tweak geometry settings, and 40mm front travel courtesy of a RockShox Rudy Ultimate fork.
What’s the point? Well, we’ll get to that…
Frame
The headline here is probably the flip-chip technology – which comes more or less as standard on modern mountain bikes. Located in the rear dropout, the chip allows instant geometry, wheelbase and tyre clearance tweaks, essentially making two bikes out of one. Longer wheelbases are conducive to more technical riding, offering more comfort on rock-strewn trails and greater control on uneven descents.
The frame comprises high-performance grade raw carbon, with the front triangle a continuous mould via a proprietary manufacturing process known as Modified Monocoque Construction.
Asymmetric chainstays have been specced to add stiffness on the driveside for improved power transfer, and stability on the non-driveside for negotiating technical sections of trail or downhills.
Available in two colours, Gloss Cordovan or Copper Coin, the frame is – as expected for a gravel bike – peppered with bottle cage and luggage bosses, the thought process here being that this is the type of bike most likely to be taken on bikepacking outings. I’m not entirely sure why gravel bikes have become emblematic of bikepacking trips… again, we’ll come to that in due course.
Build
The Revolt X Advanced Pro gets a liberal helping of SR AM components punctuated with in-house items. As expected for this Advanced model, Rival eTap AXS has been specced for its smooth gear transitions and offers seamless electronic shifts running up and down its 10-52t cassette. The range is not dissimilar to that of a mountain bike, with the 52t bailout sprocket specced for winching up steep climbs. However, on the slightest descents with firm surfaces it’s easy to spin out the 10t.
The RockShox Rudy fork assigned to the front end offers 40mm of travel, which is more than adequate for most gravel surfaces, and the Post-Moderne dropper post doesn’t so much hint as bel
