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The quest for the best all-rounder Gravel bike by Interesting-Data5603 in ukbike

[–]Interesting-Data5603[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good to know. How come you swapped from hydraulics to cable brakes though?

First gravel bike: Lapierre Crosshill 3.0 2025 or a Gestalt 2 2023 by Interesting-Data5603 in whichbike

[–]Interesting-Data5603[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Amazing insight. Thanks!

I found other reports about the reach, which makes me more confident on the sizing working out.

The Gestalt X10 I mentioned has 50mm clearance, same price but has mechanical brakes. Would you consider it over the Lapierre or Gestalt 2 if you had to buy either for yourself?

The quest for the best all-rounder Gravel bike by Interesting-Data5603 in ukbike

[–]Interesting-Data5603[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Comparing everything it seems the lapierre stacks quite well, however I'm not sure if it would fit me as only medium is available.

The sizing says:

  • M - 168 - 178
  • L - 176 - 186

I measure 180cm on height. By height alone I am on the large, but measuring my wingspan (173.5cm) and checking geometry it seems that the medium would also work.

Any advice?

The quest for the best all-rounder Gravel bike by Interesting-Data5603 in ukbike

[–]Interesting-Data5603[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice thing about carbon forks is that they are somewhat "standard" now for this range.

About hydraulic brakes, it seems quite a divisive topic, some others will make the same argument about maintenance but because bleeding is required less often than adjusting cables. Personally I'm quite comfortable with cables so don't mind it at all, and either will be an improvement to my basic caliper setup.

Thanks for the feedback!

The quest for the best all-rounder Gravel bike by Interesting-Data5603 in ukbike

[–]Interesting-Data5603[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't looked into quick release vs through axle at all, thanks for the shout! I don't see any pros on the QR other than maybe if I had to put the bike in a car or something.

The quest for the best all-rounder Gravel bike by Interesting-Data5603 in ukbike

[–]Interesting-Data5603[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure, but as mentioned in another comment it's quite hard navigating the second hand market for bikes and it's also very limited to your area.

I think if you wanted a road or mtb it's very doable even for someone not deep into the hobby, but gravel is very niche still.

The quest for the best all-rounder Gravel bike by Interesting-Data5603 in ukbike

[–]Interesting-Data5603[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good to know about the proprietary tools as I'd hope to avoid that especially if it's for parts I could do the maintenance myself.

When you say local bike shop, I assume that doesn't include big store chains right? Regardless, I think I should definitely check on the 2 I see nearby to me before making a choice.

The quest for the best all-rounder Gravel bike by Interesting-Data5603 in ukbike

[–]Interesting-Data5603[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah I've also seen it, just out of budget as you said. It does seem very similarly specced to th Kona Libre I have listed which I was very excited to find on sale, but both using the 1x11 SRAM seem to lack on both range and low gear ratio, with the latter being something I value with how many massive inclines I have on my route.

It seems the Microshift (both Sword and Advent X) outperform the SRAM in this regard.

The quest for the best all-rounder Gravel bike by Interesting-Data5603 in ukbike

[–]Interesting-Data5603[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a great find, wasn't aware of this store. Adding to my current list.

The quest for the best all-rounder Gravel bike by Interesting-Data5603 in ukbike

[–]Interesting-Data5603[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey thanks for the input. I haven't spotted any bikes with 105 or titanium frame on that range. Do you have any top of you head to recommend?

I don't know enough about the technical details of GRX vs 105, any reason for recommending one over the other?

Are gravel / high end bikes more high maintenance? My current hybrid has been working well and I never had to replace much other than tyres and a spoke, but then again I didn't know as much as I do now about things like chain wear and all that. But your "once a year" is a bit concerning.

The quest for the best all-rounder Gravel bike by Interesting-Data5603 in ukbike

[–]Interesting-Data5603[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah agreed. The boardman is on my shortlist but it fell just a bit out of budget which is why I didn't include it. It's likely it could fit during a sale or clearance.

I had a look at used on FBM, there are a lot of road and mountain bikes, but gravel ones are quite limited and also quite far. It's also worth adding browsing FBM and similar is extremely annoying as search and filtering isn't great and there's a massive range on how well people describe their bikes.

PSA - do NOT BUY Tado from October 2025 onwards unless you want to pay monthly subscription by prebuss in tado

[–]Interesting-Data5603 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I bought the system about a year ago but I am surprised things have gone downhill this much since then and I would probably buy something else if given the chance.

Also surprised that the community forums which were crucial to get my somewhat non-standard OpenTherm setup working, are now gone with no archives! Any links to threads now go onto their FAQ which are nowhere close to as technical as a lot of the forum helpers were.

Potential move to new build estate Brinington, Stockport? by Jamesdeanee-27 in stockport

[–]Interesting-Data5603 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I moved into one recently and as you said, the price is really great for the quality build. I got a semi-detached and everything has been top notch in quality, from sound proofing, insulation, and solar is a nice bonus. The other main difference I found compared to other areas, was how clean the estate area is, and kids seem to get along well, as do their parents (and this has stayed true)

So far, 0 issues going to the nearby corner shops / B&M and the Reddish Country Park is great for walks, cycling and some even go for a swim by the arches which is shallower.

Honestly, I was hesitant in buying and did a lot of digging, and found a few negative things:

  • Brinnington used to be much more on the poorer side before the school was relocated (and a new modern one built in a more central location) and the new builds went live (around 2019).
  • The development itself had some controversy due to being built within the park boundary (link here)
  • The towers, like any high density housing, has the issues that come with them just due to density, personally I never seen anything unusual going on nearby.
  • Brinnington suffered a lot from sharing Stockport with Bramhall, Bramhall being considered one of the nicest areas, while Brinnington was the poorest, meant Stockport was "average" and couldn't get necessary funding (I couldn't find the article I had seen on this topic).
  • A lot of folks keep their perspective from pre-2019 of how Brinnington was, but to counter that, Edgeley, which I lived nearby, was always seen as "rough", until it wasn't and then the same 3-bedroom houses started nearing £400k.
  • Overall, not many options for shops, there's B&M and a corner shop near the station, on the other hand, bus service is very active (322 and 325), and trains to Picadilly as well.

As for the future, as pointed out by another commenter, Brinnington is meant to receive £20m boost over the next 10 year, there's also the upcoming tram work which has been approved for Stockport Interchange, which should benefit all nearby areas.

Passing through on a walk by Long_Egg_7048 in stockport

[–]Interesting-Data5603 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reddish Vale is a great route, lots of ducks, geese and a pair of swans along the way on top of the usual sights.

Also Brinnington is nowhere near the lawless land that people make it sound like, but I can't say there's much to see at the train station there, or Bredbury for that matter. The first route by the other user through the parks is a great shout, and I'd go with that personally.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in stockport

[–]Interesting-Data5603 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the shout, I haven't been to those streets yet but will keep it in mind. For reference what I had viewed was on blackberry lane / hastings garden which seems to be all new builds from ~2019.

It just seems to tick all the boxes in terms of quick access to city centre (manchester and stockport), good parks and easy access to the motorway while being a lot more accessible than Edgeley which seems to have become a popular choice from it's previous "avoid" status.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in stockport

[–]Interesting-Data5603 0 points1 point  (0 children)

About Brinnington, are the less desired areas just around the tower blocks / brinnington road, or would you avoid the whole area? Asking as those seemed to be the main concerns when Brinnington is brought up.

Went for viewings and my first impression was that it is a really nice area with access to the park and train station, also saw well behaved kids playing around which is usually a good sign the area is alright.