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I havent yet experienced any creaks or play issues either. Personally, I prefer a slightly more aggressive fit on a bike, and have slightly shorter legs for my height, so chose the Medium. We want a 10t cog The urban jungle that is Aviemore has its own Orbital. Although I havent ridden the bike off road yet, setup tubeless and with 30 psi in each tyre I have no doubt it will be a blast. One signature Lauf feature carried over on the Anywhere is the handy seatstay-mounted bottle opener, which doubles as a front derailleur mount for anyone who prefers a 2x drivetrain or gets less thirsty on the ride. In reality, this does help slightly, but real comfort ultimately comes from the frame and some people wont like the 16-degree flare on the bar. The Maxxis Velocita AR tyres are by far the widest I have ridden on a road-biased bike. As it was, it was a fairly steep, but entirely rideable and incredibly scenic rough doubletrack over the hill with a little dip and then a steep final pitch to 360-degree views of the mountains. THE PARTS Jump out the door, grind your way through or load it up and head anywhere you want. In future updates, Ill talk more about the geometry and handling. BikeRide is reader-supported, and sometimes we receive commissions for links you click on. The Lauf Smoothie handlebars are designed to eat vibrations and are made from the same flexible carbon as the Lauf Grit leaf sprung fork. It's not designed to carry all your bells and whistles, but still manages. Although the frame is fairly light for a gravel bike at 1,070g, it doesnt feel particularly supple. Personally I dont use a dropper on a gravel bike, but I know many do. Ive got the brake hoods angled in slightly, as is my preferred feel. It has been a season of ups and downs for me with many incredible new experiences and also some injuries too, but I have managed to rack up 4,500km on the Anywhere and I am happy to report that the bike has more than lived up to its versatile intentions. All things considered, I was actually fairly happy with my effort, and although the bike was probably one of the heaviest on the day, it didnt detract from the fun. Theres inherent stability from the length, while the front wheel is better able to track the ground, with both the tyres volume and the forks suspension keeping the whole bike calmer. Glasses: Goodr superfly. In a few situations, the forks architecture can lead to some unwanted twist, which is especially noticeable on steep, rough corners where you need to brake. I also injured myself earlier this year, so the Lauf has been a useful tool in my recovery from a (potentially, the doctors cant 100 per cent tell) fractured wrist, sustained when I ran out of talent on a mountain bike. Awesome! By reports, Maxxis Velocita tires didnt perform well in mud or slippy dirt. Sizes: XS, S, M (tested), L, XL, THE GEAR Depending on how bad the weather is and whether I can stand getting wet on rides, a set of clip-on mudguards could be a worthy addition, as mentioned above. Since then weve had a long British winter thats only just on the wane. Lauf is now providing a new option in ride (and appearance) preference while maintaining their legacy of uniqueand appreciatedride compliance. Im not going to sit back and say the True Grit was an unknown quantity far from it. True Grit - Gravel Bike . So, whats the seatpost like? As such, the bike was not only used for the event but for all my training, as well as a considerable amount of time spent kit testing in the lead up to the event in early June. Merida Ex Enduro (Powered by Shimano Steps), and later the True Grit on the launch event in Iceland. Felix's time on the Lauf Anywhere is over, so how did he get on with his go-anywhere gravel bike? On asphalt, one reviewer described slight understeer on tight, fast turns. If you are riding access roads or just the normal dirt or gravel road, the rigid fork with new Smoothie bars and large-volume tires will be more than sufficient. Clearance for 45mm tires allows the Anywhere to be ridden over real gravel. This was not the case, however. Lauf Anywhere had a small pop up, so I bought that for her TG WW on sale for ~$2.5k shipped vs msrp $1.3k at a LBS for the E5 Diverge? I soon re-joined my outbound route, the wide gravel tracks corners revealing the mountains Im familiar with seeing in Aviemore. The True Grit has a long, low front end, perfect for folks that like an aggressive position. Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now. We are all huge fans of the True Grit and Zap even chose it as his favorite dual purpose bike of 2018. On the road, they dont feel too sluggish and their relatively continuous central tread rolls fast, while the carcass seems supple. This means the frame reach is 394mm and reach to handlebar length 456mm. My only other real addition to the bike is a new Garmin Flush Out-Front Mount. The one thing that kind of has us scratching our heads is their use of a 15mm thru-axle up front. As such, I was sent a set of its latest carbon XCX Gravel Race wheels. Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences. As you might or might not know, the core of Lauf True Grit is the Lauf Grit SL, with its 30mm front suspension fork. Lauf's True Grit makes the drop-bar bike feel a whole lot more viable (and comfortable) off-road. Theres little to fault with the build If you have access to good fire roads, smooth-ish singletrack or proper gravel, a bike like this is perfect. Like a lot of cyclists, Im at times pretty conflicted about driving to and from rides riding from home is much simpler and, of course, its one less vehicle on the roads but as good as Bristol is for riding, the mountain biking available from my door can get a bit stale. While the frameset is nicely finished, with numerous neat touches, its the Grit SL fork that steals the show. With summer waning and the memories of riding the Transatlantic Way fading, I organised a simple overnight bikepacking ride out of Bristol. The frame uses a 12x142mm rear thru-axle and a 15x100mm front thru-axle with flat-mount disc brakes. Much like the fork, the Canyon VCLS 2.0 seatpost Ive fitted is a two-piece leaf-sprung unit, designed to flutter backward and forward, to take the sting out of trail chatter. The DT Swiss X1900 wheels use 6-bolt rotors and have the Shimano-style freehub. With its long wheelbase, the Lauf is incredibly confident when speeding down rough descents. RBA OG Embroidered Champion Packable Jacket. The carbon in the handlebar has been specifically used to promote flex and reduce the high frequency chatter that you find when gravel riding. Overall, the trip was a great success. The most obvious changes were the wheels and tyres. Lauf True Grit bikes have a slack seat tube angle (72.5) and are thus set up to be used with zero-setback seatposts. Although I wasnt going to reduce its weight by any significant degree, it was still fun to see how light I could make the bike with limited time and upgrades available. The new Smoothie bar and 40mm tires isolate the rider from the imperfections of the road perfectly We have about 200 miles on the Anywhere and it has been lots of fun The large tires allow us to run low tire pressures (35 PSI) on the wet roads offering great traction with speed. More on those later. It was a new experience for me having never raced before or had any proper gravel riding experience. BIKE OF THE WEEK: SCHMOLKE INFINITY GRAVEL, THROWBACK THURSDAY, 2015: ALEX DOWSETT BREAKS THE HOUR, TOM PIDCOCK SHOWS OFF INSANE DESCENDING SKILLS, WATCH 2023 TOUR DOWN UNDER PROLOGUE HIGHLIGHTS. The fork is easy to get secondhand (as I did) or get it new. ), goading me into riding faster than my cold legs would go. It relies on a 100 x 15mm axle to secure the front wheel. But, on entering the outskirts of Aviemore, it was great to hit the Aviemore Orbital (yes, like any metropolis, Aviemore has an orbital) and then the highstreet back. Traditional telescopic suspension forks are designed to absorb large impacts, and they are good at that. Lauf True Grit $3,690 to $10,490 Lauf True Grit. Since this bike is not using a wireless 2x drivetrain (the frame is incompatible with wired 2x drivetrains), you might have also noticed a nifty Lauf Bottle Opener taking the place of the front derailleur. The top of the bars from hood to hood is all glass fiber with the carbon drops bonded on. Having said that, the X1900 wheels arent light at 1,721g for the pair and the internal width of 22.5mm isnt very wide. The Anywhere could feel harsh on long and intense gravel races. I envisaged a desolate slog, through a windswept bog, pushing for hours and cursing my route planning ability. I rode the Lauf Anywhere on my biggest challenge yet a 2,000km self-supported road event called the Transatlantic Way. However, Its also noticeable when riding over rough roads. A number of gravel and road wheels wont fit the JAF forks 15mm thru-axle. Currently, the bike is sold with DT Swiss XR1501 alloy wheels, fitted with 40c wide Maxxis Rambler tyres. The Lauf True Grit is built for gravel racing: big days, covering long distances, over a multitude of dirt surfaces. But, instead, I was treated to a chilly high-pressure system that hadnt dumped much snow, and so I donned some thick gloves, my Sportful Supergiara Puffy and some Nukeproof riding trousers, and headed into the hills behind town for a few achingly beautiful, and achingly cold rides to burn off the Christmas turkey (well, venison actually). Join Join. Perhaps the biggest low of the Anywhere is the 15mm axle on the JAF fork. Thats pretty much been the story since my last update because the Lauf continues to chug along very nicely indeed. The head angle, with 6mm of sag, is 70.5 degrees and theres a 72.5-degree seat angle, designed for use with a zero-layback seatpost. 2023 - Road Bike Action. My only criticism of the drivetrain/brakes has been that the shift paddle can sometimes squash my 4th and 5th fingers if Im braking on the hoods and my brake pads are a touch worn. Tom has written for BikeRadar, MBUK and Cycling Plus, and was previously technical editor of What Mountain Bike magazine. I was also lucky enough to ride the Grit fork when it launched, and later the True Grit on the launch event in Iceland and longer term after the event. To continue testing the versatility of the Lauf Anywhere, I entered my second hill climb race of the season at Burrington a local hill not far from Cheddar Gorge. Thanks! Photo: Courtesy Lauf Don't 'lauf' at my fork! Think ultra endurance road racing, gravel racing, a bit of touring and possibly the odd local time-trial. Hes also worked out that shaving your legs saves 8 watts, while testing aerodynamics in a wind tunnel. The frame geometry reinforces this preference for speed. I decided to save my Irn-Bru until later, for another insulin roller coaster later in the ride. Thanks for the feedback. The Grit accepts a 160mm brake rotor at minimum, with options for a 12mm or 15mm thru-axle. One of the best moments riding the Anywhere has got to be taking part in The Rift gravel race. Taking time to set the True Grit up right is worth the effort. Im also considering swapping the current DT Swiss X1900 XC wheels for a lighter wheelset because I will mostly be riding the Lauf Anywhere on tarmac roads. At around 2,000km distance and roughly 15,000 metres of elevation, I had to make sure that the bike could go the distance. With the front end of the bike benefitting from the Grit suspension fork, I was finding the feeling of the bike a little unbalanced, and, truth be told, a little uncomfortable on hard-packed rough tracks. Lauf calls it Long 4 Speed geometry, which is essentially a recipe for a longer, lower and slacker road bike. A handy bottle-opener is affixed to the frame, in place of a front derailleur. When fitted with gravel tires you have the optimal setup for gravel with proper pedal-to-ground clearance. The relatively slack 71-degree head angle and short 80mm stem is said to help increase stability at high speeds over rough terrain. This lowers the front end ever so slightly when compared to the Lauf Grit fork, and gives the Anywhere a more road-oriented and aerodynamic stance, making it a gravel race machine, at least . While it might not be entirely fair to say this, mountain biking often, because of the trail network in the UK, takes place in Forestry Commission commercial pine forests, and thus aesthetically varies very little. |, c/4/5/b/c45b52a357e5a50ec9d18ea9720d53f85e8cfee0_Tom_s_Lauf_True_Grit.jpg, Race-bred gravel bike that avoids being overly harsh or nervous; friction-free fork smooths fine chatter impeccably, Rear-tyre clearance could be improved; forks chassis can get caught out in high-load corners. Lauf Steigla builds and pricing. I have a True Grit fork that I swap out as terrain demands. Unfortunately the frame doesnt have any full-length mudguard mounts, and on a bike that is likely to be ridden through winter means using alternatives that perhaps dont provide as much protection. It was clear the Smoothie had considerably more flex than the other brands. 2020 was a big year for cycling for me with all the free time during lockdowns.