If versatility and performance had a baby, it would be called the G.1

By Aaron Bible

When it comes to silver linings, certainly cycling has remained one of the things keeping us all sane and human over the last couple of months. And no matter where you fall on the stay-at-home spectrum, almost everyone agrees that backroad biking is still very much open and encouraged.

I also happen to live in one of the premier gravel destinations in the world, literally in the heart of the type of terrain this bike is made for, along the Peak to Peak Highway west of Colorado’s Front Range, so riding the G.1 over the last 6 months has really given me something to look forward to every day.

Mind you, I’ve been reviewing gear and bicycles almost my entire adult life, and I see a lot of sameness out there, so when something innovative like this new breed of gravel bike comes along, is when my life choices get particularly rewarding. 

Mountain biking can really be limited by the weather above 8,000 feet, as it’s bad etiquette to ride on muddy trails, which causes erosion and creates dangerous ruts that can last all season. And road riding can get windy, sandy, and lonely in the shoulder season as well. But gravel riding is game on, the perfect combo of nature above your head, dirt under your wheels, lovely grades and adventurous miles.

And I bet many of you live near enough to a trail system or gravel roads so that you don’t even have to load the bike onto your car. For me, being able to ride from the house is everything, even if you have to put in some miles on pavement, the G.1 is built for it. Then, transition to dirt, and the bike really comes into its own.

The G.1 is also not shy on tech, which definitely elevates the experience. Flat mount disc brakes and 12mm through axles provide precision durability, and dropped seat stays and flattened rear tubing softens the ride. And while gravel bikes have been evolving (and I say evolving because it’s been happening slowly and subtly), the G.1 seems to have taken a leap to become a different animal. It’s not a road bike. One difference is the tire clearance, up to 40cm on 700cm wheels; but it also accommodates 2.1cm rubber on 650B wheels, depending on your goals and where you want to ride most. For those who want to tour, it’s got fender mounts, front and rear rack mounts, and three water bottle mounts. I would absolutely take this bike fully loaded on the Colorado Trail over almost any other bike. Carbon fiber with internal cable routing offers a maintenance free and super-lightweight frame, including a double-threaded bottom bracket for durable serviceability.

The standard-equipment tubeless-ready HED Vanquish GP4 wheelsets are truly high end, and account for some of the price bump and the weight drop on the AXS vs. the Force models of the G.1. Regarding the IRC Boken 40cm tires that come standard – I have absolutely no complaints about and I only upgrade them when I’m testing other rubber or some of you may want to put something skinnier on, if you’re not riding a lot of soft dirt or trail.

The saddle is revolutionary by some standards, especially if you’ve been riding a traditional seat, even a high-end one, you’ll notice the difference. At first glance it looks like a triathlon saddle, but you quickly realize why they’ve chosen the Selle Italia Novus Boost Carbon for this bike. It’s extremely lightweight and ergonomically designed, fits my medium sized frame well, and is easy to move around on over the course of long rides while maintaining power.

The G.1 frame geometry also excels on flow track. Some people like to say, if you can ride a gravel bike on it, it’s not a mountain bike trail, but I tend to disagree. Flow track is what mountain biking is all about; gnarly downhill and enduro MTB was only born from the durable and dynamic technology achieved in mountain bikes in recent years. In the beginning mountain biking was about getting off the roads and onto the trails, onto the dirt paths and the jeep roads – and that’s what the G.1 is all about too. This is the ideal Steamboat bike, or even Crested Butte, or Boulder, or Bend, or Boise, or Northwest Arkansas, where, yes, there is singletrack and plenty of it, but the gravel roads seem to stretch out forever, as far as the imagination, connecting the surrounding environment with bike paths and trails and country roads and side streets, all your playground on a nimble gravel bike with 40c tires.

I’ve also had people tell me they don’t need gravel bikes, that their 29er does all of the same things just as well or, when it comes to trails, better than a 700c wheel. But I disagree. Maybe it’s my background as a road rider, but there’s no substitute for the efficiency of road geometry and skinny tires when it comes to climbing hills, especially on packed surfaces. Maybe I’m just lazy, or I’d rather sacrifice some bomb speed downhill on singletrack for an overall more enjoyable, more efficient ride.

Another great thing about the G.1, especially in the AXS, is that it’s competition ready right out of the box. You don’t need to spend more than this on a bike, period. And they’re not cutting corners either, even while being as competitively priced as any other SRAM Red eTap AXS bike out there, cyclists in the know will recognize all brand name parts on this bike.

For mountain bikers crossing over into gravel, you will appreciate the single-ring drivetrain, with a familiar gear range and no complications (or weight) of a front derailleur. The road-oriented crowd, while they will be impressed by the overall weight of the bike and love the wireless electronic shifting, may miss some of the highest and lowest range gears they’re accustomed to. I know everyone loves the 1x11 (and in this case it’s a 1x12, SRAM Red eTap), especially the MTBers, but I do find that it’s only great for about 90 percent of my pedaling. And maybe that’s okay, especially when taking into consideration all that the bike can do at 100-percent unlike almost any other bike out there.

Of note, I only rode the AXS (Red eTap) version of the G.1, so part of my enamour with the bike is certainly that smooth, reliable and lightweight groupo, and you can see by the pricing structure that this adds almost $3500 to the price of the bike. But the Force and GRX gruppos use the same highly engineered carbon frame and carbon gravel fork, offering any level rider or price point exceptional value.

The G.1 series has a playful character as a quiver killer, serious gravel competitor, or touring bike, however you choose to use it. Entering the world of gravel riding, you’ll quickly discover just how fun and versatile these bikes can be, and the G.1 really exemplifies the category. You’re only limited by where you want to take it.

--Aaron H. Bible is an adventure journalist and bike industry veteran based in the mountains outside Boulder, Colorado. Follow his journey on Instagram at @ahbible.