I swapped back the dynamo wheel which is still one of my favourite bits of kit for the Lauf and attached the Crudcatcher Roadracer MK3 mudguard set to keep me dry and comfortable. Jump out the door, grind your way through or load it up and head anywhere you want. Also, when it comes to comfort, because the front end is suspended its more obvious that the rear isnt. I really liked that the light stayed on for up to an hour after stopping pedalling because it gave me a chance to set up camp in the light, and if I needed to stop on the road I was still visible. This leaf-sprung suspension fork offers 30mm of travel, which is enough to take the sting out of the dirt roads, without impacting too much on the bikes dynamic geometry. As a result, Felix loves to find the limits of endurance bikes and bikepacking gear for BikeRadar, while he also lets his competitive side loose during gravel races and hill climbs. Riding the Lauf all year round, oftennot in a commercial forest, means I see the seasons changing whenever I ride. You've been subscribed to our newsletter. Here, the fork sometimes twists and twangs, which can be unnerving. I ride mountain bikes a lot for work (and adore MTBing too! At this time of year, we traditionally say goodbye to our long-term bikes. Gates are annoying at the best of times, but boy oh boy, this is the worst kind of gate Ive ever come across. Im currently running some Ritchey pedals, but often swap between pedals for a set of Shimano XT Race pedals and something else I cant talk about right now. In this market it's hard to find bikes, so she was really luck. Before reviewing the wheels Id like to spend more time on them, but so far that extra depth has had little effect on the handling of the bike, apart from perhaps in the strongest sidewind gusts where theres obviously a little more deflection. Metres would have been cooler. The fork is easy to get secondhand (as I did) or get it new. This is exacerbated when I ride in the same place, a month or two apart. Owing to the 45mm offset (versus the 47mm that their suspension fork), the bikes wheelbase is slightly shorter at 103.4cm. Maybe its the combo of the supple tyre, and the forks suspension and lower lateral stiffness than a traditional fork, but at those pressures the feel between tarmac and bar is just too vague for my tastes. 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. Perhaps not surprising because this bike has, as claimed by Lauf offers Copious amount of microscopic comfort. An expert wanted a bit more gear range at both top and bottom ends. Having explored a little of the area in the past, I knew there was a fair risk of trudging through mud, even at the best of times, and with my other half working, I also knew thered be no rescue party until at least early evening if things went a little wrong. The frame is built around a conventional threaded bottom bracket, which means I can remove it easily at home if it needs replacing or cleaning. 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. It's not designed to carry all your bells and whistles, but still manages. We want a 10t cog This means the frame reach is 394mm and reach to handlebar length 456mm. The Weekend Warrior edition that Ive been riding comes in at 8.5kg, while similarly specced endurance road bikes, such as the Cannondale Synapse, weigh around the 9kg mark. This could be changed to a 10-42t if the freehub was also changed to an XD driver to accommodate the smaller 10t cog. tire clearance, and arguably better looks, it's a winner out of the gate. ), but gravel gives me something else that wider tyres cant easy, local access to great riding, big miles, and long days in the saddle. I actually think this combination suits my riding perfectly, especially as Im not a natural road racer with years of riding a 53-48t under my belt. The TCR weighs in at 17.12 pounds . Swish. Obviously, a lighter drivetrain and wheelset/tyre combination would drop a significant amount of weight should I start getting more serious about riding uphill. While tyre widths have increased, and the bike has a suspension fork, it's still a race . It just baffles us on why they would spec it with the less common (now outdated) option. Already have an account with us? The bike is running an 11-42t cassette on a standard Shimano HG style freehub. I would say that for a relatively short ride the gearing is fine. Clearance for 45mm tires allows the Anywhere to be ridden over real gravel. Before this, I felt I hadnt quite done the Anywhere justice because many of my rides were road-based, but this trip really opened up what I thought was possible on a rigid, drop-bar bike. Tyre pressures are set to the low 40s of PSI high enough to avoid feeling sluggish on tarmac, but low enough to give grip and an element of comfort on dirt. Outside of testing bikes, Tom competes in a wide range of mountain bike races, from multi-day enduros through to 24-hour races in the depths of the Scottish winter pushing bikes, components and his legs to their limits. The frame also allows wide tyres of up to 45mm. Im getting to grips with Komoot, too, using it as a tool to search out alternative routes to the main roads in and out of the city, whether thats via cycle tracks, single tracks or dirt tracks. The Anywhere is nearly identical in feel and handling to the True Grit when on the pavement. The carbon fiber Icelandic gravel bike employs the company's signature Grit SL fork to give. I found this out when testing the Hunt Superdura dynamo wheel, which uses a 12mm axle Son Delux hub. Surprisingly, the bike does not use the leaf spring fork that made Lauf famous. Less vibration is transmitted through the frame, so the overall bike rides smoother, and thus (in my eyes, at least) faster. Taking time to set the True Grit up right is worth the effort. The original wheels fitted to the bike were a pair of DT Swiss XR1501 alloy hoops. Four buildsfrom $2690 to $5340are available, including an option for a frameset. Thanks for the feedback. I reinstalled the third bottle cage on the down tube, but to carry my coffee and coffee cup. At the beginning of June I headed out to Ireland to ride the Transatlantic Way a self-supported ride from Dublin to Kinsale, Cork via the wild west coast. Ive spent the last six months riding the Lauf Anywhere from my first taste of self supported bikepacking to my first gravel race in Iceland and most recently my first open hill climb race. ), goading me into riding faster than my cold legs would go. I also swapped the cassette from an 11-42t to 10-42t in order to increase my top-end speed. 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. Tom Marvin is a technical editor at BikeRadar.com and MBUK magazine. So, with the Cairngorms having mile upon mile of prime gravel, it was an easy decision to chuck the Lauf in the back of the van as I cruised far up north. The rest of my sleeping kit was stored in the saddle bag. Lauf calls it Long 4 Speed geometry, which is essentially a recipe for a longer, lower and slacker road bike. One of the biggest changes to the bike I intend to make is swapping the front wheel for a dynamo-equipped model. My only other real addition to the bike is a new Garmin Flush Out-Front Mount. Lauf's Grit forks are also far lighter than the competition, more energy efficient and they don't require any maintenance. Many of the routes I cycle involve either narrow and rough roads or gravel bike paths in order to avoid heavy traffic areas, or to open up new places to ride. A week in Aviemore, Scotland, where my girlfriend lives, gave me an opportunity to get back on the Lauf, after spending a fair bit of time riding my Marin El Roy. There are three water bottle cage mounts, as well as a bolt-on top tube mounts for a bag. While they are inherently unable to come close to Lauf Grit's response to higher frequency vibration. 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? 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. The large but smooth 40mm tires allowed us to run low tire pressures (35psi) on wet roads offering great traction and speed. 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. This means the ride is quite harsh, which I noticed most when racing The Rift gravel race in Iceland. My route took me out of town on a wide NCN cycle path, before taking a diversion through an undulating forest. As such, the former wouldve preferred a 40t chainring, while the latter wished for a 10t cog. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. I thought the stock 40c Maxxis Velocita tyres were a bit overkill for the road riding I was doing, so I borrowed a fetching pair of tan wall WTB Exposure 32 tyres. The Anywhere rode well on gravel, fire-trails, asphalt and manicured trails. The Lauf Anywhere is an awesome all-rounder that will handle pretty much whatever adventure you throw at it. The JAF fork is designed around a 15mm axle, which means many gravel and road wheels arent compatible. The Seigla has, within a millimetre or two, the same geometry as the True Grit. LAUF ANYWHERE RIDE The Anywhere is nearly identical in feel and handling to the True Grit when on the pavement. When taking tight turns you have to lean into them with confidence. While Lauf quotes a 45c tyre clearance at the back, I think thats more applicable for true mid-western gravel. 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. The Lauf True Grit is built for gravel racing: big days, covering long distances, over a multitude of dirt surfaces. I got out of the saddle on most of the climbs and spent less time spinning on sharp hills. Overall, the Lauf Anywhere is a truly awesome all-rounder. In December 2019 I took part in the popular Moonrakers and Sunseekers 300km Audax, organised by Will Pomeroy and the team behind Great Western Randonnes. Rattling is perhaps too negative a sounding word, its just that a 45c gravel tyre in comparison to a 2.6in wide one gives a fairly different ride experience! So, when the Lauf Anywhere arrived for testing by Matthew Allen I was quite interested in it, and after working on the bikes first look video, which suggested that the bike could become the perfect mountain bikers road bike, I was keen to ride the bike myself. However, these are pre-production samples that came with slightly thicker grease than production hubs would. However, I like the position, especially when descending. 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. Its only in the last five years that Ive started riding gravel and road, before that I was more of a mountain biker. I guess Im fairly happy rattling over rough surfaces at closer to 50psi, especially considering the squish afforded by the Grit fork. A particularly long reach of 399mm for the medium is combined with a short head-tube (133mm) to promote an aerodynamic position on the bike. The Anywhere is the exception to Lauf's range, as it sports a conventional, unsprung, rigid carbon fork. 3x Bottle Mounts Three bottle mounts come in handy for a long day in the saddle. When not riding he can be found at the climbing wall, in his garden or cooking up culinary delights. With anything rough off the cards for a few weeks, the Lauf has made riding over terrible roads local to me relatively smooth and much kinder on the wrist, thanks to its tyre volume and Grit fork, with its incredible road buzz-killing abilities. for a true multi-purpose bike, the Anywhere hits the mark, especially if there is more pavement in your schedule. It would be good to see some provision for internal dropper post cable routing, too. I then spent half an hour or so removing various bits such as the Lezyne pump bracket and, dare I say it, the Lauf bottle opener! It sports a 11-42t SRAM 1130 cassette and chain that is coupled with a single X-Sync 42t chainring up front. The Smoothie handlebar and 40mm tires definitely help isolate the rider from road imperfections. This was a relatively pain-free process, although having initially tried to pump the tyres up without removing the valve core, I quickly learned that it was not going to inflate without taking this step first. 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. That said, I noticed that on-tarmac handling is compromised. Grit / Grit SL . Having suffered from knee pain at the end of day three it was clear that the lower gearing was a good choice and suggested that I should have spent more time in those lower gears to help reduce the load going through my knee. Although the frame is fairly light for a gravel bike at 1,070g, it doesnt feel particularly supple. These cookies do not store any personal information. Give it a couple of months and itll be skis I need round here, not a bike! I love gravel riding. It has Lauf Lush bartape and is 420mm wide on the medium size. The glass fiber Smoothie handlebar flexes to compensate for frame judder. A number of gravel and road wheels wont fit the JAF forks 15mm thru-axle. Instead of the JAF I used the No.9 CX Disc fork from Whiskey Parts Co. The road category has settled on 12x100mm as the standard and Lauf even makes the rigid and suspension fork in both sizes. The True Grit has a long, low front end, perfect for folks that like an aggressive position. Swap take ~20 minutes. Still, for a true multi-purpose bike (that can run either a 1x or 2x drivetrain), the Anywhere hits the mark, especially if there is more pavement in your schedule. It impressed on asphalt, dirt and true gravel. However, I was pleased to report that the bike held up far better than me. But not before Id popped to the local bakery to pick up some Scottish delicacies. On our normal road group rides, the bike never held us back and has been giving us an advantage on the roads that are littered with fallen rocks and debris. In late March I rode out of Bristol at 7pm, fully loaded with sleeping gear to see how both the bike and I would get on with the experience of a mid-week over-nighter. Lauf True Grit (technically not on the list) At $3765 this is the most expensive (and best looking) option and I'm hesitant to get this as my first gravel bike because of that The same frame as the Lauf Anywhere but has the Lauf fork and SRAM FORCE 1 ( link) Also a 1x42T cank and 11/42T cassette which seems more sensible gearing for gravel Opting for a rigid fork will save customers $350/260/300 from the version with a Grit fork. Traditional telescopic suspension forks are designed to absorb large impacts, and they are good at that. The True Grit is designed for 700c gravel tires, in proper width (up to 45mm) and with short chainstays (425mm). These aluminium wheels are 27mm deep with a 19mm internal width and come in at 1,588g for the pair. On Komoot I couldnt tell the difference between fire road and singletrack, but thankfully this narrow sliver of trail through the trees was all passable on my skinny rubber. 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. I know the stack is greatly different, but the specialized seems to be measuring to the end of the future shock (610mm) while Lauf has a Stack (564mm) and a stack to handlebar (605 - 651mm) that would seem to match Specialized better. Im pretty sure British Cycling should get their athletes on this diet. So the Lauf has offered me a great opportunity to take an evening spin and remind me that theres plenty of good riding to be found locally, if youre happy to have a dig on Komoot and accept that youre not going to be shredding the gnar. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. BikeRide works hard to help you find the lowest prices and information on each bike from the widest possible range of sources. THE FRAME And it was here that I spent my Christmas and New Year. Lauf True Grit $3,690 to $10,490 Lauf True Grit. And, despite the huge new max tire compatibility, they were able to maintain the same . From there, I enjoyed a mix of tarmac, farm track and, eventually, classic Scottish gravel double track through and past Carrbridge, and on to the climb up and over the hills to Lochindorb. The new Lauf Seigla takes everything that was good about the True Grit gravel bike and makes it bigger and better. By reports, Maxxis Velocita tires didnt perform well in mud or slippy dirt. The Anywhere is nearly identical in feel and handling when on the pavement. The last four hours were really tough despite being mostly flat and it seemed my legs had only one speed slow! When jutting across roads less traveled, you can feel the bars flexing while on the hoods. The one thing that kind of has us scratching our heads is their use of a 15mm thru-axle up front. Also developed in house by Lauf is the flared drop bar, which is called the Smoothie Composite. The rear chainstays are reasonably boxy, boosting pedalling stiffness, while the slender seatstays are there to give a little comfort. . Lauf will offer its Steigla with either the Grit fork or with a rigid fork. Socks: Team Dream 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.