Lauf Grit Gravel Bike, anyone have one ?

[Trevor_S]

Thinking of getting one to ride from my place, a loop through Nerang then back home. Perhaps run a second set of road wheels/tyres for road rides specifically ?

For the longest time i lived in the bush with my own MTB trail network at my door, now living in the city and have always been a fan of being active from my front door, so I am looking to transition away from just MTB, the nearest track is Nerang on the GC, about 20 mins away. I tried doing it on my 29er and it's a chore, hoping this might make it more enjoyable or is that just wishful thinking ?

I did a search here and it seemed to be mostly just talking about the Fork itself and lampooning somethign they haven't tried. Does anyone know if there is a dealaer near the GC. I know they mostly do online only but they have some dealers I believe. I used to road road and enjoyed it lots over a decade ago but lived no where near sealed roads for a decade so dropped away..

Lauf True Grit - The versatile gravel and endurance bike

The Lauf True Grit bike is a versatile gravel and endurance race horse, with nerves of carbon. Comfort, speed and durability.

www.laufcycling.com

Wrong forum ?

 

[mtb101]

If you've got an mtb background then you'll have the skills to ride rigid, key is a fat cx tyre (40s), line choice a bit of upper body/core you know what I mean. Then you think well mtbs are dirt masters and where do you see this fork configuration on the dirt? so its going to work, nowhere near as good as telescopic fork, and as I said fat tyre, line pick is key to gravel. weight is 900 grams, fox 32 for example is; 1.3kg, but only 30mm travel on lauf, compared to say fox 32 100 mm. and of course lock out on fox ... an proven design off road.

I've found that if you think you need a suspension fork for dirt/off road on cx/gravel then go the mtb 29er hard trail that'll be a 10kg bike that'll bomb any cx downhill and climb with them uphill. your cx is going to do gravel and don't think you need a suspension fork for that. tyre is key.

 

[creaky]

The gravel/cx will be good for the mixed surface riding you describe but you don't want to end up with a gravel bike that is as heavy / heavier than a hard tail 29er.

If you need suspension then grab a light carbon HT.

 

[Minlak]

I was convinced I wanted a gravel bike and then decided to turn my flat bar road bike into a gravel bike - after going through the whole exercise and seeing a lot of the releases of gravel bikes coming that accomodate wider tyres and or suspension I would now never own a gravel bike - get a Hardtail MTB and put skinny (2.0) tyres on it and get what the gravel bike makers are working towards.

 

[Calvin27]

Current gravel bikes are a bit silly. They run wide as xc tyres and start having mtb-like features. Catch they cost like 4 times as much as a hardtail.

I really only have a gravel bike because I need a spare roadie. For anything that requires more than 35c tyres, then hardtails are a better solution.

 

[ozzybmx]

Are you looking for a complete Lauf bike or just the gravel fork ? There are quite a few gravel FB pages where you would find more owners of the complete bikes... not sure anyone here would have that cash invested in a gravel bike.

I know a couple of blokes with a Lauf on their gravel bikes, though these guys do the Hunt1000, RTR and decent bikepacking trips. Probably asked them if they liked the fork, can't remember the answer. Seems a rich for 30mm of travel, as MTB101 says, decent tyres on it will make a big difference.

 

[Trevor_S]

Yeah, for those saying HT 29er (had three bikes stolen, one of them a HT 29er but that's another matter) , been there done that and found it a slog for long distances, hence the drop bars of a gravel bike . Currently on a Scott Spark 29er, 2x, with dual suspension and dual lockout at the bar) .... I have ridden (and raced at various times ) XC for the last 2 decades, HT and dual, with a decade of actual road riding in there as well (100km rides albeit I'd "die" doing that now).

As an experiment a couple years ago, I tried running CX tyres on my carbon Orbea roadie that was a no go as they just wouldn't fit. Then the bike was destroyed in the fires in Northen NSW anyway, where I lost a heap of stuff and am looking to rebuild my "bike collection" after multiple thefts and fire.

Was hoping for some one who might have experience with this actual bike but I do appreciate the other comments as well

Are you looking for a complete Lauf bike or just the gravel fork ? There are quite a few gravel FB pages

Complete bike... and FB ? No thanks but thank you for the suggestion. I stopped using that about 15 years ago.

 

[ozzybmx]

FB ? No thanks but thank you for the suggestion. I stopped using that about 15 years ago.

No worries, regardless of peoples opinion on social media, its the biggest source of information these days.

There is no other platform in the last couple of years, that provides the information and marketplace that fakebook does.

Just make a profile called "Gravel Trev" and join the required information pages, you don't necessarily need to amass 100's of imaginary friends.

 

[Trevor_S]

There is no other platform in the last couple of years, that provides the information and marketplace that fakebook does.

and that's excacty why I don't, won't, cant and will never participate and why I post here (and other fora) instead . It has nothing to do with a philosophical opposition to social media. A closed shop on an open internet is anathema and those who do use it should be ashamed of enabling that ... but now I am drifting waaaay off topic

 

[creaky]

Instead of spending a mint on a Lauf bike with 30mm of average travel fork and a 2md set of wheels, could you get a rigid gravel bike and a road bike for the same price?

2nd sets of wheels sound great but are always a pain in the ass cause, unless they are the same hubs, you usually need to adjust the RD and the brake calipers when you swap them over.

 

[ForkinGreat]

I have a frankenbike I need to build up from a Banshee Paradox V1(?) frame and Salsa steel rigid fork, but if I was going to have a gravel bike,
I would go for a Specialized Roubaix, Focus Paralane, Cannondale Synapse or Trek Domane SL6. I think all of them should be able to take a 700x32mm tyre, and there are a number of gravel capable tyres in that size. All those bikes are really road bikes with a bit more clearance.
if you are riding anything chunkier than hardpack XC trails or gravel railtrails, then an XC or Trail MTB is the Go, IMO.

 

[Tubbsy]

I like the idea of the Open Cycle UP. I use an old steel roadie for commuting on a bunch of different quality surfaces, but would appreciate something that'll bash through it all with bigger volume tyres while keeping the speed of a road bike:

 

[Calvin27]

For what it's worth the lauf bike itself is nothing special. The forks you could probably just buy to try out but I rekon you won't notice anything special. I have ridden a lauf forked bike before it was ok, but personally I prefer rigid front end for gravel sort of riding. For any sort of bombing down sketchy roads, I'll go back to hardtail with proper suspension.

Another option might be to try specialized diverge with their future shock which is a slightly different concept.
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/future-shock

It's a different design than a fork shock as it is meant to isolate the user from shocks not suspend the whole bike. This ideally makes it more efficient than a fork shock, but probably a lot less of the traction benefits of a suspension fork. Kicker is for $3k you'll be in a decent spec diverge - a lot less than the lauf.

 

[ozzybmx]

and that's excacty why I don't, won't, cant and will never participate and why I post here (and other fora) instead.

It has nothing to do with a philosophical opposition to social media. A closed shop on an open internet is anathema and those who do use it should be ashamed of enabling

Well I'm an unashamed enabler... and you are barking up the wrong tree in your meagre scramble for information that is readily available in aforementioned platform.

Good luck finding Lauf gravel info on a gravity orientated MTB forum.

 

[ForkinGreat]

For what it's worth the lauf bike itself is nothing special. The forks you could probably just buy to try out but I rekon you won't notice anything special. I have ridden a lauf forked bike before it was ok, but personally I prefer rigid front end for gravel sort of riding. For any sort of bombing down sketchy roads, I'll go back to hardtail with proper suspension.

Another option might be to try specialized diverge with their future shock which is a slightly different concept.
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/future-shock

It's a different design than a fork shock as it is meant to isolate the user from shocks not suspend the whole bike. This ideally makes it more efficient than a fork shock, but probably a lot less of the traction benefits of a suspension fork. Kicker is for $3k you'll be in a decent spec diverge - a lot less than the lauf.

The Spesh Roubaix has the same future shock unit, and I think it can be locked out if you don't want the squish on asphalt or hardpack gravel.

 

[bear the bear]

Thinking of getting one to ride from my place, a loop through Nerang then back home. Perhaps run a second set of road wheels/tyres for road rides specifically ?

For the longest time i lived in the bush with my own MTB trail network at my door, now living in the city and have always been a fan of being active from my front door, so I am looking to transition away from just MTB, the nearest track is Nerang on the GC, about 20 mins away. I tried doing it on my 29er and it's a chore, hoping this might make it more enjoyable or is that just wishful thinking ?

I did a search here and it seemed to be mostly just talking about the Fork itself and lampooning somethign they haven't tried. Does anyone know if there is a dealaer near the GC. I know they mostly do online only but they have some dealers I believe. I used to road road and enjoyed it lots over a decade ago but lived no where near sealed roads for a decade so dropped away..

Lauf True Grit - The versatile gravel and endurance bike

The Lauf True Grit bike is a versatile gravel and endurance race horse, with nerves of carbon. Comfort, speed and durability.

www.laufcycling.com

Wrong forum ?

Lauf is direct to consumer. So there is no ability to view before purchase.
Pricing starts at $US2750+$US99 (shipping)+ $US288.90 (duty)= $AU4,389.75

 

[ForkinGreat]

Lauf is direct to consumer. So there is no ability to view before purchase.
Pricing starts at $US2750+$US99 (shipping)+ $US288.90 (duty)= $AU4,389.75

at least with the mainstream brands you can take the bike back to the local dealer you bought it from if something farks up.

 

[Daniel Hale]

one of the gravel guys at ballarat bought a lauf fork to put on a diff gravel bike, he tried to sell it after about 2 months.

open are popular amongst rich young hipster but you pay a fair bit for not much diff, having seen one close ridden it round a circle

a friend had the cannondale slate, if u can find one cheap the 60mm fork does a great job..my friend couldn’t live with the fact it was 650b, he tried to use it on road also & got flogged by some roadie’s, if you stick to mostly gravel/commute & -aren’t worried about kom the 65ob wheels are fine, quite cushy in fact

 

[Tubbsy]

open are popular amongst rich young hipster but you pay a fair bit for not much diff

This is why I like them.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

Can't speak for the Lauf but I can speak for other gravel or all road options, having built three to date.

First was a NOS alloy Scott CX frame with canti brakes and an alloy fork. Fast, nippy and light but the head angle was too steep.

Second was an old Giant 700c hybrid frame I found...slacker head angle made it very decent and the frame has clearance for 42mm tyres. Tall front end meant drop bars were actually doable too. Single hanging in the shed.

Currently running a Niner RLT that I picked up off a 'burner. Disc brakes and carbon fork on an alloy frame. Can run 40mm tyres easy but I tend to run 28mm these days. The Niner fork has enough flex for 15-20 mm travel anyway whilst 35mm tyres provide a bit more damping again (at the cost of rolling resistance). Only issue is the alloy frame is a bit stiff in the stays which can mean you get a bit worked over on a rough road...and a little more slack in the head angle might be nice...

I wouldn't honestly bother with a springy fork for most gravel roads unless you are planning to cover hundreds of kilometres whilst loaded as there are plenty of other road conditions that will bring bike handling undone and there are other (perhaps better) ways to reduce the road pounding you get.