Velo Podcast

Welcome to this special episode of the Velo Podcast from our 2027 Field Test, where we asked one very important question: What does the future of gravel look like?

We took six bikes that couldn’t be more different and compared them head to head.

The six bikes:

Giant Revolt: The lightweight all-rounder—race it or go off the beaten path.

Factor Sarana: The ultra endurance machine.

Argon18 Anti Matter: The aero approach to gravel.

Obed GVR: The progressive race bike.

Pivot Les SL Drop Bar: The drop-bar mountain bike.

Salsa Fargo 32 Ti: The 32er. How much difference do big wheels make?

We started with a first impressions loop, then put them through a series of head to head challenges, and finally took them on a 100km ride with varied terrain up to Whistler, BC.

Now, Levy, Josh, and Logan have some thoughts about what they just experienced and where the future of gravel is headed. We break it all down on this special episode of the Velo Pod where we're all together under one roof!

Watch the three episodes and learn more about each bike in our individual reviews over at Velo!

Velo's 2027 Gravel Field Test is presented by:
Endura Sport
Schwalbe Tires
Easton Cycling

Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:25 The Bikes
03:00 Was This Actually Gravel Riding?
08:30 The Importance of Back to Back Testing
13:48 Are 32-Inch Wheels the Future of Gravel?
21:16 What Kind of Gravel Riding Do You Like?
31:04 Biggest Surprise of the Test?
37:05 How would you change the pivot gravel bike?
40:35 Don't Let the Brand Tell You What the Bike Is
43:48 Did We Figure Out the Future of Gravel?

In this special episode of the Velo Podcast presented by Pivot, Chris Cocalis, Founder of Pivot Cycles, joins Mike Levy to discuss a new project from the Arizona, based brand.

Most people know Pivot for forward thinking mountain bikes, but now the brand is getting into road bikes with the Pravia, a bike Pivot is calling ‘a race bike built for humans.’

Intrigued? Us too.

This is actually a return to road bikes for Pivot. The brand partnered with BH years ago on road bike product development and design from 2007 to 2012. Fast forward to today and Pivot has decided the time is right to get into this category under its own name.

“I just thought we could have a cutting edge product that was better,” said Cocalis.

For this project, he tapped into the innovative spirit at Pivot, like when they pushed into 29-inch wheels early, or developed a fat bike. “Pivot is our brand, and wherever we decide to take it we can compete in those categories,” he said.

Although there was some consideration for making a super lightweight, specialist bike, Cocalis really wanted to get back to having one good road bike to ride everything. So the Pivot team set forth to create the Pravia, a performance road bike with elements that more riders will find more comfortable. They have lovingly dubbed it “a race bike for humans.”

Cocalis was deeply involved in the bike development process for the Pravia.

He walks us through the carbon layup development process. It took two years to get all the different sizes correct, and the 56 size around took at least six rounds of development to get the weight and ride quality where they wanted them. But it’s actually the smallest sizes that are the hardest to develop. Cocalis also talks to us about how Pivot’s Hollow Core Carbon Molding process for creating carbon frames differs from other brands. He calls it the most precise way to make a carbon frame.

Levy and Cocalis also get into the nitty gritty details that set this bike apart

Cocalis talked us through his decision to include downtube storage, a move that isn’t always perceived as being for performance bikes. It was also a massive development process to get a downtube storage door that “doesn’t squeak, doesn’t creak, doesn’t leak,” and that’s before trying to hit stiffness and weight targets. It’s part of the reason they needed six rounds of layup development on the size 56 frame alone.

Cocalis then discusses the decision to go all-in on electronic shifting. As he puts it, the Pravia is a high-end bike built for a rider that’s not interested in mechanical shifting. And making it electronic only means not sacrificing ride quality, performance, or weight to build in cable guides and stops. “It is definitely a performance minded decision,” Cocalis said.

Then there’s the small details that make the bike more livable, like a seatpost wedge that actually works — an apparently high bar to clear in this day and age.

Settle in for a great episode of the Velo Podcast

Learn more about the Pravia : https://www.pivotcycles.com/en-us/bikes/pravia

Time stamps

00:00:00 - Intro

00:03:30 - Why Is Pivot Making a Road Bike Now?

00:11:09 - Competing in Both Road & Mountain

00:14:28 - Tangent: The Fat Bike Project

00:16:50 - Fat-Tire Road Bikes & Tire Clearance 00:21:16 - Into the Details: Designing the Frame

00:29:13 - Frame Iterations & Sizing for Smaller Riders

00:32:36 - Ride Feel, Vibration & Compliance Testing

00:38:01 - How Carbon Frames Are Actually Made

00:44:51 - Balancing Stiffness, Compliance & Fit

00:48:00 - Chris’s Road History & the LeMond Days

00:53:17 - Solving the Squeak-Free Door & Internal Routing

00:56:03 - Price, Materials & the Three Build Levels

01:01:18 - Who This Bike Is For

01:06:01 - What’s Next?

Featuring: Mike Levy, Josh Ross, Lisa Charlebois, and Logan Jones-Wilkins

This is a spooky week to talk about bikes. Logan Jones-Wilkins, Lisa Charlebois, host Mike Levy, and Josh Ross are all committed to the Halloween bit, but they don't let it distract from the tech.

The crew starts off by diving into listener questions, chatting about why weight has fallen out of the top spot in specs over the last few years, and exploring the reasons why you might decide to care about weight more than aero—even if it makes you slower overall. Plus, Logan shares insight into why the pros don’t care as much about aero as it seems like they should.

The big question still looming is about the crew's failed desert adventure. Lisa can’t stop thinking about it, and the debate continues over going back for unfinished business versus just letting it die, alongside some epic failed-ride stories from listeners.

From there, it’s time to talk about bike computers. The chat starts with whether anyone actually needs an $800 head unit, but quickly devolves into the ultimate wardrobe debate: jorts versus spandex, including Josh's hot take that the casual jorts crowd is actually the least welcoming group in cycling.

The real meat of the tech discussion is the polarizing new Coros Dura 2. We answer your questions, break down why the Coros ecosystem is a major selling point, and mourn the loss of the first generation's scroll wheel. After that, it’s the Levy and Logan show as the gravel boys take on the new Öhlins GXF30 Suspension Fork, debating whether a well-designed gravel fork ever actually needs a lockout.

Finally, we get to the big topic of the week: Halloween. The crew shares their spookiest, unexplained bike stories from the darkest night rides.

Listener Perks:

The Velo Podcast wouldn’t happen without subscribers. We’re offering listeners of the show a special 25% discount on an Outside+ membership. Enter the code velopod at checkout to score these savings, and thank you for your support!

Episode Chapters:

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:38 - Listener Q&A: Weight vs Aero

00:12:02 - Do You Have to Redo a Failed Adventure?

00:20:12 - Comments: Does Anyone Need an $800 Computer?

00:29:50 - Coros Dura 2 Review: What’s New

00:39:37 - The Ecosystem Problem

00:45:37 - Dislikes & the Price Question

00:50:10 - Öhlins GXF30 Gravel Suspension Fork

00:58:41 - Spooky Bike Stories

01:19:05 - Wrap-Up & Listener Prompt

Featuring: Mike Levy, Josh Ross, and Lisa Charlebois

We headed into the desert for a massive route, and the desert won. This week, Mike Levy, Lisa Charlebois, and Josh Ross (Logan Jones-Wilkins is still away) recount the war stories from our brutal trip through Death Valley. We’re talking 109-degree heat, heat exhaustion, and gale-force hurricane winds—which makes for a very interesting day when you are riding an aero bike with 65mm wheels.

We break down exactly how the ride fell apart, including why Lisa dropped us on the first major climb and what caused her husband to end up puking on the side of the road.

Before we get into the survival stories, we tackle your listener questions. I explain why I never give exact numbers when quoting aero savings, we offer up some new bike recommendations, and we listen to a gnarly crash recounting. Plus, we debate the new Garmin Edge 1060 and whether voice control on a bike computer actually makes sense.

This week's poll: A big goal goes unfinished. Do you plan a revenge ride, or move on to the next adventure? Let us know in the comments.

Listener Perks:

The Velo Podcast wouldn’t happen without subscribers. We’re offering listeners of the show a special 25% discount on an Outside+ membership. Enter the code velopod at checkout to score these savings, and thank you for your support!

We tally up our most memorable on-bike disasters, look at why World Tour riders are ditching BOA dials for laces, and debate the true cost of the sport. Let us know your worst cycling mistake in the comments!

About This Episode:

This week, Lisa Charlebois, our host Mike Levy, and I (Josh Ross) will be riding in Death Valley when you watch this. With that in mind, we had a discussion—including Logan Jones-Wilkins who will only be on the ride in spirit—all about the mistakes we’ve made.

It starts with Logan giving me a bit of a hard time. The problem is that I’m so risk-averse I don’t actually have a ton of examples. If left to my own devices, I tend to move slowly and plan things carefully to avoid disaster. Mistakes do happen though, and I have a few. Lisa has a few more, and Logan has a few more too. Pretty soon though, this just devolves into the Levy show. Mike is far from risk-averse, and the number of things he’s done with his body moving faster than his ability to contemplate the results is pretty extensive.

We do have some other things to chat about this week before we get into all the Mike Levy disasters, though. Did you know that laces are more aerodynamic than BOA dials? Logan noticed a lot of riders at Worlds seemed to be into laces, so he jumped into why and has some interesting details to share. I also get a chance to share why I suggest that anyone looking for budget-focused shoes might want to think twice about BOA dials.

Then we take some time to answer listener questions, including a dive into why Mike is adamant that cycling isn’t an expensive sport. That discussion happens right around when we also talk about the $6,500 Partington wheels that Pidcock was riding at Worlds. Clearly, the two things are not related. Same story with the 12-speed Dura-Ace Di2 rim brake groupset that apparently still exists for sale.

Support the Channel:

The Velo Podcast wouldn’t happen without subscribers. We’re offering listeners of the show a special 25% discount on an Outside+ membership. Enter the code velopod at https://www.outsideonline.com/membership/ to score these savings, and thank you for your support!