Hi everybody - long post coming up regarding my experience with Poseidon bikes and why you should absolutely choose a different company/brand to purchase.

I bought my Ambition X at the end of December 2023 during their end of year sale. I had been eyeing a bike for awhile and pulled the trigger to treat myself for the new year.

For reference, I live in the Phoenix area of Arizona and wanted a gravel bike to ride the washes and local trails. In the 10 months I’ve had this bike, I have walked back to my car/house 3 times.

The hardware that comes with these bikes for the pedal/crankset/drive train grouping is cheaper than cheap. One of the pedals had come loose, ruined the threading, and in turn while it rotated it chewed up the threading on the left crank arm. I called Poseidon to get a I knew that with a discount/beginner bike there would be sacrifices in terms of quality, however, after the first time of having to replace the crank arms I found the exact set used on Amazon for $8. Once I replaced the crank arms, within 3 rides I had to replace the pedals because the threading disintegrated.

The first time I had an issue, I contacted Poseidon. The first pedal/crank arm issue happened 6 weeks after purchase with less than 60 total miles ridden on the bike. I was told it would be $90 for the part and that there was no warranty coverage on anything related to pedals/threading/etc. I hung up and decided not to order through them, which led to me finding the exact part I needed for $8 on Amazon - not just a replacement, but the exact replacement part that was originally shipped with the bike.

Once I was an entire set of replacement crank arms and pedals in, the same threading issue happened on the left crank arm again. I took a step back, a deep breath, and took the bike to a local bike shop (LBS from here forward) to put an aftermarket drive train set on and assess how the bike was built. This was my first time putting together a bike - I won’t say I’m an expert but overall it was easy to follow the videos and do what was needed. I figured I screwed something up and essentially had them reassemble and check all components.

I am writing this review after having walked home on a ride again because the bottom bracket has fallen out causing one of the pedals to fall off. I really don’t know what I want from this review other than to just warn others to not deal with this company. Go buy a bike from your LBS or REI or shit, find a used one of facebook marketplace. I understand I bought an entry level bike, but for $500 id expect to at least be able to ride the bike more than 3 times before I deal with a pedal issue, or a brake issue, or a crankset issue, or both tubes in the stock tires failing to hold air for more than 2 days.

This has been one of the single worst purchases I have ever made, and I wish I would have just bought a used REI branded bike to save the headache. I can’t even begin to decide what I like or dislike about the comfort or functionality of the Poseidon because it fails at simply being a reliable bike to take on rides. If this was a $50 bike I would not be bitching to the level I am, but $500 should at least get me something I can ride more than 3 times before having to take it to the shop or YouTube a video of how to diagnose and fix whatever is wrong this time around.

Please save yourself the headache and do not purchase anything from Poseidon - it is way overpriced for what you get, they find a loophole to avoid being on the hook for any type of issue with the bike, and that’s if you are lucky enough to get somebody on the phone or a reply to an email.

My current gravel bike is a 2021 Giant Revolt Advanced 3. I have swapped the stock rear cassette for an 11-40 to give it a little more range.

Im not in love with it. In general I prefer road riding and mountain bike riding. However, my wife likes gravel, and we have friends who when we visit, we ride gravel with. Further, just due to the nature of events, when we ride gravel, the rides tend to be longer rides 40-70 miles, 3000-7000' climbing.

I have spoken to the shop I bought the bike from, and I could swap the drive train out from the janky mechanical to a SRAM 1x Rival/GX AXS mullet for about 1500, but I would still be on the stock wheels. Still would need to get a new hub driver (rather not go with an NX cassette).

or

get a new Pivot Vault with the Force/XO1 build and carbon wheels. $6150. Wider tire clearance, better wheels.

If I wanted to add carbon wheels to the Revolt I would probably go with the Reserve 25GR and torch hub. ($1600)

So $3000 to upgrade the current bike, or $6150 to get a new bike (less what I sell the Revolt for).

I have the budget for both. I also havent test ridden the Vault yet, but will. Not in any rush, just internal debating right now.

My thought process is that currently the revolt as is, is too much an endurance road bike with wider tire clearance. If I am riding road, I would much rather just ride my road bike. And when I ride gravel, there are moments where I wish I had closer gearing to my XC bike. Basically, I want it to be more differentiated from the road bike.

Anyone here ridden the new Vault yet?

Upgraded my Shimano GRX 400 with a Wolftooth Roadlink DM and a Sunrace 11-40 Cassette. It works fine also on big big.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_-usBhvWQY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/is/revolt-x-advanced-pro-0-2025
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/is/revolt-x-advanced-pro-1-2025
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/is/revolt-x-advanced-pro-2-2025

Do we know anything about the specs and price of these? No info on the giant site yet.

Hey everyone,

I’m considering an upgrade for my gravel bike and torn between the Roval Terra CL and the Roval Terra CLX II wheelsets. My current setup is a pair of DT Swiss G 540s, so I’m looking to make a solid step up in weight savings and performance. I’d love to hear from people who have experience with either of these Roval wheelsets to help me make the final call!

A Bit About My Riding and Needs

• Riding Style: Mostly gravel with some mixed-surface routes. I’m not racing but enjoy pushing the pace and tackling more challenging, rough terrain.
• Priorities: I’m after a balance of weight savings, control, and durability. I’d love a smooth roll with the ability to handle tougher surfaces, ideally without a ton of maintenance.
• Price Options: I can get the CLX II for $2,050 USD and the CL for $1,350 USD. I’m open to investing more if the performance difference is significant, but I’d rather save if the CL offers most of what I need.

What I’m Weighing

• Weight & Efficiency: The CLX II is lighter by about 140g and uses ceramic bearings, which I hear are smoother but might require more maintenance. For anyone who’s ridden the CLX II, did you notice a big difference in ease or speed on long rides?
• Durability: The CLX II sounds perfect for top performance, but I wonder if the Terra CL might be better for rougher gravel, given the steel bearings and more robust spokes. If you've tested either on challenging terrain, how did they hold up?
• Value for Money: I’m debating whether the performance benefits of the CLX II justify the price jump from the CL. If you’ve tried both, is the weight/efficiency advantage of the CLX II noticeable enough over the CL?

Specific Questions

1. For those coming from heavier wheels, did you find the jump to the CL or CLX II worth it?
2. How often have you needed to service the ceramic bearings on the CLX II in real-world gravel conditions?
3. For CL users, do you feel like it has enough performance, or have you felt the need to upgrade?

Any insights on how these wheelsets perform over time or across different surfaces would be super helpful! And if there are other wheelsets in a similar price range I should consider, let me know.

Thanks in advance for any advice! 😊

Hey all,

Just doing some servicing on my bike and noticed the middle knobs have worn down quite a bit on my Continental Terraspeeds.

Does the tyre look OK?

Doing a ride on the weekend 120km mainly road this time. My roadie is out of service so will take my gravel.

Thanks in advanced.

Red Creek road just before Rock Creek in Pueblo, CO

Friend is trying to convince me that Jamis makes cheap bikes, is this true?

I bought this wilier triestina jareen last month for $400 (used like new) for my school (10KM daily).

I'm planning to do a 450KM (from where I live to my city) in 2 or 3 days. I believe that this bike will be my gateway to cycling.

https://preview.redd.it/zpmf62crayxd1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ed232ec5ee7dec671afcbe4e62f36876e2d8ea0

I’ve got decent road bike, fatbike, and XC bike. Why should I get a gravel bike?

I’m buying a custom gravel bike from a local shop and just want to get my sizing right. I’m 6 feet tall with a 34’’ inseam, which seems to be right in between a 56cm and 58cm. I currently ride a 58 cm road bike and it feels fairly comfortable but I’m not a very serious rider. I’ve gone to a few bike shops and they all say my 58 fits great but they’re usually young stoners. I sent my inseam and elbow to hand length to the bike maker and he says 58cm would work. I’m only now doubting a 58cm because I went to canyon and specialized websites and they are saying I’m a 56cm. Any help is appreciated, thankyou!

Hi together,

im currently building a Gravel bike and can't decide what wheelset to get.

Im trying to decide between the Zipp 303 s and the ICAN G25

https://icanwheels.com/products/700c-carbon-gravel-wheels-g25-us

https://www.sram.com/de/zipp/models/wh-303-stld-a1

I want to use them as gravel wheels but I want to have the option to put some road tires (28-30mm) on them (that's why im not going with the g1800 or gr1600)

I love the 303s and how they look and the crash replacement warranty by Zipp is too good to be true, but im "abusing" my bikes a lot. Im driving in every condition with them and not only category 1 and 2 gravel (there will always be that 1 nice looking single trail that has some tough stuff waiting for you, and its a lot of fun tbh) and I'm afraid that the 303 hubs will disintegrate themself because of dirt or water entering the hubs. I'm capable of servicing the hubs, but I'm not looking forward to that too often.

On the other hand I do not know much of the longevity of the ICAN D21 hubs, I heard some positive stuff about them but they are not widely used that much and there are not that many reviews for them. I very much like the 25mm inner rim width and the 32-33mm outer rim width of them, especially for wider tires (max 50mm for me).

any suggestions from you guys?

edit: I want to spend around 750€ for the wheelset, so the Zipps will be a bit out of budget but the crash warranty is nice

thanks in advance :)

For matter of context, barring jump trails or black diamond tech, there isn’t much anywhere I won’t take my gravel bike. I’m also in the rural inland NW and we have some “summer maintenance only” (our B-road or MMR equivalent) than can get pretty loose, rutted, or otherwise generally hairy depending when in the year you hit them.

I’m on a Seigla, so with no internal routing for a dropper, my options were limited to essentially the SRAM Reverb AXS XPLR. I was a little skeptical of the minimal travel of it (75mm) for the weight trade-off, but after about a month of testing it has made a world of difference in terms of descending some of the sketchier stuff in the area with confidence and speed. And considering that races on the gnarlier end of terrain tend to be my bread and butter, to the point that on one stage race this year I was wishing I had a dropper, it’s definitely staying on the bike for the 2025 season.

Now, is it for everyone? Absolutely not. There is a very narrow use case for droppers on gravel given the weight and expense. If you’re riding well maintained gravel roads or at the very least don’t have sketchy descents, your trails are pretty mellow, or you just have no interest getting rowdy with it? It’s just added weight on your bike for very little benefit. I can’t see this being of use for riding something like Gravel Worlds or Mid South either, for example.

But if you’re a lover of underbiking or have a monster truck build going, it’s worth a consideration to stick a dropper on.

After the Red version this summer, we’re likely to see a Force version in the next little while. Has anyone heard or read any rumors lately on when we might see it?

I’ll be in the market for a gravel bike this coming spring and it would be sweet if it was available by then.

Thanks!