Within the larger scheme of issues, gravel bikes are a comparatively new idea. Not likely gaining recognition for the reason that early 2010’s, gravel bikes are thought-about by many as a reset button for the quickly rising mountain bike section. Of their truest type, gravel bikes of immediately are just about just like the early mountain bikes – inflexible frames with tires designed for all terrain use. That mentioned, the addition of drop bars offers them a sportier enchantment.
Within the case of electrical gravel bikes, they appear to be heading into their very own path, as nicely. A superb instance of this involves us from Spanish bike maker Mondraker. We beforehand talked concerning the Dusty, an electrical gravel bike with sporty driving in thoughts. This time round, the model has launched a brand new Dusty – the Dusty SX. These of you acquainted with the automobile and bike worlds would acknowledge the “SX” suffix as which means dual-purpose, and that is precisely what the Dusty SX hopes to be.
However wait a minute – aren’t gravel bikes already dual-purpose? Sure, they are often ridden each on the highway and on trails. Nonetheless, the Dusty SX provides a splash of versatility with a bunch of urban-focused facilities. For instance, the bike is supplied with aluminum mudguards, which means you’ll be able to trip this bike anyplace with out having to fret about your outfit getting ruined. On prime of that, the body is made out of what Mondraker calls “Stealth Air Carbon,” which signifies that the body consists of various sorts of carbon which all wok collectively to make sure most rigidity, longevity, and light-weight weight.
The brand new Dusty SX lineup is made up of two fashions – the R and RR. Each bikes are constructed atop the identical carbon body, and have the Mahle X20 hub-drive system. Each bikes are additionally outfitted with a 350-watt-hour battery pack. In case you’re considering that this powertrain is not as highly effective as what you’d discover on different city bikes, you would be proper. The essence of the Mahle X20 is to supply as pure a pedal really feel as attainable, and it does this by making certain clean pedal help and retaining the facility comparatively low.
The Dusty SX R and RR are differentiated by the parts they run. For starters, the R is supplied with a SRAM Apex 1×11 drivetrain. In the meantime, the SX RR is supplied with a flowery SRAM Rival eTap AXS 1×12 groupset, making certain exact shifts with the faucet of a swap. By way of pricing, the Dusty SX is not precisely inexpensive – the SX E retails for £4,599, or about $5,847 USD, whereas the SX RR instructions a relatively hefty £5,599, or the equal of $7,118 USD.