How Are These Both Gravel Bikes?! | Scott Vs. Surly

[@bikeradar]

Which would you go for? Are you all about speed or do you want a bike that can handle everything you throw at it? Let us know in the comments!

[@fentuz]

As mentioned, the surly is let down by the groupset, it would be better with sram rival but then, some of these adventure bikes are full mechanical so they are easy to fix in the wild. I d go for surly with a mix of rival/force groupset with mullet setup and light wheelset. But, I prefer XC riding rather than road racing.

[@K1989L]

I'd pick the Surly. There is no way I'd buy a carbon bike for everyday use. Maybe just for exercise but not likely. Also Surly got it right with external cable routing. I am on my third Surly. It is the Bridge Club and it is great for my purpose. (Commuting)

[@slowwerthensnot]

My grappler is my favorite surly I’ve owned, it’s a great bike for bikepacking, mtb and makes a great commuter

[@pingpongballz5998]

Scott

[@stevebrandt9349]

Surly has suffered more than other brands with the component shortage, and as a result their full bike specs are often lacking. All of their bikes are offered as just framesets, so I recommend getting a frame and building yourself because they do ride very nice and offer unique interesting products.

[@naldovaz9157]

Yep built a Surly Ghost Grappler with Sram Rival and some nice wheels, Did throw front

[@adam1885282]

I feel like the Midnight Special or Straggler would make a better comparison, since the Scott is a road bike with fatter tires

[@naldovaz9157]

did pick up a Surly GG frame and built with Sram Rival, dam good brakes, and nice wheels.. Bike is a beast.. Surly Ghost Grappler steel is real

[@tongotongo3143]

Of course Surly. Surly is more versatile, tougher, has rack mounts, doesn’t have those nonsense integrated stems and cables. It’s an ultimate bike. While this Scott is graceful and elegant, but common, pure road bike would be even more elegant and even faster.

[@ElevationEveryWeekend]

Every Surly bike is a “gravel” bike!

[@simonpage2941]

I've just bought a Grappler today from my local bike shop! I pick it up in 48hrs & I hope it's going to be an excellent N+1 to my EMTB....

[@mistercamaro1]

Surly for the win. It’s just the perfect combination for on and off road. A true workhorse that leaves you smiling at the end of the day. 💯👍

[@jonburnell532]

I'd go with the Scott as my rides are mostly road, and if I need more tire width then I take my hardtail.

[@amitkumar-wj8gn]

Finally, some new ideas for videos!!! Thank you...and make more of these please!!!

[@cliffthefish]

At last,a sensible no BS review by an unbiased rider/reviewer. Thanks .

[@georgeleakos8376]

Didn’t care for the groupo Surly came with so I just bought the frameset and built it with a mix of XT & SLX components. Running 1x12, XT shifter and derailleur, and a carbon Corner Bar clone. Built it as a bikepacking rig, nothing else.

[@naldovaz9157]

l too grab a frame , 1x12 Sram rival, racks also, bike is a beast

[@eniojurko]

Surly no question about it!

[@cjohnson3836]

If I were in the market, the Surly is by far the more useful and versatile bike. Though I'd immediately replace the calipers with something like Growtac Equals since they box with compressionless house and cables for either mountain or road levers. And this frame would easily fit a flat bar as much as drops. And Advent X mtb shifters are dirt cheap. This bike could easily be swapped between modes, and rack mounts means it would be a good daily driver for commuting also.

[@jamieroszel]

I owned a Grappler and eventually the brakes were just too terrible for such a heavy bike. I even upgraded the cables, which helped a little, but it was just too difficult to stop a heavy bike + bikepacking gear.

[@nelsonglover3963]

It has cable brakes on a £2k+ gravel bike? What a rip off

[@naldovaz9157]

shop built my GG Sram Rival, great brakes and smooth groupset

[@tmayberry7559]

The grappler all the way. It's set up to take a pounding over varying terrains

[@steelcityadv3190]

Fargo for the win!

[@MegaMoonjumper]

I have the scott addict gravel 30 and Im in love, but I will upgrade the wheels I think

[@ryanroe7]

Just put Zipp 303s wheel set on my addict 30 and it’s a game changer.

[@mellissanash7517]

I'd take the middle option from QBPs other brand the Salsa Cutthroat. Set it up with an Enve Mountain fork and some 29x2.2 Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge if it's more gravel than road and Antelope Hill if it's more road than gravel.

[@kevinbowman7701]

Take a Scott Spark for the more technical single-track and the Addict for everything else.

[@Andy_ATB]

It has to be the Scott Addict; far more versatile for me. Can ride it on the road, and light gravel/ forest trails. Anything rougher, then I'd use the Hardtail......

[@marshallemmett3313]

I'd have the Surly all day, every day!

[@jojoanggono3229]

Grappler with moustache bar and Shimano SLX would be interesting option. Perfect for picnic in the wood.

[@leftfieldbikehacks1857]

I think they should of tested the carbon wheels on the GG. Carbon wheels on a steel frame is where it’s at for gravel

[@warbirdtbf]

Surly > Scott. Surly bikes have soul and spew good vibes.

[@RoyAlf]

Totally going with the Surly. Looks like way more fun.

[@brankosabol]

I love Surly, actually contemplating about getting Cross Check for all-around/gravel build, but damn that's a lot of money for microshit equipped bike...

[@luukrutten1295]

Just buy a frameset and build it with your own selection of parts. With a bit of shopping around you can build a better bike for less money than this microshift bike is supposed to cost.

[@matt.3.14]

That's crazy expensive even compared to the us price. Must be an import tax or something.

[@stevenbaker7025]

'microshit'..so let me guess you're a sensah or L-twoo fan 😂

[@Lars3]

Despite the marketing I wouldn’t call that Surly a gravel bike. The Ghost Grappler is better described as an ATB.

[@cjohnson3836]

Surly's own marketing and design comments call it a dropbar mountain bike.

[@buildingreno]

Surly with grx drivetrain and brakes would be mint. And maybe a little time put in to tidy up that spaghetti at the front!

[@myles4714]

“Won’t break the bank at $3,000” My brother in Christ

[@orlandogodoy3233]

The endless downward pursuit of the bike industry.

[@lbanezjs1000]

many people in the comments are missing the point of the surly pointing how great their mtb's are. the surly's main benefit is in it's bike packing abilities and steel allows for that. yes its a shame that they didn't spec it with high end shimano/sram parts but the microshift is pretty decent.

[@TheLelol]

These 40mm rims on the Grappler look sick! Thats plenty for 2.5" tires :D

[@kbd13-n9c]

Eh. I’d probably take a Jamis Renegade S2 lol. Up to clearance for 50mm, redshift stem, steel frame-yep.

[@alf3968]

Grappler ❤

[@57boomer44]

The grappler would be my choice to ride and the Scott to look at.

[@AllTheTrails]

Hi @Warren@Bikeradar. Thanks to your recommendation I am a happy owner of Ragley Trig Adventure and couldn’t be happier 😊

[@davidnicholson6680]

These comments, sheesh. This Surly exists because some people want something just like it. It's relatively cheap, robust, has drop bars, practical, has tons of mounts, every part is standardized and it's easy to work on. Surly is hardly a mass-market brand, they specialize in niche stuff for people who want niche stuff. I don't understand why people try to gatekeep on what type of bikes are "allowable". No one is forcing anyone to buy anything and more choice in bikes is always better. If you want a flat bar 29er, buy a flat bar 29er. They still sell them.

[@nelsonglover3963]

The same could be said for lots of other steel and aluminum gravel bikes with GRX or Apex groupsets with hydraulic brakes. You can't be defending cable brakes on a £2k+ bike

[@ojngasdovnwdsifnweij]

its two grand and has cable actuated disc brakes. For offroad bikepacking? because we dont need any extra stopping power with all the gear we carry to bikepack. It's bad at everything and overpriced for what you get. _you dont even get a carbon fork_.

[@cjohnson3836]

@@ojngasdovnwdsifnweij Carbon is great for racing but its absolute shit for bikepacking. Its literally the worst material for that task due to susceptibility of compression damage and stress risers. The cable discs on this one are trash, but there are cable discs comparable to hydro; chiefly Paul's Klampers or Growtac Equals.

[@gur262]

A mtb with dropbars vs a roadbike with big tyres.

[@johnsall6274]

It went together easily in less than an hour. kzbin.infoUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L Make sure the front fork is forward or the pedals will hit the front tire. Tires are both a little soft so it needs air before I ride it. The rear wheel didn't come with a clamp regular bolts hold it on. The front had the clamp. No scratches out of box. Rims are a little off with a slight wobble. They could have spent more time with the spoke tool fixing the run out. So far out of the box I'm happy with it. I did replace the pedals with a nice aftermarket set. After riding it a bit my A$$ is a bit sore so I ordered another seat. Overall I'm nearly 60 and didn't ride a bike in 30 years. I like my new 29" Schwinn. It will be used for casual rides with my friend.

[@Andyange]

Scott 100% Wish they were available

[@arfarzam]

Is surly grappler the same as ghost grappler?

[@ShafinRehman]

I'm pretty biased since I have the Addict Gravel 30, so I'm gonna have to go with that one lol. I will mention though that most of the drivetrain components are GRX 800 level, not 600 as mentioned in the video.

[@koreydeese6899]

When did you buy it? More bikes are being spec’d with the 600 stuff than last year.

[@ShafinRehman]

@@koreydeese6899 Ordered Aug 2021, recieved Oct 2022. The rear derailleur, front derailleur, and crank are 800 level. Shifters are 600 and brake hardware (calipers) are 400. This is how it was spec'd from Scott. My crank was swapped with the new Praxis Alba GR though due to shortages but it's equivalent to the Shimano crank.

[@Planetone.]

Just ordered the 2023, hope the wait isn't that long that must of seemed forever

[@breathestrongcycling3672]

i would like a Surly... but one that looks like the Scott....DAMN that Surly is fugley!....

[@jluisiii]

I’ve been looking for a Scott addict gravel 30 for months, can’t find them anywhere and cannot order them. Are they available? I love the color and the bike. I have a 20 on hold and will pick it up in a couple weeks, cool color but the green is 👌🏽

[@ShafinRehman]

Very hard to find. I waited a year and 3 months for my 2022 Addict Gravel 30. Order in August 2021. The matte green is no longer available. The 2023 has a glossy dark olive colour.

[@jim_mountain_88]

I'd go for the best of both worlds and buy a "Cotic Escapade"

[@mellissanash7517]

Escapade has a slightly slacker HTA than the Ghost Grappler, which gives it a slight advantage on rough gravel descents in the desert. Pipedream ALICE is another sweet bike in this class.

[@TheRadDadShow]

I'm looking forward to paying half of that when the great inventory sell-off happens this year.

[@mortlow6688]

I love the third bike in the mid...

[@GeekonaBike]

I can't find a Scott Addict Gravel 30 for anything like the mentioned price

[@sebastianriosochoa5829]

what are those shoes you're wearing? i love them!!!!

[@socaljoe]

Apples vs Oranges

[@erich8258]

The Grappler would seem pretty cool if hardtail mountain bikes didn't exist. What's the point? It's going to be slower, less comfortable, and less capable than an mtb, and for $2500 it has terrible spec. Only if you're a hipster with an aversion to suspension forks and flat bars does this bike make any sense.

[@kangsterizer]

its also heavier than a hard tail (!)

[@stevevarga8621]

Interesting, I don’t hear you saying that you wouldn’t buy the Scott gravel bike because road bikes exist. The Scott gravel bike is certainly a lot closer to being just another road bike with more tire space then the Surly is a mountain bike. I would argue that riding a drop bar bike on single track and very rough roads is quite a different experience then riding a mtb. Flat bars making technical riding so much easier. Riding a drop bar bike off road is very different and more challenging experience. It makes very easy single track all of a sudden more interesting. Modern adventure bikes can seamlessly go from paved roads, to gravel and then single track. I hate riding my mtb on the road. My arms are spread out wide, the tires are buzzing like a tractor and my position is all wrong. Adventure bikes have their place for a reason. They are great at combining all sorts of roads into one ride. It wouldn’t be a fraction of the fun doing all that on my road bike or my mtb. I love those kinds of rides. Long live the adventure bike!

[@saddleweary2777]

@@stevevarga8621 About 25 miles is all I'm good for on my mtn bike but I knock out a century problem free on my gravel bike, I like the term adventure bike but I have adventure on all my bikes, well enough about me 🙂. Ride safe !

[@russellsage1536]

@Steve Varga the difference is the scott can do both reasonably well even if it isn't quite as good as a road bike. The surly isn't really an option on the road and since it has mtb geometry probably isn't as comfortable on long gravel rides. It's really just a mountain bike with drop bars doing none of mtb, gravel or road as good as it should.

[@matthewshaw3747]

Surly bikes are always pretty over priced for the spec. They are definitely not a value brand.

[@MichaelWright-wg1nn]

What's the point can't get a Scott anywhere addict or foil

[@markrskinner]

If Warren's not the best reviewer on youtube I'd like to know who is? And the Scott for me. (Already own an Addict RC)

[@willowwatts]

Scott gravel 30 Vs giant advanced revolt 2 Suggestions please...!!

[@brentmclean3676]

I own a Giant revolt Advanced 0 it rides like a dream its light and nimble I like Giants compact frame! I'm only 5-6, The Geometry of the frame is ideal for a smaller people! The Scott looks like a nice Bike the Frame Geometry looks larger than a Giant.

[@willowwatts]

@@brentmclean3676 thank you 👍🏻👍🏻Im leaning more towards the giant..the price to value ratio is excellent with the carbon wheels and a beautiful frameset

[@michaelmoore4369]

@@brentmclean3676 I’m looking at that bike too. Also 5’6”. What frame size did you get?

[@brentmclean3676]

@@michaelmoore4369 I got a medium depends on your body dimensions the Giant frame is quite compact they generally recommend a small

[@orlandogodoy3233]

Aero gravel? Isn't this a Bikesnobnyc article from 2015?

[@koreydeese6899]

Lol. Just like “aero gravel wheels”. They don’t exist.

[@liamkaloy]

Which would I chose? Neither, because I already own decent 10.5KG XC HT MTB and decent 8KG road bike and I don't mix tarmac with off road (makes no sense to me). If I could have only one bike I would keep XC and just give up on tarmac.

[@Carftymk]

the scott takes more than 40mm

[@bebopman5]

Right. It comes stock with 45mm tires 😂

[@Carftymk]

@@bebopman5 every single bikeradar video theres an obvious oversight in the script i swear lol

[@Paganizondaf650]

Yup, old model had 40, this has 45mm official clearance

[@quijadriss7650]

They have a similar color. There's a similarity.

[@fmcdomer]

so one has fatter tires more mountain bike the other one is good for road and fast on gravel

[@TroyHiscock]

Steel

[@woutervanderdoes5163]

"neither bike will break the bank" and 2549 pounds doesn't rhyme for me...

[@perseverance86]

I'd probably go with Scott because with the Surely I may as well ride a MTB. I have an IBIS Hakka with 650b and 700c so I can do single track and gravel with a geo that suits both conditions. Just need to convert that bike to AXS

[@fud1376]

How Much..!!!!

[@joelawton123]

It’s crazy how people and especially the media refuse to acknowledge the crazy cost/spec ratio on current bikes

[@grazza-cm8oj]

Neither bike will break the bank, according to the presenter. 2,400 quid! Who’s he trying to kid?

[@joelawton123]

@@grazza-cm8oj for grx400 brakes on one and mechanical discs on the other 😂 It’s madness

[@twatts4436]

If you're going for a racy gravel bike, you don't need a dropper!

[@travischapman6763]

I’m getting pretty tire of mtbs being called gravel bikes just bc it has drop bars.

[@userbeverage]

So how much is Scott paying you for this feature, Bikeradar? I have the gravel addict 30 btw

[@edrcozonoking]

those large bikes just look awkward!

[@koreydeese6899]

You should ride one 😂. My Tumbleweed Stargazer makes the Surly look small. It’s an absolute blast on an surface-ever wonder where that super sketchy looking road goes like I do? It handles it.

[@JeffOehlsen]

I'd give you maybe 1200 bucks. Way overpriced no matter what reviews they get.

[@TroyHiscock]

S

[@davidbackhouse4106]

There are much lighter and higher spec steel bikes in the genre than the Grappler.

[@fredsanguino703]

For example???

[@Chris7illey]

The Surly is more of a beach bike than a gravel bike.

[@koreydeese6899]

Depends on what your gravel looks like. If it’s the nice smooth stuff maybe. Some gravel roads where I ride are basically rock gardens, and all washboarded out.

[@ArteUltra1195]

That Surly is laughably overpriced, makes the Scott look like an absolute bargain

[@ojngasdovnwdsifnweij]

The surly misses the point of a gravel bike. It would be unrideably slow outside of singletrack with that gearing. and if I'm riding singletrack im getting a hardtail at least.

[@cjohnson3836]

It was never designed as a gravel bike, nor for what Europeans think of cycling. Dropbar mountain bikes are an established niche in the US and this is, by Surly's own marketing, a dropbar mountain bike. Its got nearly the same frame geo as a Karate Monkey, just forgoing the suspension corrected head tube for a huge frame triangle to stow a proper frame bag for bikepacking.