Why the Fara All-Road is Better Than a Gravel Bike (for Most Cyclists)

[@5891jonathan]

Thanks, David. We need more reviews of products made by small companies. Everyone knows what the big companies are doing, but it’s difficult to learn about small companies like Fara.

[@bobbymoses]

David - Thanks for the review, agree with your assessment that this is the the most versatile bike for most folks. Would love to see this head-to-head with the Strael - both with 35mm tires!

[@simenq]

I bought the Road version last fall and I love it. I agree that the darkish red is gorgeous and I initially ordered it but changed it at the last minute to the Hushovd signature edition, black with red logo. Great bike at a “great” price.

[@rogerhartley4456]

Looks like a nice bike and perfect fit the roads here in India - some of the village roads are more suited to maintain bikes than road bikes but this looks like it would handle things nicely. Might need to start saving my pennies!

[@electromaticify]

Would love to see you try the Fara Road model as well! Have tried it and really liked it!

[@shibaburn7725]

The BB386EVO bottom bracket is actually a major plus. It's too bad all their models don't utilize it.

[@Roger-tz5sy]

High David could you do a comparison of different gravel tyres for mainly riding on the road, 32 to 38mm. It appears that a lot of people like the comfort but want the speed of a less dragging knobby tyres.

[@Fatbutnotflat]

It's not much review around because , the speed difference is neglilible.. choose tyre for the casing quality and thread pattern, not the width. However 38 and above may feel slow to turn out of the saddle (Gyroscopic effect)

[@xaviermelendez2639]

What a sharp looking bike!!! Great review, kudos David!

[@maxlloyd3740]

Just had a quick look and they have added a 59cm. Prices don't add up though. Can't see a Force build and the Rival build was over 5000 euro. I was looking at a frameset only but they start at 3000 euro!

[@GrouEEf]

Fara are expensive resold open mould frames (with a twist, e.g. the hidden magnet mounts). But that doesn't make the frame any worse. I ride a very similar Giant contend AR 1, upgraded a lot, so that it only weighs 8,4kg in road mode, pedals included. The concept itself is amazing and I can fully recommend this type of bike to anyone.

[@jeffwebb2136]

Not true: all of Fara's bikes are designed and developped in-house, no open models to be found here ;-) But True that these style of bikes are great for most cyclists 😀

[@barneyklingenberg4078]

Yeah Giant and Liv (their female orientated brand with shorter frames) have very interesting endurance/gravel hybrids. Unfortunately the Carbon version doesn't have the same tyre clearance. 35mm compared to 38mm for the aluminium version. Even 38mm is considered on the narrow side for gravel. This obviously depends on the roads your gonna be riding. But then if 38mm doesn't do the job you'd probably need 45/47mm. That just requires an different style bike.

[@andrewroche2815]

Think Giant Revolt, especially with second set of wheels, covers things.

[@larscederhill1823]

What modifications have you done to your Contend AR? Have been looking at it to use as both road bike for endurace fondo like Vätternrundan, and also for gravel with 35-38mm gravel tyres.

[@GrouEEf]

Could you make a video about the bike packing gear that goes on the frame?

[@BladeBarn]

THOSE BACKWARDS BOLTS ARE MORE AERO and just a better engineered design period. yeah it's a hassle for an extra 20seconds when removing the bars but how often you do that?!??!>?!

[@kornenator]

Very nice bike, but i do wish they went for a frame which can go up to 45mm tyres, that way fitting something like a 40-42 with fenders would be comfortable. Since they call it 'all-road'.

[@ales_krejci]

It basically looks like my 2017 gravel bike when the whole gravel thing was much closer to road bikes than MTB... unlike today 😀

[@barneyklingenberg4078]

Actually most gravelbikes i actually see don't have suspension. Usually they have between 42mm to 47mm tyres. We have a lot of sand here and general forest roads. Not much hard packed gravel. So the slightly wider tyres are just better suited for the roads here. In Tuscany italy. I will just bring my 38mm's they are perfectly fine on gravel.

[@ales_krejci]

@@barneyklingenberg4078 I see and understand, however I did not mean being closer to MTB in terms of suspension but rather overall geometry. Couple of years ago gravel bikes were just like endurance road bikes, clearance of 40mm was considered as rather generous.

[@kool_thing]

If you ever get your hands on a Rychtarski bike, I'd love to see a review. It's a small Polish company making amazing custom steel frames.

[@comedyman112]

Please review the new van rysel NCR (tiagra, 105, rival). Apparently only the Tiagra version is out at the moment, but the 105 seems good value for money.

[@jonburnell532]

Just the type of bike I'd like to ride 👌

[@ThePsychodo]

Gorgeous bike, though I don’t understand the press fit bb. Their road and gravel bikes have threaded bb. Love seeing the smaller brands, thanks for the video!

[@911Sam]

Hmm, I was surprised there was no 1x option (or I missed it). I think it would have made a lot of sense to have e.g. Rival XPLR or Ekar on a bike like this. Anyway, happy with my Aethos that can easily handle gravel when riding about 10 kph 😂

[@jeffwebb2136]

Fara will build any combination you want, just send them an email for personal service. Some options are limited on the website so as to not overwhelm customers.

[@jojokimbo]

5000 euro 😢 this is why not everyone should ride a fara 😂

[@gregmorrison7320]

Weight would be good to include in the tests. Looks nice, if only it could stretch to 40mm tires. Pressfit is still king in my opinion if done well, never had any issues on my bikes. And why is it faster than a gravel bike? Because it has 38mm slick tires?

[@barneyklingenberg4078]

The problem is then we are gonna say can it stretch to 42mm.

[@gregmorrison7320]

@@barneyklingenberg4078 Well personally 40mm seems the right size for many available gravel tires. Never felt the need for larger than that for gravel.

[@andrewhayes7055]

I would have thought the 36 cassette and 33 little ring are more than adequate for the UK

[@mellissanash7517]

Do you think you can review an Otso Warakin either the Stainless Steel or TI model please? I think you'd like it as in shot cs mode it's an endurance all-road bike and long chainstay mode it's a monster gravel bike. Plus, it made by Wolftooth.

[@derekvirta8152]

I actually don't mind a PF BB at all, especially since I have all of the tools. However, I hate the new trend of integrated headset routing. Otherwise, would be a great bike.

[@mister_ray]

CX bike, endurance bike, all road bike. Funny all these labels for basically the same thing. Yes these bikes are very versatile. I ride a Trek Boone with Shimano GRX and 35mm Schwalbe G-One speed tires. A great “all road” bike.

[@maxlloyd3740]

Looks lovely but at 6'2" and 34" inside leg I think I am out of the sizing range! I need a 58cm at least! Hopefully when they become more popular the size range will increase!

[@jeffwebb2136]

The largest size is a 59cm. check the website.

[@bluereiter99]

yes, I think the graphics were wrong on the video, where they showed 56cm twice

[@ketle369]

Fara is old Norse for traveling.

[@fatbikejamie]

Have you ridden/reviewed a Devinci Hatchet Carbon? I'd like to hear your thoughts on it. Cheers

[@fkrr5]

So nice to see a round seatpost

[@gianpaologliori3604]

What does it weigh? Appealing if not too heavy.

[@torebustad7757]

Mine with Garmin rally pedals, same wheel set as the ones David tried, Ultegra Di2 (11-34 cassette), GP5000 32mm, water bottle mounts and Garmin Mount weigh 8,4 kg in size 56. I love it!

[@barneyklingenberg4078]

Great the 11 or 12 speed?

[@torebustad7757]

@@barneyklingenberg407812 speed.

[@jakubpu]

I can't unsee the ® on their badge logo. Why would they put it there?

[@artgreen6915]

When I see Shimano hoods I think 'oh yes what a great position', but 06:36 when I see SRAM hoods, in spite of their system advantages, I think 'oh I suppose I could'. They just don't look as comfortable.

[@alexarmstrong5611]

So this is an open mould frame?

[@Crackedblade]

Lovely bike and review! A bike for real world conditions---> that said, the reverse stem is a disaster for sure.

[@petep]

IMO this is still a gravel bike, just a little further towards the road end of the spectrum.

[@jarnonurminen8359]

What size is your frame, please?

[@marky1974]

Any chance of reviewing the Cube Agree??

[@AJXOXO-vz1pn]

What’s the fork length (A-C)?

[@artgreen6915]

05:11 a Great British pothole makes an appearance at the perfect moment!

[@kidShibuya]

Ok but its basically my Grail CF that costs 2K extra. Also what exactly makes it not a gravel bike?

[@jeffwebb2136]

a typical gravel bike would have much slacker geometry, bigger tire clearance and hence longer wheelbase - like the Fara F/Gravel. The All-Road is built to be more responsive (read: FUN) on the road as opposed to a more stable (read: sluggish) gravel bike.

[@unregisturd]

Nice bike! Regrettably, I cannot a-Fjord it....

[@calvincrane]

I want a bike for under 2k that is this kind of goal. Road first but can handle junk roads.

[@larscederhill1823]

Could you fit a 40mm gravel tyre?

[@risteardmacfheorais366]

He says up to 35mm

[@byronevans7526]

I think he said up to 38mm. The test bike is equipped with 35mm. The exact measurement depends a lot on the type of tyre anyway.

[@davidarthur]

Yes max is 38mm but does depend on rim/tyre combination. Think if you want a 40mm tyre you’re better of with their gravel bike

[@jeffwebb2136]

38mm slicks, but you can wedge a 38mm GravelKing Short-Knob (SK) by applying protective film to your chainstays.

[@barneyklingenberg4078]

For the men on an budget. Giant has the aluminium Contend AR1 38mm clearance, Shimano 105 11 speed mechanical 1800 euro's If the ladies here want something like this. Liv has the Avail. 38mm clearance, aluminium frame Shimano 105 mechanical 11 speed also for 1800 euro's. I would not go lower. The lower tier products come with cable disc brakes........... Tiagra 10 speed is okay. but cable disc brakes? They're an headache.

[@janeg1685]

David - look at the French Origine brand

[@vidarv.9010]

As a Norwegian, Fara what? *Embarrassed Thanks for spreading the word!

[@croccofanto]

That's the best solution to do integration

[@anthonypeterson428]

If it only accommodates tires up to 38mm, then it's limited as a gravel bike.

[@davidarthur]

good thing it's not intended as a gravel bike then, but an all-road bike ;)

[@iceicebaby6980]

Old Trek 1.2 cost me $300. Schwalbe Marathon tires, 28 m. I've been riding eveything for the last few years. OK, it's not a race bike.....but 100,000,000,000,000 USD cheaper

[@peterharrington8709]

Lovely bike but those Panaracers cut far to easily.

[@fisharefriends598]

Since when is £4k good value 😂

[@asim9379]

Exactly my thoughts 😂. I thought it was gonna be more like £2k maximum!!

[@juanchomg]

At €4500.- ... how is this perfect for everybody? Get real, please!!!

[@marky1974]

Just does to show..no need for ever wackier suspension schemes..

[@B_KFC_Leg]

Sounds more like a sales video 😆

[@davidarthur]

Yet it really isn't of course but you do you. You clearly missed all the negatives I threw at the bike then?

[@BikeLife154]

Every man and his dog are selling bikes now! £££ is all they see. £5k + for a bike? I just paid $4k for a Revolt advanced 1 and when I look at it I think it isn’t worth more than $2,000-2,500. They’re dreaming!

[@jeffwebb2136]

Your Revolt Advanced 1 is a Rival 1x equipped bike on all Giant branded components, so that puts a high-end carbon bike with 2x Force and Carbon wheels at just over $5K in perspective.

[@BikeLife154]

@@jeffwebb2136 so, the implication was it’s not worth it nor is the 5k bike!

[@barneyklingenberg4078]

@@jeffwebb2136 That's why i'd prefer to advise people an entry level Carbon bike with Ultegra or 105 mechanical. They tend to be less then 3k. Then if you'd want you can put an decent wheelset in for another grand. Definately when buying Giant factor in they use their own tyres from god knows who. So make sure you just replace them with any tyre of your liking. I like Maxxis and Schwalbe. Others love vittoria or continental. Tyres make an massive difference so don't save on the part that is actually your only contact with the road.