GT

Grade Alloy X Rival Complete Road Bike - 2016

A road bike with race geometry is great, if you're consistently racing. But on the days when you just want to head out on a long relaxing ride, with no set pace or destination in mind, the geometry of a race bike can leave your muscles feeling far from relaxed. GT created its Grade Alloy X Rival Complete Road Bike to make your next long ride or Fondo comfortable, as well as for days when you might want to explore surfaces other than the paved roads.

Starting with a lightweight, durable aluminum frame, GT adds a carbon fork to the Alloy X to dampen vibrations on long rides, with a tapered head tube for predictable steering. The rear triangle of the Alloy X uses GT's hallmark Triple Triangle design, which features a smaller rear triangle with reinforced seatstays for added stiffness and responsiveness. This design further helps divert road vibrations throughout the frame rather than allowing them to travel straight up through the seat tube.

GT builds the Alloy X with SRAM's 11-speed Rival groupset, which is touted for being functional and reliable across a variety of road disciplines. It offers similar features to its higher-end siblings, while remaining cost effective and efficient. Expecting you to take this bike off-road, whether on smooth singletrack, gravel, or just rough tarmac, GT includes SRAM Rival hydraulic disc brakes and levers, with 160mm rotors to give you consistent stopping power on a variety of terrain, and it lowered the bottom bracket height to provide the Alloy X with increased stability. While the bike comes with a set of Clement's off-road tires, the frame has extra tire clearance for the times when you may need something even tougher.