G3 Gravel - My review (so far!)

So after 3 months of riding the G3 over some of Girona's best gravel, along with some somewhat questionable terrain and a gravel Everest, here is my review so far, about a month out from The Traka 560.

As a whole, I can’t believe how well this bike has ridden on all terrains. From going down rocky descents to jumping on the bike and riding with mates on the road, the G3 has surpassed all expectations. Disclaimer: when given this bike by Alex, he gave one instruction, and that was to give it an honest review and say if there was anything I would change or didn’t like.

Firstly, the frame. I went for the size small. I was in-between the S and M but have been really happy with my choice to run a slightly more aggressive position along with a slightly longer stem, a bit different to the way gravel setups are going these days with the longer top tube and shorter stem. Overall, the frameset has been great. It feels solid over the rough terrain, as well as offering good power transfer. I went for the clay pink and have had a lot of compliments over the frame and colourway. I’m also running the one-piece bars with the nice big flare at the bottom. They’ve been a bit of a game changer for me on the descents, making the bike feel more like an MTB and giving me a lot more confidence.

Next, and probably my favourite part, has to be the Lun Gryper 45mm wheels... I’d go as far as to say they are the best wheels I think I’ve ever ridden. 1390g for a pair of 45mm deep gravel wheels seems crazy. To be honest, the first few weeks I was a little worried to be sending them too hard on the rocky downhill stuff in Girona, especially with the carbon spokes. But after I got the tyre pressure dialled on the Panaracer GravelKing X1 45s, they’ve felt unbelievable. Smooth, strong and just all-round fast. I’ve had no issue riding with people on the road with this set-up, and I’m not that fit right now haha. These wheels and the set-up with the Panaracers are the real deal.

The other important part is the groupset. For the first time since my childhood CX bike, we went with SRAM and I’ve got to say the simplicity of the one-by has been great. We went with the new XPLR 13-speed, so with the 13 gears it’s been more than enough. Gear changes have been crisp and it looks the part.

For the finishing kit, I’ve been running the Selle Italia Boost Gravel saddle along with handlebar tape, which has been really nice. I’ve run the road one for the last 4 years and it seems to offer a bit more comfort than that, so perfect for the rough terrain.

My upcoming plans for the future are a big one: The Traka 560, which is the longest route of the Traka races here at the end of April/May. The Traka races are said to be some of the toughest and most prestigious in Europe. After that, I will see what other races and challenges I want to pursue on the gravel after I’ve recovered. I hope to do some long adventure-style rides, which I will do some videos on! Check back soon to hear more about my plans!

Note from Alex: Follow Mason's progress in real time and he takes on the incredible challenge of the Traka 560 here, starting 1st May. 560Km and over 10,000m climbing