Review: Giant Revolt Advanced 2
On a mission to find a versatile bike that maintained the traditional ride experience, the Giant Revolt Advanced 2 kept getting returned in our searches. Over the past few months, this affordable rig has taken unique places a road bike wouldn’t touch. Once again, we tapped our reviewer who had been aboard two other Revolts to get an opinion. The problem was getting the bike back to commence a review:
There is a niche in the road cycling world for a second bike. Call it the winter bike or base miles rig, either way the purpose of the bike is to push it harder than the asphalt bike recovering from a hard riding summer. It is at this intersection riders can go two ways: cyclocross specific or gravel eclectic. Given the light stock of cyclocross bikes lately, the Giant Revolt Advanced 2 was rolled into the service course and set up for postseason miles.
Let’s look at the bike’s set up prior rolling over hundreds of miles of varied terrain. The Revolt Advanced 2 on hand is a size medium, Shimano GRX equipped, and features a wheelbase of 1026 mms in the short setting. Giant features a unique flip chip to allow the rear wheel to be pulled back for extra tire space. The bottom bracket sits much lower by design, sporting a drop of 80 mms. These were the two measurements heavily researched due to their departure from the aggressive numbers of the Giant TCR (977 mm and 68mm, respectively). Further departure from the Giant race bike included the Revolt’s 40 mm tubeless tire width that comes stock. Refreshingly this was going to be a completely different ride experience.
Casual miles along the Delaware Canal State Park gravel path is simple work with the Giant Revolt Advanced 2.
The first several miles involved paved roadways to get the hang of the bike’s handling. It felt great being back on mechanical shifting, though the GRX required extensive barrel adjustments in early rides. Once sorted, the shifting remained crisp as mechanical drivetrains do. Even hundreds of miles in, the shifting is still on point. Tire pressure was experimented with as road BARs were halved, then divided. Progressively turns were taken faster and harder, though extra space was given in group rides. It doesn’t quite handle like a Giant TCR, but that’s no reason to discount the Revolt Advanced 2.
Gravel bike drivetrains tend to lean in one of two directions: the 1X setup appeals to mountain bikers and potentially cyclocross enthusiasts, while the 2X setup recreates the familiar road bike setting. The Revolt Advanced 2, equipped with the 2X is precisely what was sought out. The drivetrain is a mix of Shimano GRX parts. The hydraulic brakes are Shimano 400s and leave a bit to be desired. The shifters are 600s and hold up quite nicely. The front and rear derailleurs are 810 GRX, making a solid mechanical gravel drivetrain with familiar road-like shifting when pairing with a 105 cassette.
Then it was time to test the moxy of Giant’s introductory carbon gravel bike and explore some of the area’s unpaved offerings. The Revolt was lined up frequently at the pick-up cyclocross dust bowl of Fifth Street Cross. This run-what-you-brung series is perfect for every level of rider. In these short efforts, the Revolt performed admirably. The bike turned slower than every cross bike in the field, but it wasn’t a cause for alarm for someone not expecting to win. Dismounting the bike was a bit tedious, and with the sloping top tube, carrying it up and over obstacles was clumsy. The drought conditions were perfect for the Maxxis Rambler tires, though one week had slippery surfaces. The tires were no match, and I was sent to the deck twice. The Revolt also held its own in the world famous Sly Fox Cross, also a dusty affair, though the elevation changes added to the challenges. Finally, the lower bottom bracket caused clearance issues as well as pedal strikes and burped tires leading to occasional frustration. But remember, I wasn’t there thinking I would win.
The testing area also features unpaved options. The Delaware Canal State Park is a sixty mile gravel path from Bristol to Easton, PA. Meanwhile New Jersey has the D&R Trail on their side of the Delaware River. This is easy terrain for the Revolt. Meanwhile, High Rocks State Park hosts proper technical mountain bike trails. This is where the Revolt was a massive underbike choice, yet it held its own on rocky steep trails and skinny descents. That High Rocks was considered, let alone attempted, should be attention grabbing to any potential shopper of the Revolt.
Over the past few weeks, the Revolt has been pressed into action more. While it was an effort to keep up, the bike proved reliable in a group setting. It wasn’t the fastest setup, but the option is still there. Despite its slower rolling speed, the Revolt Advanced 2 has become the nighttime bike of choice in the off chance inclement weather becomes a factor.
It would not be a gravel bike review without the talk of geometry. Every Revolt I have ridden has been comfortable, and the Advanced 2 is no exception. Arguably this is the reason why gravel bikes have boomed in popularity. With a lower bottom bracket, the rider sits more naturally as compared to the high torso, low hand fits of race bikes. A gravel bike fit allows the rider reduced pressure on the hands and a lighter touch on control. In other words, a gravel bike is easy on the mind and body.
Where the Revolt Advanced 2 struggles to keep up is in two noticeable places. In the wheel department, the Giant P-X2 hoops feel spongy and the 40 mm wide Maxxis Ramblers don’t provide complementary returns. Meanwhile the seatpost took a few attempts at finding the right compound to eliminate slippage and creaking. It has been explored to swap out the Giant D-Fuse post with a round one, possible due to Giant’s adapter that comes with the purchase. And, no, this bike will not receive a dropper post because it will continue to lean toward burley road bike.
Overall the Giant Revolt Advanced 2 is a great bike for those offseason miles. While the genre term ‘gravel’ is annoying and implies roads are not paved, what Giant is offering are options with the Revolt. Think less gravel but more variety. Want to jump into a local cyclocross race? The Revolt can do it. Want to load up the bike’s six mounts with gear? The Advanced 2 has plenty of storage options to make that possible. Snow in the forecast? The Giant Revolt would not hesitate in adverse weather conditions with its clearance. Options on the most versatile bike ridden to date says something. The Giant Revolt Advanced 2, a mechanical shifting gravel bike, is the perfect solution to conditions when a road bike won’t do.
