Giant Revolt Advanced Mid-Term Review

This is my mid-term review after spending 2.5 months aboard the 2019 Giant Revolt Advanced 0.

[njrivetelite]

Ive had my Toughroad SLR2 for about a year and a half now..
When I first bought it I was VERY out of shape.. I was 330lbs and barely was able to do a few miles without being whooped..
While now.. I can do 20 mile rides and be fine.. and I have dropped my weight down to 260 with a goal of 220..
My Bike has the Sycamores and notice the same drop in pressure with my tires as well.. It doesn't seem to be as severe as yours that quick.. but noticeable.. If I leave it for a a couple weeks it will be significant.. Ive considered getting new tires.
Saying all that.. I had thought of upgrading my components to Shimano 105's from a 3x to a 2x crank.. and going from a 9 speed cassette to a 10 or 11 speed...
I had also thought of Possibly also just buying a whole new Bike.. and The Revolt has my eye.. It looks amazing and seems to be hitting all of the checks I want in a Bike.. from gearing to quality
.. I want a Bike that is pretty good at Most of what I ride.. I want something that is good on the road and quick.. But also can ride gravel trails well..
Because Next.. I want to invest in a quality Mountain Bike for more extreme trails.. Id probably start with a good hard tail or just say screw it and go with something like a Trance or Anthem.

[fenerlimuratpasa]

Thanks for the detailed review. After demoing diverge with a one by force and the revolt advanced 0, didn’t even hesitate for the revolt. My first long ride I took it to a local Fat Fifty event during monsoons going hub deep 50% of the ride. Didn’t disappoint. Hard to beat qpr, and stealth looks.

[mattsysko]

Great review. I have the 105 version and can't believe how much better it rides than my tcx slr. I don't think it is as quick but overall a great value. Still sorting out fit, have an i.t. Issue that is aggravated easily without an exact fit. I have my tcx set up perfectly so I'm trying to duplicate it. Only mentioned this because you have had I.t. Issues as well. Keep up the great reviews and content

[johnnydwicked]

My only other gravel bike from Giant is the Toughroad SLR GX 1 2019. It's a great and cheaper alternative to the Revolt (reminds me of Contend cheaper alternatives to the Defy models scenario). It comes with lots of eyelets for mounting options such as racks, fenders, etc. It also comes with a bottom tube guard. Some sites and forums said that the max tires it can take are up to 2" or 50mm though I haven't fully confirmed it myself. I bought mine for $1500. I love it.

[peterbee]

Re giant conduct wire controlled hydraulic brakes. As a mountain biker with hydraulic brakes for 20 years I was sceptical of this hybrid solution. After using them for 2 years on my defy on backroads and gravel they have performed flawlessly . I like the feel of the narrow ultegra shifter and do not miss the full hydraulic option. This bike was upgraded from a trp mechanical disc which had terrible stopping performance and high maintenance. If you cannot afford the full hydraulic brakes the giant conduct solution actually works.

[SHADETREE]

Just bought a 2019 giant revolt advanced 1, throwing shimano grx 1x on cuz I hate sram stuff. Your reviews were very helpful in me deciding to purchase this bike. Got a killer deal on a gently used one and I’m going to freshen it up a little and rip my local ride. Thanks again. Good vids

[walterkasper]

Thanks for the great video. I have been thinking of buying the middle price one .
Thanks

[hardmtnbiker]

I totally agree that a 2x is a better way to go on gravel for a few reasons. 1. My gravel rig is going to be used for long miles. Having options and the ability to maintain a faster pace on the flats then gear it down when I’m tired or for climbing can only be done with a 2x. 2. Gravel bikes are made to have more tire options. When you decide to get an aggressive fat tire you will want a lower gear at times. When you want to use a road tire and put in some longer road miles, a bigger gear is nice.
I also agree about the better feel of alloy rims but I’m about to buy a carbon wheelset but as a 650b. I’m thinking the fatter tires will retain the smooth feel of alloy.

[ripz_]

100% you have to pump up the tyres everyday!! I’m still a noob and I’ve owned this bike for about 2 months and first time tubeless and thought all tubeless tyres were like this. Haha

[Colin_Graves]

I picked up a 2020 Giant Revolt Advanced 2 this spring, absolutely love it! I do have the same problem with having to pump my tires before every ride, as they lost 5-10 psi. Not a big deal, but unsure why that is.

[chrispyy]

Great review thanks for the comparison between SRAM and the Shimano HYD brakes. I crashed heavily in a race a couple of years ago (stage 3 shoulder separation and a bunch of other damage) and even now a couple of years later find rough gravel roads hard on on the shoulder with my alum cross bike. Was comparing the Diverge, Checkpoint and the advanced 0. I think this bike is top of the list with some big Donnelly Xplor tires and a saddle swap.

[alex]

I have the same problem on my tires, they deflate like crazy and every week I need to pump them. I use the same tires as in the video. I was told winter weather/ temperature make tubeless tires less efficient.

[jeffolsen]

I have the Advanced 2 model but swapped out the 105 for Rival 22. So far so good. I love having a bike that I can ride in road rides in the morning, swap the wheels and ride dirt the same afternoon.

[grahamramsay]

I've had the contend cable hydro brakes on a 2 year old revolt. Been no issues. Only bad thing is the unit mounted on the stem. Takes up space. But easier to service over a brifter. Plenty of bite.

[williamwitt]

I hear ya, Clint, with the problems you had with the Giant CrossCut Gravel 1 tire holding pressure between rides. In 2020 Giant has gone to the Maxxis Velocita AR to replace the Crosscut. I heard you suggest going to the Maxxis Rambler on the 2019 bike. I live in Nebraska on hard pack gravel roads. The county road department at times drops loose gravel over the hard pack, but with all the farm machinery and pick ups up and down them the loose gravel quickly gets thrown to the side of the road and I have clear paths over the hard pack. Which of these Maxxis tires would you ride in these conditions I face ?

[aligferrari]

I so love this bike. Thanks for the review, Clint. I watch every video you post. Any chance of reviewing the brake system on the 105? Also, any chance of organizing a "deal" on these Giant bikes? Had to ask. I have 2 Giants and 2 Specialized, both great but Giant has more value.

[darrenmorley]

Hi. Ordered this bike for delivery in February. Will replace tyres with the panaracer SK gravel king. Thanks for the great content 👍

[MrJonnyjak]

Thanks for the review Clint. Any chance you will be at dirty Kanza this year. I'm going to tackle the DK100 on my new Topstone. First real bike event and first 100 miles.

[braddlittleton]

I'm pretty happy with Revolt Advanced 0, which I've been riding since November. I'm in East Orlando, and haven't done any true "gravel" rides, at least as I would classify it. It handles great on road or rail trail pavement, and I'm able to keep up with the pure road bikes. It's faster in this regard than my older Specialized road bile that I was replacing, so it's certainly not holding me back. I've also had it on more of a off road trail, consisting of grass, mud, river crossings, packed sand, loose gravel, and deep sugar-fine sand. It handles most of that pretty well, except for the sugar-fine sand (not surprised), which I fell in twice and ended up walking out of that short section. I certainly don't put in as many miles as you, but I too find the seat uncomfortable and pressing on some pressure points. I've been trying to stick it out and see if it breaks in, but I may have to finally admit that I've got to find a seat that works better for me. I do not have the tire leaking issue that you have, so maybe something was off during setup? My tires never get as soft as you show in the video, and I can go a couple rides without pumping. What pressure do you run? You seem to ride West and North of me, but do you know of any rides out this way?

[donaldcox]

Well Mr Gibbs, Giant should send some free stuff your way. I’ve been riding and racing road & Mtb’s for almost 40 years & I today I purchased a Giant Revolt 0 (Bicycle Warahouse, SD, CA) largely based on your reviews. I agonized over the choice between the Specialized Diverge, Trek Checkpoint, Niner RLT RDO & the Giant. For the price, & how it’s soec’d the nod goes to the Revolt 0. Thanks Clint, Don