Giant's 2021 Revolt 2 Gravel Bike Unleashes Your Outdoor Joys for Meer $1,300

What you’re looking at folks is none other than the Revolt 2 gravel bike from Giant. You know, Giant Bicycles. The same ones you see with bikes in the Tour de France and other cycling competitions. Since 1972 this team has been enveloped in the cycling game, initially creating components for other bicycle manufacturers.

Years later, Giant hasn’t forgotten about the common folk and what it means to feel freedom while riding a bike. Why do I say this? Simple. The fact of the matter is that the Revolt 2 comes in with a wicked-low price tag of just $1,300. That’s it. That's all the cash you need to buy into the Giant family and to get you exploring.

Right off the bat, you can tell this trinket is meant for a bit more than just road riding. Two dead giveaways are the tires and cockpit, but we’ll talk about those later. What I'd like you to notice first is the frame. Because gravel bikes do not include any suspension forks or rear springs, the rider relies on frame and fork construction to minimize vibrations.

It would seem that Giant really did their best to include all the features gravel riders love in a frame. The price is the first indication that the frame is not made of carbon fiber. However, using Giant’s ALUXX-grade aluminum, the team put together a solid base that should handle rocky vibrations quite well. Surprisingly, the fork isn’t an aluminum one, but rather an Advanced-Grade Composite fork. Yes, you get a bit of carbon fiber for this price.

Since wheels are the final feature to bring suspension qualities, I must mention that the wheels are a Giant S-X2 Disc wheelset with Giant CrossCut AT 2, 700x38c, tubeless tires. Honestly, I've heard of gravel bikes with slightly smaller wheels, and those bikes cost over $3,000 easy. Then again, if you don’t like the tires, change them for anything else you might like, they’re quite an affordable accessory to change out.

As for the drivetrain for this sucker, Shimano is all over the place. From cassette to front and rear derailleur, and even shifters, all Shimano. The only feature that breaks away from Shimano is the KMC X9 chain with missing link. One other feature that is set to a different manufacturer's tune would be the Tektro MD-C550 mechanical disc brakes with 160 mm (6.3 in) rotors.

As for the remainder of the bike, again, all tuned to be a dang good gravel bike for its price. Giant’s Contact XR Ergo-Control handlebar, D-Fuse seat post, and Approach saddle seem to tie the bike off nicely. Here’s a tip. If you want a bit of a softer ride, you can always switch out the seat post for one with an integrated suspension.

Now, I'm not saying the Revolt 2 will be the very last gravel bike acquisition, but if you want a ride that doesn’t blow a hole in your pocket but still lets you hang with the bigger kids, then by all means, it’s a bike worth considering if you want to go out and explore as much as possible.