Could this be the ideal bike for gnarlier gravel?
Hot on the heels of its official launch, Giant’s Revolt X has arrived at BikeRadar HQ for testing.
The Revolt X is the rowdier sibling to Giant’s venerable Revolt. The Revolt Advanced Pro 0 took home our coveted Bike of the Year award in 2022, impressing with its comfort and quick handling.
Here, a suspension fork is added to the mix, providing 40mm of bump-taming travel, as well as an optimised geometry to cater for it.
Let’s take a closer look at the bike.
Sticking to a winning recipe
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The Revolt X doesn’t veer too dramatically from the brand’s winning recipe on the Revolt.
Giant continues to use its Advanced Composite carbon for the frame, with the front triangle assembled and moulded as one piece.
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Both the top tube and down tube are oversized, which Giant claims boosts stiffness and torsional rigidity.
The top tube also slopes downward, making the front and rear triangles smaller. In turn, this creates a lighter and stiffer bike, according to the brand.
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Like the rigid Revolt, this new model incorporates a flip chip at the rear dropout with two selectable positions. The ‘Short Position’ reduces the wheelbase and chainstay length to sharpen reactions, whereas the ‘Long Position’ increases the wheelbase for improved stability.
The Revolt X runs on 700c wheels, although tyre clearance is dependent on the flip chip setting. In the longer setup, the Revolt X can accept up to a 53mm-wide gravel bike tyre. The maximum when run shorter is 42mm.
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Although the bike ships with a dropper post, you can also run Giant’s proprietary D-Fuse seatpost if you’re after more compliance from a rigid setup. You can even opt for a 30.9mm round post with the use of an adaptor.
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The bike is only compatible with 1x drivetrains and uses a press-fit BB86 bottom bracket standard.
What is Bike of the Week?
Every fortnight, we’ll bring you a detailed first look at one of the latest bikes (or framesets) to arrive at BikeRadar HQ – from road to commuting, gravel to enduro, and anything in between.
This is our chance to introduce the bike and everything that makes it unique before hitting the road or trails.
Head to our Bike of the Week hub for previous editions.
A SRAM and own-brand spec
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Our test bike is the Revolt X Advanced Pro 1 in a size large, retailing for £5,499 / $6,200. This model isn’t available in mainland Europe or Australia.
It uses a RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR gravel fork and comes equipped with a SRAM Rival eTap / GX Eagle AXS mullet drivetrain. The 10-52t cassette is paired with a 40t crankset, and 160mm disc brake rotors are specced front and rear.
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Giant provides its own CXR X1 carbon rims on its AR alloy hubs, laced together with Sapim’s tried-and-tested CX-Ray spokes. The hubs feature DT Swiss 350 internals with a 36t ratchet system.
Giant’s own CrossCut Grip 1 tyres are fitted in a 45mm width, and are set up tubeless.
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The finishing kit also comes courtesy of Giant. The Contact SL XR D-Fuse handlebar has a 16-degree flare and is 48cm wide in this size. This is complemented with an 80mm-long Giant Contact stem.
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The Taiwanese company provides its Approach SL saddle, which is fitted atop the own-branded Postmodern post with 100mm of drop.
All-in, the bike weighs 10.05kg without pedals.
There are two other carbon models in the range. The Advanced Pro 0 represents the pinnacle of the range at $8,500 / €7,800 / AU$8,999 (this isn’t available in the UK).
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The Advanced Pro 2 steps down to a SRAM Rival 1 mechanical groupset, otherwise the spec is identical. It’ll cost you £4,499 / $4,800 / €4,600 / AU$6,199.
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There’s also a UK-only aluminium option (the Revolt X 1) at £2,999. The frame retains almost all of its carbon sibling’s features, although it features a front derailleur hanger and uses a 68mm BSA threaded bottom bracket.
The Revolt X 1 is built up with a SRAM Rival 1 mechanical groupset and Giant’s XTC-1 Disc rims with Shimano cup-and-cone hubs.