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Sage Barlow gravel race bike gets modernized, shows off brilliant polished finish

sage barlow all road bike with polished finish - complete bike
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If you were to build a dream all-road or gravel race bike frame, what features would you add? That seems to have been the thinking behind the latest iteration of the Sage Barlow, which improves almost every specification and drops a bit of weight.

About the only thing that didn’t change was the max 700×40 (or 650B x 50) tire clearance, so the bike sticks to its racy motives. Or, honestly, just leans way more toward “all road” than “gravel”.

sage barlow all road bike with polished finish - various angles

That said, they hint that the current ENVE All Road fork is the limiting factor, so swapping to a different fork might net you a little more leeway for off-pavement exploration…but also likely change the geometry. OK, here’s what’s new…

2021 Sage Barlow gravel bike specs

sage barlow all road bike with polished finish - side view

Key updates to the Barlow gravel bike are:

  • T47 BB (upgraded from 68mm BSA BB)
  • Internal rear brake line routing (saves weight by removing five brake saddles and the welding required to place them)
  • 27.2mm seatpost (down from 31.6)
  • Hooded dropouts (replaces heavier plate style dropouts).
  • S-Bend / Curved seatstays (replaces straight seatstays, adds comfort/ compliance)
  • 62cm frame gets a 1cm taller head tube to fit taller riders better (geometries on other frame sizes carries over unchanged)

sage barlow all road bike with polished finish - dropouts closeup

The new dropouts and curved seatstays are both borrowed from their Skyline road bike. That fact, combined with the narrow-for-gravel tire clearance suggest this would also make a killer endurance, do-anything road bike.

sage barlow all road bike with polished finish - brake hose ports closeup
Cable ports are modular and can use different cover plates to accommodate mechanical or electronic drivetrains.

sage barlow all road bike with polished finish - bottom bracket closeup

A stock frame retails for $3,000 (up from $2,900), and a frameset with fork and headset is $3,700. Want this fancy paint or a complete bike? Here’s a few options:

  • Super-shiny polished frame +$1,750
  • Polished frame + seatpost + seatpost collar  +$2,000
  • Complete show bike build (SRAM Red AXS, ENVE, Chris King) is $13,125

sage barlow all road bike with polished finish - rear 3 quarter view

Need something in between? Build your own on their website. Oh, and this shiny build? It was made for the Chris King open house, where they teased a few new component colors.

SageTitanium.com

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Ron
Ron
3 years ago

This is kind of a cool bike. The geometry and features look really fun. Although it is (I think?) welded up by Lynskey, Lynskey does not offer a frame with comparable features.

nooner
nooner
3 years ago

NOTHING, nothing on this planet beats the ride quality of Titanium! Preferably 6/4 Ti if you can get it.
Friends don’t let friends ride plastic Fred bikes!

Wha
Wha
3 years ago
Reply to  nooner

Do tell us how 6/4 rides differently to 3/2.5?

BMX
BMX
3 years ago

lynskey do offer a polish and most of that stuff. The smaller diameter seat post may not be ideal if the gravel crowd are wanting a dropper.

Involuntary Soul
Involuntary Soul
3 years ago

at $3600 ppl really need to go full custom with tubing diameters that match your weight, a stock alloy bike will have to assume you weight 300lbs and use strongest tubing everywhere, the bike in the end will ride like trash

Robin
Robin
3 years ago

That’s patently false. Bike makers do NOT assume that riders weigh 300 lbs and thus spec tubing for such a rider. My Look 595 doesn’t ride like it’s spec’d for that kind of rider, and I’ll bet the overwhelming majority of bikes don’t. My off the peg Moots didn’t ride like it was built for such a huge rider.

Bryin
Bryin
3 years ago
Reply to  Robin

Look bikes do not come with any weight limit restrictions. Therefore Look has to engineer those bikes to handle a high weight. I would guess up to 220lbs. 220lbs is the limit Trek quotes for it’s upper end carbon bikes. For most people, from 150lbs to 190lbs most bikes ride great… you get much outside that range and there is a good argument for custom. If you are less than 5’6″ or taller than 6′ and/or really light or really heavy you absolutely should get something designed for you.

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