The new Fezzari Shafer AL alloy gravel bike borrows the shaping, and most of the features, of their recently introduced carbon version, to give riders an even more affordable option.
Besides the frame material, the key difference is the reduction in frame mounts. The alloy model gets the standard two bottle cage mounts inside the front triangle, plus fender mounts and light-duty rear rack mounts.
The geometry is a bit less aggressive, with a fixed 74º seat angle across all sizes and slightly steeper head angle. There are four sizes offered, versus five for the carbon frame, and the BB is a bit higher.
Combined, it makes the Shafer AL an easier entry point for beginner riders or those who want less racy handling…and smaller tires. Max tire size is 700×40, versus 700×50 on the carbon bike.
The Shafer AL does get a carbon fork, though, but it too lacks the extra mounts of the leaner fork that comes on the carbon bikes. comes in Desert Tan color only, and gets a single spec for $1,899. For comparison, the Shafer Comp GRX (carbon) is just $400 more, but also has a nearly year-long waiting period thanks to component supply shortages.
That’ll get you a complete bike built with SRAM Apex 1×11, Alex GD24 wheels with Maxxis Receptor tan wall tires, and a house-brand alloy cockpit plus Selle Italia saddle. Fortunately, lead time on this bike is just a couple weeks.
The original carbon bike won our Editor’s Choice award and is one of our favorite all-around drop bar bikes. Check out the full review to see why.
