The new Giant Revolt Advanced SL bridges the gap between new-school aero gravel race bike and classic all-rounder.
Flyweight, fast, forgiving, and a fun ride, the Revolt Advanced SL is Giant’s best gravel bike to date, and one of the best all-round options for gravel racing and beyond.
Giant’s Revolt is still one of the best all-round gravel bikes available, either in its standard Advanced specification or the rugged suspension fork equipped X model. The new SL however brings Giant’s highest tier of carbon frame construction along with components and wheels designed in conjunction with Cadex.
That means a bike that's lighter than ever, has improved aerodynamics and has more off-road focused geometry.
The result is a bike that hits the highest levels of performance on all types of gravel.
Giant Revolt Advanced SL performance
The idea behind the new Revolt Advanced SL 0 was to create a ‘system’ that optimises the aerodynamics between frame, fork, cockpit and wheelset. The result, according to Giant, is a 18.99-watt advantage over the previous Revolt over all terrains.
It’s not just aero that’s been upped; the weight has been significantly reduced too, with the new ‘system’ weight (frame, fork, cockpit, and seatpost) dropping a substantial 288g.
That means my large sized test bike weighs in at 7.62kg, which is impressively light for a gravel bike. To put that in context the new BMC Kaius 01 One (£9,999 / $12,999), in the same size with a similar Red level specification, weighs 7.97kg. Cervélo’s Red equipped Áspero 5 (£10,000 / $12,500) in the same size weighs in at 8.27kg.
The SL has seen tweaks to the Revolt geometry. The reach has increased from 397mm on the large size to 410mm, and the stack has dropped from 616mm to 519mm. Tyre clearance is upped to 53mm, which is enough to allow a 2in race mountain bike tyre like the popular with gravel racers Continental Dubnital. But that clearance lags both the Argon 18 Anti Matter’s 55mm and the new Ridley Kanzo Fast’s huge 58mm clearances.
| | S | M | ML | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Seat Tube Length (mm) | 450 | 470 | 490 | 510 | 530 |
| B Seat Tube Angle | 74.5° | 74.5° | 74.0° | 74.0° | 74.0° |
| C Top Tube Length (mm) | 540 | 550 | 565 | 580 | 590 |
| D Head Tube Length (mm) | 100 | 120 | 135 | 155 | 180 |
| E Head Tube Angle | 71.0° | 71.5° | 72.0° | 72.0° | 72.0° |
| F Fork Rake (mm) | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| G Trail (mm) | 74 | 71 | 67 | 67 | 67 |
| H Wheelbase (mm) | 1027 | 1033 | 1039 | 1055 | 1066 |
| I Chain Stay Length (mm) | 433 | 433 | 433 | 433 | 433 |
| J Bottom Bracket Drop (mm) | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| K Stack (mm) | 536 | 557 | 573 | 592 | 616 |
| L Reach (mm) | 391 | 395 | 401 | 410 | 413 |
| M Stand Over Height (mm) | 743 | 762 | 779 | 798 | 818 |
| N Handlebar Width (mm) | 380 | 400 | 400 | 420 | 420 |
| O Stem Length (mm) | 80 | 90 | 100 | 100 | 110 |
| P Crank Length (mm) | 165 | 170 | 170 | 172.5 | 172.5 |
| Q Wheel Size | 700C | 700C | 700C | 700C | 700C |
The frame shapes are optimised for aerodynamics, as is the cockpit and post. Unlike the other Revolts, the SL has made the leap to a UDH rear dropout over the other Revolt model’s flip-chip dropouts.
Unlike its rivals from Argon 18 and Ridley, the Revolt SL frame doesn’t feature downtube storage so you will need to rely on a top tube or frame bag, which the SL has fittings for.
The final piece in the puzzle on this range topping SL 0 model is the Cadex MAX GXR wheelset. The full-carbon aero wheels use the same carbon hub flange, bonded spoke technology as Cadex’s premium road wheelsets and weigh in at a featherweight 1,320g. Here they are combined with the aero-optimised GXR tyre, with a supple 170TPI casing and 45mm width.
The ride quality is what sets the Advanced SL 0 apart. It’s impressively compliant over rougher surfaces, yet the lightness of the package and especially the wheelset makes it ascend steep gravel roads and technical trails like a caffeine enriched mountain goat.
The GXR gravel tyres with their minimalist tread pattern are superb in the dry dusty conditions we’ve enjoyed this summer. On the road they run fast so you get none of the sluggishness of more aggressive gravel options.
I did suffer an unfortunate cut to the shoulder of the rear tyre on a long ride; it sealed enough with a tubeless plug to get me home.
It may have been just bad luck, but it does give me reservations of the lightweight tyres’ toughness. It’s worth noting an identical replacement tyre sprung no further issues. A switch up to the larger 50mm tyre would give a bit more protection.
The new aero cockpit has a great shape, and Giant haven’t gone down the super-narrow trend. On my large sized test bike, it comes with a 420mm wide bar at the hoods, with the subtle flare stretching it out to 440mm at the drops.
Compared to the Argon 18 Anti Matter I’ve also been testing, which has a 380mm bar, and the Ridley Kanzo Fast with its 380mm, 420mm at the drops, Giant’s option is based on fit rather than fashion.
The flattened top section offers a good hold should you want to get into a narrower tuck, yet not at the expense of handling when things get more technical. During testing, temperatures reached north of 30˚C, and I found the glue on the supplied tape got soft and the tape started to shift, compromising confidence a little.
At the rear the AMP saddle is excellent and paired with the cockpit it makes the contact points on the Revolt Advanced SL as good as it gets.
The gearing on the SL 0 is racy yet still useable for all-terrain use. With a 44 tooth chainring (on the power meter-equipped chainset) and a 10-44 cassette that gives a 28mph/45kph speed at a 90rpm cadence. At the other end the 1:1 ratio is light enough for steep technical climbs.
Lightness is a key element to the overall ride feel of the SL 0. Yes, the build is impressively light in weight. The lightness also translates into the way it handles too, the Revolt can be flicked and skipped over obstacles. It climbs like a road bike and feels nimbler on technical trails than its rivals here.
It's also fast. On smoother gravel roads it holds its own with more ‘aero’ options like the Ridley Kanzo Fast and Argon 18 Anti Matter, and on tarmac it's the same story. What its rivals gain in aerodynamics the Revolt makes up for in lightness. I’d be happy to ride the Revolt Advanced SL everywhere, road or trail.
The Revolt Advanced SL 0’s price is in line with its main rivals. Specialized’s S-Works Crux 5 with Red AXS XPLR is more expensive at £11,999 / $14,000. Trek’s Checkmate SLR 9 AXS is more keenly priced in the UK at £8,950, but nigh-on the same price in the US at $11,999.
Cannondale’s similarly lightweight SuperX Lab71 is £10,800 / $12,499, and BMC’s Kaius 01 One is £9,999 / $12,999.
The Advanced SL 0 is the premium offering, but I’d be more tempted with the Advanced SL 1 at £6,999 with SRAM Force XPLR, the 13-speed power meter equipped wireless drivetrain, and Giant’s new CXR carbon wheelset. The SL 1 might not have the flyweight Cadex wheels but the CXR’s still feature carbon spokes, a 50mm deep gravel rim and a 1,395g weight so the SL 1 is no slouch.
Giant Revolt Advanced SL 0 Bottom line
With the Revolt Advanced SL 0 Giant have elevated what was already a brilliant (and previous Bike of the Year-winning) platform. It’s lighter, faster, and more race focused. Yet it still retains a great all-round ability that can be lacking from some aero-gravel racers. It’s not quite perfect, however, and I would trade a few watts of efficiency in favour of tougher tyres.
The SL 0 is the premium offering of the range, but I reckon the Force equipped SL 1 at £6,999 or Rival XPLR SL 2 at £5,499 would offer just as much of the fun factor for far less of an outlay.
The Revolt Advanced SL 0 has versatility in its favour, and the racy geometry also makes it a brilliant on the road. With a switch to road tyres or a second set of wheels I’d be happy to use the SL 0 for all my drop bar riding needs. That its capable of this without being compromised at its main task is a huge achievement. It puts it out in front of ‘all-road’ offerings and pure-aero-gravel racers alike.
