Temple Adventure Disc 2 long-term review

The Adventure Disc 2 is part of Bristol brand Temple Cycles’ three-strong range of gravel bikes, alongside the Adventure Disc 1 and 3.  

Temple was set up by University of Bristol engineering graduate Matt Mears while he was still a student, as an antidote to what he saw as an unhealthy throwaway mass-consumer culture.

All of the brand’s models, spanning classic tourers, road and gravel bikes and a couple of ebikes, are built from Reynolds steel and assembled at the brand’s Bristol headquarters, marrying a classic aesthetic with modern high-spec components.

While the Adventure Disc 1 is equipped with a Shimano GRX 820 groupset and targeted at riders who spend most of their time off-road, this bike is intended to exist closer to the tarmac end of the gravel spectrum thanks to its road groupset, slimmer tyres and urban accoutrements.

It should suit those looking for a bike to fill their boots with daily commuting, touring, bikepacking and a decent amount of gravel riding – me, basically.

My plans for the Adventure Disc 2 span cycling to work through all seasons, road rides of up to 100km incorporating the odd intermediate gravel dalliance and maybe my first bikepacking trip. 

I’ve even found myself typing the phrase ‘easiest gravel races’ into Google. Oh, what have I become?

The Adventure Disc 2’s slimline Reynolds 725 steel frame is paired with a 12-speed Shimano 105 groupset, hand-built Hunt wheels, 35mm Schwalbe G-One Allround tyres and a Brooks leather saddle. 

Temple wants the Adventure Disc 2 to be all the bike you’ll need, whatever your cycling ambitions – a new machine that can become vintage in your ownership. 

The brand’s lifetime warranty may help turn that maxim into a reality.

The Adventure Disc 2 has an RRP of £2,295, although at the time of writing it was discounted to £1,950.

Temple Adventure Disc 2 specification and details

While Temple’s Classic touring bikes are manufactured from Reynolds 520 steel, the Adventure Disc range gets an upgrade to higher-tier 725 tubes.

Bikes are built to order and hand-assembled in Bristol, with the frames powder-coated 40 miles away in Cardiff and the ornate Temple badge that adorns the head tube hand-crafted by Geoff Moorhouse.

Temple has recently switched the Adventure Disc 2 from 11-speed to 12-speed Shimano 105. It gets a 50-34 crankset and a wide-range 11-36 cassette designed to make tackling even the steepest climbs manageable – fun, even.

Hunt provides its hand-built 4 Season All-Road wheelset, with the British brand saying the 700c wheels are optimised for tyres between 25mm and 35mm, but able to accommodate up to 50mm. The Adventure Disc 2 has clearance for up to 45mm tyres.

My bike came supplied with 35mm Schwalbe G-One Allround tyres, with inner tubes, although tubeless is an option at purchase. An upgrade to 38mm Panaracer GravelKings with tanwalls, as fitted on the Adventure Disc 1, is also available. A full list of spec options is available on the brand's website.

The handmade Brooks B17 leather saddle comes with a 10-year guarantee and is designed to mould to your unique derrière over time.

Temple’s own polished alloy handlebar, stem and seatpost complete the timeless aesthetic. The Adventure Disc 2 is certainly a looker.

There are mounts for mudguards and a pannier rack, as well as on the fork, down tube and seat tube, but not for a top tube bag. My bike came with two bottle cages and biodegradable Temple-branded bottles.

It was also supplied with a Temple bar bag, in black, although other suitably urbane colours such as Burnt Orange and Aegean Blue are available. Temple also sells pannier bags, saddle bags and snack bags for your bikepacking delectation.

The Adventure Disc 2 is available in Lichen Green, Racing Green, Slate Blue and Lunar Sand. All are tastefully understated and, after substantial deliberation, I opted for Lichen Green.

My size-medium bike has a claimed weight of 10.6kg, without pedals.

A panel on the down tube, near the junction with the seat tube, tells me my bike was assembled in Bristol, by Paul. Thanks Paul.

Temple Adventure Disc 2 full specification

• Weight: 10.6kg (no pedals, Temple Bristol Saddle & foam bar wrap; Brooks B17 and leather bar wrap adds 400g)
• Frame: Temple Adventure Disc Reynolds 725 
• Fork: Temple Adventure Disc Fork 4130
• Headset: Temple Sealed Cartridge 
• Shifter: Shimano 105 R7170 12-speed
• Rear derailleur: Shimano 105 R7100 12-speed
• Front derailleur: Shimano 105 R7100
• Crankset: Shimano 105 R7100 50-34
• Cassette: Shimano 105 11-36T 12-speed
• Wheelset: Hunt 4 Season All-Road Disc
• Tyres: Schwalbe G-One AllRound TLE 700x35
• Brakes: Shimano 105 Hydraulic
• Bar/stem: Temple Polished
• Seatpost: Temple Polished
• Saddle: Brooks B17 Leather

Temple Adventure Disc 2 geometry

Temple’s aim with the Adventure Disc 2 was to “combine the best of classic and contemporary” geometry, producing a bike that can handle the conflicting demands of road and gravel riding.

The road groupset provides a hint about where in the wide gravel universe it pitches its tent and the geometry has been considered accordingly. The Adventure Disc 2 is designed to inspire confidence when you head off road, while steering clear of lumpen sluggishness on the asphalt for multi-day touring adventures.   

My size-medium bike has a wheelbase of 1,023mm, a relatively racy 71.5-degree head tube angle and 73-degree seat tube angle. The stack and reach are 571mm and 384mm respectively.

“We consider the Adventure Disc to be modern but tastefully restrained from excess, providing a bike that is confident but sharp-handling and equally happy on gravel or tarmac,” says Temple product manager Tom Bugler.

The Adventure Disc 2 comes in five sizes, from XS-XL, with my size-medium bike recommended for riders between 172 and 184cm.

Why did I choose this bike?

As the least experienced cyclist on the BikeRadar team, I don’t have the resources – or space in my kitchen – for multiple bikes. Oh, how I suffer. 

Therefore, I’m looking for one bike that can do everything I need, with as few compromises as possible. 

Most of the steeds I’ve swung a leg over have been urban hybrids or electric bikes and my first attempt at answering the above conundrum was the excellent Ribble Hybrid AL Leisure, which I spent more than a year riding as my long-term test bike.

However, while that stylish, well-equipped hybrid made my commuting life easy, its upright ride position, chunky tubes and SRAM NX Eagle groupset understandably saw me struggling to maintain the pace on longer road rides. I found the going particularly tough on the lung-shredding climbs we’re abundantly blessed with in the South West of England.

With one eye on finally making my bikepacking debut, I considered a touring bike. But if a do-it-all hybrid was my cycling gateway drug, a gravel bike seemed like the logical next step in developing my habit. 

High-quality wide-range gearing, hand-built 700c wheels, a robust steel frame and plentiful mounts, coupled with Temple’s refined aesthetic, made the Adventure Disc 2 feel like a natural fit.

And I don’t mind saying, as a child of the 80s who likes records, newspapers and other analogue treasures, I found Temple’s ‘timeless vintage’ ethos alluring.

No doubt there are gravel bikes with carbon forks that would meet my needs at a lower price point, or with a lighter weight than the Temple’s 10.6kg. But I think there's more to life than those black-and-white considerations.

Just as I’ll willingly pay more for a craft quencher at one of Bristol’s burgeoning independent breweries than a pint of mass-produced lager, I’m sold on the notion of a bike for life, hand-assembled by the company down the road. 

Call me an insufferable hipster, if you like, I’m fine with it.

Temple Adventure Disc 2 initial setup

Temple’s Ashton Vale facility is only a couple of miles from my house, so I jumped at the chance to visit the place where the brand’s bikes are assembled.

My Adventure Disc 2 was ready to collect, with Matt and the team performing a few last-minute micro-adjustments to my preferences.

The size-medium bike was a good fit for my 5ft 10in height, although I’ve since dropped the saddle slightly to eradicate some initial minor back aches.

I opted for flat pedals because I still live in fear of clipping in and my bike needs to perform plenty of commuting and taproom-touring duties.

I also chose to have the Schwalbe G-One Allround tyres fitted with inner tubes despite the compelling argument in favour of tubeless tyres on a gravel bike. 

I continue to run scared of tubeless after a disastrous, fleeting experiment last Christmas. I will overcome my fear at some point, I promise.

Two bottle cages had already been mounted and Temple threw in a pair of its 0.5-litre bottles, made from biodegradable plastic.

The supplied Temple bar bag was strapped to the handlebar using its magnetic fastenings and ready to house a spare inner tube, tyre levers, multi-tool and copious quantities of flapjack.

I opted to wait to install mudguards until after a long, hilly road ride I’ve got planned. It has since become clear that I am inherently foolish.

Temple Adventure Disc 2 ride impressions

My early rides on the Adventure Disc 2 have been revelatory. While I enjoy the simplicity of a flat-bar hybrid, longer, undulating rides had started to feel like spirit–sapping chores.

Step forward my first gravel bike. 

The Temple’s ride position feels well pitched between comfortable and purposeful. Generating and maintaining momentum is so much easier than I’m accustomed to, with quality wheels and a top-class road groupset on my side.

Shifting is of the highest quality, even under duress, and the 105 levers feel smooth and sleek in my hands.

Aside from my daily rumble to work, which comprises around 70 per cent tarmac and 30 per cent broken glass, my first meaningful sojourn on the handsome Temple was a 30km blast around the rolling Chew Valley, south of Bristol. 

The bike’s speed on the flat, the minimal fuss with which it dispatched climbs and the reassuring power of the 105 braking left me with the smug feeling I was on a bike a level above anything I’d ridden before. 

On a brief gravel ride that took in a craggy towpath and as much mud (but fewer fragrant cigarettes) as my first Glastonbury in the 90s, the Temple remained largely confident. The 35mm tyres were only ever out of their depth in the slippery gloop.

When barrelling over loose gravel and hitting bigger bumps, the ride from the steel frame and fork felt on the firm side. However, I’ve since dropped my tyre pressures slightly with positive results and will continue experimenting until I find a sweet spot.

I was warned the Brooks saddle might give me a rough ride until it had been ‘worn in’, but thus far I’ve found it a comfortable place to sit and spin. I look forward to seeing its patina shift as it weathers and ages more gracefully than I do.

My only issue of note is the bar tape. While an attractive deep chestnut shade, it's pretty unforgiving and has left the heels of my delicate editing hands a little fatigued. 

Temple Adventure Disc 2 upgrades 

One of the most pressing upgrades I plan is wrapping the Temple handlebar in something more comfortable. I’ve begun studying BikeRadar’s list of the best bar tape in earnest.

As a relentlessly wet spring has segued into an only slightly less sodden early summer in the UK, my decision to wait until autumn to install a set of mudguards on the Adventure Disc 2 has looked increasingly naïve. 

I’ve already splattered the Temple’s handsome paintjob, my backpack, the bar bag and my clothes with several litres of fetid puddle water. So mudguards are incoming.

While I’m there, a rack for pannier bags is a must as I test the Temple’s commuting credentials more thoroughly.

I’ll also be considering my tyre options. I’ve got plenty of experience with the dependable Schwalbes from my previous long-termer, so I'm keen to try some alternatives. The conflicting priorities of puncture resistance and quicker rolling speed are jostling for my attention as ever.

Temple founder Matt swears by the Panaracer Pasela and I’ll be perusing our list of the best gravel tyres for the elusive answer. Having revealed my hipster tendencies above, they will of course have to be tanwall tyres, too (sorry Oscar).

Dare I return to the world of tubeless after my previous ill-fated experiment? My head and heart both say no, but we shall see.

Finally, inspired by the sanity-questioning escapades of my BikeRadar comrades, I feel confident this is the bike to help me give bikepacking a go. A lightweight tent that I can strap to the Temple’s top tube goes on the list.

• Buy the Temple Adventure Disc 2 direct from Temple Cycles

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