Test Giant Revolt X Advanced Pro 1: With a suspension fork, dropper post and wide tires, the Revolt X looks like a typical trail gravel bike. It has a very race-oriented geometry and is also available for bikepacking use.
With the Giant Revolt The more expensive bikes have the RockShox XPLR Ultimate with a locking function; The simpler versions are equipped with the XPLR without lockout, which was produced specifically for wheel manufacturers.
An important aspect is that the Revolt X is based on its own frame. This features a shorter head tube to make room for the longer fork. So it's not that easy to convert a Revolt X to a rigid fork; Retrofitting a suspension fork to a previous year's Revolt wouldn't be a good idea either, as it would result in significant geometry changes.
Suspension fork and racing geometry
In general, the geometry: With a 72° head angle and 575 mm top tube length, the Giant is cut more like a gravel race bike. Trail gravel bikes usually have a head angle between 69-70° and a longer top tube, i.e. H. more “reach”. This is then compensated for by a short stem, which ensures easy steering. The Revolt If you grasp the SRAM handles, you will find a very comfortable position. The lower link, in turn, is quite far away because the handlebar is turned upwards. It would be better to position the handlebar ends almost horizontally and to mount the shift brake handles higher up.
Despite the combination of a short stem and a steep head angle, the Revolt X doesn't feel nervous. The straight-line stability is good; In direct comparison to gravel bikes without a suspension fork, you feel like you have to turn the bike in with a little more force. After a few corners you feel very comfortable with the character of the steering. Driving safety at high speeds is impeccable, as is the propulsion. On extremely steep sections, however, it is noticeable that the front wheel tends to lose contact with the ground more quickly than on other gravel bikes. This may have something to do with the wheelbase, which is not overly long, although the FlipChip dropouts at the rear were already in the “Long” position, which also allows tires up to 53 mm wide. When it comes to propulsion, the bike, which weighs around ten kilos, won't let you down; Especially when the fork is blocked, you get a “gravel race” feeling – actually the domain of the classic Revolt.
SRAM Rival AXS and carbon wheelset
Giant has given the Revolt X Advanced Pro 1 high-quality features that are well suited to its intended use. The SRAM Rival AXS comes in the Eagle version with a 10-52 cassette, with which you can ride up pretty much anything - provided you have enough grip, because the 45 Maxxis Ramblers, which are mounted tubeless ex works, do not have too much profile. The tires are mounted on a very light carbon wheelset with an extremely loud toothed disc freewheel; Anyone who lets it roll will definitely not be ignored on the Giant Revolt X.
The obvious highlight of the Giant is of course the sensitively responsive suspension fork, which, despite the short travel of 40 mm, does not tend to bottom out - even if it is softly tuned. It is noticeably dented when you step on the rocks, but this is not a problem; If so, it can of course be blocked. With a suspension fork, graveling is completely different: stones, roots and cross gullies can easily be rolled over, where on a standard gravel you have to pull up the front wheel. This will definitely make you travel faster on blocked sections.
Lowerable spring support
The RockShox fork is particularly interesting in combination with another equipment detail: Giant specifies a dropper post (lowerable seat post) with around 30 mm of travel - and that makes the Giant more comfortable than almost any other gravel bike. Of course, the Revolt X is still not a fully; Shocks that are absorbed by the fork at the front are absorbed or at least smoothed out by the support at the back - great, because you can just stay seated instead of having to keep getting out of the saddle. When you put it on, the support sinks by about a centimeter; This negative suspension travel ensures that you don't bounce up and down on bumpy surfaces. If you want to be comfortable while gravel riding, the combination of suspension fork and support is extremely well suited.
The dropper post is activated with a lever attached to the handlebar arch, which never gets in the way when gripping and is always easily accessible. The support offers a total of 100 mm adjustment range; If you lower it completely, you will only be able to pedal with difficulty, but this will bring your body's center of gravity further down, which can be helpful on steep descents. Whether you really need this function on a gravel bike is a matter of opinion; In any case, the saddle suspension is a real comfort plus.
Versatile right up to bikepacking
This makes the Giant Revolt Advanced X extremely versatile. With its sporty geometry and the option to lock the suspension fork, it certainly has racing genes; with the bag set offered by Giant, nothing stands in the way of bikepacking tours. And with two-inch wide tires, the bike is perfectly suited for trail use. In addition to the test bike, there is also a more expensive version (Revolt X Advanced Pro 0 with SRAM Force AXS and Fox fork, €7.499) and a cheaper one (Revolt X Advanced Pro 2 with SRAM Apex AXS and RockShox fork without lockout, €4.799). With the Revolt X (SRAM Apex mechanical and RockShox fork without lockout, 2.999 Euro) there is also an aluminum model that is visually almost indistinguishable from the carbon bike.
