REVIEW: CUADRO GIANT REVOLT ADVANCED 2022

The Giant Revolt 2022 frame looks almost the same as the previous generation, however there are certain updates in measurements and some details that make it feel more maneuverable.

Then I describe in-depth impressions after having rolled it on all kinds of surfaces.

Brief background and news

In a previous article I recounted how I got this Revolt Advanced 2022 frame. If you're too lazy to read it here, then I'll tell you it's due to a warranty made valid by Giant due to a crack in the seat tube of my Revolt Advance 2019.

So for more than a month I have been pedaling on this 2022 model frame to which I mounted the components of my previous Revolt.

As a reminder, here is a list of the novelties that this new generation includes and I take the opportunity to update some comments already made in the previous post.

All the innovations mentioned above are also included in the Revolt 2022 with an aluminum frame, except for the spacers between the frame and the stem, which are still round.

As for the negative news, I remind you that I identified two: The first is that Giant removed the protective plastic cap from the down tube from the Revolt Advanced. The second negative news is very similar: Giant removed the protective cover from the lower right chainstay.

Three major upgrades and rolling experience

Of the updates listed above, in my opinion three are the most relevant. I start with the "flip chip" mechanism in the following image you can see it. As I mentioned before, it is a piece on the rear axle that can be changed side or position.

My biggest question about this is the fact that I haven't found on Giant's website (or Google) if I should shorten the chain if I switch the flip chip to short, as I currently have it long. I would like to think that it is not necessary, since Giant would have already quoted it explicitly, but logic tells me otherwise.

And it is that 10mm or 1cm in the length of the chain is almost a link and that, on gravel roads means greater risk for the chain to come out of its place, with the respective consequences. I hope you post more about it as I certainly want to test the bike in the short position.

As for the bearing with the flip chip placed in its farthest position and comparing it to the previous generation Revolt which had a 1031mm wheelbase (size M), I didn't really experience any kind of difference in pedaling or handling. With the flip chip in the above position the wheelbase is 1036mm and in the short position 1026mm. They are barely perceptible distances and less in handling, unlike, for example, a power change, where the adjustment is very noticeable. I'm not sure it was a worthwhile upgrade. Trek removed this type of adjustment on the rear axle from the 2022 Checkpoint and other brands prefer to apply the adjustment on the fork, where it is easier to do since you do not need to deal with the chain and the derailleur.

The second setting to highlight is the upper chainstays. As I mentioned in the previous first impressions post, as well as in previous paragraphs, these are now somewhat flatter and thinner (see image below). They are also placed below the top tube or with a greater drop. At first sight they could have more aesthetics but in practice I did not feel any difference in the springing of the seat tube and the seatpost.

But don't get me wrong because if there's one thing I'm in love with the Revolt, it's precisely the spring offered by the D-Fuse design in the seatpost and its synchronized work with the seat tube and upper chainstays. On gravel and trail surfaces it maintains the same excellent behavior.

One additional comment about the chainstays has to do with the support they provide to the seat tube and post, mainly when these two are springing. Remember that my 2019 Revolt Advanced had the crack in the seat tube just above the bottle cage. I want to think that Giant made the adjustment in these chainstays in design and fusion point with the seat tube by placing them more drops, that is, almost in the middle of the aforementioned tube. All this to avoid cracks. We will know in time.

Finally there is the issue of power. For 2022 Giant applied a more remarkable change here, since now it placed a 70mm stem in an M frame, when in the previous generation it was 90mm. This adjustment is very noticeable as it impacts the rider's posture.

Now, the adjustment makes sense because the reach of the box was adjusted. In model 2021 and earlier it was 381mm and now it is 387mm. The distance of the top tube has also changed: before it was 550mm and now 560mm. We speak of just mm but, I insist, they have an impact on posture.

When I was given this 2022 frame I kept the same 90mm stem and the stance was very sloping. I changed it for a 70mm one (following image), which is the one that mounts from the factory. At first I found it somewhat uncomfortable since my posture was more vertical, although after two or three pedal strokes I settled in better by placing my hands a little further forward on the levers.

A shorter stem gives more maneuverability and that translates to control and confidence. In my opinion this was a successful upgrade from Giant. However, not everything is profit because shorter power implies less space to place the cycle computer on it. In the following image you can see how the base of the device had to be placed on the stem clamps and not on the arm. If I put in the latter then my cycle computer would not fit due to it bumping into the steerer tube spacers.

You are probably wondering why I do not place a support with an arm in front for the cycle computer, which is common. The reason is because I usually place a handlebar bag and said support hinders or interferes with opening the zipper of the bag and, mainly, accessing to items placed on it.

I return to the topic of the importance of the size or distance of the stem over the flip chip, since they are two highly relevant points of contact for any bicycle; the power with the rider and the flip chip with the surface through the wheels. Obviously Giant engineers have spent years analyzing these factors and their reasons are for having made both adjustments to the 2022 Revolt. The first I share, the second I no longer, as I previously pointed out.

concluding

The Revolt 2022 has a profile with more marked lines and more elaborate than the previous generation, although the design is the same. The geometries change but by millimeters. It is an evolution and not a revolution in the frame, highlighting the flip chip mechanism plus the flatter rear chainstays and top tube.

If you already own an older-gen Revolt, it's not worth upgrading to a 2022 model. The changes you'll notice are minimal. My recommendation is to wait until the next generation, which is likely to come out in 2025, trusting Giant to apply a design revolution.

If you own another brand of gravel bike looking to switch or are about to buy your first gravel, then the Revolt is well worth making your shortlist for. There are two reasons: a) The design is very gravel, it is not as radical as the Merida Silex or as classic as DiamondBack Haanjo; b) Few match the value-price relationship that Giant offers, due to the economies of scale that it can achieve, that is, for the same price, Giant will give you the Revolt with Shimano GRX 600 transmission while other brands offer you their gravel with transmission Shimano GRX400, to cite an example.

In short, Giant will continue to fight in the gravel bike market with the Revolt in its carbon and aluminum frame version, although the big brands are increasingly facing closer competition from medium and small brands.

PS: If you want to see this Revolt Advanced 2022 in more detail, you can do it in the following video that I have recorded, which I will update soon.

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