PINNACLE ARKOSE D2
£1025 Gravel-hungry commuter
One thing surprisingly missing from the Arkose is the flared handlebar that can be found on other bikes in this test. What is present, however, are huge 45mm tan-walled WTB tyres, a black paint job set off by reflective graphics, and a test-highest spec, which is no great surprise being a third more expensive than the Boardman. At this end of the market that translates to two groupset tiers higher than the Marin. It ought to blow the rest of the bikes out of the water then, really.
Mudguard and rack mounts give the bike allround versatility credentials. The removable seatstay bridge (1) is a nice touch because it adds mud clearance. However, mudguards may be somewhat awkward to fit with the stock tyres, but dropping to 40mm or even 38mm tyres should maintain the bike’s capability while reducing the ‘commuter skunk’ stripe up the back. Inside the front triangle are more mountings than usual – a bottle-cage on the seat tube, plus three bolts (2) on the down tube to allow options of bottle placement or the addition of a direct-mount toolkit; there’s also a bonus cage mount beneath the down tube.
The ports in the head tube and seat tube are mentioned as being for dynamo lighting cables, but they could work for Di2 cable routing should electronic gears ever take your fancy. While I’m talking about gears, let’s go back to that groupset. Shifting and brake components are from Shimano’s Tiagra collection: 2 x 10 gearing and fully hydraulic disc brakes (3) give you top-level performance at a fraction of the price. For a shade over the magic £1000, you’re getting a lot of the same tech used on higher level groupsets, albeit with a little less refined execution.
Having an extra gear on your cassette over the Sora-equipped bikes doesn’t necessarily mean
wider range; it’s more likely to equate to smaller jumps between each gear, meaning it’s easier to find a gear you can pedal at a comfortable cadence. It also means the shifters and mechs have to be that little bit more precise in what they do, and Shimano trickle down the useful bits through the tiers in such a way that one of the things that makes Tiagra such good value is how smooth and fast the shifting is.
The hydraulic brakes are a no-nonsense affair, especially when paired with 160mm rotors. The stopping power is unrivalled in this test and delivered in a well-modulated, entirely manageable way. It never feels like you’re about to, but there’s a sense that you could stop more or less instantly if the need arose.
The price of the bike means third-party branded, proven performance components are present. WTB supplies the seat and rims while Novatech brings the hubs. These have bolt-thru axles, the only bike in this test with them. It’s a noticeable performance benefit, making both ends of the bike stiffer and more direct for improved handling.
On that note, the bolt-thru axles, hydraulic brakes and 45mm WTB Riddler tyres put this squarely in ‘mountain-bike-lite’ territory, and it handles accordingly. Take it down some of the trails in your local woods and it’s hilariously capable, leaving you grinning from ear to ear.
Back on the road and it’s a perfectly usable drop-bar bike. Yes, the tyres are a little draggy if you run them at low pressure, but 45mm tyres offer huge levels of comfort as well as grip. It’ll get you to work and back with minimal fuss. Having ridden the flared bars on the other three bikes in the test, returning to ‘normal’ drop bars took a little adjusting to. I found it’s just not as comfortable having your hands rotated further outward, particularly off road but noticeably on tarmac too.
The Arkose is quite simply a gravel bike. While it takes commuting in its stride, it’s much happier on back lanes, bouncing through potholes on the way to bridleways. It would jump at the chance to do some grassroots cyclocross too – although narrower tyres would have to be fitted!
A bike that’s happier on the back lanes, bouncing through potholes on the way to bridleways