If I’m totally honest, there have been a few times when I wished that I’d opted for a more expensive carbon frame for the gravel bike. Almost all of those times have involved a scale. Not that I’m dissatisfied with the weight, it’s actually great all things considered. As a bit of weight weenie the lack of potential still pains me a little. But, every time I crash the bike (riding in snow storms is hazardous :)), and when I find things like the mark in the photo above it really reinforces that going for a cost-effective aluminum frame was the right decision.

It’s not super obvious in the photo, but that “mark” is actually a groove, cut all the way through the paint and a little bit into the frame. I made by riding in the mud. So much crud got caked onto the NDS crank arm that it made contact with the frame, and eventually cut into the chain stay.

Now, I’m not confident I would be concerned about the integrity of the frame if it was carbon, but it would certainly give me more pause, both from a structural and damnit-I-ruined-something-expensive perspective, than on the Revolt’s aluminum frame, where I have no concerns. Now that I know it can happen, I’ll just have to be more aware of what’s building up, and where it’s rubbing.