You can fit up to 45mm wide tires with 700c and 47mm tires with 650b. That's a whole lot of tire with room for the elements.
There is no routing for a front derailleur but it is possible to fit SRAM's 2x AXS group on our bikes. That means you'll have to loose the bootle opener though - and the simplicity of a 1x drivetrain.
The forks on our bikes are tuned to rider weight depending on frame size. That means that the larger frames have stiffer forks than the smaller frames as larger riders are often heavier than smaller riders.
Heading out for an adventure? that's awesome! You should not load more than 800g on each side of the fork. More weight can heavily influence the handling of the bike and make it less stable.
We do not use proprietary parts on our bikes except for the rear derailleur hanger. It might be wise to stick an extra hanger with the order - just in case you'll have a little too much fun.
No, we do not have fender mounts on the True Grit. There are solutions out there for bikes that are made to be fender-free.
No, the True Grit does not have rack mounts. But, we love bike packing, something you should definitely try. We recommend checking out frame bags, top tube bags, saddle rolls and feed bags (for the handlebar) to get the adventure going.
The big difference is the fork. The Anywhere is made for mixed terrain with emphasis on tarmac, and therefore has a rigid fork. The True Grit is made for gravel and therefore has the legendary Lauf Grit SL suspension fork - which is like riding on a cloud!
The frame is the same so you can spice up the Anywhere with the Grit SL whenever you feel like it.
This is very up close and personal. Generally you should raise your stem to achieve a more relaxed fit, and maybe even shorten it a bit. For a more aggressive fit you should lower the stem, and maybe lengthen the stem. Please check out this video for a short explanation.
The True Grit is designed for 700c gravel tires, in proper width (up to 45mm) and with short chainstays (425mm). When fitted with gravel tires you have the optimal setup for gravel with proper pedal-to-ground clearance. Then when you swap to slimmer 700c tires, say 30mm, the bottom bracket "automatically" drops accordingly. Which is exactly what you'd want.
The reason to go this route is that a gravel 650b tire (approx 47mm wide) and a gravel 700c tire (approx 40mm wide) have very dissimilar diameters. If you optimise the height of your bike bottom bracket for one, the other suffers.
However, if you still crave for 650b, you can fit up to 47mm wide 650b tires.
The rear axle on the True Grit is 174mm long (for 142mm wide hub) with a diameter of 12mm and thread pitch of 1.75mm.
The front axle is 148mm long (for 100mm wide hub) with a diameter of 15mm and thread pitch of 1.5mm.
Sometimes you can. It depends on few things. The width of the rear hub on the True Grit is 142mm so your rear hub needs to be 142mm wide with 12mm wide thru-axle. In the front you need a 100mm wide hub (which you probably have) and 15mm wide thru-axle. You may be able to swop out end-caps on your front hub but you'll need to check the hub manufacturer for that.
The seat clamp diameter is 31.8 mm and the seat post diameter is 27.2 mm. Enjoy this handy information.
Almost. You can play with the position of the stem and flip it around in order to adjust your fit. Just remember to keep a 5mm spacer on top of your stem when you assemble. This is to protect the carbon in the steerer tube and prevent it from cracking when tightening the stem. And please remember. Do not tighten the bolts over 5Nm.
Yes and no. There is no routing for cables to the front derailleur but you can fit a 1x Di2 setup. We do not have instructions for this readily available at the moment.
The stiffness is tuned to frame size. Meaning that X-Small and Small frames have 15% softer forks than Medium and Large frames. X-Large frames have a 15% stiffer fork than Medium and Large frames.
We're using the XR1501, which the XRC1501 is now replacing in DT Swiss's aftermarket lineup. However, the updates didn't really fit our requirements, so we're sticking with the XR. The new XRC1501 is substantially wider than the XR1501, at 30mm internal vs 22.5mm. 30mm is much more than what you need on a gravel bike, which adds unwanted weight. So essentially the weight benefit of the XRC's going carbon instead of the XR's aluminum rim is offset by the unnecessary width. So you end up with a rim that weighs pretty much the same, but costs way more.
The XRC is probably a nicer XC wheel, but for gravel the XR is awesome.
You can fit up to 45mm wide tires with 700c and 47mm tires with 650b. That's a whole lot of tire with room for the elements.
There is no routing for a front derailleur but it is possible to fit SRAM's 2x AXS group on our bikes. That means you'll have to loose the bootle opener though - and the simplicity of a 1x drivetrain.
Heading out for an adventure? that's awesome! You should not load more than 1000g on each side of the fork. More weight can heavily influence the handling of the bike and make it less stable.
We do not use proprietary parts on our bikes except for the rear derailleur hanger. It might be wise to stick an extra hanger with the order - just in case you'll have a little too much fun.
No, we do not have fender mounts on the True Grit. There are solutions out there for bikes that are made to be fender-free.
No, the True Grit does not have rack mounts. But, we love bike packing, something you should definitely try. We recommend checking out frame bags, top tube bags, saddle rolls and feed bags (for the handlebar) to get the adventure going.
The big difference is the fork. The Anywhere is made for mixed terrain with emphasis on tarmac, and therefore has a rigid fork. The True Grit is made for gravel and therefore has the legendary Lauf Grit SL suspension fork - which is like riding on a cloud!
The frame is the same so you can spice up the Anywhere with the Grit SL whenever you feel like it.
Almost. You can play with the position of the stem and flip it around in order to adjust your fit. Just remember to keep a 5mm spacer on top of your stem when you assemble. This is to protect the carbon in the steerer tube and prevent it from cracking when tightening the stem. And please remember. Do not tighten the bolts over 5Nm.
The seat clamp diameter is 31.8 mm and the seat post diameter is 27.2 mm. Enjoy this handy information.
Sometimes you can. It depends on few things. The width of the rear hub on the True Grit is 142mm so your rear hub needs to be 142mm wide with 12mm wide thru-axle. In the front you need a 100mm wide hub (which you probably have) and 15mm wide thru-axle. You may be able to swop out end-caps on your front hub but you'll need to check the hub manufacturer for that.
Sometimes you can. It depends on few things. The width of the rear hub on the True Grit is 142mm so your rear hub needs to be 142mm wide with 12mm wide thru-axle. In the front you need a 100mm wide hub (which you probably have) and 15mm wide thru-axle. You may be able to swop out end-caps on your front hub but you'll need to check the hub manufacturer for that.
The True Grit is designed for 700c gravel tires, in proper width (up to 45mm) and with short chainstays (425mm). When fitted with gravel tires you have the optimal setup for gravel with proper pedal-to-ground clearance. Then when you swap to slimmer 700c tires, say 30mm, the bottom bracket "automatically" drops accordingly. Which is exactly what you'd want.
The reason to go this route is that a gravel 650b tire (approx 47mm wide) and a gravel 700c tire (approx 40mm wide) have very dissimilar diameters. If you optimise the height of your bike bottom bracket for one, the other suffers.
However, if you still crave for 650b, you can fit up to 47mm wide 650b tires.
This is very up close and personal. Generally you should raise your stem to achieve a more relaxed fit, and maybe even shorten it a bit. For a more aggressive fit you should lower the stem, and maybe lengthen the stem. Please check out this video for a short explanation.
A Lauf fork is aimed at a specific purpose; to absorb small bumps faster and smoother than any conventional suspension fork, while being almost as light as a rigid fork and completely maintenance-free. The stiction and slow response of conventional suspension forks make them unable to keep up with high-speed input as brilliantly as the Lauf. These traits of the fork make it a perfect match for gravel riding and less technical (classic) XC.
No, you don’t. Now pay attention. On a conventional XC suspension fork you definitely need lockout. You need it because there is a substantial energy loss in the suspension movement (i.e. friction and damping mechanism), therefore you want to block all suspension when you don’t desperately need it. Hence, high end conventional XC suspension forks should be lockable. This however puts you in the position of constantly evaluating if you should prefer suspension or energy efficiency. In many cases you end up carrying a hugely overweight “rigid fork” over the majority of a race. This is particularly true for most XC-Marathon races. A Lauf fork on the other hand doesn’t have friction or a damping mechanism. Making it energy efficient by the nature of its design, so it shouldn’t be lockable. This way it can filter out all those small bumps you frequently encounter, without wasting your energy! To keep the suspension from feeling bouncy we set the spring rate of Lauf forks fairly high (hence only 60mm of travel are needed) so in most cases you won’t even notice that it’s moving at all. You’ll just notice how the road smoothens.
In most cases the fork will fit your bike if it's new-ish. There are a few key parameters that need to be checked to quickly assess if the fork fits - you may need to confirm the fit with your bike manufacturer.
- Headtube needs to be tapered - 1 1/8" to 1 1/2" (1 1/4" on the Grit). If you have an oversized (44mm/1 ⅛) headtube you can use a cup.
- Front hub needs to take 12mm or 15mm thru-axle. Depending on the fork you want.
- Do you have post-mount or flat-mount brakes? All the forks take post-mount (some with adapter) but Grit and Grit SL are made for flat-mount brakes.
- The bearings to go with the fork need to have a 45° angle, top and bottom.
- Rotors should be 160mm on the Grit, Grit SL and JAF forks and no less than 180mm on the TR Boost and Carbonara.
- All hubs are 100mm wide, except on the TR Boost which is 110mm.
The Lauf forks come with rubber bump stops on its fork legs specifically made to take the out-of-the-ordinary-hits. The forks have a fairly high spring rate so it will take a quite big hit to get there though.
We highly recommend giving your fork a hot bath from time to time and gently get rid of all grime. It's so much more fun heading out on a clean fork - plus we've heard that clean bikes are fast bikes and clean forks are happy forks.
Yes and no. We don't offer custom painting from us, but it's no problem to have custom paint a fork you've purchased. However, to maintain warranty, you can't have the fork painted with paint that needs heat treatment and it's highly recommended to add UV protection (clear coat) in order to protect the carbon from the sun.
The springs should not be painted as the paint will crack.
The difference is small but huge. The biggest change you'll see is the appearance. The Grit SL looks more straight.
Other stuff the Grit SL sports:
- 50g lighter.
- Laterally stiffer.
- Stiffer fore/aft.
- Has an integrated crownrace.
Yes you can. Just make sure you purchase an axle with the correct measurements.
Grit / Grit SL: Full length 148mm (for hub width 100mm) with 12mm or 15mm diameter axle depending on the model you have. Thread pitch 1.5mm
JAF: Full length 126mm (for hub width 100mm) with 12mm or 15mm diameter axle depending on the model you have. Thread pitch 1.5mm
TR Boost: Full length 158mm (for hub width 110mm) with 15mm diameter axle. Thread pitch 1.5mm.
Carbonara: Full length 198mm (for hub width 150mm) with 15mm diameter axle. Thread pitch 1.5mm.
Almost. You can play with the position of the stem and flip it around in order to adjust your fit. Just remember to keep a 5mm spacer on top of your stem when you assemble. This is to protect the carbon in the steerer tube and prevent it from cracking when tightening the stem. And please remember. Do not tighten the bolts over 5Nm.
If you have Grit or TR Boost you received a crownrace with the fork. If you want to swop it out that's no problem. Just make sure you have a crownrace for 1 1/2" lower on the TR Boost and 1 1/4" on the Grit.
The Grit SL, Carbonara and JAF forks all have a integrated crownrace with 45° flange.
There isn't much to assemble. You'll only have to fasten the handlebar, seatpost and front wheel. So your first ride is only minutes away - yeah!
Yes you can, but, remember, there is no shame in taking the bike to a dealer for professional assembly. Under Support you'll find videos that help you in the process.
You bet - with a dash of freedom!
It's good to keep the fork clean and sparkly. Give it a proper bath from time to time - it just looooves it. A good rule of thumb is to inspect the fork from time to time, especially after a crash. Remember to also keep the front axle lubed and juicy and check if the headset bearings are in good shape or in need of a little lube.
Dust and grime can get into bearings and of course makes it self at home on all exterior parts. Therefore it's important to keep the bike clean and well lubricated. We don't want any squeaky parts, now do we! Although it's important to keep the drivetrain properly lubed, it's easy to overdo it. More lube calls for more dust and grime. So lube more often and perhaps dry of excess lube with a lint free cloth.
If you happen to need service like truing the wheels, adjusting the rear derailleur etc, you can always pop into the next bike shop to have that fixed - or have the bike sent to our service center in Topeka, Kansas. To contact us - check this out.
Lauf Cycling USA
403 Beaubein Street
Silver Lake, Kansas 66539
Never, ever. The only thing we advice you to do is to show it some love. Get out and ride together - and don't forget bathing time.
Usually it takes 6-8 working days for your new Lauf to arrive. Sometimes it can take a little longer but we'll contact you in case of delays.
We do not have an express delivery option at the moment. It will be here before you know it.
We have an agreement with the Icelandic Santa Clauses. There is thirteen of them, but be aware. Sometimes they take a little souvenir back with them.
First, is your bike ok? Are you ok? If not, dial 911. When you've taken care of the basics, we'll take good care of you. Pleas fill out this form for us.
Sometimes things slip through our careful quality checking. In these rare cases, we of course send you a new product. Could we kindly ask you to fill out the Faulty product form out to get the process started?
We're so sorry! This is pure bad luck. We'll of course take care of our mistake and get you the correct product. Please fill out the Wrong Product form to get things going.
The basic warranty is 5 years on Lauf parts. You can easily extend that to lifetime production warranty by filling out this form.
Sometimes things slip through our careful quality checking. In these rare cases, we of course send you a new product. Could we kindly ask you to fill this out to get the process started?
It's pretty easy to return a bike. Best if you have the original packaging as it will be super easy to pack it back in. Just watch this video, get in touch with us here and say farewell to the dream machine.
That's a bummer! We strive to deliver zero wrong products. But in this case it's best if you can contact us here and we'll get you sorted. Thanks.