Andy Clark has been riding a blue Time ADHX for almost a year now, and as he says "it’s flat-out unbelievable as both a fast gravel and a road bike. But if you try to run tires much bigger than 38, you’re going to be disappointed - which has been an echoing refrain since it launched."
Well, as you probably know by now Time heard our cries and has answered them - with the all new ADHX 45. I built mine about a week ago, and I’ve got two solid gravel rides under my belt so this video is going to be a quick overview along with my first impressions of the bike. I’ve also put together another video that can help you choose the right Time for your needs and you’ll see a longer, more in-depth review in a few months once I have more time with the 45.
The ADHX 45 uses all the same patented Time technology as its older brothers, like Dyneema to add strength and stiffness at the lug joints and and resin transfer molding to ensure a perfect finished product. So all of the hallmarks of a fine, handbuilt frame are still here - Time didn’t take any shortcuts or rush this bike to market. And in order to accommodate the much needed wider tire clearance they made three key adjustments to the geometry: they added 15mm to the wheelbase, which included a 10mm chainstay increase and an extra 3mm fork offset over the standard ADHX.
You can also see the same top tube mounting bolts, super clean front derailleur cover, kevlar reinforced steerer tube and forged carbon dropouts. And let’s not gloss over those last two features like they’re just standard stuff - a strong steerer tube and dropouts that have 20 times the fatigue life of steel are welcome additions to any off road bike.
Oh, and did I mention the PAINT. Holy cow…let’s just take a moment here, and admire the absolute mastery behind the orange to red sparkle fade on my frame. Wow. how does all this come together? Is is REALLY that different from the ADHX? Theeee answer is honestly no - but that NO is a REALLY GOOD NO because the ADHX is a REALLY GOOD BIKE. And you really don’t want the 45 to be that different. So you get the same road-bike-esque acceleration and responsiveness, but it’s coupled with the ability to run larger tires and even though it’s only ‘about’ 7mm more tire clearance - the difference is huge when you’re navigating TRUE gravel, not the champaign gravel we have here in SoCal - and the longer wheelbase and chainstays also improve stability and handling, especially when descending and cornering.
