Handy geometry calculator really helps buying! (Also Marin Gestalt X10)

Bike reviews can be a bit hard to process: they're so subjective.  I'm slowly learning more about bike geometry, though, and trying to compare across brands to see what I want.   This is particularly important when trying to find lower-cost bikes that have the geometry you want.

https://geometrygeeks.bike/ is the place.   I just love it! 

Here's a same search:
https://geometrygeeks.bike/compare/bmc-urs-2020-l,bmc-urs-2020-xl,devinci-hatchet-2020-l-57cm,devinci-hatchet-2020-xl-60cm,rocky-mountain-solo-50-2019-l-700c,rocky-mountain-solo-50-2019-l-650b,rocky-mountain-solo-50-2019-xl-650b,rocky-mountain-solo-50-2019-xl-700c,cannondale-topstone-105-2020-lg,cannondale-topstone-105-2020-xl,framed-gavier-2019-56,framed-gavier-2019-580/

It's not perfect--there are missing data points, etc.  But it does allow for cross comparisons.   E.g. I read a very favorable review of the BMC URS--which has the MTB-esque handling I want, but not the price.  I can then look for other bikes with long reach, a slack head tube angle of 70 degrees, a long wheelbase, etc.

This leads me to see--again--the Devinci Hatchet (especially the updated 2020 carbon versions, which have more MTB-ish geometry than their alloy peers) as a more affordable option.  The Rocky Mountain Solo is okay, but a bit less desirable here.  The Topstone not so good.  The Framed Gravier is really not good at all, in these geometric terms.  Indeed, its sister bike, the Framed Basswood, has somewhat better numbers.  The Space Chicken's out too.  Or consider the Merida Silex, with its long reach slack head tube and super-long wheelbase: it's a tall bike with a high high tube and seat tube.  So it seems not as well-designed for singletrack.  Or the Jamis Renegade: nice, but the geometry doesn't quite compare to the more MTB-y adventure bikes. On the other hand, the Lauf True Grit measures up well.

One unexpected contender (at a good price, no less) comes from Marin.  "The Marin Gestalt X10 is a mountain biker’s gravel bike. It’s fun and flickable, aware that a bit of instability can be enjoyable, and designed for a rider whose range of terrain is almost wide enough to necessitate flat bars and suspension.  That makes it something of a love-it or hate-it bike. It’s not traditional. It’s not for everyone. But if it’s for you, it’s an impressively affordable way to put a smile on your face."  At $1100 USD, the best price for this bike (and $1800 USD for its carbon, dropper-post, hydraulic braked, better-wheeled upscale sister, the x11) is from The Bike Connection in San Francisco (or Palo Alto), California. My one big concern with these Marins is their super-low bottom brackets (i.e. BB Drop).  According to geometrygeeks.bike, the Marins are a full 10 cms lower than every other bike I looked at!  My serious fear with these bikes, then, is pedal strikes.  I had real issues with pedal strikes with the 2016 Cannondale Slate (at 65mm bb drop).  All of the bikes I've looked at are 70mm!  And the Marins are 80!  One solution is to use shorter crankarms, and the other solution is large volume tires. And a final adjustment would be tiny pedals.  But I think this Marin just screams "pedal strike!"