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I might be in the minority, but to me just because one bike is faster that the other that doesn’t automatically mean it’s more fun.
True but I want my slicked up gravel bike to allow me to keep up on group road rides.
I'm a bit old fashioned, but for me, my trusty old Crosslight 5TDisc with knobblies on the standard wheelset and a set of cheapish Shimano factory wheels with a set of 4 seasons on covers all my drop bar needs from long road epics to multi day bimbling and everything in between.
On that basis, I'd be surprised if you couldn't find one bike of the current crop that would satisfy road and gravel unless you're very much more serious about Road than I am!
First time I have seen that Ribble. Its actually rather nice and good to see a proper gravel option with double chainset at least as an option. I think that's now added to my maybe list.
With spare wheels do you also change the cassette or buy 2 cassettes?
I swap the cassette. Seriously, how long do folk think this takes?
I'd be a bit concerned about 1x for faster group road rides if you do them but if not I'd go for it.
I run 2 sets of wheels (32c road and 38c CX tyres) on mine and it's great. Takes no time to change and makes for a very versatile setup.
With spare wheels do you also change the cassette or buy 2 cassettes?
If you buy 2 casettes then they wear differently and that messes the chain up for the drive train.
been running 2 wheelsets for a few years now - I much prefer riding gravel but sometimes ride with people that don't or enter some road challenge event
as said doesn't take long to swop a cassette (usually) never had a problem with two cassettes but do use a chain checker on a regular basis in the belief it reduces possible problems with unbalanced cassette wear
not run 1x but do have 1x10 on my gym/shopping bike and not sure if could ride all day with 1x
not so sure on Ali' frames - used to feel like been beaten up my pro6 - though partly geometry - carbon bish bash bosh floats along
I think I would struggle with 1x , so 2x is a requirement for me....as is a threaded bottom bracket...although I do ,fairly regularly ,lust after the Orbea Terra...
True but I want my slicked up gravel bike to allow me to keep up on group road rides.
It would, but as I meantioned above the very nature of a gravel bike means its not designed for the same speed-finding abilities as some dedicated road bikes. You might need a little more effort than your colleague on an Scott Foil for example. Then again, you may be fitter and stronger and may not.
Go for it. Unless you're racing or riding in fast club rides where you really need every help you can get to keep up, or you want to ride steep, rocky mtb trails quickly.
I've got 2 "do everything" road/gravel bikes. A Singular Peregrine, 1x10, disc brakes, 2 sets of wheels, clearance for 2" knobblies. Commuted for years on it, long road rides (some quickish, most not), bike packing, cx racing, ridden it like a mountain bike on trails you wouldn't call gravel. Does the lot marvelously. Not whippety light, though: 2kg frame and 1kg forks. the rest can be as light as your pockets allow.
Other one is a bike that was supposed to be a bit more "disposable" for leaving locked up at the station. 1987 Raleigh Randonneur that I was given the F&F free, rest was cheap, ebay, parts bin. rim brakes, 33c tyres, 1x8 (125 spacing, so 8 sprockets of a 9 speed block) Amazing on road, unbelievably smooth. perfect for very long rides, but that's what it was built for. done plenty of off road riding on it, trying to find the limits of the 33c slicks, which are surprisingly far high! Flip side of the magic carpet ride on road, is that the forks aren't that confidence inspiring if you're trying to ride hard off road - it definitely feels like there's a speed limit if it's rough.
I tried a 3T Exploro last summer. Gert lush. I liked it a dangerous amount for a bike that's waaaay more than I'd want to spend. That'd do lovely for a 1 bike for all. Happily it's very ugly indeed. The Open UP and Upper, though...
I tried a 3T Exploro last summer. Gert lush. I liked it a dangerous amount for a bike that’s waaaay more than I’d want to spend. That’d do lovely for a 1 bike for all. Happily it’s very ugly indeed. The Open UP and Upper, though…
Theres some demo ones on the distributers site for sale and a a frameset and wheels.
But if its one bike you want its very very good apart from some foibles/features.
I had my Genesis CDF set up with 43mm Gravelking SKs for a while, and 30mm WTB Exposures after that. The latter were perfect onroad but uncomfortable on anything mildly rough offroad, the former were brilliant offroad but noticeably slower on. Nothing surprising...
I'm now running 38mm Gravelking slicks and they are a perfect compromise. They're ridiculously light for their size so fly on the road, but I tend to be careful offroad on rockier stuff and the 43mm SKs were noticeably better still there. And they don't grip mud of course
Point being I reckon it's definitely worth swapping wheels if you can be bothered to, but I reckon one bike is definitely enough.
See to me Rocketdog thats a drop barred mtb. Dont get me wrong it looks like shit load of fun but its not a road/offroad bike. Its too focussed to me a gravel bike is a bike of compromise that can do all sorts…obviously opinions differ though.
I don't disagree, but when I put the other wheels in with 42mm resolutes on it becomes a much better handling "gravel" bike on the singletrack stuff I ride than my checkpoint is.
to the OP. Cotic's escapade seems a good all rounder with the benefit of a bit of steel compliance built in.
I have separate wheels with separate cassettes. I don’t bother swapping cassette or tyre so wheel changes are trivial. Of course I have a few other wheelsets, but as AA says, keeping up with a modest club ride is ok, but a medium fast 20 mph average will be spinny!
Theres some demo ones on the distributers site for sale and a a frameset and wheels.
3T or Open?
Do those with gravel bikes and slick tyres find it much slower than a dedicated road bike?
A lot depends on the tyre. They're slower for sure, but with a good quality tyre they're not as much slower as people would think. For 90% of people that are not actually racing they're perfectly fine and the big tyres have a few other advantages.
Do those with gravel bikes and slick tyres find it much slower than a dedicated road bike?
Not at all.
I've got a Mason Bokeh that I run with either 28mm slick tyres, 42mm knobblies or 47mm 650b's. I was on a club ride on Saturday and the 650b's were on the bike, didn't have any problems keeping up with everyone when the speed picked up. Possibly a bit more effort than it would be on the 28's but that's about it. I've never had problems keeping up that are due to the bike, only due to the rider.
Do you run a double on that Bokeh notmyrealname? Agree with you and others about the wheels not being a big deal for normal sort of club runs, but a single would do my head in for that type of riding. High cadences are an effort for me, though - I know some folk can sit at 100rpm all day and kick it up from there.
I run Gravel King SK 38mm and 34/50 chainset, 11-36t cassette.
I find it fine for everything and just adjust tyre pressure.
I'm not a fan of two wheel sets. I've got 2 young children, just want to pick a bike up and get out the house ASAP when i get chance for a ride!
Do those with gravel bikes and slick tyres find it much slower than a dedicated road bike?
A bit more effort, not as aero. OK for shorter rides but it all adds up on longer days.
^^^This.
Especially on your own. You'll notice a significant drop in max speed as a result of the aero drag if running larger tyres and a larger frame. They also tend to be heavier bikes as they're CEN tested to to MTB standards, not road bike standards, so coupled with heavier tyres - it can fatigue you a little more.
Seems to tank along nicely on 28 Pirelli's. Then again I don't race and not a Strava W****r*.
The "fatigue" factor is an interesting conundrum. An all-out road bike will be less tiring to propel with its lighter weight and arse-up, head-down position but, at some point, a more relaxed riding position and bigger tyres will give increased comfort, allowing you to go further/faster. The cut-off point will vary bike, route, surface and rider.
The forks on the Rondo are genius
Was out with a couple of mates on a road ride on Saturday. Was on gravel bike with 35mm Gravelking SKs - definitely harder work than the road bike and ended up sitting in a lot more than usual. Was much more comfortable on the crap roads though and the disc brakes much better than rim brakes.
I do have some spare wheels which I'm going to "slick up" and will see what the difference is.
Do those with gravel bikes and slick tyres find it much slower than a dedicated road bike?
No idea, as I don't have a dedicated road bike.
My Pickenflick with 28 slicks would average 25-28ish kmh on a purely tarmac ride of 2-4 hours around these parts. The same bike with 42 Continental knobbly tyres around 23-25ish kmh for the same kind of ride. Bit more weight, bit more aero drag, bit more rolling resistance. Adds up to a bit overall.
But the number of times I choose to do a purely road ride per year I can count on the fingers of one hand, so it's not really an issue for me and the kind of riding I do, which is much more mixed surface.
I wouldn't buy a pure road bike now as the difference, for the riding I do, isn't significant enough. However, I still have a carbon Cube and it's definitely quicker on the few occasions I dig it out.
This has been in interesting thread actually (for me at least).
I the space of 48 hours I talked myself into and then out of the "One Bike to rule them all" concept..
I rode the Gravel bike in to work this morning along a mixed on/offroad route and yep it's versatility is a real benefit and while it's fine on the road it's not a bike I'd really want to plod along on roads for hours on end, its relatively draggy compared to the road bike and you're always looking for a cheeky track or something to take it off and get muddy...
I don't think Aero is a big factor between the two (for me at least) but semi-slick/fatter tyre drag on tarmac might be, Hence I was mulling over a 2 wheelset bike... But a "Proper" road bike on the road is just a wee bit "better" in my opinion it's that shade lighter, more efficieint (for the surface) and generally being able to eek out a couple of extra mph for abou the same effort makes road rides solo or in groups a bit more enjoyable...
Plus who am I kidding, I'm not going to change the wheels every other ride am I?
Grab and go is always going to be the prefered option...
One thing that I'm still interested in though is the idea of a 1x road drivetrain (I started a thread on that a couple of weeks ago) I'm a spinner not a bulging thighed, Watt mountain. So I might just cobble such a monstrosity together to try the idea this spring before deciding about investing in a new 2x11 setup...
I love 1x, never getting a 2x bike again. With a proper setup you don't miss anything. running 40t chainring and 42 cassette for CX duties, has plenty of gusto for the flat / road, and a better than 1:1 ratio for the ups. Not found anything I can't climb on the South Downs yet...
I'm firmly in the camp of don't buy a road bike though. Don't know why anyone would restrict themselves to just a tarmac network just to go 1mph quicker.
With a tyre like the WTB Byway or the GravelKing SK, we really do live in a do it all world.
nedrapier
...Other one is a bike that was supposed to be a bit more “disposable” for leaving locked up at the station. 1987 Raleigh Randonneur that I was given......Flip side of the magic carpet ride on road, is that the forks aren’t that confidence inspiring if you’re trying to ride hard off road – it definitely feels like there’s a speed limit if it’s rough...
On the classic lightweights you'll often find a plug of wood (usually ash) up the bottom of the steerer tube. We used to do it to get that few seconds of grace if the steerer fractured. You may find it improves the feel of the fork.
A bike that didn't need that done was the Rudges because the lower part of their steerers was reinforced - which is why I posted the pic of the Pathfinder - it was a proper gravel bike in its day. You'll also find the same fork on some later Triumphs, but their frames were not built with 531, so not in the same league.
With a tyre like the WTB Byway or the GravelKing SK, we really do live in a do it all world.
resolutes are better though
Do those with gravel bikes and slick tyres find it much slower than a dedicated road bike?
My Diverge with 32mmm slicks is slower than my defy with 28mm slicks. I think the main difference is position though Diverge is shorter so I'm more upright. Weights are similar, climbing is about the same, decending the diverge is quicker but on fast flat sections I finder it harder to keep up on group rides on the Diverge.
On the classic lightweights you’ll often find a plug of wood (usually ash) up the bottom of the steerer tube. We used to do it to get that few seconds of grace if the steerer fractured. You may find it improves the feel of the fork.
I think you've mentioned this to me before. I'll keep my eye open for an ash broomstick!
3T or Open?
£T