Help me choose my first road (or maybe gravel) bike. I know nowt!

Same age as you and bought a (cheap) gravel bike a few years ago.

Enjoyed it, so after a couple of years I bought a nicer one – Planet X Free Ranger.

Both the above were mainly used for off-road with the odd bit of tarmac in-between – I live in the Scottish Borders, so plenty around.

This year I bought some slicks and put them on a spare set of wheels – lots & lots of battered tarmac here.

Enjoyed it so much I ended up entering and doing a 200k, then 300k Audax while in-between I took it bikepacking across the Highlands (200 miles mainly offroad) and then last month across Southern Scotland (200 miles on tarmac).

I ran 50mm gravel tyres for the first couple of years, now on 42mm gravel and 34mm slicks using two wheelsets, both tubeless.

Now I’m looking to get a Cotic Cascade for the bikepacking, and keep the Free Ranger for tarmac and (fast/local) gravel.

It’s very comfy and I can ride it all day, but it’s still fun just to go out for an hour or two – on either wheelset.

^^Thanks, that’s useful info and inspiring stuff for another sexagenarian! I’m leaning towards a gravel bike with 2 sets of wheels.

Maybe this is the answer

I actually had one of them, briefly. I thought it was exactly what I wanted but when it arrived I rayised that it is *this* close to just being a rigid mountain bike, which is not what I wanted. I sent it back and got the Giant Fastroad.

I got a Camino a couple of years ago & love it.
It’s a bit slower than my road bike, but not by a great margin & it is way more comfortable to ride. The roads near me are in a terrible state (as they are in most of the country) and I have a lot more confidence riding it, than my road bike where I find myself constantly looking for potholes to avoid.

It has those large flared Bomber handlebars that come as standard on the Camino. I like them; a lot of people don’t.

@blokeuptheroad two wheel sets is what I did with the secan. 2.2 inch tyres on 650b and 32mm on 700c.

Same hubs, cassette and discs so swapping is dead easy.

Very very pleased with both sets.

I’ve got gravel and road bikes. Gravel bike is not as fun to ride on road. Get a road bike!

The Wiltshire roads around me are also shocking, but you quickly get used to avoiding the worst potholes.

My road bike runs 32mm though, which is a big differnce to the old days of 23/25mm. When you do hit a bump/hole on 32mm, there’s a lot more air to cushion it.

Get a bike fit before you buy, this will give you an idea to what size bike and component sizes you need.

I have a crux on 42mm pathfinders, for big winter miles, have a set of 35mm winter slicks (its not as comfy, but a lot less drag)

I went for a slightly larger size (I could ride 56 or a 58), went 58 for less toe overlap.

^^Thanks, that’s useful info and inspiring stuff for another sexagenarian! I’m leaning towards a gravel bike with 2 sets of wheels.

Forgot to say, both wheelsets have their own rotors and cassette – makes swapping a 2-min (cleanish) job.

Drops are faster, especially when actually using the drop part of the bar.

The drop part will make you more aero, sure, but aero advantages only really kick in at 20mph-ish, which is not something most people maintain for that long (if at all).

They are more comfortable over longer distances because hands/wrists are at a more natural angle and can change positions.

Last month we did a bike tour, ten days straight of 4/5 hours a day at ‘normal riding along’ pace, on flat-barred bikes (Giant Rove if I remember right, they were hired). They were perfectly comfortable And it’s not like your hands are glued in place on a flat bar, you can still move them around.

A comfortable position is a comfortable position, regardless of the shape of the bars (and there are enough “here’s how you stop neck/wrist/shoulder/hand pain on your road bike” videos on YouTube to suggest that a significant number of people are not finding their drops comfortable).

I prefer a flat bar for general riding around. Others prefer a drop bar. That’s lovely, but it is just that, a preference. The ‘absolutes’ that are often quoted about drops or flats are just not the case.

I prefer a flat bar for general riding around. Others prefer a drop bar. That’s lovely, but it is just that, a preference. The ‘absolutes’ that are often quoted about drops or flats are just not the case.

I also prefer a flat bar for just riding around and find it a bit more fun on gravel/single track but I still think the ‘absolutes’ are the case.  We all have different experiences/preferences but drops bars are definitely faster on same bike on same routes I have ridden literally 100’s of times and same goes for comfort for me as not just about hand position changes but upper body position changes between centre, hoods and drops.

Up to the OP to see what they find as a preference I guess.

1. Getting a winter cycling fix and to maintain fitness when the trails are too sloppy, or I CBA endlessly washing mud off me and the bike.

2. Summer pootling on the country lanes, exploring local villages, coffee stops etc.

3. Possible bike packing. Both my kids are getting into it and I’d like to maybe join them.

RE point 3 as soon as you load a bike up you’ll feel the benefit of bigger tyres, 700 x 32mm ‘all road’ Vs 650B x 47 or 50mm are worlds apart there even on averagely surfaced lanes never mind ‘gravel’. 700 x 45 to 50mm is also good but can feel a bit unwieldy (or at least less agile/inspiring etc) on tarmac as a pure road bike, due to wheel size, weight and the geometry needed to fit it all in. So 2 sets of wheels on the right gravel bike is a good way to go.

Another thing to consider on handle bars, is where you are going to ride. A lot of the canals I ride have little narrow gates where the drops can ride through but the wider flat bars I have to stop and manhandle the bike through. It’s a small consideration but makes local rides more enjoyable when you don’t have to stop as often

but aero advantages only really kick in at 20mph-ish,

It’s an exponential increase as soon as you start moving. At 14-15mph there’s a difference in drag between drops and up on the hoods (or flats), or in a headwind the airspeed over you may be 25mph when you’re only moving at 8-10mph. I’m not into aero kit at all but aero drag and gravity are the things we’re all up against.

FWIW I can’t ride long on a road bike with standard flat bars. They’re fine for a city bike but not long road rides, it’s the wrong position for my wrists and arms. Alt swept bars are ok. Drops on the road make most sense to me. Many people swapping out drops for flats are doing it because their body position or C of G over the BB is not right making the drops position uncomfortable, rather than the bars being the root cause. Yes swapping the bars moves your body position back but you can also adjust your C of G to make the drops work fine, and from there you have more grip positions if you want them.

I prefer a flat bar for general riding around.

Yeah, I think we all get that you don’t like drop bars, but you may want to post a bit more about it so that we get the message. 😀

The drop part will make you more aero, sure, but aero advantages only really kick in at 20mph-ish, which is not something most people maintain for that long (if at all).

Seriously? Never adjusted your riding position because of wind? Maybe it’s a bit more obvious around here because we’re on the coast, exposed to south-westerlies, but we get a lot of wind.

Note that gravel bikes are trending towards wider and wider tyre clearanaces as the years go by, and that ‘endurance’ road bikes are going the same way, hence now being dubbed ‘all-road’ bikes as they gain tyre clearance that 5-6 years ago would have been in gravel territory. 35mm is probably as wide as you need to go on road so if you can find a bike with clearance for 35’s + mudguards if you are planning to ride in winter a lot.

Personally a big fan of drops vs flats for comfort. Would go for something with nice high stack height.

Seriously? Never adjusted your riding position because of wind? Maybe it’s a bit more obvious around here because we’re on the coast, exposed to south-westerlies, but we get a lot of wind.

Of course, I move my hands to the middle of the bars and tuck in a bit, like I do when I ride drops (I mean, I live on the top of a hill on the edge of the Peak, so I’m familiar with wind…).

Not a priority in this case perhaps but having wider, riser bars on my commuter bike really helped when someone drove into me. The bars dented their front wing, where as, if I’d been on drops the car would have hit me.

Mentioned in another post, there are some half price deals on Salsa bikes at Lyon at the moment, including their Warbird gravel bike. 700c or 650b, carbon, with multiple mounting points for racks, £1700.

Another vote for the Free Ranger here, or any of it’s twins. It’s based on a Airwolf/Carbonda 696 frameset from china and has had  around a dozen incarnations from On One, Ribble, Orro, Bombtrack and others. Mine is a Ribble picked up in the CRC selloff last year. I also have a Salsa Fargo steel touring gravel/mtb which I’ve hardly touched since getting the Ribble. Lighter is better for gravel/road imo.

Basic Aluminium framed Gravel bike with a 2x chainset is a good tool for introducing yourself to curly barred bikes in general I reckon, Reasoning:

a) – It’s far easier to make a Gravel bike ‘Roadyish’ with a change of tyres (and/or wheels) than it is to make a Road bike ‘Gravelish’.

b) 2x simply because the closer steps between those shorter range cassette sprockets suit the Road better and spares can be had to suit road and gravel riding for a bit less, plus Gravel type 2x (typically 46/30) is a wee bit more tolerable for winter road rides, touring and whatnot that a 50/34 Road compact.

c) Al’ frame because that’s a bit of a sweet spot for price/weight and you’ll cry less if you do go off-road drop it and and dent it on a rock (Vs Carbon) You can always decide to throw more money at it if later fad sticks…

All of the above is IMO/IME of course, I’m sure others will tell you to buy a Carbon/Ti 1x bling machine (which would probably be fine too TBF)…

If you go gravel, I’ve got boardman adv 8.9 which I’d recommend.

Drop bars but relatively comfortable. It’s light enough for road riding and with the standard tyres good enough for gravel, farm tracks etc.

For your budget you could get a nice second hand Mason Bokeh – I have one that I have two sets of wheels for too swap between winter roads and gravel.

Nice bike with comfortable geometry (for me).

OP update. After much research, indecision and dithering, I have just ordered a Sonder Camino Ti GRX2. I looked at lots of the other suggestions above, and came close to buying some of them but kept coming back to the Camino. Dunno if it’s the right decision, but I’m looking forward to finding out 🙂

Ti Camino will be grand. Let us know how you get on

And now for something different!

If you like fettling  have a look at Stooge cycles. Frame and fork only, in steel. Because you build it yourself the spec is up to you, wheels and tyres obviously make a massive difference as do alt bars and inner bar ends. Given your background in mtb this may suite.

There are a few on their website that might do all you want. They ride like a dream. Also an active facebook page.

I have a mk6 and do most things on it with a change of tyres. Still saving for a spare set of wheels.

You could built one well within your budget.

Why not buy one second hand & see if you like it first?

You see loads of really cheap road & gravel bike that people have bought & not ridden after their initial enthusiasm has died down.

I picked up a Genesis Day One with an 853 frame & Shimano Alfine 11 speed hub in spanking condition for £200. It’s great on the roads or round the forest & I could bike pack on it too.

The Genesis CdF (on which it’s based) would be a good starting point. Plenty available.

Then, if you like it, go for something new & expensive.

Why not buy one second hand & see if you like it first?

Fair comment, but too late!  Although, I have been thinking about this for ages and have looked at lots of second hand bikes.  I know I would have got more bike for my money, but the right bike never came up.  Either too far away, wrong size, a bit neglected or whatever.  I’m sure if I’d been a bit more patient, the right used bike would have come along, but I’m not!  I got seduced by titanium bling and a bit of ‘Black Friday’ nonsense and bought new.  Not the most rational buying strategy perhaps, but I fancied treating myself.  I’m reasonably confident I’ll like it, I’ve been doing a fair bit of gravel and road riding on a hard tail mtb, I think the Camino will be better suited for it.

Well that sounds pretty awesome!

(Even if you don’t enjoy riding it – you can still hang it in the living room and enjoy looking at it. ?)

I’ve done 100+ mile sportives and always use flat barred bikes, i simply can’t get on with Drops. I’ve tried multiple times but they feel twitchy, unstable and unsafe. My last one was Gent Wevelgem and i rode it on a Raleigh Cadent which cost £400 new from Pauls Cycles. I’ve no doubt it wasn’t quite as efficient as a road bike… but i felt a LOT safer and happier on it than i would have on a drop bar bike.

That Diverge above looks fab… Canyon do similar, as to Planet X, or at least they used to do a London Rd flat bar..

I was in the same boat – looking at a gravel bike.  I have just stuck gravel tyres on my old RoadRat and it seems to work remarkably well !

I am probably in the Weeksy school of finding drops twitchy – but that is 35 years of riding MTB – from stupidly short cut down bars all the way up to 780mm

There are some nice bikes listed above indeed.

I am on my second Camino after the first one got lifted. My second is a Ti with SRAM XPLR AXS and is a dream.

They do a more race gravel in their Sedona which might be more up your street/road 🙂

My second is a Ti with SRAM XPLR AXS and is a dream.

Nice! A little higher spec than mine, even though I went a little over my stated budget in the OP.  I’m fairly hopeful it will suit me well.  Just waiting for them to build and despatch it now.