These gravel bikes….

Every type of bike is a compromise, you just need to choose the one that hits the sweet spot for what you intend to ride. When people say ‘ooh, skinny tyres, terrain feels rough’ i hear ‘moderate terrain feels pretty exciting ‘

i agree that the ‘gravel’ tag is just marketing bolx though.

that red/cream singular up above, oooh nice.

Spesh Diverge has 20mm of suss in headset, adds comfort

Spesh Diverge has 20mm of suss in headset, adds comfort

All of them or just the top models?    Having dabbled relatively cheaply with my maintenance free SSCX for a year, I am wondering whether to go full fat…

Well my ‘gravel bike’ is my commuter with a rack and D lock, but it’s fine on some tame off road stuff running 32c marathon plus tyres

It’s not comfy, I have to raise my bum off the seat for sections, but it’s a compromise. I can have good reliability for the road based stuff and debris/glass. I’ve thought about fitting bigger/softer tyres but then I might have a problem on the road and get punctures. I like my bike being reliable

All of them or just the top models?    Having dabbled relatively cheaply with my maintenance free SSCX for a year, I am wondering whether to go full fat…

Comp and up (that’s 105 shifters etc with TRP brakes). We have them in this years hire fleet and I’m seriously considering booking one in my size from our end-of-season sale.

The first thing I did to My Kona Rove is swap the tyres for the fattest ones that fit. But the real game changer to what you can ride on it is a dropper.

I’ve got 38/40c Vittoria Adventure Trail II tyres on my CX / Gravel bike, set up tubeless.

On normal fire roads and gravel tracks it’s ace and very fast, introduce some rocks and my 29’er is faster.

All of them or just the top models?

The top aluminium one which is £1500 and all the carbon ones which are more.

lol @Kiwi I remember you telling me you didn’t need a dropper up in Trevallyn one day!! Bikes looking good though

So what 35-40 fast tyres for road use?

I’ve seen the light Mike. I think we all have now. & Trevallyn is pretty flat.

If you see them for what they are though you realise you have been duped in to buying the latest hipster +1 niche bike. A road bike with compromise

Well obviously! Because road bikes are one of the less compromised types of bikes, designed almost entirely to be ridden long distances on smooth tarmac. Riding them for anything else – city riding, hacking through the woods – is a little silly. And MTBs have now become so specialised for their own niche that it’s the same there – I choose not to use my 150mm fs for 40km slogs around the wide tracks of Gower, for instance. Funnily enough, I tend to think that a lot of road bike owners have been duped into the wrong bike because they really aren’t using it for what it’s designed for.

So gravel bikes just cover the middle ground. The word ‘gravel’ doesn’t really cover what they are used for but is adequate. But then ‘Mountain bike’ doesn’t really describe most rides either.

The marketing around ‘gravel bikes’ is probably a bit different than the actual usage in the UK, but I’m liking that resurgence of bikes that are just made to be versatile on all types of ground.

I love mountain biking, and I love being in the hills. But you spend any time around your average mountain biker and it’s all about technical trails and fast descents. Occasionally that’s fun, but it makes me sad that people don’t just go out because the outdoors are blooming great… A bicycle is a gift that allows you to experience that, and a so-called gravel bike is pretty good at getting you to all the places you want to go with maximum efficiency.

Put flat bars on if you want. Setup your old Kona. Ignore the marketing, it’s all the same thing. It’s an ATB 🙂

I hardly ever ride mountains on my mountain bike, but I ride gravel quote often on my gravel bike…

Would be quite interesting to see tests with a gravel bike vs a rigid MTB

As said  tyre width and pressure  helps a lot switched from a true Cx ali frame to a carbon gravel bike with 35mm tubeless and impressed by change in comfort Also use gel pads under tape and a specialized cgr post (luck it fits) also a Ti railed saddle but that might be snakeoil

Moved from riding a cx to link bridleways to roads north of sheffield to extensive network gravel roads north of Melbourne Aus and yep it does hurt sometimes and get a bit beaten up but more rewarding than tarmac for me….. as to marketing hype I’m just liking the choice of bikes and hope it continues

Would be quite interesting to see tests with a gravel bike vs a rigid MTB

What you testing? Really comes down to how you want your bars arranged so fairly personal

 gravel roads north of Melbourne Aus and yep it does hurt sometimes and get a bit beaten up but more rewarding than tarmac for me

You get beaten up in car on some of those roads!

Would be quite interesting to see tests with a gravel bike vs a rigid MTB

I have lived in same area for 20 years and used Strava for a long time so have a fair bit of data for rides over same routes  MTB, CX and track bike (all single speed fixed).

For rides with combination of road and gravel the fastest bike is the track bike, second is the CX bike, third is the MTB.

For off road sections with roots, ruts, mud it is the MTB.

I’m just back from a 43km loop that some of you might know – Aviemore, Nethy Bridge, Ryvoan, Glenmore. I took the “gravel bike” (OK – it’s my tourer with big tyres) and recorded 3 PRs on the way round. I reckon once I can shake off this flu and give it some welly it’ll  fly on that type of mixed surface.

specialized cgr post

Yeah there actually really nice, I’m surprised don’t seem to hear much about them.

I think the gel pads on bars also make the bars a little thicker which may also give you a better/ more comfortable shape to hold.

I get some arguments that CXer’s are for CX, but they can easily be adapted for Gravel.

Heres mine in Gravel Grider Explorer mode..

If you see them for what they are though you realise you have been duped in to buying the latest hipster +1 niche bike. A road bike with compromise

Been around >10 years, hardly ‘latest’ anything, simply more popular now the road bike boom is over. People are buying less use-specific bikes. It could be said that road bikes are the limited or compromised design – based on racing needs yet most don’t race or ride at 20+mph average in a bunch, skinny tyres don’t cope well with anything but fairly smooth tarmac, uncomfortably low position (after 3 hours or 10, depending on the rider and what they ride etc).

I like road bikes but I’m glad I have something else to choose for many of my ‘road’ rides.

I’m off out now for my maiden voyage on my new Arkose. A bit of tow path, bit of road and a bit of bridleway. Pretty much how I used to ride my MTB in the early 90s.

Been around >10 years, hardly ‘latest’ anything, simply more popular now the road bike boom is over. People are buying less use-specific bikes. It could be said that road bikes are the limited or compromised design – based on racing needs yet most don’t race or ride at 20+mph average in a bunch, skinny tyres don’t cope well with anything but fairly smooth tarmac, uncomfortably low position (after 3 hours or 10, depending on the rider and what they ride etc).

Did you just rephrase my reply (above) into something more readable? 🤣

I have a Surly Crosscheck on Surly Knard tyres.  It’s a bit leaden on the road, lovely on canal tow paths and Swinley Forest proved a bit much (just not much fun) out the other side.

specialized cgr post

Yeah there actually really nice, I’m surprised don’t seem to hear much about them.

FUGLY!!! I’d rather take a battering in my ass….hang on let me rephrase that…oh never mind.

If you see them for what they are though you realise you have been duped in to buying the latest hipster +1 niche bike. A road bike with compromise

Or you have bought a road bike with more possibilities. Depends what you want.

My first road bikes were steel tourers and we used them for everything – I’m delighted we’ve got a great choice of all rounders again.

Mrs S has a Specialized AWOL. It rides like a drop bar MTB off road, is an excellent tourer and equally brilliant on holiday or shopping.

It came with a brilliantly designed frame (no overlap on the small) and almost spot on Sora 3*9 gearing.

For most of the  the riding we do these days, it’s hardly compromised at all.

It was a grand and even has nice wheels as standard.

Not used the roady road bikes for ages apart from the odd mad half hour.

Love my Disc Trucker – reminds me of being a kid again. It’s not about being a cyclist, it’s just about having fun.

Pop a set of these on your 29er for that purpose. You won’t be disappointed

https://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/TYSCGS1RGF/schwalbe-g-one-speed-raceguard-folding-tyre

Fitted my pair of 2.35″ G-One yesterday, I’d forgotten just how fast these balloon tyres roll, new PB for getting into work this morning and my best time this year for going directly home without doing Witts Hill reps. They are the same weight as my 38mm Marathon Cross pair, but that extra width and lower pressures encourages you to give it more beans.

Did the Dirty Reiver 130 yesterday – that’s what I imagined ‘true’ gravel to be although I suspect it doesn’t exist in too many places in the UK. I rode a Genesis Fugio – steel with carbon fork and 47mm Horizons – it’s sold as I road plus bike – don’t know how that compares to a true gravel bike.

On the roads which had seen a lot of timber Waggon traffic it was brilliant – the fire roads felt almost as smooth as tarmac. On the looser rougher stuff it was a case of going quicker and things got smoother.

Compare to a few weeks ago, on a similar event in the Peak, where nothing was comfortable. ‘Gravel’ in some places just means the normal bridleways it would seem. Horses for courses and all that.

On the looser rougher stuff it was a case of going quicker and things got smoother.

Yep – I said as much earlier in this thread.

‘Gravel’ in some places just means the normal bridleways it would seem.

US gravel – the original, just like an average UK B-road

‘UK gravel’ – a mix of easy MTB trails, rutted-out byways and Sustrans paths

‘Euro gravel’ – big chunky rocky stuff at 2000m with sections where you truly hate drop bars

: )

Did you just rephrase my reply (above) into something more readable?

Ha.. Sometimes I even reply to a quoted post without even reading posts beyond that one. Nuts isn’t it.

jameso

‘Euro gravel’ – big chunky rocky stuff at 2000m with sections where you truly hate drop bars

…and you truly love big volume tyres.

Maybe Euro = Scotland too? 🙂

Half the fun is pushing and adapting  stuff beyond it’s original design.

Bikes, old Italian scooters and Citroen 2CV’s are even more fun when used in ways unimagined by the original designers.

I used to love dragging a Raleigh tourer over moorland cart tracks as a kid and bodging  cowhorns onto gas pipe racers.

Love the fact I can now go out and buy something similar that actually works and wasn’t designed by a 12 year old.

Rusty Spanner

Half the fun is pushing and adapting  stuff beyond it’s original design…

I used to love dragging a Raleigh tourer over moorland cart tracks as a kid…

Me too. 🙂

1930s rod brake bike on the StrathPuffer track

Not my best idea – after surviving the descent I promised myself I’d never do that again with rod brakes. 🙂

But never stop doing that sort of stuff…

Epicyclo, if there was a prize for the best picture of a bike so far away from it’s design brief, that ^^ would surely be it!!

Have finally cracked and ordered a new bike, to make the most of the roads, fireroads and trails around where I live and commute.

The OP was asking about good deals – I’ve ordered a 2017 105 SuperX from Start Cycles. OK, so it comes with CX tyres and gearing, but it’s 42% off and I’ve never had a full carbon bike before.

It was between this and a Grail – disadvantages are the AI rear wheel (but I’ll never be in a race where neutral service is a problem), heavy wheels (but solid is good, and they’re tubeless ready), and the 25.4mm seatpost (no chance of fitting a dropper, but I’m not that gnarly anyway). Advantages are the adjustability in the bars and stem, compared to the grail, and hopefully the frame.

I’ve also ordered 50/34 chainrings (same type as the 46/36 fitted so I should be able to mix and go to 46/34 if I need to), an 11-32 cassette and 40mm G-ones to go full gravel.

I’m not sure that this will be easy enough gearing, but unless I go to 1x I can’t go smaller than 34 on the front and even then it’d have to be the Si crankset with a 40t – don’t think any other cranks will fit the BB30-83 nonsense.

There are also ultegra 11-34 cassettes, but they’re much more expensive for 2 teeth more, and the SGS 105 rear mech is only supposed to handle 11-32 although the Trek Checkpoints seem to be all equipped with 11-34 and the same mech, so perhaps it’s OK, unless they’re doing something with the rear hanger, or fitting a longer B screw.. Anyone know?