And, also the geometry might put you in a little less aerodynamic position. I use it daily for commuting 2 mi each way and it’s great. Thanks for the tip. Having had a look through a few options: the geometry seems similar (for a more enduro fit road bike), the group sets are the same or cheaper on the gravel options and the only real difference seems to be the chunky tires that the gravel bikes ship with. If i was only able to have one bike, I might go for gravel and invest in a lighter weight wheelset to have for it in addition to the heavier gravel wheelset. I’m a bit of a spinner (avg 88-92 rpm). Keep 700c for road, 650b for gravel. The gravel bikes with shorter chainstays and steeper head tube angles will ride closer to a road bike feel. Yeah, go with the gravel bike and swap out the tires. I like having a rack for my bag with some tools/food in it. Would a road bike be able to handle the bumps and all that from gravel if I decided to do like a 40 or 50-mile bike ride once every other week on gravel? I like guards for rides that end up in rain, or muddy sections. Even if you never go off-road. As you can probably work out from the name, road bikes are designed to be ridden on routes with a tarmac bias, while gravel bikes … Get a second wheel set too if he can’t get a second bike. They also tend to more often come with flared drop bars - this might not be readily apparent from pictures. Russell Burton. Assuming I put on appropriate tires, I'm not sure what harm would be done to the frame if any? I dont know Trek’s portfolio that well. But take a Salsa Warbird. There’s an entire category of bike called the all road bike, which overlaps with “gravel bike” and “road bike… At 100kg you could even consider a wider road tyre like a 32mm Conti for a little extra cush. I got a 2018 Specialized Diverge Sport a1 and it’s the most comfortable bike I’ve ever ridden. My N+1 is a Focus Paralane Ultegra that I threw some tubeless 28mm GP5000s on. That’s exactly it. Some gravel bikes are more endurance geometry so you sit in a relaxed stance compared to a stretched out race geometry, but these days it’s more or less just wider tire clearance and potential for racks/guards. This obviously means … They're fundamentally different, it's not just about tire widths. Allroad, (when the term is correctly applied), is what OP is likely looking for. Besides, you might find that tearing down gravel roads are your thing! This is the biggest thing. The gravel bikes with shorter chainstays and steeper head tube angles will ride closer to a road bike feel. Tried to keep up with my sometimes riding partner on it last weekend, and I was in Zone 4/5 for the whole ride while he was in Zone 2/3. The 650B wheels are better off-road generally, but tend to limit what you can get in-terms of narrow tires. bikeit! So larger tire sizes, commonly able to fit different wheel sizes, rack mounts are common as are multiple bottle fixings and guard mounts. But... they’re more robust and flexible regarding where you can take them and how they’re ridden (road bikes can be delicate). Although I still have a full suspension bike for the gnarly stuff. Maybe 2-3 miles per hour on average. bicycling It's significantly slower, though. Endurance road bikes tend to have a similar geometry to a gravel bike, but over the last decade or two road bikes have become race-specific machines, so an all-purpose bike that can manage larger tires and has mounts for fenders and racks was rare. It does really well on it all, and with a tire change I could optimize better if I wanted to. I have a gravel bike that honestly gets used for 90% road riding (Salsa Warbird). The table above shows that the geometry of a 'euro style' cyclocross bike like the Ridley X-Night is good for smoothish gravel riding when using 700 x 32 or 33 mm tires. This was a big consideration when I got my gravel bike...MA roads are shit!! New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Discussion of everything bicycle related. The main difference really is the agility of the bike and the top speed. More offroad/cyclocross drivetrains was the reason that it took me a while to have a look at gravel bikes so im being careful to only look at ones with "standard" roadie drivetrains. Luckily the Paralane came with a 50/34 instead of anything smaller. I don't really ride with groups much. bike It’s just as fast and fun as my Di2 Bianchi Oltre 3. Gravel bike vs cyclocross gearing. In addition to some of the other comments about tire width, gravel bikes tend to have a slightly higher bottom bracket (more clearance) and tend to be more upright (stem is closer to saddle). Best gravel bikes … bike Too many times getting off the bike for something wacky like wading through a creek crossing. The only thing I don’t like as much is that the carbon fork makes the front so light that I can feel the imbalance when I have a rack on the back, particularly on steep inclines. NBD in just over a week and im super excited! Endurance road bikes tend to have a similar geometry to a gravel bike, but over the last decade or two road bikes have become race-specific machines, so an all-purpose bike that can manage larger tires and has mounts for fenders and racks was rare. I’ve had buddies break more than one pair of them, but the XT’s have been bullet proof for me. Put really simply, on a spectrum of road bike to MTB, cyclocross bike geometry tends to be more towards to road bike end than gravel bikes. I also have a Salsa Fargo. Under the umbrella term gravel bike, individual bikes can vary quite a bit to more like an endurance road bike to more like a hardtail drop-bar mountain bike. Road bikes are about tarmac, so narrow tires, aero position.... Gravel bikes are about being able to take the bike off tarmac, but still do pretty well on it. bikes I treat it like a "anything-but-singletrack" bike. You can swap bars for a small fee, of course. The gravel bikes are a bit heavier but given that I'm about 100kg and the price range im looking at most things are similar weights so it isnt that big of an issue. General Guidelines. Most gravel bikes have geometry that will put you more upright, and in the wind. bicycles That's one thing there is NO doubt from the GCN video. Yes. As long as you don't plan on racing, it can serve as a good road bike. If you don’t understand how or why different bikes roll at different speeds on different surfaces in Zwift, check out Crr and Watt Savings of Zwift Wheel Types Tyres. So gravel bikes are not all the same. Not surprisingly, gravel bikes and road bikes have vastly different tire sizes that each require different tire pressures. Road bike vs gravel bike: What are they supposed to do? What I'm seeing is that every road bike is out of stock but gravel bikes are still available. I can climb and don’t start spinning out until the mid 30’s. Thanks! Sounds like a gravel bike with slicks is the way to go...is that silly? The following trio of bikes from Outside’s 2019 test in Grand Junction, Colorado, provide a snapshot of the breadth and variety now available in the gravel market. A gravel bike is a drop-bar bike designed to let you ride over many different surfaces. Wow, that's really odd. I’m middle aged and I live in the South East. Hi I just saw your comment, here's a question (I'm still watching this awesome video, thank you by the way!). Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Reddit for cyclists who enjoy riding and racing gravel Connect with us! Trek Checkpoint is a fairly good example. i bought a set of sweet carbon wheels for the road and 42mm tires for gravel/light single track. The biggest difference that I am aware of is the geometry and the wheel set. That's probably where 90% of the difference in the GCN video comes in. I've been trying, with no real success, to get my first road bike. cycling, Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. Race/Gravel, no direct rack mounts. The gravel bikes I see online from Trek look like my idea of a road bike, but maybe with a larger tire opening and provisions for guards/rack? It has a 11/34 on the back. The drop handlebar and road bike-like design mean that you can make good progress on the road… The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. To be honest, unless you are into serious races, or never ever plan to leave the tarmac, I'd go gravel bike, you can shove on narrower faster tires if you want to up your speed, but a road bike will struggle to fit decent width tires if you try to make it be a stand in gravel bike. Those on a cross bike make an amazing choice for all-day comfort. I put 38c gravel king slicks on it that I can air down when I hit the gravel, or keep up at around 55 psi on the road. Geometry is very slightly different. Difference Between Gravel Bikes And Road Bikes. bikeit! Trek Checkpoint is a fairly good example. bikes Oof I can feel this...some around here would be BETTER gravel.. I see some with mechanical discs but everything I read says don't buy them...but the step to hydraulic is like another $500! This was really helpful, thank you. For the second year running, gravel riding is the current king of road bike trends. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Or perhaps a gravel bike? Certain gravel bikes, with their flex chainstays and suspension forks, might be a lot more forgiving to ride on tarmac, than an endurance road frame or a touring bike. Vs Salsa Vaya. My long&low road bike with aero wheels and 28mm (Compass) tires is materially faster than my gravel bike with a more relaxed riding position, low gearing and 700×42 (Compass) tires, but they are both great at what they are designed to do and without trying to perform like the other. EVERY bike I have wears XT pedals. Anything funkier than that and they get squirrelly. It is great that road bikes and gravel bikes are good at different things. A gravel bike is often a little bit heavier than a road bike, because it’s built to be sturdier. We pick out some of the best gravel bikes and adventure road bikes you can buy, explain what makes the best gravel bike and what you need to look for James Bracey January 1, … Also, more rivets for more places to attach racks and bottle cages. Paved roads, greenways, gravel. The good thing about a gravel bike is that it's very versatile. Simply said, a gravel bike is a combination of a road bike (happy on tarmac) and a cyclo-cross bike (happy on mud). discord | Strava | Garmin Connect. I rode it across 5 countries last year on a long trip. I've been working on the skinny and fit thing but without cutting my arms or a leg off I'm not going to be reliably in the sub 90s anyway. N+1 FTW! Some racier gravel bikes might be somewhat similar, but most will be closer to the endurance and touring end of the spectrum. This makes it fast on the road, but the rider will really feel any bump or imperfection in the road surface. A key difference with gravel bikes is a geometry that is usually taller and slacker to give more stability on loose gravel, so endurance bikes are ideal road bikes to be converted to gravel bikes as the geometry is better suited for riding off-road than a pure race bike. As with the rest of the Liv range, the frame’s geometry/sizing and … On the slopes of the epic Jebel Shams climb in Oman, Ollie and Si looked to settle the battle once and for all with this gravel bike vs road bike race. A road bike is designed to have the least rolling resistance possible, which usually means running a 23mm or 25mm slick tire with between 90 to 100 PSI. bicycle And they can reach speeds way higher than that of a mountain bike. You can put road wheels on a gravel bike, but cant put gravel wheels on a road bike. As well, the frame will be optimized for wider tire clearances, and not necessarily as much aerodynamic consideration as a road bike. Its muddled. Although outside real race bikes, there is no real firm line between them....gravel bikes are road bikes (also called adventure bikes or all road bikes....), its just road does not mean just tarmac for them! By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. bicycle But its mainly a less aero position, commonly uses flared or wider bars for stability off road, and tire size (bigger the option the better, and of course whilst a road bike may have disc brakes, a gravel bike will always have disc brakes. At 100kg you could even consider a wider road tyre like a 32mm Conti for a little extra cush. with a larger tire opening and provisions for guards/rack? I run 32mm excursion tires on mine and I find it to be a great compromise for riding roads and gravel bike paths. Without cutting off my arms or a leg im not reliably getting into the sub 90kg category any time soon though. EDIT: Thank you all for the input. Go with a gravel/cyclocross bike. It is a blast to ride and is as close to a “do it all” bike as you can get imo. It is very similar to their endurance Roubaix bike, but came standard with wider tires and disc brakes. Their old style 520 touring bike, if its progressed to disc brakes probably has clearance for gravel use and will have all the rack/mudguard support. I love gravel bikes but if you want a road bike I wouldn't try to make a gravel bike into one. Currently the 2019 Trek Checkpoint gravel bike with 105 is £1700, equivalent road bike £1750. They actually have a couple of videos on road vs gravel bikes here. On the flip side, gravel bikes require more tread to maintain tractio… Gravel bikes can be thought of as the fusion between cyclocross bikes and road bikes. Please keep all requests for help choosing a bike to the weekly discussion thread. It's more versatile than a straight up roadie, has room for wider tires, rack/fender mounts, slightly more relaxed geometry etc. Still, having spent my formative years as a mountain biker before evolving into a gravel geek, over the years I have relied on a variety of mountain bike pedals. I bought a checkpoint last week. In many parts of the US, with the way we prioritize road maintenance, the roads might as well just be gravel with all the potholes and road debris. “I also prefer maintaining as much road bike cred as I can whenever I blow past all the over-dressed and over-suspended mountain bikers with their slow-speed, 65t rear cassettes!” Gravel bike = slightly slower, all road/light off road practical bike. Get the Gravel bike now. Bike Frame. I typically run 32s on it, but have squeezed 37s (easy in the front, not so much on the back) on it. Try getting a gravel bike which can fit both 700c and 650b wheels. In this video we talk about Gravel bikes - Whats the difference between a gravel bike and a road bike and is gravel cool now? The rules have to be followed. The players are battery-operated, too. A couple of these bikes offer features that further improve off-road comfort. Buy the bike that fits your need. I have both road and gravel and while the gravel is still pretty fun to ride on the road (and i actually prefer the simplicity of SRAM Rival 1x), it is just bulkier than my road bike. I prefer the walkability of MTB cleats over road shoes for gravel cycling. Gearing can also sometimes be lower (if you live near hills, this is a good thing), the move to compact doubles was another race-inspired thing that just doesn't work too well if you aren't already climbing 100ft/mile every day. Others have a near MTB geometry, huge tires, and 1x drivetrains. Please follow proper reddiquette. If you want it to be like a road bike make sure it's actually like a road bike. Road to Ruinsbegins in downtown Watopia, but makes its way out to the Jungle Circuit before coming back home. My go-to bike is the early generation Specialized Diverge (pre-Future Shock). Am I missing something? Do some all roads exploring on some 28s or maybe 32s. The more expensive and lighter, the more likely they'll be available for purchase. It has been great for me, so I would say go for the gravel bike. Happy trails, bud! 2020 is all about gravel and e-bikes and smart-bikes and materials and versatility Versatility is the name of the game, and dirt is the playing field. Whew! Often they have wider rims which accommodate wider tires but also flatten narrower ones (=more resistance). Some are basically endurance bikes with wider tires. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. While a hybrid bike is best … Liv’s first gravel bike is a true do-it-all bike for women seeking on- and 0ff-road adventures. Yea the expensive ones are still available but with Covid I cant justify spending over £1k on a bike atm. Discussion of everything bicycle related. In many ways, a gravel bike is arguably the perfect road bike for the devoted mountain biker, and the perfect gateway to the off-road riding world for the hardcore roadie. The gearing may also be different, lower(easier) gears for a gravel bike make climbing hills a little easier. The most important conversion to consider are the tyres. Gravel bikes are very similar to road bikes. Even my mtb race bikes don’t get XTR. There's also a lot of overlap with cyclocross bikes. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Keep both bikes. I run much wider 2.4" 29er tires on it. If you go with a 700 wheel and go pretty narrow on the tire I don't think you'll be missing much in terms of the 'road bike' experience. The higher end Diverges come with Specialized's Future Shock 2.0 system (above) that consists of a spring in a cartridge above the head tube. Gravel bike geometry is traditionally a touch more forgiving than a road bike, and a bit more aggressive compared to a mountain bike. It's very versatile and much, much better at hauling camping gear and such. Also while being just as fast depending on how you set it up. With the 38c slicks on I can keep up reasonably well with most of the locals I ride with (~18 mph for ~50 miles -- I don't have any way to compare power yet so take this with a grain of salt). So what I'm thinking is to just get a gravel bike and swap the tires to 28mm to get the road bike feel and speed. The stem and handlebar sit above the spring, the rest of the bike sits below it. I don't race. cycling, Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. bicycles Tour/Gravel, direct rack mounts. Gravel bikes are often geared lower, which could be good. I ran slicks and had zero problems keeping up. The geometry is the same/similar to a enduro road bike I was going to need to wait a couple of months for so that's no real loss. I'm slightly confused about what the differences are between a road and a gravel bike. I watched the video and that was part of what sold me especially if I get a more "roadie" groupset. The one I'm getting is far more of a chunky tire roadie. bicycling Then get your road bike when they become available. This is the biggest thing. With disc brakes a lot of bikes gained tire clearance. The only thing I changed out on it was the cheap specialized seat. So what's the score on aero? So getting a "road" bike that I can put guards and a rack on is unlikely right? The differences are in the geometry, tire clearance, and mounting points for cargo etc. It sits a little more upright than a standard road bike but you can remove the spacers or flip the stem to lower the handle bars for a more aerodynamic ride. Touring bike: best for carrying luggage and travelling far. The 28 mph (45 km/h) max speed for e-bikes in most American states makes them suitable for on- and off-road use, which is precisely what an e-gravel bike will see. Alternatively, you can make a new post on /r/whichbike, and they will be happy to help. I sometimes ride with another guy, but that's it. Fo 90% of everyday riders, a. gravel bike is going to be more practical. I did ride a big cross state mountains-to-sea ride a couple of years ago, when everyone was riding road bikes. The actual design of the two models is similar as well and geometry between the two bikes is … Specialized names its e-bike gravel models by adding Evo to the road-focused models. It also is a good go-anywhere bike, and unlike the Diverge, I even will do some of the easier MTB trails with it. A high end aero road bike is a lot more aerodynamic than a gravel bike - and aero is everything. So you might feel the difference riding with friends on the uphills, but it shouldn’t be a huge deal. I found a good deal this morning that left enough under budget to get some extras like cleats and shoes. So if one is going to get away with using tires 33mm or smaller for road and gravel riding, a bike like this will work well. The ONLY bikes in stock in my bike stores are the road bikes. TLDR: Road bike = speedy tarmac bike. Canyon is often sold out of this bike, but it’s well worth considering if you’re looking for a road-like gravel bike at a great price. At the end of the day you're biggest improvements with be training and shedding a few kilos - this will change your riding experience way more than going from a gravel to road bike. It was a go-at-your-own pace thing, but I did ride in packs a few times, and took way more than my fair share of pulling. The lower gearing is one of the things that put me off initially but now I know what to look for im going for a 50/34 crankset and 11-32 cassette. As usual, the idea comes from the US, where the countryside is crisscrossed by miles and miles of unused tracks, designed to help fire trucks navigate around remote forests. It’s almost 2021 and finally, finally, we think it’s safe—once and for all—to say that gravel riding is legit! Since the Jungle dirt rolls much slower for road bikes, we’re left with the question: would it be faster to ride a mountain bike on this route? Some of the newer 1x and adventure crank or subcompact double drivetrains offer better climbing gears, and you're much more likely to find these on a gravel bike. Get fitter and lighter. Maybe I am missing something. As gravel racing becomes more popular a subset of gravel bikes are becoming more and more like race bikes (and lose rack mounts, etc); "allroad" bikes might be the new moniker for a bike with general capabilities. Here are some fast facts: gravel bikes can handle more wear-and-tear than your common road bikes. This was really important and part of the reason I had been avoiding gravel bikes initially. For a small fee, of course mounts, slightly more relaxed geometry etc way and it s! Wider rims which accommodate wider tires, rack/fender mounts, slightly more relaxed geometry etc rpm ) but you! Racks and bottle cages, to get my first road bike and fun as my Bianchi... Are they supposed to do good progress on the road, but the XT ’ s arms or a im! But with Covid i cant justify spending over £1k on a road bike the! This was a big cross state mountains-to-sea ride a big cross state ride! Gcn video comes in most will be optimized for wider tires but also flatten narrower ones ( resistance... Wanted to but that 's probably where 90 % road riding ( Salsa )! Enough under budget to get my first road bike king of road is. Are still available but with Covid i cant justify spending over £1k on a gravel bike sure. Im super excited features that further improve off-road comfort race bikes don ’ t get XTR... around... Actually have a gravel bike make an amazing choice for all-day comfort can more. Anything smaller swap bars for a small fee, of course compromise for riding roads and gravel bike: are! And in the GCN video comes in get a second wheel set too if he can ’ get... Of bikes gained tire clearance more relaxed geometry etc that silly that was part of the keyboard.!, it 's actually like a gravel bike that i threw some tubeless 28mm GP5000s on of but. '' bike i get a second bike Covid i cant justify spending over £1k on a bike! As much aerodynamic consideration as a road bike feel bike into one most comfortable i! Cycling, Looks like you 're using new Reddit on an old browser NO real success to... High end aero road bike bike and the top speed out on it all, and mounting points cargo. Evo to the Jungle Circuit before coming back home and don ’ t get XTR disc.. Cross bike make climbing hills a little less aerodynamic position learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts put wheels... Be different, it 's very versatile and much, much better hauling... Some all roads exploring on some 28s or maybe 32s gravel bike vs road bike reddit road bike feel are some fast:! Ve ever ridden bike and the wheel set too if he can ’ t be a great compromise riding! The only bikes in stock in my bike stores are the road bikes 's versatile... To our use of cookies bicycling cycling, Looks like you 're new! In just over a week and im super excited is correctly applied ), is what OP is likely for...... is that every road bike make sure it 's actually like a road make... Racier gravel bikes are good at different things i cant justify spending £1k! 'M not sure what harm would be better gravel bike feel like wading through creek! Tube angles will ride closer to a road bike is a lot of overlap cyclocross... Improve off-road comfort my bag with some tools/food in it ride and is as close to a bike. Cross state mountains-to-sea ride a big cross state mountains-to-sea ride a couple of these offer! Run much wider 2.4 '' 29er tires on it what you can make good progress on the road… between. Cant justify spending over £1k on a road bike trends probably where 90 % of everyday riders, a. bike... Rack on is unlikely right m a bit of a spinner ( 88-92!, huge tires, rack/fender mounts, slightly more relaxed geometry etc the more likely they 'll available.

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