Gravel Bikes - Should we stop and tell the industry now?

[coppi]

So yes, you could just buy a MTB, and put narrower tires and drop bars on. Now to do that you have to change the shifters. Shifters are quite and expensive item, so you are going to push the price of final bike up quite a bit.

 

This is why the industry is doing this. There are people want a bike with suspension, medium width tires, but with drop bars, who don't want to build the bike themselves. They want to buy a bike in the configuration that they are going to ride it, and not have to fiddle changing components. The industry is catering for these people.

 

 

(Admission time: I own a gravel bike.)

IMG_20170310_074832.jpg

Good Stuff Gary...........don't those mudguards rattle a bit?

[GaryvdM]

Good Stuff Gary...........don't those mudguards rattle a bit?

 

Nope - even on the gravel.

[Butterbean]

jip - but Bcd the same 110mm - so you have a huge choice of chain rings

The new 11 speed crank of Shimano is very nice - having the same BCD for all rings

Not necessarily, the chainstays might get in your way and prevent standard rings from fitting.

[eddy]

So yes, you could just buy a MTB, and put narrower tires and drop bars on. Now to do that you have to change the shifters. Shifters are quite and expensive item, so you are going to push the price of final bike up quite a bit.

 

This is why the industry is doing this. There are people want a bike with suspension, medium width tires, but with drop bars, who don't want to build the bike themselves. They want to buy a bike in the configuration that they are going to ride it, and not have to fiddle changing components. The industry is catering for these people.

 

 

(Admission time: I own a gravel bike.)

IMG_20170310_074832.jpg

 

 

Could not agree more.....

Edited March 28, 2017 by eddy

[Mongoose!]

Not necessarily, the chainstays might get in your way and prevent standard rings from fitting.

I doubt

[Kom]

Could not agree more.....

The cost of that niner as it stands, if it is indeed a conversion would far outweigh just buying a second gravel grinder, albeit lower spec such as the diverge alloy. I've seen a couple on the hub floating for 12-14k.

[Dicky DQ]

If I put road handle bars on my Epic Sworks, wouldn't it be sort of the same thing?

and last year's Munga was won on? A Rockey MTB with gravel grinder bars. So they do work.

Edited March 29, 2017 by Dick

[eddy]

The cost of that niner as it stands, if it is indeed a conversion would far outweigh just buying a second gravel grinder, albeit lower spec such as the diverge alloy. I've seen a couple on the hub floating for 12-14k.

Absolutely, but shopping cleverly over time one can acquire all the bits needed to build up a bike.

 

In this case, when people started "upgrading" to 11 speed, I picked up a 10 speed set cheaply. When people started going for wide MTB rims, I found a perfectly good but narrow set of wheels. When you could buy hydraulic Disk brake specific road systems, I took a set of unused cable to hydraulic calipers off someone.

 

In fact, the bike is built up out of "obsolete" components at around a third of what "state of the art" would have cost. With time and a good idea of what you want, the classifieds are your friend.

[Pure Savage]

Absolutely, but shopping cleverly over time one can acquire all the bits needed to build up a bike.

 

In this case, when people started "upgrading" to 11 speed, I picked up a 10 speed set cheaply. When people started going for wide MTB rims, I found a perfectly good but narrow set of wheels. When you could buy hydraulic Disk brake specific road systems, I took a set of unused cable to hydraulic calipers off someone.

 

In fact, the bike is built up out of "obsolete" components at around a third of what "state of the art" would have cost. With time and a good idea of what you want, the classifieds are your friend.

Also it's a Niner and not a Spez [emoji51]

 

 

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[Shebeen]

here's the gravel bike look from the guys who do it best!

 

[Shebeen]

Yip here they use the camel golf bike and there are plenty golf courses in SA already using them...............check out the their website

cool  - https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/164234-camel-golf-bikes/

[Shebeen]

munga bikes

 

[Fat Boab]

Absolutely, but shopping cleverly over time one can acquire all the bits needed to build up a bike.

 

In this case, when people started "upgrading" to 11 speed, I picked up a 10 speed set cheaply. When people started going for wide MTB rims, I found a perfectly good but narrow set of wheels. When you could buy hydraulic Disk brake specific road systems, I took a set of unused cable to hydraulic calipers off someone.

 

In fact, the bike is built up out of "obsolete" components at around a third of what "state of the art" would have cost. With time and a good idea of what you want, the classifieds are your friend.

 

A shared pastime (obsession!)................

[Patchelicious]

Absolutely, but shopping cleverly over time one can acquire all the bits needed to build up a bike.

 

In this case, when people started "upgrading" to 11 speed, I picked up a 10 speed set cheaply. When people started going for wide MTB rims, I found a perfectly good but narrow set of wheels. When you could buy hydraulic Disk brake specific road systems, I took a set of unused cable to hydraulic calipers off someone.

 

In fact, the bike is built up out of "obsolete" components at around a third of what "state of the art" would have cost. With time and a good idea of what you want, the classifieds are your friend.

You mean patience.... and thats my down fall.

[ChUkKy]

Around Jozi gravel bike is great for road riding as road conditions are quite bad. Oh and spruit of course. 

 

Thought Spruit was downhill?

 

Not sure whether flat or downhill, Im confused..... many a broken man on the spruit 

[Patchelicious]

https://instagram.com/p/BTIiBb-g0k-/