Eddy Gordo Posted March 29, 2021 Share The Bontrager has smaller and shallower blocks on it and it’s quieter on the road.Rubber feels harder than the Conti.The Terraspeed is better on looser ground and some single track.Awesome. I believe the conti wears extremely quickly as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gummibear Posted March 29, 2021 Share I did about 600km on these and hardly any signs of wear. ChrisF and Eddy Gordo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted March 29, 2021 Share Okay, here goes .... maybe it is a "how long is the piece of string" questions, and just maybe Hubland has an answer .... here's hoping. After some test rides, and speaking to some of the Hubbers with LOTS of experience of gravel bikes, I am considering the following. Option 1 -Start with something like this -https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/gravel-and-cyclocross-bikes/463261/giant-toughroad-slr-gx-2-2019 Then put a "shock-stem" on it, and a "flat bar". This would then require some reworking of the controls and brakes .... Option 2 (which was my initial thought process....) -Start with a 29" MTB hardtail. Fit 40C tyres.This starts off as a much easier conversion, and provides the front shock absorption I want in a gravel bike.BUT, with the classic 36 to 11 ratio this wont be suited for longer road rides .... hence the question (sorry for the long intro) : "Which 29'' HT frames accommodate larger rings in front" ? I am thinking of going x2, with about 34/50 rings, mayby 32/48. The rest of this project requires :- MUST have a quick release at the back wheel,- frame of Alu / steel / .... (doubt Ti is in my budget) As this is ideally a project build, I would be happy with a bike that requires a respray. Though initial search suggest the older frames dont accommodate larger chain rings .... Okay, so how long is that piece of string ... PS - these are early planning days to this project. Your input is welcomed on all aspects .... PPS - the basic ideas behind this project :- Gravel bike for mostly tar rides (low rolling resistance, and gearing for longer tar rides)- Need damping on the handle bars (my test rides are certainly not conclusive, but after decades on MTB I am leaning towards flat bars ..)- Hub mounted e-motor drive ... - This is meant as a N+1, dont want to spend too much on this build .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danger Dassie Posted March 29, 2021 Share My opinion on brakes, I had a Gravel bike with Shimano 105 Hydraulic brakes, they were awesome, the feeling at the levers is really nice and they worked really well, had to sell that bike as my wife and I bought a house and I needed to free up some cash, been working on building up a monstercross bike now, I got a set of Avid BB7 road calipers and paired them with old Shimano 105 lever/brifter/sti whatever you call them, and also got some Jagwire compressionless brake housing, the power of that setup is every bit as powerful as the 105 Hydraulic brakes I had, I can lock up either wheel with little effort and the modulation is good as well, but they just dont feel as nice, I cant tell you what, but something just doesnt feel as good, but they work VERY well, I did a lot of reading up on mechanical disc brakes because my previous experience with them was horrid, but a lot of what I read the people say compressionless cable housing sorts out most of the issues that they had with mechanical discs..... If I could choose, I would go hydraulic again, but having said that, a decent set of mechanical discs paired with compressionless cable housing is a good compromiseAn option - https://everydaycyclesupplyco.com/search?type=product&q=yokozuno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddy Gordo Posted March 29, 2021 Share Okay, here goes .... maybe it is a "how long is the piece of string" questions, and just maybe Hubland has an answer .... here's hoping. After some test rides, and speaking to some of the Hubbers with LOTS of experience of gravel bikes, I am considering the following. Option 1 -Start with something like this -https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/gravel-and-cyclocross-bikes/463261/giant-toughroad-slr-gx-2-2019 Then put a "shock-stem" on it, and a "flat bar". This would then require some reworking of the controls and brakes .... Option 2 (which was my initial thought process....) -Start with a 29" MTB hardtail. Fit 40C tyres.This starts off as a much easier conversion, and provides the front shock absorption I want in a gravel bike.BUT, with the classic 36 to 11 ratio this wont be suited for longer road rides .... hence the question (sorry for the long intro) : "Which 29'' HT frames accommodate larger rings in front" ? I am thinking of going x2, with about 34/50 rings, mayby 32/48. The rest of this project requires :- MUST have a quick release at the back wheel,- frame of Alu / steel / .... (doubt Ti is in my budget) As this is ideally a project build, I would be happy with a bike that requires a respray. Though initial search suggest the older frames dont accommodate larger chain rings .... Okay, so how long is that piece of string ... PS - these are early planning days to this project. Your input is welcomed on all aspects .... PPS - the basic ideas behind this project :- Gravel bike for mostly tar rides (low rolling resistance, and gearing for longer tar rides)- Need damping on the handle bars (my test rides are certainly not conclusive, but after decades on MTB I am leaning towards flat bars ..)- Hub mounted e-motor drive ... - This is meant as a N+1, dont want to spend too much on this build .... I am using my HT. I want to keep the Xfusion fork I have on it. I am definitely going 2x upfront, just havent thought about or researched what size the big ring will be, and if I will be keeping the 32T thats on it.O, and I will be keeping the flatbars. I have done road rides on the same route with the HT and the roadie. I get up to about similar topspeeds on decents, hence why I am looking for road orientated tyres.Also, I am in no real rush. It will happen when it does. Main reason is because I am not sure if I wanna sell my roadbike. However after sundays near miss, I am wanting some disc brakes, or I think I need to replace them rubber blocks.As for the hub mounted motor..... my knees are pretty much stuffed, I am wondering if I can get a cyborg transplant. Then I can ebike anything! Edited March 29, 2021 by Eddy Gordo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted March 29, 2021 Share I am using my HT. I want to keep the Xfusion fork I have on it. I am definitely going 2x upfront, just havent thought about or researched what size the big ring will be, and if I will be keeping the 32T thats on it.O, and I will be keeping the flatbars. I have done road rides on the same route with the HT and the roadie. I get up to about similar topspeeds on decents, hence why I am looking for road orientated tyres.Also, I am in no real rush. It will happen when it does. Main reason is because I am not sure if I wanna sell my roadbike. However after sundays near miss, I am wanting some disc brakes, or I think I need to replace them rubber blocks.As for the hub mounted motor..... my knees are pretty much stuffed, I am wondering if I can get a cyborg transplant. Then I can ebike anything!On the Giant ebike (full sus for the trails), I have a 36 ring and 11 on the back. Anything from about 45km/h I am spinning out ... jip, there is one section where I take it to 115rpm and about 50km/h, but that is hardly sustainable. So for a similar wheel curcumfrence, and using a 50 ring I should be able to manage a comfortable 50km/h on downhill sections, without spinning out. But I know maths only goes so far .... Real world experiences regarding stability, comfort, etc is often beyond pure maths. So let's hear what others have experienced, and what they recommend. Tyres .... uhm ja, when we get there it may lead to more questions .... what rim width for a 40C ? nog tyd voor ons daar kom Cyborg transplant .... I'm IN This battery charging stuff is for ou-toppies I am looking at the Bafang hub motor from Chilled Squirel - they work on quick release frames - https://www.chilledsquirrel.com/ Edited March 29, 2021 by ChrisF Eddy Gordo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted April 3, 2021 Share It is just possible that I fell for "targeted advertising" ... Over the last few weeks I have intensified my search for a "gravel bike". Sorry, allow me to interrupt myself at this juncture .... WHAT is a "gravel bike" ? For ME it was that mythical cycle with "40C" tires on it .... but I wanted a front shock .... and after a few test rides and speaking to a few people with way more experience than I, it became clear I wanted flat handle bars .... does this still qualify as a "gravel bike" ? Certainly nothing like that on the show room floor. Even in the classifieds, it was either a "MTB HT" or a "gravel bike" .... either way it would require a good bit of swopping out parts ..... O, sorry, we were talking about "targeted advertising", Big Brother Watching, and all that .... As you can well imaging my browser history showed a good few searches for "gravel bikes" and "e-bikes". Before long just about each and every page I opened on the Hub had the add for "Darrvin Bikes". So at some point I click on the add, and view their web site - https://darrvinshop.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwpKCDBhBPEiwAFgBzjx5lLAI40kXouOWrV-wzCLPkzsxd9Jdzua8pF_Yig2DBrWhGxpp-oxoCS7oQAvD_BwE The Darrvin Connect seems to tick most of my boxes .... but no stock .... Thursday morning I send them an email, asking about the Darrvin Connect, stock levels, and a few questions relating to my intended use. It was a matter minutes before I got a very detailed reply email. Thursday afternoon I picked up a demo/rental model of the Connect. Even with a second brand new battery the bike cost less than a Bafang conversion would have cost on another donor bike, never mind the costs of the donor bike or the rest of the project. As a matter of fact the demo in my size had a rigid fork, so they swopped it out with the Suntour on the next size bike. 700-50C tyres, nice slick centre for long tar ridesRight size frameRight suspension fork, with remote lockoutRight motor, control, and drive system.Battery smaller than I wanted, thus the second battery. I added a carrier, which can be used for the commute, or even to lug about the 2nd battery on longer rides I will leave it up to the collective Hub wisdom to determine if this very unique unit may be called a "gravel bike", or maybe it is more of an urban commuter ..... Either way, THANKS for all the input on this thread and via DM's to help me along the journey to get to the "DC" (Darrvin Connect) Sid the Sloth, Help.Me., Wayne pudding Mol and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Job Posted April 3, 2021 Share It is just possible that I fell for "targeted advertising" ... Over the last few weeks I have intensified my search for a "gravel bike". Sorry, allow me to interrupt myself at this juncture .... WHAT is a "gravel bike" ? For ME it was that mythical cycle with "40C" tires on it .... but I wanted a front shock .... and after a few test rides and speaking to a few people with way more experience than I, it became clear I wanted flat handle bars .... does this still qualify as a "gravel bike" ? Certainly nothing like that on the show room floor. Even in the classifieds, it was either a "MTB HT" or a "gravel bike" .... either way it would require a good bit of swopping out parts ..... O, sorry, we were talking about "targeted advertising", Big Brother Watching, and all that .... As you can well imaging my browser history showed a good few searches for "gravel bikes" and "e-bikes". Before long just about each and every page I opened on the Hub had the add for "Darrvin Bikes". So at some point I click on the add, and view their web site - https://darrvinshop.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwpKCDBhBPEiwAFgBzjx5lLAI40kXouOWrV-wzCLPkzsxd9Jdzua8pF_Yig2DBrWhGxpp-oxoCS7oQAvD_BwE The Darrvin Connect seems to tick most of my boxes .... but no stock .... Thursday morning I send them an email, asking about the Darrvin Connect, stock levels, and a few questions relating to my intended use. It was a matter minutes before I got a very detailed reply email. Thursday afternoon I picked up a demo/rental model of the Connect. Even with a second brand new battery the bike cost less than a Bafang conversion would have cost on another donor bike, never mind the costs of the donor bike or the rest of the project. As a matter of fact the demo in my size had a rigid fork, so they swopped it out with the Suntour on the next size bike. 700-50C tyres, nice slick centre for long tar ridesRight size frameRight suspension fork, with remote lockoutRight motor, control, and drive system.Battery smaller than I wanted, thus the second battery. I added a carrier, which can be used for the commute, or even to lug about the 2nd battery on longer rides I will leave it up to the collective Hub wisdom to determine if this very unique unit may be called a "gravel bike", or maybe it is more of an urban commuter ..... Either way, THANKS for all the input on this thread and via DM's to help me along the journey to get to the "DC" (Darrvin Connect) 1.jpg 2.jpgBeautiful bike...it quacks like an MTB e-version. ChrisF 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoBigBen Posted April 3, 2021 Share It is just possible that I fell for "targeted advertising" ... Over the last few weeks I have intensified my search for a "gravel bike". Sorry, allow me to interrupt myself at this juncture .... WHAT is a "gravel bike" ? For ME it was that mythical cycle with "40C" tires on it .... but I wanted a front shock .... and after a few test rides and speaking to a few people with way more experience than I, it became clear I wanted flat handle bars .... does this still qualify as a "gravel bike" ? Certainly nothing like that on the show room floor. Even in the classifieds, it was either a "MTB HT" or a "gravel bike" .... either way it would require a good bit of swopping out parts ..... O, sorry, we were talking about "targeted advertising", Big Brother Watching, and all that .... As you can well imaging my browser history showed a good few searches for "gravel bikes" and "e-bikes". Before long just about each and every page I opened on the Hub had the add for "Darrvin Bikes". So at some point I click on the add, and view their web site - https://darrvinshop.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwpKCDBhBPEiwAFgBzjx5lLAI40kXouOWrV-wzCLPkzsxd9Jdzua8pF_Yig2DBrWhGxpp-oxoCS7oQAvD_BwE The Darrvin Connect seems to tick most of my boxes .... but no stock .... Thursday morning I send them an email, asking about the Darrvin Connect, stock levels, and a few questions relating to my intended use. It was a matter minutes before I got a very detailed reply email. Thursday afternoon I picked up a demo/rental model of the Connect. Even with a second brand new battery the bike cost less than a Bafang conversion would have cost on another donor bike, never mind the costs of the donor bike or the rest of the project. As a matter of fact the demo in my size had a rigid fork, so they swopped it out with the Suntour on the next size bike. 700-50C tyres, nice slick centre for long tar ridesRight size frameRight suspension fork, with remote lockoutRight motor, control, and drive system.Battery smaller than I wanted, thus the second battery. I added a carrier, which can be used for the commute, or even to lug about the 2nd battery on longer rides I will leave it up to the collective Hub wisdom to determine if this very unique unit may be called a "gravel bike", or maybe it is more of an urban commuter ..... Either way, THANKS for all the input on this thread and via DM's to help me along the journey to get to the "DC" (Darrvin Connect) 1.jpg 2.jpgMust be honest that it ticks all the MTB e-bike boxes to my mind... Not really what I reckon a gravel bike is At the risk of being tarred and feathered by the collective bike hub lynch mob I'd say the minimum requirements are rigid frame and fork, drop handle bars.. Yes I know it seems the bikes are moving away from that but then ride a mountain bike with gravel tyres but that doesn't make it a gravel bike Anyway best I take my rigid (if y'all will excuse the pun) ideas about bikes, take my jacket and leave [emoji12] ChrisF, gummibear and gogo@ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the nerd Posted April 3, 2021 Share Must be honest that it ticks all the MTB e-bike boxes to my mind... Not really what I reckon a gravel bike is At the risk of being tarred and feathered by the collective bike hub lynch mob I'd say the minimum requirements are rigid frame and fork, drop handle bars.. Yes I know it seems the bikes are moving away from that but then ride a mountain bike with gravel tyres but that doesn't make it a gravel bike Anyway best I take my rigid (if y'all will excuse the pun) ideas about bikes, take my jacket and leave [emoji12] Well a C*rve GMX and my old Ragley TD1 have VEEEERY similar geometry... NotSoBigBen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewbacca Posted April 3, 2021 Share I don't think it matters. A Cannondale Slate is 100% a gravel bike with suspension, a Diverge is 140% a gravel bike with 20mm suspension...... One 'can' also ride pretty much any bike on gravel. Modern road bikes are awesome with their wide gear spread, big tires and modern geometry. It's funny how so many guys always think that suffering is somehow betterer.... Guys spend x on a fully rigid 'gravel' bike then pay another 5k for a stem and a seat post that do what suspension does but not as well..... I was once one of those 'my rigid single speed' guys but then I pulled my head out my ass and realised that everyone is on their own bike journey, in their own way, at their own place. Personally, on a gravel bike I love drop bars and straight lines. I'm not really a fan of massively sloping/bent/joined tubes. I would love a road/gravel bike with a 'flat' top tube but I'm too short. These e-bikes look like great commuters. I'm a big e-bike fan despite not owning or really wanting to own one. I still think they are rad for so many reasons The Ghost, Mark James, Patchelicious and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoBigBen Posted April 3, 2021 Share I don't think it matters. A Cannondale Slate is 100% a gravel bike with suspension, a Diverge is 140% a gravel bike with 20mm suspension...... One 'can' also ride pretty much any bike on gravel. Modern road bikes are awesome with their wide gear spread, big tires and modern geometry. It's funny how so many guys always think that suffering is somehow betterer.... Guys spend x on a fully rigid 'gravel' bike then pay another 5k for a stem and a seat post that do what suspension does but not as well..... I was once one of those 'my rigid single speed' guys but then I pulled my head out my ass and realised that everyone is on their own bike journey, in their own way, at their own place. Personally, on a gravel bike I love drop bars and straight lines. I'm not really a fan of massively sloping/bent/joined tubes. I would love a road/gravel bike with a 'flat' top tube but I'm too short. These e-bikes look like great commuters. I'm a big e-bike fan despite not owning or really wanting to own one. I still think they are rad for so many reasonsGuess I better work at getting 'my head out of my a$$' then ... Job, gummibear and Jewbacca 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewbacca Posted April 3, 2021 Share Guess I better work at getting 'my head out of my a$$' then ...You said it..... But in reality you don't have to. Much like your opinion, it is just mine. I used to rock up on my rigid SS and care that I beat people on full suss bikes, or think I was way cooler for riding all these big races/adventures on it. But in reality that was just a part of my bike journey. My journey is currently all about me and riding my bikes and not caring who/how/why/where other people ride theirs. Hence my statement, I don't think it matters what constitutes a 'gravel' bike. If it's a gravel bike to BlinkyBlogs, it's a gravel bike. I don't think 'being right' is more important than people and their bike journeys. Mostly because ALL bikes are rad and all types of bikes bring joy to people in their own respective way. I'm also not particularly woke. But I think 'cyclists' judge bike riders unnecessarily. Prince Albert Cycles, The Ghost, Zebra and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne pudding Mol Posted April 3, 2021 Share A gravel bike should have drop bars but that doesn’t mean it has toYou can ride your mtb on the road but it’s not a roadbike None of it matters as long as you are happy and riding I’ll confess to having drunk the gravel bike cool aid but every now and then my fancy Ti gravel bike reminds me of my first mtb which was a giant hard tail - loved that bike and love my gravel bikeRide whatever you like wherever you like if it works for you Bike snobbery is nonsense although my curve gravel bike is better than whatever you’re riding and I look super cool trying my best not to look like a bicyclist Prince Albert Cycles, Jewbacca, Zebra and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monark Posted April 3, 2021 Share Wayne your Curve is the best... Jewbacca well said. I remember those SS days. You were fast with and without gears. Wayne pudding Mol and Jewbacca 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoBigBen Posted April 3, 2021 Share So what I take from this is that all bikes should then just be called 'bikes' since you can do almost anything with any bike ... if I recall the question wasn't about what you may use a certain bike setup for but rather the distinction between different bike types but I guess that's neither here nor there gogo@ and ChrisF 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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