Gravel/MTB crossover

[LeonvT]

Hi Everyone,

I am in the market for a replacement bicycle after some @#£@ decided to borrow mine, permanently....and without my knowledge...

 

I need some advice on what to buy.

 over the last few years I really fell in love with cycling long gravel roads and hoping to do more 100 mailers in the future. So from that point of view I am tempted to buy a gravel bike. Then again I don't want to give up the option to go ride proper MTB trails with friends and budget does not allow to get two bikes.

 

Do any of you have some recommendations on what to buy?

 

 

 

[dasilvarsa]

MTB

Short Travel Trails Bike.

[Prince Albert Cycles]

Hardtail mtb

[Jan]

Hi, I had the same issue. I solved it by repurposing my hard tail with a ridged carbon fork and gravel tires. It’s currently for sale on bikehub. Check it out for some ideas. I did two 100 milers and lots of fun stuff on and off road. 

[madmarc]

MTB - Gavel bikes are for Roady wannabe MTBers

[TyronLab]

I think it very much depends on where and what you're riding, and what you enjoy about riding. 

I ride with roadie groups in the week, and I like riding to MTB trails (that are pretty basic/easy for the most part in GP), doing their longest loop, and riding back home on weekends. Or long gravel cruises. That inevitably means quite a lot of road riding mixed in with MTB trails. I find a MTB quite tedious on the road so it feels like I want to get the road bit over with, but I have fun on a trail on pretty much any bike at any speed. I found that to really enjoy an easy trail on a MTB you have to gun it, increasing the risk factor substantially.

So, to me, a gravel bike is ideal. I get to enjoy the road bits and actually have fun, and I have as much (oftentimes more) fun on the trails at much lower speeds on the gravel bike as it makes easy trails fun and mild tech trails a blast at a speed where I have little risk of having a moerse prang. I also prefer drop bars by a huge margin due to the various hand positions and comfort they offer.

If you want to ride technical / rocky trails at warp speed a gravel bike is going to suck. If you hate being jostled around, or have a weak core or propensity for wrist/butt isues it's also going to suck on gravel vs a dual sus bike. 

I've tried to make my MTBs more gravel-ish, but I've come back to the good old gravel bike time and time again. I had a rigid steel MTB with light wheels and very low resistance tyres, and it still wasn't a gravel bike. 

If you're after a one-bike-quiver it's a very personal thing and very dependent on your riding style and preferences. 

Edited November 5, 2022 by TyronLab

[ChrisF]

4 hours ago, LeonvT said:

Hi Everyone,

I am in the market for a replacement bicycle after some @#£@ decided to borrow mine, permanently....and without my knowledge...

 

I need some advice on what to buy.

 over the last few years I really fell in love with cycling long gravel roads and hoping to do more 100 mailers in the future. So from that point of view I am tempted to buy a gravel bike. Then again I don't want to give up the option to go ride proper MTB trails with friends and budget does not allow to get two bikes.

 

Do any of you have some recommendations on what to buy?

 

 

 

 

You obviously know the "feel" of a MTB.

 

What experience do have with road bikes ?  Riding in the drops ?

 

I tried a gravel bike .... as a MTB'er the "road bike feel" of a gravel bike just did not do it for me.  

 

 

I now use a hardtail, with 700C50 gravel tires as my roadie.  With a MTB handlebar setup ... set slightly lower than my MTB.  

 

It works for me.

 

 

Less drag from the gravel tires on the road.  Obviously suited for more gravel than I use it for.

 

 

The only improvement to this would be two sets of tires .... 700C32 for more road rides, and a good set of MTB tires on the other.

[ACE Cycles]

You need a bike for 100 miler gravel rides and proper MTB trails with friends. A gravel bike cannot do proper MTB trails. I have a monster cross, but it still beats me up over 100 miles. My MTB, on the other hand, is almost as quick and A LOT more comfortable and capable 

[TyronLab]

On 11/5/2022 at 6:00 PM, ACE Cycles said:

You need a bike for 100 miler gravel rides and proper MTB trails with friends. A gravel bike cannot do proper MTB trails. I have a monster cross, but it still beats me up over 100 miles. My MTB, on the other hand, is almost as quick and A LOT more comfortable and capable 

As a counter point to this, when I did the Grit Cradle on my Rook Scout (with 650B 43mm and 48mm tyres) last year I took some shots, but my hands and bum were hunky dory even that evening, I rode a few days later.

Did it on a rigid MTB this year (also steel frame, same as the Rook, but with a carbon fork) with 29er x 2.35 tyres and I had large/bleeding saddle sores and some extensive nerve damage done to my hands that kept me off the bike for two weeks. I couldn't tear a piece of toilet paper for two days after finishing as I couldn't clamp down on it with enough force.

Sure, both my examples are rigid bikes, but there's more to comfort than how many mm of travel... I struggle to get comfy on flat bars on longer rides,  and I've tried a bunch.

OP, see if you can demo a gravel bike. Maybe it works for you, maybe it doesn't. Hell, the vast majority of MTBers I know shudder at the thought of riding a hardtail and think droppers are unnecessary, and mostly ride easy gravel roads at worst. So it's a personal thing.

Edited November 6, 2022 by TyronLab

[Maniax]

I love my gravel bike.  Even did the Alzu MTB race on it.  best buy ever after my roadbike was also became a compulsory community donation.

 

[Mook]

Built myself a gravel monster with a 94 Gary Fisher 26er. Rigid steel fork. Converted the 26 rim brake wheels to tubeless.

Group is Shimano 3x8 STI with cantilever rim brakes. Gravel bars up front. 

I have a 29er Carbon dual suss and a carbon Giant TCR roadbike. The 26er gravel bike is the best of em all. I could ride it all day long.

When all's said - your personal preference is king.

[MORNE]

The ‘problem’ with modern mountain bike frames i found was, sure you can make it a gravel grinder…but at some point you will get stronger and better at ploughing through the km’s and then a 32 or 34T max front chainring wont be enough for you anymore. You’ll start eating your first 2 or 3 cogs on your cassettes for breakfast since thats where you’ll live most of the time trying to go faster.

This is especially an issue on boost spec bikes…as they can mostly only take up to a 34t (maybe). my last boost hardtail was 32T max. Ideally you'd want minimum a 38T up front if it is going to live for grinding out km’s on end on a rolling gravel road. I ride 42T on my gravel bike. 

[Dexter-morgan]

My 2c, I took an "old" Moutain bike (Silverback Sola 4), slapped a ridgit fork on from Kean bikes, got 700x40C Maxxis Rambler tyres, now its my bike of choice, I think I have done 4000km on it this year. I kept the 3x gears in Front but have not yet changed from the 42 Chainwheel in front. Still kept the 10 speed Gears at the back with XT shifters,

[ACE Cycles]

3 hours ago, MORNE said:

The ‘problem’ with modern mountain bike frames i found was, sure you can make it a gravel grinder…but at some point you will get stronger and better at ploughing through the km’s and then a 32 or 34T max front chainring wont be enough for you anymore. You’ll start eating your first 2 or 3 cogs on your cassettes for breakfast since thats where you’ll live most of the time trying to go faster.

This is especially an issue on boost spec bikes…as they can mostly only take up to a 34t (maybe). my last boost hardtail was 32T max. Ideally you'd want minimum a 38T up front if it is going to live for grinding out km’s on end on a rolling gravel road. I ride 42T on my gravel bike. 

I run a 36t with a 9 at the back. Similar ratio to 40/10 or 44/11

[Bub Marley]

Just get both bikes, mate. We can debate this all year long but let’s just be honest with ourselves. We love bikes and we love multiple bikes. What I can foresee happening is you will get one bike and then shortly realise you will need the other one as well. It’s in our DNA. We will find any reason to get another bike.

 

On a serious note though. If you’re planning on doing anything technical get a mtb. If its just about  clocking miles off road on predominantly farm roads get the gravel.

 

I have my roadie and my hardtail. The idea behind hardtail over full sus was mainly because I thought I could use it for epic gravel rides which I’m hoping to do next year but at the same time I could use it on the weekends for my local trail rides. But now I’m just thinking I should just get a purpose built gravel bike for the gravel rides. It’s a never ending cycle. 

[Shebeen]

On 11/5/2022 at 11:40 AM, LeonvT said:

Hi Everyone,

I am in the market for a replacement bicycle after some @#£@ decided to borrow mine, permanently....and without my knowledge...

 

I need some advice on what to buy.

 over the last few years I really fell in love with cycling long gravel roads and hoping to do more 100 mailers in the future. So from that point of view I am tempted to buy a gravel bike. Then again I don't want to give up the option to go ride proper MTB trails with friends and budget does not allow to get two bikes.

 

Do any of you have some recommendations on what to buy?

 

 

 

There is no one perfect bike for this requirement spec.

 

a hardtail with two wheelsets is your best compromise.