Gravel Bike i.s.o Road Bike?

[Prince Albert Cycles]

22 hours ago, Paul Ruinaard said:

Lots of threads about this but the thing is its neither fish nor fowl. Its not a road bike or an off road bike. So if you are serious as a roadie it will frustrate you and unless you are on smooth dirt roads off-road an MTB is better. How old are you, how fit and how serious are you.

I still think you need to take a gravel bike out on a rutted dirt road and hit that at speed and see how it feels - it isn't good. then you will start to see that its operating window is not as an MTB nor as a road race bike. Its in-between. FUN maybe and depending on how fit and serious you are its a nice thing to have cause your fitness and strength can overcome the downsides.

Right now i have 2 sets of wheels for my Roubaix - one with a set of 38 mm gravel tires on it that allows me to get on the gravel shoulder on tight roads but i wouldn't ride it seriously down dirt roads. I also have a small ally hardtail 1 x MTB which is much better off road than the Roubaix. And MTBs and ebikes and have done all of it - CX bike, Gravel Bike etc.

Depends what you are looking to do - but its neither fish nor fowl rather something with a broad use case that allows some flexibility - however if you push it too far on either end of the spectrum it starts to show its failings

 

OP the answer to your question lies in the second paragraph 

[MORNE]

56 minutes ago, Prince Albert Cycles said:

OP the answer to your question lies in the second paragraph 

I know most gravel bikes are rigid, but@splaton here will also attest to how good redshifts goodies are at smoothing out gravel road chatter. I also realise this is a whole other can of worms but I dont want to go there right now.
I personally have the redshift seatpost too, and that 30mm odd of ‘float’ it gives you, combined with 50c - makes for a super plush ride. The best way to discribe how it feels is like the way a fatbike or something with 3” tires at 1.5bar feels without any of the drawback's in terms of rolling resistance. 
Yes it’s not a dual suspension mtb so it wont feel like a mattress, but the gearing still means a mtb wont keep up on even a slightly rougher road. That's basically why I got one, i did a lot of gravel road riding on my hardtail by then…but got annoyed about spinning like a madman at around 35kph with a 32T ring in the front…and most modern boost spaced frames are limited to 32T…..maybe 34T up front. (1x)

If you are, or when you get strong enough for it to become an annoyance, you’ll know the limitations of your mtb in that regard. You’ll pass them like a bags of bricks with road/gravelbike gearing.I have 42T/11-42T mine, and it lets me go most places, fast enough.

 

[Sepia]

As Morne says.  

I have the same setup with a Brooks.  no complaints and....I am old and grumpy.

Edited January 29, 2023 by Sepia

[splat]

Yep. that Redshift stem is good at taking the sting out of the rougher roads. 
Not cheap when you discover the price, but the value is there when you feel it working for you.

The C17 saddle that I got from @MORNE  also has a bit of give, so helps absorb some shock before traveling up my spine.

[NotSoBigBen]

Just another two comments then I'm done ...

Teling people you have an MTB, gravel and road bike doesn't really help the OP

If you're spending a lot of effort and by definition money to make your gravel bike more comfortable then it's probably not the right bike for what you ride ... there are better options for YOU

It's for gravel roads not trails or blimmin XC/DH tracks!

 

I take my coat and my hat

[ChrisF]

8 hours ago, MORNE said:

I know most gravel bikes are rigid, but@splaton here will also attest to how good redshifts goodies are at smoothing out gravel road chatter. I also realise this is a whole other can of worms but I dont want to go there right now.
I personally have the redshift seatpost too, and that 30mm odd of ‘float’ it gives you, combined with 50c - makes for a super plush ride. The best way to discribe how it feels is like the way a fatbike or something with 3” tires at 1.5bar feels without any of the drawback's in terms of rolling resistance. 
Yes it’s not a dual suspension mtb so it wont feel like a mattress, but the gearing still means a mtb wont keep up on even a slightly rougher road. That's basically why I got one, i did a lot of gravel road riding on my hardtail by then…but got annoyed about spinning like a madman at around 35kph with a 32T ring in the front…and most modern boost spaced frames are limited to 32T…..maybe 34T up front. (1x)

If you are, or when you get strong enough for it to become an annoyance, you’ll know the limitations of your mtb in that regard. You’ll pass them like a bags of bricks with road/gravelbike gearing.I have 42T/11-42T mine, and it lets me go most places, fast enough.

 

 

@MORNE is SPOT ON with his comment regarding spinning out on a MTB, and the gravel bike having a few more gears.

 

My hardtail has 42C gravel tyres on, with a 38 ring and 11 at the back.  At the Winelands race I was spinning out and Morne came past me like I was looking for parking !!

 

 

@Prince Albert Cycles is also spot on with his comment about TESTING a gravel bike on corrugated roads.  As nice as it must be on a good freshly graded gravel road, I have been on badly corrugated gravel roads with my dual suspension where it felt like the fillings were rattling out of my teeth ......  Thus my hardtail serving as my gravel bike is only used on short sections of good gravel, just to link to the next tar.  Also handy on some roads with no tarred shoulder, if the gravel shoulder is good I get off the tar.   This is actually how I caught up to Morne at the Winelands race - when the bunch slowed down on the next hill I hopped onto the gravel shoulder and passed the slower riders.  Very handy to have the option ....

[cadenceblur]

Enjoying this thread 

I have a hard tail that I’m toying with the idea of converting to a more off-road / road friendly option. 
it’s used mostly for commuting as I like the option of being able to use a pavement if needed. Already have a rigid fork fitted, will switch out the tyres at point and eventually the bars. 
That will take some money though but as will need shifters and converters for the brakes etc.

The frame takes a 40 upfront paired with an 11-42 so works well for the purpose at present

Edited January 29, 2023 by cadenceblur

[MORNE]

1 hour ago, ChrisF said:

 

@MORNE is SPOT ON with his comment regarding spinning out on a MTB, and the gravel bike having a few more gears.

 

My hardtail has 42C gravel tyres on, with a 38 ring and 11 at the back.  At the Winelands race I was spinning out and Morne came past me like I was looking for parking !

😂except on the pass when you summoned the juice of that ebike and passed the whole group on the left…on the gravel shoulder haha. Should have heard the chirps. Ive done that too though.  They love pushing you into the gutter..until you reject their reality and pass them IN the gutter. 😅

Edited January 29, 2023 by MORNE