New to Gravel racing - Help needed please

[splat]

5 hours ago, Bub Marley said:

I got to say Im still confused about this whole gravel bike phenomena.

 

The thing now is to get a gravel bike and then fit the widest tyres possible. Some bikes even allow you to fit a 650 wheel with even wider tyres. Surely going this route kinda defeats the whole purpose of a gravel bike. The only benefit i can actually see is having drop handlebars over flats and even this limits your handling if the terrain is just a bit sketchy.

How much faster would a gravel bike be compared to an XC hardtail on a straight, flat road? Does this benefit actually outweigh all the other advantages you’d get with a hardtail?

I’ve never ridden a gravel bike before so genuinely curious.

I have a road bike and a heavy dual suspension 29'er MTB. It didn't make sense to buy a hard tail and then gravel it up, so went straight for a steel GG to fill the gap in between. Touring on the MTB is comfortable, but also a tad cumbersome and I cant fit touring bags. I am not into racing GG events, so that wasn't a consideration when building it up. I take my GG road riding and on dirt roads, but don't go mountain biking as I have a bike specifically for that.
Its not a road bike and not a mountain bike, but it fills the gap between that with a bit of overlap on both. Its almost the best and worst of both.
If I could only have one bike, it would be my GG.

[betaboy]

7 hours ago, Cardio Goth said:

Some observations from personal experience:

A gravel bike with 38 - 45mm tyres on a mixed surface ride (tar & smooth-ish gravel) will be faster and less effort than a hardtail any day. I did The Rift race, which was 90% gravel, some of it chunky, with plenty of minor corrugations, and a gravel bike was perfect for it. On flat tar or smoothish gravel, a gravel bike is a lot faster than a hardtail. 

Once the surface starts getting chunkier or looser, gravel bikes stop inspiring confidence, for me at least, and start slowing down, especially when descending. In these circumstances, a hard tail will likely be faster and will definitely be more comfortable and reassuring. I have a route near my house that I ride quite regularly and some of the sections are chunky and loose - I've ridden it on a gravel bike and a hardtail, and every time I ride those sections on a gravel bike I wish I was on a hardtail, but I'm faster over the whole route on a gravel bike.

For bikepacking, I'm leaning towards using a hardtail unless the surfaces are really predictable - a fully loaded gravel bike on chunky or corrugated terrain is uncomfortable and slow, and mountain bike gearing makes climbing with a loaded bike that much easier. I'm not sure you'll be faster, in fact you probably won't, but you'll be more comfortable. I'm doing the Rad Race 96 Hours next month and although it's a gravel race, I'm going to do it on a hardtail with 2.2" tyres, rather than my gravel bike for the reasons above - I've debated this choice endlessly but that's my reasoning.

Love you hear about your Rift experience! It sold out this year so quickly!

[Cardio Goth]

7 minutes ago, betaboy said:

Love you hear about your Rift experience! It sold out this year so quickly!

Without derailing this thread too much, it was epic. It was my first race and a really big, hard day out for me, but the scenery and the vibe meant it wasn't a suffer fest. There's a good reason it sells out - it's something else. 

[Cardio Goth]

On 5/10/2023 at 9:40 AM, Cardio Goth said:

I bought a Sonder Confucius bar (https://eu.alpkit.com/products/sonder-confucius) and a set of SQLabs Inner Bar Ends and am going to test both (not together) over the next few weeks.

I did a relatively flat, windy 110km ride over the weekend, mainly on gravel, and the different grip options the Confucius bar offered really made a difference, plus it also adds more mounting points for lights etc, but it does add weight.

I haven't tried the SQLabs Inner Bar Ends yet, but they are very light and I've heard a lot of good things about them. I'll try them this weekend.

I tested out the SQLabs Inner Bar Ends today on a flat 150+km mixed gravel/path route today - they were pretty good. I managed to maintain a decent pace (for me) and really appreciated the comfort that they offered. They didn't offer as many different positions as the Confucius bar, but they weigh a lot less, so they make for a compelling alternative.

I found that they were a very intuitive and natural go-to grip alternative on the flats or in headwinds. They also offer access to your brakes like you're riding on the hoods on drop bars, even if they're not as aero as the most aero grip option that the Confucius or Farr aero bar offer. Unfortunately, they're don't make your hardtail feel like a gravel bike, but hey..

[Bub Marley]

5 minutes ago, Cardio Goth said:

I tested out the SQLabs Inner Bar Ends today on a flat 150+km mixed gravel/path route today - they were pretty good. I managed to maintain a decent pace (for me) and really appreciated the comfort that they offered. They didn't offer as many different positions as the Confucius bar, but they weigh a lot less, so they make for a compelling alternative.

I found that they were a very intuitive and natural go-to grip alternative on the flats or in headwinds. They also offer access to your brakes like you're riding on the hoods on drop bars, even if they're not as aero as the most aero grip option that the Confucius or Farr aero bar offer. Unfortunately, they're don't make your hardtail feel like a gravel bike, but hey..

I opted for the Farr aero bolt on. Went for a small tester today and I’m quite happy with it. Will definitely come handy on long flat sections. Is ridiculously expensive for such a small part but what can you do. 

[Cardio Goth]

2 minutes ago, Bub Marley said:

I opted for the Farr aero bolt on. Went for a small tester today and I’m quite happy with it. Will definitely come handy on long flat sections. Is ridiculously expensive for such a small part but what can you do. 

I'll try them next!

[eala]

I was also skeptical about the gravel bike thing. I found a Spez Roubaix and put 35mm gravel tires on it .Now i find that it has become my go to bike .I have had pinch flats with the 32mm previously and like all other gravel riders i need to go wider tire .That means a proper gravel bike with 40 to 45 mm tires .Spez Diverge you are looking so hansome !!!!

[MongooseMan]

5 minutes ago, eala said:

I was also skeptical about the gravel bike thing. I found a Spez Roubaix and put 35mm gravel tires on it .Now i find that it has become my go to bike .I have had pinch flats with the 32mm previously and like all other gravel riders i need to go wider tire .That means a proper gravel bike with 40 to 45 mm tires .Spez Diverge you are looking so hansome !!!!

I will say, my 2019 Diverge with 38mm Pathfinder Pros, in anything other than muddy slop, is an absolute dream to ride. The Futureshock stem eats most corrugations for breakfast. I've been really impressed by it.

[Kom]

Haven’t seen any commentary here on rider weight. 
 

Gravel bike enjoyment=blend of: tyre diameter, any cool tech for seat and hand resonance/vibration absorption, gearing, technical skill minus the riders shape/fitness.

 Controversial comment, but much above 90kgs @ 1.8m rider weight/height, i would not recommend a gravel bike for our ZA  district roads.

 Ive personally carried a range of weight on around the pot from 83-95kgs and can tell you it’s night and day on the same bike.

[MongooseMan]

4 minutes ago, Kom said:

Haven’t seen any commentary here on rider weight. 
 

Gravel bike enjoyment=blend of: tyre diameter, any cool tech for seat and hand resonance/vibration absorption, gearing, technical skill minus the riders shape/fitness.

 Controversial comment, but much above 90kgs @ 1.8m rider weight/height, i would not recommend a gravel bike for our ZA  district roads.

 Ive personally carried a range of weight on around the pot from 83-95kgs and can tell you it’s night and day on the same bike.

The difference in opinion between @Kom and myself on gravel bikes might give you a clue as to who I purchased my Diverge from 🤣

[Kom]

8 minutes ago, Kom said:

Haven’t seen any commentary here on rider weight. 
 

Gravel bike enjoyment=blend of: tyre diameter, any cool tech for seat and hand resonance/vibration absorption, gearing, technical skill minus the riders shape/fitness.

 Controversial comment, but much above 90kgs @ 1.8m rider weight/height, i would not recommend a gravel bike for our ZA  district roads.

 Ive personally carried a range of weight on around the pot from 83-95kgs and can tell you it’s night and day on the same bike.

Pasting my segment times for the first 100km between 2018 and 2019 at around the pot, 45 min difference and 4kmh difference in average speed:

 

[Shebeen]

11 minutes ago, MongooseMan said:

The difference in opinion between @Kom and myself on gravel bikes might give you a clue as to who I purchased my Diverge from 🤣

i won't ask who weighs what then!

 

 

6 minutes ago, Kom said:

Pasting my segment times for the first 100km between 2018 and 2019 at around the pot, 45 min difference and 4kmh difference in average speed:

 

there could be many reasons for that, anecdote is an anecdote. BUT ride the bike you think works best!

[Kom]

3 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

i won't ask who weighs what then!

 

 

there could be many reasons for that, anecdote is an anecdote. BUT ride the bike you think works best!

Yeah fair point, another concept not mentioned in the thread is actually how fun/gratifying a gravel bike can be, irrespective of speed/performance 

[Mark6363]

5 hours ago, Kom said:

Haven’t seen any commentary here on rider weight. 
 

Gravel bike enjoyment=blend of: tyre diameter, any cool tech for seat and hand resonance/vibration absorption, gearing, technical skill minus the riders shape/fitness.

 Controversial comment, but much above 90kgs @ 1.8m rider weight/height, i would not recommend a gravel bike for our ZA  district roads.

 Ive personally carried a range of weight on around the pot from 83-95kgs and can tell you it’s night and day on the same bike.

84kg and 1.86m. All the feedback and inputs have been really good - thanks. In the end, slapped on some innerbarends ( tested and so far so good) and going to have some fun tomorrow as a training ride on the hardtail. Being the first gravel race/ride, who knows, if the bug bites, there seems to be options before the Around the pot.

[dasilvarsa]

On 5/19/2023 at 8:37 AM, Kom said:

Yeah fair point, another concept not mentioned in the thread is actually how fun/gratifying a gravel bike can be, irrespective of speed/performance 

Love Them until you hit Ruts.

[Kom]

On 5/19/2023 at 2:17 PM, Mark6363 said:

84kg and 1.86m. All the feedback and inputs have been really good - thanks. In the end, slapped on some innerbarends ( tested and so far so good) and going to have some fun tomorrow as a training ride on the hardtail. Being the first gravel race/ride, who knows, if the bug bites, there seems to be options before the Around the pot.

How did you go?