New to Gravel racing - Help needed please

[Bub Marley]

I’m also thinking of doing this race and will do it on a hardtail c XC bike. Mainly because I cannot afford a gravel bike nor do I have the space for it so for me the XC hardtail allows me to do both gravel and trails. 
 

im thinking of getting one of those Farr clip on aero bars for gravel events. Will allow me to get slightly more aero on the long Flat district roads. Any thoughts on this?

[Mongoose!]

On 5/8/2023 at 5:12 PM, no calves said:

Back in the 26" days Vredenstein used to make a Killer Bee tread. those things were ridiculous... I was freewheeling away from people I my slip coming into Hankey on Transbaviaans

haha  I still have a brand-new unused set. still waiting for the right moment (and bike - as I don't have a 26er anymore) to use it🙂

[guidodg]

8Kgs without pedals...I really do NOT miss drop bars

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by guidodg

[Zebra]

I have some experience with SQLabs INNER bar ends on a MTB, for a better aero position on the longer road/dirt section,nand they work EXTREMELY well for their intended purposes, and I can reach brake/operate gearing without moving my hands.

I come from a time-trial / tri background decades back, and these little grips come close, unbelievably, to a sweet body position, have just ordered a 2 nd set, for another bike.

edit: as I said on here earlier, the inner bar-ends feel quite close to the hands-on -the-hoods position experienced on drop bar bikes, and THAT is a comfortable - and Aero- position -on say a hard tail bike, etc.

https://bermstyle.com/review-sq-lab-innerbarends-411/
 

Chris

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by Zebra
Clarity

[splat]

Now that I have a gravel bike, I can comment on a few things.

One: They are terrible on corrugated roads. But a dual suspension 29'er is not a magic carpet ride either. So  corrugated roads are either really *** or really bad (depending on your bike), but never great . A Redshift shockstop stem is helpful on the GG.

Two: If you get a gravel bike, ride the widest tyres you can.  45mm Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H has worked well for me.

Three: If you are thinking of getting a gravel bike and are talking about gearing etc, remember that they come in 1x and 2x versions. And the 1x could be a 10-42 or a 10-52 cassette, so wide range there which you can play with by changing the front ring. I ride a 2x11 with 11-40 cassette and reckon that is brilliant.

[Bub Marley]

1 hour ago, Zebra said:

I have some experience with SQLabs INNER bar ends on a MTB, for a better aero position on the longer road/dirt section,nand they work EXTREMELY well for their intended purposes, and I can reach brake/operate gearing without moving my hands.

I come from a time-trial / tri background decades back, and these little grips come close, unbelievably, to a sweet body position, have just ordered a 2 nd set, for another bike.

edit: as I said on here earlier, the inner bar-ends feel quite close to the hands-on -the-hoods position experienced on drop bar bikes, and THAT is a comfortable - and Aero- position -on say a hard tail bike, etc.

https://bermstyle.com/review-sq-lab-innerbarends-411/
 

Chris

 

Where can I buy this?

[Zebra]

17 minutes ago, Bub Marley said:

Where can I buy this?

I buy them from Olympic Cycles, since there is a SA importer who supplies cycle shops, but whilst many cycle shops stock saddles and their grips, etc, sometimes these inner ends need to be requested to be ordered in, etc.

Cheers

Chris

[Cardio Goth]

11 hours ago, Bub Marley said:

I’m also thinking of doing this race and will do it on a hardtail c XC bike. Mainly because I cannot afford a gravel bike nor do I have the space for it so for me the XC hardtail allows me to do both gravel and trails. 
 

im thinking of getting one of those Farr clip on aero bars for gravel events. Will allow me to get slightly more aero on the long Flat district roads. Any thoughts on this?

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.

[Bub Marley]

20 minutes ago, Zebra said:

I buy them from Olympic Cycles, since there is a SA importer who supplies cycle shops, but whilst many cycle shops stock saddles and their grips, etc, sometimes these inner ends need to be requested to be ordered in, etc.

Cheers

Chris

Thanks. I see melovelo has them as well. Much cheaper as well compared to Farr although with the latter you’re probably more aero as your hands are further inwards.

[Mongoose!]

8 minutes ago, Bub Marley said:

Thanks. I see melovelo has them as well. Much cheaper as well compared to Farr although with the latter you’re probably FEEL more aero as your hands are further inwards.

rectified  😎 

[B20]

On 5/8/2023 at 9:27 AM, Mark6363 said:

Hi - Currently have an aero road bike and XC Carbon MTB. (Trek Pro caliber). The MTB is used for a short gravel road near the house, before going onto tar. (basically a training bike)

Have entered the Rhonde Van Riebek (50 mile) and the Around the pot 100 mile.

I know from previous pictures that a lot of people use MTBs' for gravel in SA, but wanted to know from anyone who has done these rides before, what the gravel road is like.. ie Is it more suitable for a gravel bike vs MTB? From what I understand, if the gravel is "hard", gravel bike is faster and has more comfort for hand positions vs MTB more comfortable with front suspension.

If gravel is the way, looking between the Trek Checkpoint AL 5 (2 x set up) or Specialized Sport ( Carbon 1 x set up)?

Also, I tried to read up on gearing, and it appears that if you use a gravel bike on road and gravel, a 2 x set up is better? Thoughts and inputs would be really helpful.

I bought a Trek Checkpoint SL5 in Jan 23 but fitted 1 x AXS and Zipp 303's. I am not a great cyclist by a longway, but this bike is so comfortable especially with extra thick bar tape. I enjoy it more than my S-Works Epic. 

I live in the Boland and often ride the gravel roads around Riebeeck Wes, Paarl and W/ton. (Will see you at the Ronde) She handles the gravel roads with ease and no discomfort. Yes there are corrigations, but they don't last to long (road dependent).

Be as it may, a hardtail, narrow tyres and large chainring will also work.

Edited May 10, 2023 by B20

[Bub Marley]

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.

[NotSoBigBen]

18 minutes 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 had this long thing typed out then my phone went haywire so let's try again ... I have found its a bit of a lottery of whether it's better or not, depends on the route, the intentions of the organizer etc. In a race touted as a proper gravel route like the GT100 held here in Jozi south then it's certainly a better option. At Race 2 the Sun I was quicker on my gravel bike than those I regularly ride with on their MTB's

At the Circus100 an all comers welcome but gravel race an MTB was better ... then there was a race held by the 'Pink Flamingos' or something like that from Troyeville that was for Gravel bikes only that was certainly, too my mind anyway,  not ideal for gravel bikes

On tar and good to fair gravel in my humble weekend 'worrier' experience a gravel bike whips any MTB's backside

I ride it because I like to ride a variety of different bikes and try where possible to use the right weapon on the day ... no I don't always get it right

[BuffsVintageBikes]

IMHO, Gravel bikes work great when you can only own one bike. It's pretty much a "Jack of all trades but master of nothing" kind of bike and it certainly has it's place. I've taken mine on some very long road rides and some extremely gnarly mtb routes. It survived them all but it wasn't a particularly fun experience. I've also toured with it and often do some great gravel rides around Riebeek West area as well and there it excels.

 

 

[dasilvarsa]

On 5/8/2023 at 4:41 PM, Nico van Loggerenberg said:

Personally, if you want to make an MTB faster don't bother with narrower tyres. Nino rides 2.4" mostly and he seems pretty fast to me. Rather focus on getting fast tyres, as in, low rolling resistance. Think Thunder Burt, RaceKing, etc. Secondly, get your position down low and narrower. Speed is determined more by tyre rolling resistance and aero issues than by tyre width or suspension to the best of my knowledge. 

Nino runs on Maxxis Aspen (Specially made for him "of course")

[Cardio Goth]

1 hour 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.

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.