It’ll be easy to convince them that they need a disc road bike with tubeless tires. The larger step from the 42t to 50t cog throws off the average, but this extra massive cog allows for even lower gearing for the steepest climbs. It reduces the impact to your body, and makes a huge difference in helping to control the wheels – meaning more traction and the ability to hold the desired line. So if gravel bikes are effectively where mountain bikes came from, then why not just pick a modern mountain bike? From gravel bikes for mountain bike trails to time trial gravel machines, you’ll find anything you can think of in the gravel universe. Gravel bikes have grown in popularity for their ability to mimic the efficiency of a road bike while adding versatility for where they can be ridden. Concernant les pneumatiques, le gravel est doté, selon les modèles, de pneus typés cyclo-cross allant de 36 mm à 45 mm. My fastest brevets were on the Domane (not by much). Equally, if all I wanted to do was explore long lost roads, then I really wouldn’t want to be stuck on a hardtail that would make the terrain feel dull. Le gravel bike est équipé de freins à disques pour un freinage plus sûr et précis même en temps de pluie. The difference in rider position can be huge, too. I clearly have to adjust my perceptions. In a typical scenario, riding off-road is a little difficult for some people to handle. How did we test? Some of the climbing segments are faster. De nombreuses courses de gravel y sont d'ailleurs organisées. The push on e-bikes was the first clue gravel had already peaked, just as ‘cross had a few years earlier. (The more upright position may be more comfortable, especially for long rides, but this applies to road bikes just as much as it does to gravel bikes.). It is great that road bikes and gravel bikes are good at different things. Below that, my 38mm Extralights rolled great. All 700c. Q factor: Many ‘gravel’ cranks are very wide (above). I personally feel like being above 6 foot tall that 700c wheels are much better than 650b. Sedona is known as a pretty rough and raw mountain bike destination, and the roads are clearly made for cars. It gets these often-divided sides partying together and experiencing a new form of cycling. How much slower will a set of 35mm tires be than the standard 23mm on a road bike? They’ll be more likely to stay engaged and become life-long cyclists. Le gravel bike (littéralement traduit par "vélo de gravier") vient des Etats-Unis où ce type de vélos correspond parfaitement à la traversée des grands espaces sur pistes en gravier. (Due to carbon’s lower density, you need wider chainstays on a carbon bike. The rest of us know that swapping the heavy, stiff ‘gravel’ tires for a set of supple, fast-rolling tires will make your gravel bike as fast as a road bike. Here we go again. But taking that a bit off-road, are there actually any real aero gravel gains to be had in the fatter-tire, lower average speed world of gravel bike riding & racing? The length of time ‘pedalling’ above 35 km/h will be a small percentage of most rides. If you are running a more standard racing tire, like the Continental GP 5000 (221 g), the difference to the 48 mm-wide tires shrinks to just 384 g. And you get some of that weight back, because the smaller 650B rims and shorter spokes weigh a bit less. Maintaining an average speed of 25 km/h (15.5 mph) on a mountain bike, over rocky and technical terrain, would put you in a very elite category. Subscribe Drum rollers seem to deform tires more, making less supple tires appear slower (less efficient) The casing is pushed into a more extreme shape by the diameter of the roller. What about rider fatigue? No difference to speed or handling when I changed fork from carbon to steel. If the subtle differences between riding position and gearing aren’t enough, then the argument of suspension is a topic that just hurts my head. And as long as there wasn’t far to go before hitting the trails, then the mountain bike was my preferred choice for exploring what the trails offered. As you’ve mentioned before, skinny high pressure tires feel faster because they don’t deform over every bump and transmit every vibration to the rider. Often but not always with ‘guards & lights. It’s not. Lynskey: rigid, rugged, manœuvrable. this sensation feels faster to the rider. The particular gravel bike I had was too long and slack. Mine is as fast or faster than my road racing bike, better on gravel than any “gravel” bike, and also makes a better commuter than any “commuter” bike. There is also a massive difference between an average speed of 15 and an average speed of 20 as the increased effort is exponential. There is no reason why a gravel bike couldn’t use the same riding position as a racing bike (above). Yes less aerodynamic steel bike with round tubes and wider tires IS slower than proper carbon aero bike with aero shaped tubes, aero wheels and 28mm tires. For example, have you ever seen a wind vane stay totally steady in any kind of breeze? The 100 mm Cannondale Lefty fitted to the front of our Unno was a prime example of the control suspension adds, and where the front wheel would be bounced uncontrollably and dangerously through rocky sections while on a rigid gravel bike, the Unno just laughed it off and begged for more. You’ll still get plenty of gears for most road riding, but you won’t have quite enough high gears for when the speeds gets very fast, like 26 mph to 30 mph or faster. The higher rolling resistance is due to the tire’s casing, not its width. colour: desert´n´black. By contrast, the fast and open terrain was slower and almost lame on our Unno Aora mountain bike, at least until the dedicated trails began. If it also has space for a large frame bag in which I can stash my camping stove and a luxurious dinner, all the better. Not unlike a road bike, a gravel bike prioritises pedalling efficiency with the assumption that the wheels will roll over the terrain they’re pointing at. Broadly speaking, a gravel bike borrows from the road with an extended reach that has you pivot your hips. For loaded touring or more trail riding a 40t or 38t chainring can make sense while more road-biased riders have gone as high as 46t. The (very small) increase in wind resistance of the wider tires is compensated by a (very small) decrease in rolling resistance. And clearly there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had by under-biking yourself on tamer trails. (As speeds increase, wind resistance matters more, so it’s possible that at time trial speeds, narrow tires are a little faster. Of course, the use of wider mountain-bike-like 650B tyres on gravel bikes completely confuses this argument, but equally, it helps to show why such tyres are not the ideal choice for riding extended sections of tarmac and smooth dirt. The issue with suspension is that it adds weight, complexity and cost to the bike. Domane: very comfortable—even on rough dirt. Global Cycling Networks even did some – admittedly unscientific – testing: They ran a set of racing tires and a set of gravel tires. The complexity comes in the form of having to design the geometry around the additional height of a telescoping fork. Could it be that the little accelerations needed to grab the wheel after being on the front are a tiny bit harder than on a bike with narrow light tyres and at the limit this is enough to mean you are dropped, which then makes a big difference to your speed. At first glance not that different from a cyclocross bike, gravel bikes are actually distinct – and often closer to an endurance road bike. Five bikes in one! The 2kg weight saving isn’t even worth 5 minutes on the longest climb (2.5 hours). More and more gravel racers agree: When gravel... read more, I mostly talk about our projects in this blog, including products we develop at Compass Bicycles, but rarely discuss... read more. Why the bike biz folks don’t create a “Got milk?” type of marketing scheme to appeal to potential new customers is a mystery to me. above are plenty light.). Are you using different wheels on the same bike? Gravel bikes are coming down in price, but people are paying for premium technology so that they can be a little faster in adverse conditions. Best of all, gravel bikes are the most versatile drop bar bikes going and the antidote to the N+1 theory of bike ownership. Perhaps this was a relatively early ‘all-road’ bike, I have two sets of wheels: Yes heavier bike is slower. I may keep the wheels; they will cut through a muddy CX course if nothing else, but when I return to the twisty, undulating terrain of the UK/Ireland with unpredictable weather I will be going back to bigger tyres and mudguards! The perfect bikepacking bike should be able to corner aggressively and accelerate efficiently, whether on asphalt or gravel. Am I keeping it? The rolling hills of the Cotswolds are not the same as the Scottish highlands.So hearing from someone else that their average is, say, 20 miles per hour, means very little if you don't know where they are riding.Some areas are naturally and frequently exposed to high winds. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. I don’t feel slow on my Rat Trap Pass tires ! I’m curious about others experiences. I need more data before I can be definitive, but, despite my perceptions, it seems that a steel bike with fat tyres, heavier than my carbon and titanium bikes, and with a big box under the handlebars, has made no difference to my overall speed, and may have increased it. Speed is safe – and fun! These are questions we’ve pondered as gravel bikes have risen in popularity, and something we wanted to answer while at our inaugural Field Test in Sedona, Arizona. In a group I find it hard to move with any surges. But a gravel bike is better suited to everywhere trails are not. After 2200 miles on my gravel bike this year, my average speed was 19.3 MPH compared to an average speed of 20.3 MPH for 5000 miles last year on a steel road bike. In my experience, even in fast group rides – like the early stages of this year’s PBP – I have no problems keeping up on my Rene Herse with 650B x 42s. The GCN tests are merely reinforcing conventional wisdom, and uses flawed assumptions. We found tarmac, gravel roads and even plenty of scenic trails that were all exceptionally enjoyable to ride with dropbars. A heartfelt thank you for your efforts to communicate the benefits of wider tires! Handling felt cumbersome. Paris Roubaix is out of my league, but that said, my local roads aren’t getting any better. Hi Used for commuting, brevets, and bike packing tours on rough & gravelly roads. So often we joke that gravel bikes are just old mountain bikes from a time that’s now in the rearview mirror. All of that is a worthwhile trade-off if you’re predominately riding off-road, but it becomes an obvious nuisance when it’s an unneeded feature. How do you test a bike like Mitch Pryor's latest MAP All-Road? The contenders are Cannondale Topstone Carbon, Canyon Grail CF SLX, Specialized Diverge Comp 2021, and titanium Enigma Escape (my own build). A Specialized Crux would probably have felt massively better also, but allowed wider tyres (still no useful mounts). Gravel and Cyclocross Bikes Check out our amazing range of cyclocross bikes at Evans Cycles if you are after unrivalled versatility in a no-nonsense, traditional package. With gravel rides matching distances that are done on the road, it’s unsurprising that there are serious gains to be had in both comfort and speed … Thank you for sharing the observation. Clearly there’s a lot of ambiguity in this topic. on Youtube. Aero is VERY IMPORTANT for an aeroplane flying at 500 kilometres an hour, not your average cyclist riding between 20-35 kph. Litespeed Watia Any terrain. Fun, but a handful, to ride on deep gravel. Also, I've considered a gravel bike, such as the Kona Rove or Salsa Vaya which would be a little more upright and wide tires. Base Build: Critical Cycles has made it easy for most shoppers on a budget by devising an uncomplicated wonder that can go for ages without requiring maintenance. BQ’s wind tunnel tests measured the rider, too. The suspension is only a part of the control and comfort package. The bike frame never determines how fast someone is. Another way to look at it... A bike frame weighs 4-6lbs. Probably not for long. 2020 BMC URS Three gravel bike review: Ground broken, 2020 Marin Gestalt X10 gravel bike review: The wheelie machine, Bikes of the Bunch: Unno Aora, the world’s lightest mountain bike frame, 2020 Giant XTC Advanced SL 29 1 hardtail review: fast as, Specialized overhauls Epic HT: A 790g hardtail mountain bike frame. Gravel bikes have now truly opened up a new genre that fills the gap between lightweight mountain bikes and road bikes. read more, Compass has long championed the use of "road" tires on gravel. For the rest of us, bikes like the sub-17-pound Open U.P.P.E.R. That is why aero bars and the aero tuck work so well, and why even just lowering your stem by 20 mm does more than a set of aero wheels. To add to the 12 gravel bikes we tested, we brought along what’s arguably the nicest and most efficient hardtail mountain bike money can buy: an Unno Aora. Even as a best-case scenario, a short travel fork like the Lefty still gives up 900 g – and that’s with a significant price tag, too. Differences in airflow over tire and rim can be measured in the wind tunnel, but the effect is very small compared to the overall wind resistance of bike and rider. But, but, but … my overall average speed is more or less the same, and my times on the few Strava segments I check are too. A complete bike weighs 25lbs. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Any conditions. (If you are the type who notices whether your water bottle is half-full or totally empty, then the weight difference may matter to you. But my overall average speeds on these bikes on commutes, brevets, tours, &c on asphalt & gravel, were more or less the same. And it’s this stark difference in speed that has perhaps helped define the design differences between modern gravel and mountain bikes. 1.049,- € Cube Nuroad Race greyblue´n´orange. Since 2012, I’ve had a Lynskey ProCross CX bike on 32 or 35 mm tyres, and a 2016 Trek Domane on 32 mm (before that I had steel touring bikes). 650b or 27.5in comes to us from touring bikes… On the other side, mountain bike terrain has only gotten more challenging over the years, and bikes have progressed to keep pace with this. Let’s put them on all-road bikes, where they’ll have more fun than on (slow) mountain or (uncomfortable) road bikes. However, if you’re in the market for one of these bikes, this can be just as much a curse as it is a blessing! That is why we coined the term all-road bikes and don’t call them ‘gravel’ bikes. That said, I’d be lying if I didn’t lust after that mountain bike for the trails that surrounded our accommodation. I have several bikes including my loved and very versalite 10,5+ kg Cannondale slate with 650b 42mm tires and dropper and 7kg carbon race bike. Weight: Wider tires are heavier than narrow ones, but not by much. 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