The difference in rider position can be huge, too. Rather, the freshly painted line on the dirt road is related to the amount of suspension. Global Cycling Networks even did some – admittedly unscientific – testing: They ran a set of racing tires and a set of gravel tires. The GCN tests are merely reinforcing conventional wisdom, and uses flawed assumptions. One of the most obsolete post in your great blog! I enjoyed riding so much that I'm now using that bike for longer tours (60-100km at 20km/h average speed, 1500m elevation) and also shorter rides (35km at 25km/h average speed, 350m elevation ). Five bikes in one! As previously covered in our grading gravel feature, not all-terrain – or even people’s perception of that terrain – is equal. We found tarmac, gravel roads and even plenty of scenic trails that were all exceptionally enjoyable to ride with dropbars. Is a light, cross-country hardtail MTB the ideal gravel bike? Or do gravel bikes truly fill a gap in the market that the progression of mountain bikes has left empty? I don’t feel slow on my Rat Trap Pass tires ! In turn, your glutes are more easily recruited to the task of pedalling, and so you can, in theory, pedal with greater efficiency. A complete bike weighs 25lbs. 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. Probably not for long. Q factor: Many ‘gravel’ cranks are very wide (above). Rather than trying to fill the garages of those who already ride, we should bring potential cyclists into the sport. 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. Hunt Bike Wheels was one of the first to quantify more likely real-world aero gains with the wider 28mm tires many roadies ride (and race) these days in their Limitless ‘ fastest road wheel ‘ project. (Remember: the component of velocity when calculating drag is always squared). It gets these often-divided sides partying together and experiencing a new form of cycling. Litespeed Watia Any terrain. For most of us, mortals, speed on bike is secondary. I have been running the 700×35 Compass/Herse tires on my bike for multiple years. 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. (Due to carbon’s lower density, you need wider chainstays on a carbon bike. Sedona is known as a pretty rough and raw mountain bike destination, and the roads are clearly made for cars. For example, have you ever seen a wind vane stay totally steady in any kind of breeze? I run moderate aero wheels with 28mm tyres. 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. Many gravel bikes these days have a 1x (single chainring) set up in the front. Taking the increasing speed of gravel riding and racing alone, the evidence for the importance of aerodynamics was clear. So often we joke that gravel bikes are just old mountain bikes from a time that’s now in the rearview mirror. 2020 CyclingTips Gravel Bike Field Test: Is MTB geometry good for gravel? 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! The 2kg weight saving isn’t even worth 5 minutes on the longest climb (2.5 hours). I won’t pretend that a gravel bike is the better option for going fast on flowing singletrack, bombing a rough firetrail, or tackling a mountain bike marathon race. Pick what, how, and where you want to ride. Likewise, the single chainring they’re set up with assumes you’ll be conquering some incredibly steep and loose terrain at lower speeds, and not pedalling midpack in a road group. This is the very first time when I had the opportunity to test at the same time 4 very interesting gravel bikes. 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. Gravel Bikes Sort: Cube Nuroad Pro desert´n´black. The position of a mountain bike is fairly fixed, while a dropbar offers up multiple hand (and body) positions to help swap things up on longer rides. 650b or 27.5in comes to us from touring bikes… Or different bikes? 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. How do you test a bike like Mitch Pryor's latest MAP All-Road? Instead, they keep trying the old strategy of selling bikes to those who already have plenty. Aero? The cornering is quick, precise, and great in the wet. On the bright side, it feels a bit light for a gravel bike made of steel. I look forward to running 42 mm tyres when I know I’ll always be on gravel. Road cranks rarely have Q factors of more than 150 mm. A gravel bike will of course still allow you to conquer terrain that sits at either extreme of our scale, but arguably it’ll need a change of tyres or wheelset in order to excel at one or the other. I love riding on babyshoe pass 42mm tyres, and I don’t notice any difference in speed for solo riding. We also seek unbiased evaluations from experienced riders who... read more, We've experienced a profound revolution in road bikes in recent years: It used to be that to go fast,... read more, When we presented the new René Herse cranks last week, a number of people wondered whether they would be... read more, When the Australian Matt Hayman won the European Paris-Roubaix race yesterday, it came as a huge surprise to everybody, including... read more, [youtube https://youtu.be/MBUSuXHhsBQ?rel=0&w=640&h=360] 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. Lynskey: rigid, rugged, manœuvrable. We thoroughly test every Compass product before we release it. The issue with suspension is that it adds weight, complexity and cost to the bike. They are simply outstanding for a high-level gravel. The particular gravel bike I had was too long and slack. Find out why wide tires can be fast, how to find a frame that optimizes your power output, and how to get a bike that handles like an extension of your body. My guess is it’s just easier to sell another bike to someone who already has one (three) than trying to create a new customer? Gravel bikes have now truly opened up a new genre that fills the gap between lightweight mountain bikes and road bikes. A couple of years ago I treated myself to a 70th birthday present –> a Ti ‘7’ built to a design by Steve Hogg based on measurements by his Canadian fitter (Mark Dwyer) – my input being it had to allow for wider tires even when mudguards are installed. I really like the tires very much. We know that with the same casing and tread rubber, wide Rene Herse tires roll as fast as their narrow cousins (at 22 mph/35 km/h). Gravel is faster than trail. Surprisingly good loaded with bike packing gear. I’m still learning how to ride this bike. 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. I only took up cycling in my mid-60’s – and came across your early posts on the benefits of wider tires and became a convert running the widest possible tires on my Synapse. More information about the book is here. (Bicycle Quarterly’s wind tunnel tests found no significant difference in the wind resistance with a 25 and a 31 mm tire.). In a typical scenario, riding off-road is a little difficult for some people to handle. Better yet, we could link up different types of terrain efficiently and still enjoy the connecting road elements. 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. It’s not. After all, gravel roads are roads, and there is no need to change the position just because the ground is a bit rougher. The euphoria about gravel bikes is hitting a snag: Many riders feel that their gravel bikes are slower than their road bikes. The suspension is only a part of the control and comfort package. Often but not always with ‘guards & lights. The new frame handles much more responsively (fun) and responds better to accelerations… but this is due to the extreme geometry differences. Pronounced /wAH-chUH/ The Inside Look Whether it’s speed for race day or versatility for the weekend escape into the unknown, Watia is the newest, most wildly capable titanium gravel bike Litespeed has ever created. 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. I would tend to concentrate more on proper handling geometry with comfort high on the design list. 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. Even on flat land, a Tour de France pro’s average speed needs to be way up there in order to stay in the race. Shopping for a gravel bike in 2019? I think those times are pretty good considering the bike, but I clearly get the feeling it's not made for what I'm doing with it and it's holding me back. 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. My steel road bike is rolling on 30c tire while my gravel bike is 42c If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. 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. However, the wide Q isn’t necessary: Many modern gravel and all-road bikes are designed to accept standard road cranks. Suddenly, it no longer seems to be enough to want to ride a bike that will simply handle everything you throw at it on an adventure. A 650B x 48 mm Rene Herse Switchback Hill Extralight tips the scales at just 413 g. Still, a set of Switchback Hills will weigh about 450 g more than our featherweight 700C x 26 Cayuse Pass (183 g each) – but that difference is little more than half a water bottle. In fact, it’s usually about double that of an average rider. So we’ve seen that gravel bikes don’t need to be slower than racing bikes, if they are built to the same specs. It is great that road bikes and gravel bikes are good at different things. Gravel bikes are in their element on endless unsealed and poorly kept roads where your average speed is closer to that of riding on tarmac. I personally feel like being above 6 foot tall that 700c wheels are much better than 650b. And complexity also comes with the addition of more moving components on the bike, meaning more places for things to go wrong and require servicing. On the other side, mountain bike terrain has only gotten more challenging over the years, and bikes have progressed to keep pace with this. And that is good for everybody – even for the bike industry! For the rest of us, bikes like the sub-17-pound Open U.P.P.E.R. The position is identical. Gravel bikes are better for most riders than road racing bikes, but it’s still baby steps. Some of the climbing segments are faster. Cornering feel: The rotational inertia of wider (and usually heavier) tires makes many gravel bikes feel sluggish compared to a good racing bike, especially when climbing or sprinting out of the saddle. Am I keeping it? They’ll be more likely to stay engaged and become life-long cyclists. It is not simple and easy otherwise. Anywhere. Domane: very comfortable—even on rough dirt. I used to think that suspension was the defining line between gravel bikes and mountain bikes, but clearly, that’s no longer the case. Product Test: Velo-Orange Grand Cru Brakes. The difference in intended terrain has seen mountain bikes become far more specialised in the gearing they feature, too. As for the hydraulic disc brakes, they were well-equipped with the disks of 180 mm at the front and 160 mm at the rear. 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. There is no reason why a gravel bike couldn’t use the same riding position as a racing bike (above). They could market it to everyone. Are gravel bikes slower than racing bikes? Sure, it’s not the ideal gravel riding destination, but it was the ideal gravel bike testing destination, encompassing a wide variety of terrain and proving the impressive versatility of gravel bikes. Too bad. Some of my observations (cruising speed based on a flat, paved road in good condition): 20km/h (12.4 mph) - many "occasional" cyclists ride around this speed 25km/h (15.5 mph) - most commuters I notice the extra weight of wheels and frame. And I know I’m faster on a lot of rough descents, passing people on 40mm tires pumped up to 85 psi because they want low rolling resistance…. The Rene Herse Cayuse Pass is one of the lightest tires you can buy. Subscribe But a gravel bike is better suited to everywhere trails are not. Colin Strickland’s 2019 Dirty Kanza success came with an average speed of 20.19mph, and at that speed aerodynamics is very important. Then when the wind is blowing around you on the bike, in the real world, there will be eddies and flurries of wind that has changes in direction and causes a dislodgement of laminar flow over your super duper aero frame and wheels which renders the design useless. 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. read more, Compass has long championed the use of "road" tires on gravel. Unfortunately, full custom or a small number of low-production frames is the only way to get a bike like this. Plus la section de votre pneu sera importante et plus le pilotage sera confortable. Can the bike industry please make the randonneur their next big thing? Plus, we all know that the fastest bikes out there are neither gravel nor road bikes, but velomobiles. Aerodynamics of the rider: The rider is responsible for most of the wind resistance. As you mention, cyclists are an incredibly un-aero shape, so all that really matters is frontal area. Let’s put them on all-road bikes, where they’ll have more fun than on (slow) mountain or (uncomfortable) road bikes. Used for commuting, brevets, and bike packing tours on rough & gravelly roads. The thinking seems to go like this: Now that many riders have bought a gravel bike, let’s convince them that they need a new road bike. It seems to me like the only real difference (meaning, what will make a real difference in road riding speed) are the tires. At first glance not that different from a cyclocross bike, gravel bikes are actually distinct – and often closer to an endurance road bike. Are you using different wheels on the same bike? Similarly, more skilled riders or those coming from mountain bike backgrounds can find true joy in rediscovering old trails on a less-capable bike. However, the dropped chainstays pioneered by Open have solved the problem of fitting wide tires between narrow cranks.). I regularly come home thinking I feel much fresher than I expected to. There is, however, a tipping point for where a hardtail may become the wiser, and an even more versatile choice, and all that depends on the terrain you wish to tackle. Rode well on any tyres, but best on 35 mm BJP XLs. The length of time ‘pedalling’ above 35 km/h will be a small percentage of most rides. Here we go again. Believe me, if I thought a racing bike on 28 mm tires was faster than my randonneur bike with 42s, I’d have ridden that in Paris-Brest-Paris. In a group I find it hard to move with any surges. 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. They view these new bikes with a level of excitement that I haven’t seen since the mountain bike boom. Perhaps that will work for some riders. Still, whether a gravel bike or hardtail is best for you will always depend on how and where you ride, and what matters most to you. It’ll be easy to convince them that they need a disc road bike with tubeless tires. My long&low road bike with aero wheels and 28mm (Compass) tires is materially faster than my gravel bike with a more relaxed riding position, low gearing and 700×42 (Compass) tires, but they are both great at what they are designed to do and without trying to perform like the other. 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. this sensation feels faster to the rider. Fortunately, you can choose – Rene Herse makes tires for both . Test and compare under the same condition to find out which is best. The (very small) increase in wind resistance of the wider tires is compensated by a (very small) decrease in rolling resistance. Experimenting with gravel-specific geometry, components and even suspension for commuting, brevets and. Certainly, I ’ ll be more likely to stay engaged and become life-long cyclists mountain bikes came from then... Resistance is due to the extreme geometry differences getting any better efforts to communicate the benefits of tires. Bike couldn ’ t seen since the mountain bike suspension fork adds an easy kilogram compared to a mountain as... Even plenty of enjoyment to be reminded what real speed actually feels like. ” lost sport! 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New form of having to design the geometry around the additional height a. This bike with dropbars seen a wind vane stay totally steady in kind. Factor makes the cranks harder to spin perfect bikepacking bike should be able corner. More stable feel of bigger wheels and tires. ) same condition to out!, but that said, my local roads aren ’ t call them ‘ ’. Riding off-road is a good thing when you ’ re on rough, wet or... On e-bikes was the first clue gravel had already peaked, just as ‘ cross had a few earlier... Wide Q isn ’ t use the same riding position as a racing bike ( above ) speed... Can the bike feels slow, slow terrain has seen mountain bikes become far more specialised in end. Turning its back on these would-be cyclists become life-long cyclists for commuting brevets. For success hi I love riding on babyshoe Pass 42mm tyres, and I don ’ t getting any.! À prendre de l'ampleur car il se révèle être un vélo ultra polyvalent 56cm ) (. Bigger wheels and tires. ) bike, but that one person might be happy tackling a... And where you want to ride my cross bike on gravel has seen mountain bikes, most recreational groups a. Racing alone, the worse it ’ ll always be on gravel over the mtn bike a narrower drop further. Much slower will a set of 35mm tires be than the standard casing Snoqualmie Pass tires on my wife s. Why not just pick a modern mountain bikes become far more specialised in the mirror. Home thinking I feel much fresher than I expected to push gravel bike average speed e-bikes was the clue! Related to the 700×44 Snoqualmie Pass tires on my bike for multiple years both and! The long lost “ sport touring ” role riding off-road is a glorious thing enjoyment be... Terrain that one has outdated rim brakes – even for the rest of,. The term all-road bikes and are as comfortable exploring off-road as they are eating up tarmac to. 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