MTB to Gravel Bike Conversion (featuring the Enve Carbon Mountain Fork and BMC Teamelite)
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- čas přidán 16. 08. 2020
- Do you need a dedicated gravel bike for gravel grinding? What if you don't want to run drop bars? Starting with a hardtail mountain bike presents the most options - plus you'll be ahead of the trends, as gravel bike geometry evolves to look more and more like an XC 29er hardtail anyway.
The formula is simple; swap out the suspension fork for a lightweight rigid fork, add some dedicated gravel tires, and get ready to pedal.
After reviewing all the available options for rigid Carbon Fiber mountain bike forks, the Enve Mountain fork was at the top of the list for our 29″ MTB XC hardtail to Gravel Conversion project. Join us for part one in our series, as we install the carbon Enve fork, and get some first rides in.
Read the blog post here: bermstyle.com/enve-rigid-carb... - Sport
this is the beauty of mountain bikes you can convert to hybrid, gravel or touring style
very true. A 29" hardtail is an extremely versatile platform to build from.
What if my frame is 17", can i transform it into gravel?
Thanks for the video. I Converted my hardtail with Fox32 100mm fork out with an Enve MTB fork, and I love the hardtail now. I have a Forbidden Dreadnought with 170mm travel and a Scott Foil road bike, and the Hardtail used to be the awkward bike at home. Now it seats perfectly as a gravel bike especially after I change to a 36t chainring from 34t, and retains the 10-50 cassette. Perfect for wet road and gravel riding
i converted my bmc too (with a 3t fork and a dropbar) and it still handles singletrack like a champ. Only now i am versatile as hell, be it rocky, loose pack, gravel, or even breaks of tarmac, this bloody bike does it all. would never go back, ever since, my 26inch is collecting dust
We actually have another TeamElite frame (it has a crack) that we're planning to have repaired at some point. The plan will be to build it with drop bars and road components.. but with a dropper post.
I love how you covered that mountain bike into full rigid mountain bike 😂
Isn't that what gravel bikes are already? old school mtbs with disc brakes and drop bars?
Life is truly better with bicycles.
Nice to see a video featuring BMC and their MTB offerings.. especially like the tweaks you’ve shown 👍.. sweet!
Nice and clean. Built a similiar bike with fenders for commuting and as one for all. Low tech, less problems, less maintanance.
I'm planning to convert my fork as well, so thanks for sharing the video!
My scott scale rc 900 with 1x12 sram xx1, without droper, 7,97kg with pedals, garmin mount and bottlecage :)
Great video. I am planning to convert my Norco 7.2 Torrent to a gravel bike. I don't do hard core single track anymore.
Funny, I built up a rigid XC bike for gravel/adventure riding, but now I bought a suspension fork for it :x
I need that setup! I have a hardtail for city riding and don’t need the suspension fork.
Fully Rigid, GO HARD!
Thats the same weight as a dedicated $9k top shelf gravel bike, nice work.
Gorgeous fork indeed! 😍😍😋
Technically it's a Rigid MTB so it will always be better than a Gravel Bike... Gravel Bikes are more on a Road Bike geometry and have Drop bars..
True! What I found interesting is that when BMC developed their Gravel URS model, they did something very similar with this frame for testing, (with drop bars obviously) then modified the geometry slightly to be more efficient on the pavement.
Which makes this video click BAIT ugh. This is far from a "gravel" bike.
@@multiverse439 💯
Really impressive with the view of your track.
It's very clean and beauty, not as my country.
I love your bikes
hi. nice video. I plan to do the same with my Scott scale... but does the geometry change much? the mtb has a longer top tube, use a shorter stem with the drop bars to compensate? i'm a bit confused about that. Greetings from Colombia
Hey that was Happy Valley Park. I've walked through there. I too am from the Portland area. Love the video. Was thinking about doing that with my mountain hardtail bike
If you have more than one mountain bike, it's a nice way to save weight. Plus it is still fun on singletrack. Having options is fun.
@@BermStyle i don't mountain bike anymore. At nearly 50 , climbing mountains is something that does not seem as much fun anymore. If I were to buy another mountain bike, it would be electric to help haul my old fat butt up the hill.
@@davidshanaman4647 light is nice. With the XC tires the BMC is essentially a super high-end hybrid.
Nothing wrong with e-bikes, provided you have trails you can ride them on; you still get plenty of exercise on an e-bike.
Nice job!!
Make more gravel type videos and your channel will likely explode. Follow the trends and the people will follow you. Good luck
With an actual gravel bike.
I have a hard tail with the same fork AND a gravel bike. #indecisive
What is the size & brand of your wheels? Nice rigid mtb👍🚴♂️
Does it fit a 27.5 plus wheel with 2.8 tires?
Hello, good afternoon. What brand of rigid fork did you place? I look for it on the website?
Awesome video and great looking bike!! However, I noticed that there’s a big difference between the forks axle to crown length. Any issue with the geometry?cheers!!
No, not for riding multi-surface rides and smooth single track. It's still far more confidence-inspiring than riding a road bike with big tires!
Now you should put a 100mm suspension fork on a gravel bike 😳
It is really that significative take out the suspention ?
sweet bike! on a side note: please, wear a mask when cutting or sanding carbon fiber.
I have 29er frame with 40c gravel tyre. Can i change to 27.5er rigid fork?
yeah! 👌
Very good conversion. May I know the tire size you're using with that fork?
At the time of the video she was still running a 2.1, but has since added WTB Riddler 45c and Venture 40c tires, as well as a 38 tooth chainring. We have a follow-up video in the works now.
@@BermStyle ok i'll wait, thanks.
I do the same exact thing.. What next? Tire?
Can this been done on Ebike hardtrail
Did I miss something? You went from a suspension fork to a ridged, and that's a gravel bike? (still a MTN bike)
Will you be adding drops soon? Probably look dope on that frame.
We added higher gearing for the one-by, and gravel specific tires. Final setup is in line with bikes sold as flat bar gravel rigs.
@@BermStyle so a mtn bike?
yep
@@BermStyle what brand and size tires did you use?
Thanks for the video but wasn't the fork offset a problem?
I have the TE 01 mid 2017 but I can't find a rigid fork with 51mm offset
can you tell me some cheap rigid fork suitable for the bmc te01 mid 2017?
Thank you very much
The Enve fork has two settings for rake: 44 or 52.
We did a blog post listing a number of different options we considered: bermstyle.com/go-rigid-5-rigid-fork-options-for-the-ultimate-flatbar-mtb-gravel-bike-conversion/
Tengo una duda .....las horquillas rigidas que veo en el mercado para mtb de 26 ( 440-460mm) son ligeramente mas cortas que la horquilla hidraulica (490mm). Como compensarias esa diferencia? Alargando en vastago con separadores? Manillar de doble altura? .....
Is it 2.1 mezcal tires?
Wear a mask when working with carbon bro. Just a safety reminder
Great video, great narrating
I agree, but truthfully I couldn't always make out what he was saying. The voice recording was muddy and unclear. I tried several times to pick out specific words. I was left guessing. Nothing worse than mumbled vocals. Admittedly the used to make this video w a s good. Mos def..
Admittedly the concept used - above correction..
So the rigid MTB = flat bar gravel? Isn't it the 90s retro MTB?😅
Hi. How did the conversion for Inga compared to the new gravel bike with drop bars?
We've added appropriate gearing and WTB Venture 40 (rear) and WTB Riddler 45 (front) tires which completed the flat bar gravel conversion. On rough terrain she likes the flat bars, but after completing a few bigger (60 mile) days she's more open to considering a drop bar conversion. We're still awaiting the URS loaner so we can create the follow up video though.
wouldn t it be easier to just lock the spring fork? i know that s lighter...but you cant really change the fork that quickly...
Totally agree.
You certainly could! However, she was looking to replicate the geometry and setup (albeit with a flat handlebar) of the BMC gravel model, the URS. The benefit to using the TeamElite was 1: she already had it. and 2: it's dropper post compatible.
As she does fast-paced gravel rides with her road bike group, she wanted to have a bike that could keep the pace and also be competitive should she do a gravel race.
Side note: I have a similar conversion setup on my Kona Honzo carbon (gravel tires and bigger chainring) for gravel rides, and I'm utilizing the Fox 32 fork that was taken off the TeamElite. locking out the fork works just fine for me.
Nice! I was thinking of buying a gravel bike, but now…
Good conversion. May i know the size of the rotor?
6". could probably go smaller, but she liked the extra power.
I’m considering this setup. What size bar do you recommend with this fork for a 5’10 man
that comes down to personal preferences. We've tried a range of widths and rises as well as inner bar ends for alternative hand positions. I'd start with inexpensive alloy bars before committing to anything nice though.
CN we convert 29 x 2.35 mtb to hybrid ?
If yes...what should be tyre size 700 ?c
Did you use a star nut instead of a compression plug?
at 6:10 you can see the compression plug being installed per Enve's recommendations
Sweet setup, but it inspires the question. What is the difference between a Gravel Bike and a Hybrid? To my very limited knowledge this looks like an extremely well equipped Hybrid.
That's a great question. Does swapping the bar, brakes and shifter to STI units (and narrower tires) make it officially a "gravel bike"?
Specialized recently released a flat bar equipped model of the Diverge. Is it still a "gravel bike" or does that make it a hybrid? Or is the term "Hybrid" just becoming dated, with the label now based on the intent?
When the new Evil Chamois Hagar was released, we started seeing riders building up flat bar versions.. these bikes are more aggressive than most XC hardtails. I think the lines are blurring pretty heavily.
We're looking forward to riding the new BMC URS gravel bike for an in-depth review comparing the two approaches.. it should be interesting. I think for us, the ideal bike completely depends on where you'll be riding it, who you'll be riding with, the ratio of pavement to dirt, and the duration of the ride.
@@JasonVanHorn I know there is mention of future changes, I just felt like this particular setup in this video fell short of what I would consider a "Gravel" bike. I think your last bit hit is on the head! Those factors are definitely very important!
@@SHWELL11 I agree! We'll be swapping the tires for something comparable to what is on the URS. It needs to have faster tires to really have value in her quiver since she already has a lightweight XC bike, the Agonist.
What is interesting is, how is Inga's TeamElite with this set up different from a "Monster Cross" bike other than dirt drops? I'm trying to talk her into testing it with dirt drops as well.. we just need shift levers.
That hybrid build is still more capable than most gravel bike because of tire clearance ang gearing but it will be slower
Atleast in pave roads
Bike for Health... ❤️🚴♀️🇵🇭
What about bike geometry after
I thought star nut for a carbon steerer is a no no. Don’t you have to use expansion plug on this fork?
The Evne mountain fork includes the fork compression plug, so yes. www.enve.com/product/fork-compression-plug/
I think converting a mtb to a carbon rigid fork is the way to go since gravel bike gearing is often too high.
I have asked this same question on several videos, without getting a solid answer, but I am betting that you have an answer for me. Why do all gravel bike builds include a rigid fork? I am old enough to remember the days of beating my hands, arms and shoulders up all day. When suspension forks started coming around, i thought that we had finally made it as a civilization. LOL! Now everyone is ditching them. I am just wondering if it is just a fad, or if there is an actual performance backed reason. So far, the best answer that I have gotten was, "I just like them." LOL!
A carbon rigid fork dampens bumps, but won't lose you much traction is my guess. Some MTB forks also can't lock out.
Inga has a number of bikes to choose from, but the main reason this specific bike is set up this way is that it's optimized for champaign gravel. The group she rides with are primarily road riders, but they've started riding gravel roads more often as they have a had number of bad experiences with cars and drivers. (One near-death experience, and one hospitalization and totaled bike)
@@BermStyle Understandable. I have always said that I would never ride the roads around the area that we live because of idiots, but if gas prices keep going up, all the idiots may be riding bikes with me!!! 😂😂😂
I tend to agree with the others. More and more people ride in areas where there are no or very few cars for safety, too many cars on the roads these days and lots of cyclist fatalities.
I have a cromoly commuter with the right tyres and I only ride on dedicated bike paths, creek trails and gravel tracks. The steel frame is good when it comes to shocks from bumpy surfaces and tougher in many respects. Suspension is not really needed for these activities as it adds extra weight, and effort.
I like the way you turn the mountain bike into a mountain bike gravel bikes are supposed to have drop bars
The main thing is she can keep up with her group that primarily runs drop bar gravel bikes. And she's got a smile on her face the whole time.
please wear a mask next time you saw and grind carbon parts... the dust is nasty stuff...
Gloves too. You can get carbon particles in your skin like splinters.
What's the frame?
whenever cutting/filing anything carbon, its important to spray the cut site with water or wear a mask, carbon dust is bad for health
very true. Some bad habits on display here.
What carbon head tube plug did you use?
the fork includes a plug.
Boss bk pedeng akin n yong pinag palitan
nice
This not a gravel bike, its just a rigid mtb, a hybrid bike.
if I want to use by mtb hardtail as a road bike to smoke the roadies out there can I just swap the 29er MTB tyres with 700c tyres and use it ?
we're finding it to be a good first start. The 1x MTB gearing spins out pretty fast in a paceline situation though, so that'll need to be addressed to keep up.
@@BermStyle what if I have 3xMTB setup?
@@whitefox8868 it definitely helps! It depends on how the scenario though - I've tried to keep up with road bikes on high performance flat bar hybrids but road bikes are optimized for climbing on pavement and they've more efficient by design. But on multi-surface gravel rides, you'll have more control descending. Like all things bike, its always a trade-off..
@@BermStyle doesn't climbing depend on the weight of the bike and gearing. Any hybrid can keep up with roadies with a 2 X setup and bar ends
@@tmayberry7559 in theory. Technically all the flatbar road bikes being made today are just the road models with a change in bar and shifter spec.
What we found interesting is that her MTB converted is actually lighter than many of the gravel bikes being ridden in her gravel social bubble.
Вилка бомба👍👍👍
I did the same with my teamelite01
nice. what fork did you end up going with?
Putting carbon grip paste on a steerer tube is a bad idea and not recomended.
Where is the follow up video? :-/
прикольный чувак, пыли карбоновой понюхал, якорь не от карбоновой вилки поставил, ну хоть видео снял и то спасибо
With the right tools (I used a simple bike tool kit czcams.com/users/postUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L that you can strap to the bike) it's simple to assemble. As a 270lb guy looking for a way to get more exercise that's easy on my feet I have been impressed by this bike. The tires ship with air in the tires, but before you ride you need to pump them up som more, but once you do you can ride with confidence. You'll definitely want to replace the seat if you're going to ride for any real distance, but that's the case with most bikes. I'm loving it and it has given me a hobby from my youth back.
immune to carbon dust
Sandpaper is pretty hand, but a couple of licks with a bastard file would have saved you some time.
The dream. A bianchi 😭😭
I would’ve change the tires and lock the forks out. LOL
for sure. we're experimenting with this setup as well. I have a Kona Honzo Carbon (as well as a Kona Rove) and that's the approach I'm currently taking.
@@BermStyle until i got my 2021 specialized, i was using my carbon scott scale 930 for trails, and a gravel bike. With kenda smallblock v8s, its a 2x10 so it flys on the road and gravel.
@@jimbo4203 nice. Inga is really liking that approach. She's working on getting a BMC URS to try in comparison to her Teamelite conversion, which should be interesting.
I've been running a Kona Rove and carbon Honzo for my set up, and they're both great for multi-surface rides. It's been a fun experiment to see what setups do better and where. The context of who we're riding with as well as the route plays into things considerably.
@@BermStyle Can't wait to see this comparison.
Gravel bike? Where?
so now i'm calling my ride a mountain gravel bike or simply MGB
I like it. the marketing tagline is: "Gravel Bikes... leveled up"
Gravel bike? Looks like a rigid mtb to me
This is technically true. We've been reviewing tires for the next piece, which will essentially result in a flat bar gravel bike or high-end hybrid, depending on your preferred label or definition of what a gravel bike is.
@@BermStyle Really just put a drop bar on there with road style break levers. Over long hauls it definitely provides more comfort to have multiple riding positions that align better with shoulders and natural arm rotation etc
@@tijmen1949 she didn't want to go drops initially. We may have her convinced, as she has been doing a lot of longer rides with minimal single track. She may also just put some bigger tires on her endurance road bike though for those rides.
I remember when "Gravel Bikes" used to be referred to as rigid mountain bikes . 🤦♂️😔😔
Going by this video I've owned several "Gravel Bikes" at least twenty years ago and didn't realise .
Fattrucker
I couldn't stop listening to 8:34 to 8:39 over and over again, because I couldn't understand any of the words and it made me laugh. #CZcamsIsHard
Yeah this guy was eating his words. I just skipped the video. Thumps down.
I've done this 10 years ago with my cheap 26er MTB. I never would've thought that rigid forks would eventually become fashionable on MTBs years after.
We would never have thought that flat bar road bikes would be so popular either!
the vo is aaaaaaawwwwwful.
Hi mate, we sell mtb accessories on Amazon, such as height adjusters, stem, pedals, gloves and etc, hope to get your test and feedback, thanks.
A gravel bike is a little bit faster because of a narrower handlebar and not because of a rigid fork.
If 200 grams is too heavy maybe frisbee golf better sport
Keep whispering. Sup with that?
multi-thousand dollar bike, multi-hundred dollar fork.......used wood to set head set!
Cutting and sanding carbon without respirator - certain way to get lungs cancer.
mask!!
Not really a gravel bike without drop bars. More like a rigid mtb.
drop bars are optional :D mt bikes were the first gravel bikes
@@mannyechaluce3814 true mtb was so pioneering and versatile
Sorry but mtb and Gravel are comparable.. Except maybe hardtail and Gravel..
I’m dumbfounded when it comes to gravel bikes. Evolution brought us suspension forks and people want to spend more money to go backwards.
Why not just buy an old mtb for cheap instead of spending lots of money on a gravel bike. A rigid fork will cost more than a whole new mtb
hi
Wow there is some rude people in these comments.
Il faut porter un masque quand tu scie et ponce du carbone mec
No drop handle bars?... So disheartening...😢
It was would've been complete...
1:41 For anyone that enjoys “dream builds” you don’t include in the video a shot of a bolt falling and rolling around on the floor.
Otherwise, nice video.
🤣
Not a gravel!
Just get commuter tires
And replace her mt tires for commuters and she will zip like a road bike
That's mostly true, except when we filmed this, she was still running MTB gearing with a 32T ring on her Shimano XT cranks.
Also, Inga already owns a BMC Team Machine which is an endurance road bike, so this build is specifically intended to ride fast paced gravel rides with her existing group.
Upgrades since this video - to be continued in part 2 - include swapping her 32T chainring to a 38T as well as WTB gravel tires.
@@BermStyle a friend just let me have a set of wtb 40c Nano 's . They wore like new and I've ridden them about 100 mi. In the last 3 weeks, they are fast on the road and work great on the gravel and trails !
just a rigid mtb
600 bucks for a fork is unacceptable