Road Vs Gravel: Which Bike Is Better?
VloĆŸit
- Äas pĆidĂĄn 26. 02. 2022
- Strade Bianche has quickly become one of the most popular bike races around, mixing tough terrain with epic scenery and, of course, the infamous gravel! But which bike is really best to take it on; gravel bike or road bike? Ollie and Manon are in Tuscany to ride the entire route and find out!
In association with @WilierTriestina
Want to ride the route? Click here to find it on Komoot đ gcn.eu/Komoot-Strade-Bianche
Useful Links:
Adventure Documentaries, Exclusive Shows & Live Racing on GCN+: gcn.eu/plus
Download the GCN App for free: gcn.eu/app
Join us at the Global Bike Festival: gcn.eu/global-bike-festival
Visit the GCN Shop: gcn.eu/NewArrivals
Join the GCN Club: www.gcnclub.com/
Which would you choose to ride Strade Bianche? Let us know in the comments below!đ
Watch more on GCN...
đč We Ride The Route Of The World's Longest Pro Race đ gcn.eu/71o
đč Watch our Editorâs Choice Playlist đ gcn.eu/editorschoice
đč Or why not check out our Features Playlist đ ââ gcn.eu/gcnfeatures
đ” Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound / Artlist đ”
Wizzle - Guustavv
Tudor - Bonnie Grace
Voyces - Myysk
Maverick - Ooyy
Ostersjon - Ooyy
Present Perfect - LUCHS
Reversed Beginning - Luwaks
Something about Something - Sarah, the Illstrumentalist
Summer Girls - Purple Dive
Suntrip - Harvio
Intrusive - T-Shirts Sweats
Kepler - By Lotus
Late Thinking - Ran the Man
Curlicue - Jobii
Destiny Rising - FormantX
Eleven - Shiruky
Energized Morning - Airae
In the Cooker - Daniel Fridell
As History Unfolds - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
As It Should Be - LUCHS
Bag Mode - Dusty Decks
Boomwhacker - Wesky
A Much Needed Vacation - Matt Large
Amaretto... Yum - Auxjack
#gcn #cycling #roadbike #StradeBianche #Wilier #EpicRide
Photos: © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Bettiniphoto / www.bettiniphoto.net/
The Global Cycling Network (GCN) is the largest online cycling channel in the world, bringing together a global community of road cyclists to celebrate everything thatâs great about the world of cycling.
Our videos bring fans compelling daily content including expert tutorials, techniques, training, racing, cutting-edge bike tech, unparalleled behind the scenes event coverage, humour, entertainment, and more.
Presented by ex-pro riders, GCN offers a uniquely qualified insight into the world of cycling, and most importantly itâs fuelled by our passionate and enthusiastic fans - everyone who makes up the GCN community. We also bring the latest and greatest tech to your attention, showcase the best places in the world to ride and get exclusive access to events and races.
Welcome to the Global Cycling Network | Inside Cycling
Thanks to our sponsors:
Castelli Clothing: gcn.eu/Castelli
Giro Helmets: gcn.eu/Giro
Pinarello Bikes: gcn.eu/Pinarello
Zipp Wheels: gcn.eu/Zipp
Enervit Nutrition: gcn.eu/Enervit
Topeak Tools: gcn.eu/Topeak
Canyon Bikes: gcn.eu/-Canyon
Pirelli Tyres: gcn.eu/Pirelli
Orbea Bikes: gcn.eu/Orbea
Vision Wheels: gcn.eu/Vision
Wahoo Fitness: gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fitness
Park Tool: gcn.eu/-parktool
Elite Bottles: gcn.eu/EliteBottles
Whoop Fitness: gcn.eu/Whoop
Komoot: gcn.eu/komoot
Selle Italia: gcn.eu/SelleItalia
Zwift: gcn.eu/Zwift
Shimano Wheels: gcn.eu/Shimano
Shadow Stand: gcn.eu/ShadowStand
DMT Shoes: gcn.eu/DMT
Muc-Off: gcn.eu/MucOff
Watch our sister channels:
Watch our sister channels:
GCN Tech - / gcntech
GCN Racing - / gcnracing
Global Triathlon Network - / gtn
GCN Italia - / gcnitalia
GCN en Espanol - / gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch - / gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Francais - / gcnenfrancais
GCN Japan - / gcnjapan
GCN Training - / gcntraining
Global Mountain Bike Network - / gmbn
GMBN Tech - / gmbntech
Electric Mountain Bike Network - / embn - Sport
Manon crushed this ride. So much respect for her fighting through and being a champ for women cyclists. Watching this video convinced me to try my longest ever ride this spring. Well done Manon!
Inspired me aswell. She is a legend. From track to Strada Bianchi....fair play to her
Manon is undeniably a beast.
Manon is an inspiration to us all! I really wish there were more women involved with cycling!!
I used to think they were saying "man on!" As in cyclist behind you (wheel sucker) about to pass.
Well done Olli, you did us men proud and it was a pleasure to watch you and full respect from men everywhere. You are a good ambassador for men cyclists everywhere. You are a king among men.
So, in less than one week, Ollie climbed the Sassi-Superga, ran the Milano-Sanremo, and ran the Strade Bianche.
Is there something this guy cannot do?
Heâs in seriously good condition, isnât he?
@@FlatSpinMan yeah maybe he's back on training, I kind off expect him to get dropped here lol
hold on to last wheel in a team trial... obviously
it was a big week đđđ
Sit still? đ€Ł
It's only in these longer rides you see how fit Ollie is... definitely an endurance king
Ollie is a hell of a bike rider. He is riding against ex-pros. Alex in certain efforts can drop Ollie and Simon is overall stronger but Ollie can climb like a Billy goat. Quite right, Ollie doesn't have great power but has great endurance and can really climb as demonstrated here. I would love to see if Ollie could hang against Manon in a sprint. I believe Manon could beat him but in this genre, Ollie could have put big distance on Manon but didn't.
Being a Yorkshireman, Ollie's had to endure that his whole life so endurance is easy peasy now. đ
He was chatting away on that 14% clumb as if he was in a recliner!
Ollie making commentary going up that 14% climb.... Just wow. Cheers Ollie!
What an inspiration these two are! Manon for completing her longest ever ride (Legend) and Ollie for not getting dropped this time! Seriously though it spurs me (and others) on to ride further this year watching films like this! More content like this please!
Meme jokes of Ollie getting dropped is getting old. Ollie has grown tremendously as a cyclist since he was last dropped. Ollie completed the hardest Tours de Station Grandfondo in Switzerland, at 25th place out of 33 finishers. Even dropping former Pro Alberto Contador who DNF.
Itâs inspiring programming and made me want to try it, helped by the fact that itâs already my favourite part of the world. Well done both, especially Manon.
@madridsta4ever Absolutely agree! Ollie has worked so brilliantly hard to push himself to get better and provide excellent content for the GCN viewers! He has got my upmost respect and admiration!
Thanks for the lovely images. I think w/kg would be a better comparable metric given the weight and bike differences
Manon saying "my 'ead's gonna fall off" reflected exactly how I feel on most climbs, let alone after what she'd already smashed out! Great video GCN, great work Oli and Manon - thanks for making it interesting, inspiring and relatable.
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@gcn Manon where are your gloves or mitts ?
And Ollie later on ........
Have u not had gravel rash before ?
Fair play to the both of u for completing the course , especially Manon for her
longest ever ride. The difference in effort between being on smooth road and
bumpy leg sapping gravel is huge .
Iâm new to cycling. What is EAD? Thanks!
Felt Mannons pain there, good on. Ollie's enthusiasm could get anyone up a hill I reckon đ
We've all been there! sometimes the last 10k feel like 100!
17:30: Ollie discussing the bikes, meanwhile Manon was probably joining me in wondering "How is he still talking?!" đ€Ł
Awesome accomplishment for both, and Congrats Manon on a new longest ride đ
200km next? or going straight for 250? (keep setting those targets/challenges!)
I bet this route was 3 times as hard as 250 km on a relatively flat course would have been, so much climbing, utterly bad surface, chapeau Manon, Chapeau!
Incredible mental strength from Manon. You could see she was suffering but was never going to quit. I only did a 3000m in a day once in my late 20s but in a ride of this length with all that gravel that's a monster effort.
It was a super impressive ride
There is something incredibly emotional and inspiring about seeing someone really pushing the limits. Incredible job Ollie. As for Manon, there was a real beauty in that colossal effort, thanks for the inspiration!!
For those conditions a plush big slick tire, like the 40c challenge strada bianca or panaracer gravelking on the gravelbike should be the best choice. you loose almost nothing in terms of rolling efficiency and road handling, yet gain loads of comfort on the gravel and cobble sections.
Deffo a Panaracer GK SK would be a much better all rounder choice for Ollie there.
Yes. Definitely wouldn't have chosen a tyre with any tread for this ride. Tread is only of use in mud, doesn't do much in sand or gravel. (Maybe if it was wetâŠ)
Ya second for the challenge Strada Bianchi...I run those in a 36mm tubeless tubular as my all rounder setup.... amazing on gravel but equally good on the road
Don't need tread. 40mm overkill. 33 fine.
Pretty sure you lose something in terms of rolling resistance on the roads
Ollie: Fair play, Manon
Manon: #@!&* Ow
I don't think I've ever related to Manon more
Manon is such a trooper! Well done both of you.
Always amazes me that you guys don't use gloves or hand covering. I literally never ride without.
If I don't wear gloves my hands get sticky on the hoods.
I can see losing the gloves when it's warm out, but if it's cold enough to wear tights and arm warmers, my hands would be freezing. I couldn't stand riding bare handed at 5 degrees C.
Ollie just taking the ride in stride while Manon's struggling but fighting. What champs these two are. Go Ollie!
Manon is a beautiful amazing beast of a bicyclist. Both still smiling after all that, Bravo !!!
Now that was an epic ride! Really well done, all around. Bravo GCN, bravo!
Great film! Congrats! Canât wait to watch the race!
Yay Manon!!! What a ride, thanks for sharing! Canât wait for this Canadian winter to be over and go on a killer ride like that.
I canât think a ride i would like to do more. Great video. Just amazing! Love the bikes, the parkour, the scenery!!!
That was a great vid, good on you Manon and Ollie đđđ
You two inspired me to jump on my bike today! Great effort and great presenters! đ
Chapeau to you both, another brilliant video. That was a ballsey ride from both, don't know how you're going to top that. đđ»
Just one of my favourite places to ride in the world. So happy to see these amazing roads and landscape and so excited for the upcoming Strade Bianche race weekend. For me, the best race of the year! Can't wait.
Would have loved some footage of the climb up to the square at the end, but fair play, whether it was done or not, I am incredibly jealous and well done to you both!
Well done Manon and kudos to you both - what a day in the saddle - great viewing, thanks!
Can tell Manon is hard as nails, no gloves on gravel in Feb!
Don't know when it has been recorded, we've seen 20 degrees too :)
Wow congratulations! Manon's effort and Ollie's narrative were both well worth watching. The sun drenched pastoral scenery was a pleasant backdrop. I will never ride it but I throughly enjoyed watching the two of these cover the distance...
Amazing! Love their positive attitude and humanity! Thiis is going on my bucket list!
Having your longest ride ever have off-road terrain as well is about the toughest thing to do on a road bike great job Manon!
And great job to Ollie for pulling 20+ more watts the whole way!
My longest rides also had gravel and dirt paths but I was on a 140mm full sus MTB going really slow barely feeling any bumps. I doubt I was ever pushing 200 watts anywhere.
The most charismatic presenters on GCN. Dan, you come right after! But these two could make a 3h long video and we would still watch it all! Congrats,
This was an amazing ride!!
I think Mannon and Hank are a great combo too!
Hank is much better, Manon not so.
You are tough bike monsters! What a trip! Even looking at those climbs made my legs and lungs scream in pain đ.
And to be honest: climbs look way easier on camera than in real life.
Beautiful camera work by the way, I really appreciate the production quality of your videos.
Kudos to you both. Epic ride.
I rode around this area back in September 2019 and rode parts of the Strada Bianche around Buonconvento on a road bike and 25mm tyres. Very challenging staying upright and I was sooooo slow down the gravel declines. Slip sliding away. But boy it was fun.
Beautiful part of the world!
Well done to both of you for taking Strade Bianchi on and completing the whole of the men's course. Massive kudos to Mannon for achieving several personal bests with aplomb. Very inspirational.
Way to conquer and hit new high marks, Manon! I do wish wed been shown more of her pushing through the struggles though. So inspirational. đ
I love you both and kudos to you Manon for the super efforts to get that ride done. I know I couldn't have done it.
Great ride - by heck, that was a real tough one! What a great way to demonstrate how superhuman the proâs really are! Well done Manon and Ollie, my legs went to jelly just watching you two!
We're Glad you enjoyed it!
Great support for each other on a very tough day! Well done to both, big shout out to Manon for her biggest day, and for those smiles at the end when everything hurt.
Kudos to both of you! Great video!
Thanks for watching, We're glad you enjoyed it!
This reminds me of my first 100k with 1.4k meters of climbing a couple of weeks ago. Still have some catching up to do to manon. hats off!
This is so good! Thanks for making these amazing videos and Manon, way to go!!! Both of you guys are amazing. đđ»đ„ Greetings from Mexico đČđœ
Thanks, Miguel! We're glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing effort from Manon to ride the men's pro course! Brutal.
And once again, let's appreciate how fit Ollie is, when Manon was shattered, he was still standing up tall, no slouch or tired shoulders etc. Amazing how fit he is, which again highlights what freaks pro cyclists are that they make him look slow!
Well done both of you. I look forward to the Eroica season in starting with Montalcino in May.
Great watch. Thanks both
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the ride, Magnificent Manon and Ollie Optimism!
Bravo Ollie and Manon for completing the course!! Thank you for the closer look at the course and the comparison of the two bikes. Interesting and enjoyable!
Thanks for watching! That was a big effort
Fantastic effort Manon and coach Ollie with brilliant encouragement xx
Well done guys, beautiful hinterland best seen by bike! Iâve been there a few times. Stunning!
What this video shows is that tire choice is the most important. You need something right in between these two. Not too knobby. Not too thin. Besides the washboard nature of the gravel, that strada bianchi looked like silk by comparison to North American equivalents. So something wide but smooth looks like the sweet spot.
Seriously impressed with both of you. Manon in particular. Am doing the ''Tuscany Trail'' in May this year and I suspect it will be just as tough but almost 3 times longer at 475 km. Me and my buddy are both riding with gravel tyres.
Riding those bikes, on that course, and being laid to do it. What a job! Well done on completing it - itâs definitely high on my bucket list of rides
Wow, another cool video about 2 great types of bike ever (together with TT bikes) that I've found. We all love you, guys. But honestly, dear Mannon, we love you a lot more!!!!!đ„°đ
Well done Manon. Also Ollie is a beast! I was sweating just looking at him riding that 14% climb while non stop commentating haha!
Well done Manon! You rocked that ride girl!
Great job Ollie too, always a trooper.
Loved this video. Scenery is breathtaking. Thank you for this one!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow, what a hero(ine) Manon is! Total inspiration. Go girl!
What a great ride that would be, Thank you for sharing. Manon... You rocked it! I cant wait for my next long ride!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Well done you two, great film. I love these European trips gcn does. Keep them coming đ„đ„
Thank you! We're glad you enjoy them!
Absolutely heroic efforts from Manon! She almost brought a tear to my eye. Loved the comment when she said she needed a snickers first đđ Who doesnât need a snickers(duo of course) when youâre absolutely ruined!
Epic ride Manon! Tuscany's a killer, breathtaking in more ways than one. Kudos!
imho, should have gone for 32mm slicks.
And hey, Olly didn't get dropped :)
In Quebec, we have also nice white road actually, but they are extremely slippery. Nice video
I've never ridden that far on gravel, but I once did a circuit race with two sections of American type gravel roads per lap. As long as you followed the car tire tracks, it wasn't too bad. Jumping from one tire track to another was pretty scary. I did it on Conti Comp 22's.
PS. Those roads they were riding on were pretty smooth. They are more like hard packed gravel.
Congratulations to her, need to have her on here more , that was awesome!
Great ride Manon, well done!! đ
Absolutely great job, especially for Manon đ
Wow, Manon! Awesome job!!! You even had right turns as well as gravel! Track goddess smashing the course!! Oh, you did pretty well too Ollie! I know you did a MvdP up the hill to the finish, battering your 1000w targetđđ well done to you both đ
Great video. Worth a watch just to witness Manon achieve a personal (and epic) milestone. Da iawn Manon
Well.done Manon...it was an accomplishment. Well done Ollie and crew,, very enjoyable comparison
Great ride Manon! I've thought about building a gravel bike, but this video has convinced me that my road bike with 28MM tires is probably the best choice. It does feel a bit "skittery" on the gravel though. I have to take it easy, especially on turns. Great video GCN Team.
Thanks David! A gravel bike build sounds fun but 28s should be fine over smoother gravel!
Rode the Strade Bianche Gran Fondo a couple of years ago.... Epic! Beautiful route & well organised! I loved it! Chapeau indeed to Manon! That's a long, long ride, with some steep, punchy gravel climbs. The final climb into Sienna is kinda always on your mind.... It's a killer, but once there, it's a steady ride to the Piazza. Great to see some GCN 'Science' on-the-move there ;-) Nice one, Ollie!
That final climb into Sienna really is one of the most iconic in cycling!
@@gcn Via Santa Catarina, I seem to recall! 'Paper-boyed' it all the way :-P
Great video guys! Come back and do it again on vintage bikes at lâEroica in October!
Oh, and panini is plural, Ollie. One is a panino.
Great looking bikes. Great video. Iâd love to ride that route, but I think I would need an E-Bike lol.
Firstly thank You for that epic videos. Hells of classics.
Note: Everybody likes Mr. Ollie presenter
Every breathe manon took showed us she was never giving up.
Well done, this one looked relentless.
Gravel set up for road is the way to go. I have a racy road bike that I take out for group rides when I don't want to get dropped, especially when there are climbs. But my TI gravel bike with 35mm Rene Herse slicks on ENVE 3.4 ARs is my bike of choice for training, street riding, and a little gravel here and there. I look forward to putting some knobbies on and doing some singletrack or fire roads one day. But right now, it's a two wheel SUV that never leaves the street. SO COMFY!
Brilliant vid and I would like to congratulate Manon on an absolutely fabulous ride. Never giving up and pushing to the end. We can safely quit with the Ollie getting dropped meme now, what a beast.
Thanks Arno!!
Super impressive ride guys. Chapeau to both of you.
Thank you
Superb well done to you both epic ride
well done to you both & an extra well done to Manon, the pros make it look so easy on the tv,
lots of respect for both of you, especially Manon. Amazing effort
Thank you!
Well done, GCN. A wise move to give Manon the least suitable bike thus saving Ollie from getting dropped on the radio bike. Great ride, Manon incredible to think that lâEroica has 20km more of the same roads and is ridden on pre-1987 bikes with 19mm tires and huge gears!
Awesome effort Manon. And wow, Ollie's a beast.
They both put in a massive effort
Well done Manon and Ollie! Fun video to watch!
Well done, Manon! Well done, Ollie! That's a wicked long ride!
Yes it was! thank you for your kind words :)
My deepest respect to Manon for finishing this ride. I doubt I could have completed a ride like this. Much respect to all of the GCN presenters.
That gravel roads are better than most of asphalt roads in my country (Kazakhstan). That's why I've bought an all-road bike and put 38mm gravel tires on it for riding mostly on tarmac.
Yay Manon!! Thanks for Keeping this piece real and showing her hard work. Congrats to Both.
I use the Pirelli Cinturado gravel H in 35 mm which are quite fast on pavement and harder packed gravel. I use them almost exclusively on mixed surfaces. Iâm sure Manon is lighter requiring less power to keep her rolling. Great ride Manon! I hope you had some awesome Italian food after that ride!
You two are so amazing.
I've been following GCN for a while and listen to your videos like podcasts on the trainer. As a newb to cycling can you explain or give more details when saying, Technical? That word can mean so many things to each of us. Does it mean, watch your speed on descents, more out of the saddle...Great job Ollie and Manon! Keep the content coming!
I think by âtechnicalâ they mean you have to be balanced on the bike to get grip in the tires (canât lean too far forward or back and you do halve to watch when to ride in and out of the saddle), and you canât just pick any old line like on a smoothly paved road. The handling of the bike comes a lot more into play
I have to do this route! Fantastic vid đ„°
Let us know how you get on!
The Strade Bianche is a great race. Props to the presenters for covering this percorso. In this video, I would have liked our rider/presenters to acknowledge that the race itself was partly the result of efforts to establish l'Eroica, which began in 1997. Many of the roads over which the race, and our presenters, travel have been preserved by the efforts of l'Eroica organizers. And, to ride l'Eroica, participants cover these roads on steel bikes from 1987 and before. A great effort regardless of the bike being ridden. Any ride that includes Monte Santa Maria is going to tough.
đfor u Mannon, well done! Great content guys, that looked like an epic ride!
Great video! Great job Manon you crushed it 200%!
you guys really have the best job in the world.
Hi. I am going to have to do that ride because the scenery just looks beautiful, but will do it when there are a few more warming sun rays ; - )
What a legend Manon is, up for trying nearly anything, seems to have done a ton of firsts whilst working for gcn. Fantastic resilience to complete the ride in this film, all hail the Manon!
Thanks Jan - she's a star. Was great on this ride!
Wonder what the wattage difference would be if manon used 32mm tyres iso 28mm. Less pressure, more comfort on gravel etc.