Why Gravel Bikes Will Get Much BETTER In 2025!
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- čas přidán 10. 05. 2024
- Here are four reasons why gravel bikes are about to get MUCH better. 📘 The Bikepacking Bike Buyer's Guide: www.cyclingabout.com/bikepack...
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Hills are not harder than cycling on the flat: • Hills Are NOT Harder T...
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Dylan Johnson aero test: • We Tested Gravel Equip...
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Geoff Kabush fork test: • 32 TC Test Session wit...
Gearbox drive efficiency test: www.cyclingabout.com/speed-di...
0:00 - Intro
1:15 - New Derailleur Drivetrains Will Make Hills Easier
3:36 - New Tyre Sizes Will Provide More Comfort & Control
6:21 - New Suspension Forks Will Improve Performance
9:30 - New Gearbox Bikes Will Reduce Bike Wear and Maintainance
11:15 - Summary - Věda a technologie
There are lots of important bike concepts in this video, I hope you learnt something today! 🏆 For more knowledge, check out my Bikepacking Bike Buyer's Guide: www.cyclingabout.com/bikepacking-bike-buyers-guide/
5 years later, gravel bike will be mtb again.
Can't wait for them to get back to the Bianchi Cross-Terrain bikes of 1990 -- 2x and 3x, 700x50, Max tubing. They have practically come full circle, again.
the silhouette looks like a 90's mtb right?
@@-IE_it_yourself but with dropbars 🙄
Dropbar XC MTB sounds good.
But much more expensive like a regular hardtail 😂
It's also nice to see lower gears on more entry level groupset. I'm so glad to see CUES has a 40/24 crankset
Gravel bikes...the most misunderstood sector in the history of cycling. If they were named "all road" we wouldn't have the "they're just MTB's" nonsense.
The touring mountain bike I got 20 years ago would now be categorized as a gravel bike. Interesting.
Add more adjective to describe it, Rigid-Dropbar-Rackmounted-Hardtail-Mountain Bike, Sounds enough.
Yeah because you could comfortably use them on roads as well. My 10yo mtb a 3x10 crank with up to 40T. The same bike now has a 1x12 30T. Mtb just have gotten more specialized
Great as always. Thanks! I just bough my first MTB today, and learned a lot from your videos.
The videos of your channel are always packed with tons of valuable infos. It may be the only channel, where I often rewind to make sure to capture every word.
I‘m planning to replace my 16 yrs old Stevens Trekking bike next season with either a Rohloff or Pinion Smart Shift touring bike and I found your buyer‘s guide valuable narrowing down candidate bikes. Living close to Idworxx‘s factory it was one of my favs… until I realized how crazy $$$ expensive it is.
I'm definitely a gravel bike man but it seems we are going in the direction of dissolving the distinction between gravel bikes and hardtail XC bikes. And I think gravel bikes should stay something in between the road and full terrain - something like the bike version of a crossover or SUV. For me, a gravel bike (and this is purely personal) is still a type of bike that feels better on the road but is capable of taking us in some more rough terrain if we need to. But the real off-road tracks should stay reserved for MTB. Drop handlebars might be not enough to keep the distinction. More 'road-like' geometry may be the key feature here.
That's exactly the same for me. Many people don't know this fully yet or still and want to do exclusively off-road with them. Those people certainly are better served with a mtb (ideally a Dropbar-MTB) or some of the more progressive Gravelbikes with good tire clearance (50 mm plus) and ideally also suspension in some way or shape.
SO TRUE !!!
I agree with all you said. Fortunately enough, the current Geo's of gravel bikes differ to all current XC bikes. If u ask a good bike fitter, they'll tell you that there're similarities but will never be the same. As fitting a gravel bike is a lot different than fitting an XC bike, tbh. Example being that my gravel bike fits more like an Endurance bike and not even close to my XC bike.
Edit: I wish that this fact would stay the same to provide distinction.
I think the main problem is in calling all of these bikes "Gravel Bikes". I think the industry needs to better describe the bikes they create as gravel adventure (fat tires, off road preference, suspension) and gravel race/road (not as fat tires, on road preference/dirt road, no suspension, lighter weight). This would probably help alleviate a lot of this confusion between what some people think gravel is or isn't.
@@mrspencermon, perhaps you are right. Some brands kinda do it. Like the Canyon's Girzl and Grail. But I have to admit I rather think we have already too much over-splitting. Maybe not so much in the 'road world' but definitely in the 'MTB world'. Don't take me wrong - it is good to have a choice but when this choice becomes too broad and at the same time theoretically different options highly overlap with each other, this may work quite confusing for some people. This definitely works that way for me.
Yes! The bike industry is slowly reinventing the HT mtb.
Keeping my HT, I need to look cool in future times.
It is all a reinventing for marketing reason, it is a constant proposal of new things
I almost thought it's an april fools special how much gravel is backtracking to old solutions... Now as i'm half through i'm hoping the next segment will be about how flat bars will improve steering 😁
Wow, I'm only in the middle of the video and I already feel like you've covered all the most important things.
The future of gravel bike is a 29er, full suspenion XC bike with a dropbar. Seriously.
It's also worth mentioning the suspension stems. They add comfort, look better than suspension forks and weight less.
But don't seem to work as well based on reviews I've read.
There are two gravel bike setups that are relevant for my riding. A setup that allows fairly fast street riding and then some gravel and LIGHT trail added in. And then another drop bar gravel setup that is more conducive to rougher road and trail bikepacking. And it seems that bar choice and tire size on the same frame will satisfy both of these needs for me. Adding Redshift suspension stem and seatpost to this same frame has made this setup cover just about everything.
Yeah as long as your bike has a good geo, a gravel bike can cover just about anything except true downhill. Bikes like Salsa Stormchaser, Sklar Supersomething, and the like have what I think is the sweet spot. Around 70deg HTA. 425-435mm chainstays. Just need a couple wheelsets and you can hit anything with just a couple min of swap.
@@cjohnson3836I'm looking for such a bike currently. I want carbon frame for stiffness when pedaling uphill etc. Focus Atlas seems interesting with it's 425mm chainstays but high tyre clearance, but I'm afraid this kind of bike is more suited to adventure riding. You're suggesting that 70° HA is optimal? I would assume it will feel sluggish on tarmac or on some technical stuff
I have a Lynskey CX bike with 35 mm tyres and a Redshift stem and seatpost, and it's perfect for rough country roads and easy trails.
@@dpstrial fot rough gravel roads nearby I think I need 45mm tyres. What do you think about KTM X-Strada Elite geometry, in size M likely? It has very long reach and wheelbase, but rather steep 72° HA and also chainstays are rather long at 430mm while accepting up to 45mm tires (eg. Orbea Terra also accepts up to 45mm tyres but has 420mm chainstays, so I don't understand why KTM made them sightly longer, guess 1cm is s difference many people can feel). I have rather short standover so legs probably as well for my height, so such longer bike might fit me better. Even size S is much longer than other bikes, but S is only sightly shorter but with even lower stack so I think that would be too aggressive for me, I'd rather have less spacers on the steer, not sure if I'd ever get flexible enough to need S sizes low stack hmm...
@@OYeahan A steep head angle is common on road and gravel bikes. It increases pedalling efficiency. On mountain bikes a slack head angle helps the bikes overcome obstacles better. Gravel bikes typically have longer wheelbases than road bikes and this makes for a more comfortable ride. My CX bike puts me in a more aggressive position, but is less comfortable and more twitchy than a gravel bike.
45mm tyres are certainly going to give you a comfortable ride and will perform better on the more challenging trails. I use 35mm touring tyres for rough UK lanes and fairly tame gravel trails.
We are all different; and so to get the right bike for you, you will have to try a selection, if possible. I consulted via email with the online dealer, and he decided what would suit my size (tall with long limbs) and the type of riding I wanted to do.
Awesome video like always! Big fan here, and also fan of Dylan!!
Got to say what a refreshing video this is on CZcams. Dispelling all the myths with actual logic and backed up with science, succinct and not here to pander to the CZcams masses (which often feel like a horde of retro grouch cyclists with tall poppy syndrome - anything but rim brakes and 26" wheels from the 90s is considered scary and conspiracy from big bike).
Rim brakes and 26" wheels from the 90s are scary, I have an old mountain bike and will not ride it on a lot of the trails I will take my Checkpoint on
@@RaymondDamm I have the same feeling when I hopped on a mate's canti brakes the other day. Somehow acceptable to have brakes that were only designed to slow you down and not actually stop you...
Didn’t know 26” mtbs form the 90’s still had fans, but I’m glad to hear it! I ride my local trails on a rigid old mtb - it’s pretty gentle terrain and a full suspension bike is overkill to the point of making it boringly easy. You don’t need to live in the Rockies to enjoy off-road riding, but you can easily be over biked imo
Great and very reasonable outlook. So excited about the near future of this bike category.
Wider tyres (tubeless) and a Rudy Ultimate suspension fork, that’s what I am looking for at my next gravel bike.
I miss the fun I had with a Stigmata equipped with 650B wheels and 2“ tyres. It was so forgiving, felt playful in any terrain and was fast too.
Great content, thanks for posting!
I plan on purchasing a gravel bike this summer. The information in this video could not have come at a better time.
Love your work. Very informative, thank you.
Really like your view on things. It always opens my eyes again.
I'm looking forward to put drop bars on my downhill bike and call it a gravel bike
Aero position is important when bombing down the side of a mountain :)
Fine words to be on your headstone.
You just need to get a company to make a drop bar handle with 35mm stem thingy for 300 bucks.
Don't u fuckin dare
Got the Priority Apollo Jan 2023 and absolutely love it. The belt drive is awesome, love the ultra low maintenance and silence of the bike.
Another great video. Thanks Alee!
Hybrid (light frames, wider tyres, endurance position, higher bottom bracket) is the way to go for 90% of us. The only weight penalty should be the tyres and the forks. Single speed front gears (40:10-44) may make up for it.
Thank you, great as always.
Q: Will those emerging suspension forks still allow (my preferred) classic touring configuration with a low rider rack on the front fork for a pair of old-fashioned panniers?
Greetings, an old touring/trail biker
This one is close to home. My custom steel gravel bike is one year old now, has a 30t 1x setup with 10-50 rear on 650b; plenty of low gear fun. I don't need the aspirational high gears, I can spin up to 25mph just fine, anything above that I should be coasting anyways. Add in tire clearance for 55mm f/r, and a Lauf suspension fork, and seems I have just about all the points made. and there are times I wish it had a Pinion instead of AXS. ah well.
Excellent information. As a teenager in the 70's, I remember changing the tires on my old heavy Schwinn Continental, to a more rugged tread as I routinely took the bike on regular asphalt, tar-gravel and gravel roads with some moderate light trail included. I noticed an increase in efficiency since the old style road tires did not float as well on the gravel which tended to cut deeper into the gravel resulting in increased workload from wheel spin and side slips in turns and ruts. I was still able to hit 40 mph on a steep portion of Spalding Dr in Dunwoody Ga.
Finding a bike suitable for a teenager in similar road conditions today could be another interesting article. I think a gravel bike with a couple of different tires would be a great choice. Gearing, suspension and drives I guess would depend on economic and mechanical repair aptitude.
So in other words... the industry should've left well enough alone and put drop setup's on MTB. A no-brainer, otherwise, exhausting irritability.
My mid-90s randoneur is clearly outdated. Running 47mm tyres (with fenders) and only got around 22/34 as a low gear so I'm getting into "potentially too slow to ride" territory.
Or just don't ride gravel bikes where it's MTB territory. I keep my gravel bike tilted toward the road end.
@kurt1391 if you live somewhere that's possible sure. For me gravel sounds like not having to walk if the road gets rough, which is often the case if you try to avoid cars. At least in germany, where our roads made me buy a fully to get around town.
The distance between gravel bike and xc hardtail with drop bars is getting pretty small.
Uhm??? Just bought the Trek FX 6 sport. Seems "gravel" oriented for sure.
Gravel bikes with larger tires ,front suspension...how far away from hardtail MTB we are !?
An elbow inflammation due to lack of front suspension far.
I remember having a mountain bike from the 90s. Hard Tail with front suspension, mountain bike tires. I loved it. I wish they used that same design again. Now mountain bikes are extreme with real shock systems, etc.. I don't want that.
I like it and later I watch. Thank you for your content.
Hmm lot of interesting information. Thanks for the video
I really don´t get why people think that a single chain ring drive train is a good option for a gravel bike thats supposed to be a kind of do it all bike and especially for that I would choose a double front chainring but I guess everyone has their preferences
That is surely correct. But 1x is much easier to shift in complex terrain. I have 1x but think a lot about switching to 2x.
Fully agree! I wouldn't want to change my 2x11 GRX (48/31 with a 11-40 cassette), as it indeed lets you ride quite quick on pavement, as also having a great climbing gear when touring fully loaded with luggage in the mountains. This paired with a set of a fast rolling 42mm Pathfinder Pros are perfect for my local rounds and bikepacking trips with about a 70/30 road/offroad split.
EDIT: if I would live somewhere remote and only do offroad, then sure, a 1x would be perfect
@@Tethysmeeryeah I guess that´s true but I don´t mind as I´m still used to 3x at the front from those old mountain bikes xD
Well I guess you could also argue about slight areodynamic advantages but you also don´t have a front derailleur that could break so that might be an advantage
@@DonnieX6if you like the Pathfinder Pro’s, take a look at the S-Works Pathfinder 2 Bliss 42mm. Lighter, and less rolling resistance, at least according to the website that measures it.
How many rear chainrings do you prefer?
Love your videos! Tempted to put a Thunder Burt Super Ground 29x2.1 on my Checkpoint SL.
However once I put on road wheels, I dont want a wannabe mountain bike. Suspension fork really doesn't fit that use case imo
My current gravel bike is a 1x carbon. Low weight - it gets up hills well. And legs adapt. Good VO2 max training which is healthy and fun (I like high intensity workouts, a buzz).. Low maintenance, 1x and SRAM 1 to 1 shift ratio , full outer, keeps working in mud no tuning, lasts ages before need to touch. And only one cable. I also like under biking challenges, keeps my skills sharp. If I fancy a rest or comfort I have my my XC bike handles that, esp with wide upright bars, and it does more besides. If you wanted ONE bike, a gravel bike with 2x or expensive eagle and suspension would be fine. Or just an XC HD!
Which bike?
You mention wider clearances for tires. How about 650B? We already had the option to go wider by making the diameter smaller. What is your opinion on this? Thanks for the great video again!
The Trek District was such a great model that I found too late to actually get my hands on. Belt drive with rear gearbox and front dynamo hub, plus fenders and cargo rack? Commuter perfection. Now if they came out with an electric version I might just cream myself.
Bought a Giant Toughroad flatbar for steep and rough gravel roads. Waiting for the Shimano 820 groupset to trickle down to the cheaper bikes.
My 3x10 currently has not only 573%, as shown in the video, but 764% range: 42-32-24t / 11-48t
For more ground clearance the 42t can be replaced by a 32t sized bash guard: 582% range, going 2x10.
It's a shame, what's going on with front derailleurs at the moment…
4 years ago i bought a Cube gravel bike. Impossibly tall gears 50/34 with 11/32 cassette. New square taper bb and 42/26 with 11/34 transformed the bike
I can attest that the latest gravelbike i build a couple of weeks ago comes with most the mentionned improvements compared to it's 2023 version.
Tyres went from 38m to 45mm standard. While the brand says max 45mm. They also said max 38 on the previous model (where people just used 42mm's in general)
Looking at the clearance 50mm should be fine. This is with the same Q-factor and possible 2-by set-up as it's predecessor due to the dropped chainstay.
Also cables now next to the headset. Really well done. It's actually pretty easy to replace the line. As 1 came with a faulty one out of the box. I had to replace it myself as i order straight from importer. The downside you have to drop out the fork. so it's a bit more work. But very easily accesible and decent achieveable curves.
While the cheaper versions still have sub optimal gearing options. Like the one's in my fleet.
The more expensive versions come's with 1 by with huge MTB casettes. Here the max gradients is 12% but only for a very short time. Prolonged up to 8% for 80m of elevation change.
The traditional gearing is fine here.
It has a carbon fork though. But the manufacturer change the frame to accomodate one if you'd want. Maybe later they will add it in new trims.
Basically what the video mentions at 9:10.
I don't like the gearbox or rear hub options. Yes they're low maintenance. But if you do that to save money. Just get a GRX 400 drivetrain. Those chains and casettes cost pennies you will never recoup those expensive gearboxes and rohloff hubs.
All this depends on where you live and ride. We have a lot of hills where I live, and I use a 38x28 for my lowest gear. I put a 28 on my wife's bike and took off the 40t dinnerplate. I can't stand huge jumps between gears. If I have to get out of the saddle and stomp on the pedals, so much the better. If you ride some nasty climbs in the mountains or are older, then the dinnerplate on the back is perfect.
I have a fuji Jari 2.1 I purchased a couple of years ago. The thing has that many braise on fixing points for racks and bags and bottle racks it makes for a great touring bike.
How's the bottom bracket doing? I heard some bad reports from a mechanic in Seattle
@@romanp2520 no it's doing ok. I haven't had any problems. As a matter of fact I only had the bottom done on a old 90s chro moly MTB last year but that's all
@@romanp2520 my jari's on the other hand is creaking like a bitch, as if frame cracked somewhere inside, despite multiple people's diagnosis efforts
Since you are a bicycle travel channel, I sometimes miss a reflection of repairability in your videos. Is it really the best idea to take the latest tech - maybe a pinion gear box with electronic shifting and some fancy suspension - around the world or is it in some cases better to just have a rigid steel mtb, that you can most likely repair everywhere? I like that I am capable of understanding and repairing my bike everywhere and I think this is a dimension that needs reflection if you are seriously travelling and not only doing fancy overnighters in europe or america
I put a 46t cassette on mine with a double 48/32 chainrings. No more grinding up steep climbs. A deraileur extension is all that's needed to make the grx deraileur work with a wide angle cassette. Easy and cheap
Which grx groupset do you have?
@@exploring_thailand why
@@cypriano8763 I've been reading about adding a larger cassette to the different GRX groupsets.
Like so much in the bike world, things evolve in spirals, at first diverging, encountering limitations, then revisiting what was but somewhat differently ie the bike packing movement with the move away from racks and panniers to soft bags and straps, found there was not enough volume, too much wagging of seat bags and then a move back to racks (now carbon and about 2-3xs as expensive as the previous metal ones) and bags that sort of look like panniers but apparently aren't panniers. The one thing the bike industry is not, is static. A bored consumer is no longer a consumer. Still, I find the innovations in gearing and belt drives to be exciting. signed, Hopeless Consumer.
The XC bike perfected, with the comfort and riding posture of the roadbike. Beautiful. It's a bike that can do anything. I love my 25mm tyres, but i'd be lying if I said I didn't want a gravel bike.
A fully rigid mountain bike can do more.
Thanks for the stream. I appreciate the info.
regarding the fork : well, here we are back with MTB's, can't wait for maintenance on it
regarding the gearbox belt : introducing belt generalization and gearbox, supposely to be more reliable (which I don't doubt but if you need maintenance on it, that won't be the same price than a derailleur).
I chose a gravel for it's simplicity : now in this era, we are speaking of adding electronics, batteries (for shifting), gearbox and forks.
I'll stick with my cables and my dumb derailleur to adjust...
Excellent video
Is there any endurance road or gravel bike with a carbon frame and suitablility for a Carbon belt drive and a Rohloff or Pinion available?
For the moment, I'm playing with a touring bike steal frame with a Rohloff, DT Swiss gravel rims, GP5000 32mm road tires and aerobars. Good and confortable, but 13.5 kg and far from agressive...
fuck that big tire, suspension forks, I want my cycling be a little bit painful
You can make it very painful just by pedalling hard, silly.
Remove your saddle.
The Lauf fork seems to be well-suited for gravel bikes without the maintenance headaches.
If you are competing then obviously efficiency is very important, for the rest of us, who don’t keep our gears & chains spotlessly clean we are probably no worse off. I wouldn’t swap back to a chain & gears from my belt drive but then I don’t compete or climb very steep gradients. I admit a lower gear (Alfine 8) would be nice to save some effort but losing a few kilos would probably be more effective.
The pinion gearbox looks interesting & should offer lower gearing as the problem with torque is handled by the gearbox & not the rear hub & again, losing a couple of kilos would compensate for the weight increase & unsprung weight should also be lower.
Its a great time to be alive!
The SOMA Wolverine had 3 of the mentioned features in 2014, including belt drive compatibility.
@cyclingabout you have mentioned gravel bike getting suspension. Cannondale has introduced the slate with mtb gears and lefty suspension 8 years ago... The topstone even introduced a back sus.
The future of gravel is more like fully suspended e-gravel bikes.
Ho no, we have the Cannondale Neo Topstone, a fully suspended e-gravel bikes that is a couple of years old.
A detailed review would be great because you excel at that.
My gravel bike has a GRX 2x12 , 31 front 34 rear is already quite capable
Spot on.
Superbe exposé! 👍
Can you feel the increased resistance of a Pinion gearbox when pedaling uphill or at any other speed? I have ridden some Nexus hubs (on public bikeshare) and some feel almost the same as a derailleur, while others feel like there's a small coffee grinder in the hub. With a belt and a different gearing system, I wonder if Pinion is smoother than Nexus.
For me, XC is the best, because in indonesia we have a lot of local trail. Actualy we don't have gravel area
The Lauf fork has quite an advantage over a suspension fork; it's half the weight (400g versus 800g), zero maintenance (as opposed to regular maintenance on hydraulics), are MORE aerodynamic than a regular fork (5w apparently) as apposed to a penalty on hydraulic suspension forks, plus it is proghessive damping (due to the spring design) and has zero lag like a hydraulic fork. Yes, I did my homework, that's why I have one! Leaf springs are a no brainer on gravel bikes
Speaking of suspension: could you do a review of Redshift Cruise Control drop-bar grips?
I guess it depends on the kind of road / path you have available in your region. As you said gravel bike is made for back road network away from the big majority of car traffic. That said where I live, that network is at least still 80% road (albeit not that smooth) and the gravel part is mostly hard packed dirt/gravel so pretty fast rolling anyway. So for my used case (and frankly, most of the european cyclist one), the perfect gravel bike is close to en endurance road bike, with a slightly longer wheelbase, no suspension, and 35 to 45mm tires depending on the thread pattern, the kind of terrain you ride, and the rims you have. If you live in a relatively flat area, narrower handlebars with next to no flare and deeper rims is gonna make more difference to the effort you produc than big tires and suspension.
That said, the wider choice of gearing and internal gearbox is a welcome addition to biking in general.
Talking about suspension, curious if you had any vibration data regarding Specialized's future shock? Understand a suspension fork is superior but just curious to know how suspension stems compare.
Cool video. Would be interested in the formulas behind the gearing calculations...want to upgrade my current gravel bike for exactly that reason..It doesn't have a gravel specific group set, yet - as they did not exist back then. It came with a Ultegra group set with 50/34 and 11-32 cassette, so not even 1:1 ratio.
Still not sure if I should say goodbye to the two-by or how the new two-by wider range group sets (e.g. GRX 12s with 46/30 and 11-36 cassette) compare to the one-by.
Check out my "Hills Are Not Harder Than Cycling on the Flat" video to find all the tools you need! czcams.com/video/ipENw5mjjSg/video.htmlsi=MCdEhMEK2Jtsusri
I'm surprised you didn't mention the Lauf suspension fork and their bikes.
Evolving towards mtb hardtail!
No one needs that crap,you can ride almost any trail or path or road,on your mtb hardtail! Greetings from Croatia 😎
pinion can handle max input torque of 250Nm before it starts slipping. 250Nm of momentary torque on a technical trial is definitely within reach of a strong rider. i use this stuff on my commuter bike and when i have to go fast from a standstill, on a high gear, they it sometimes does 'slip'. on top of reduced efficiency you also get a bit of a 'squishy' feeling under the feet - it's not as direct as a chain drive. all fine for me on my commuter bike, but i dont think i'd like it on a sporty recreational bike.
Easy solution to hills is to use a Wolf Tooth and appropriately larger cassette with your GRX. Simple and cheap solution. Don't need a new derailleur.
All we need now is flat bars so you can get to the brakes, an extra chainring, lightweight barends and I've finally got my 1990's MTB back 🙌👌💪❤️
Or just a hybrid. They are still popular in Europe, because they are so much cheaper with hardly any downsides.
But without 90s era 26” wheels with 18mm rims, 135mm quick release hubs, v-brakes and a 72° HTA, will it really be the same? 😂
Future biking should lean more towards ebikes tbh. Gravel bike or however you name it, is still just a normal bicycle with little modification here and there such as handlebar, tires, frames. However it costs a lot more than some older bikes such as MTB. It's just marketing.
I ride my old MTB. Thanks.
2 years with a gravel bike and they'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands and this is after decades of riding mountain bikes on 4 month trips around the world.
I built my Gravelbike with a 50/34 105 crank and a 42/10 XG cassette. So, plenty of range
What derailleur do you use if I may ask?
@@memerakul2648Shimano 105 FD-R7000 front and GRX RD-RX810 Shadow Plus rear with a Wolf Tooth RoadLink
@@memerakul2648 SRAM XG-1150 cassette
@@imbackinthegame3611 awesome thanks mate!
How is the shifting with the Wolf Tooth RoadLink ? I also have the R7000. I'm hoping to fit the 11-40 without the Road Link (some people seem to have done it). I'll have to buy it if it doesn't work without.
Why is everyone so sensitive about how you call a bike and what niche should not be covered?
Isn't it great that we get more options and variants and you can get exactly what you want? Of course there is some overlap - so what?
Most (stock) XC hardtails are fairly different from gravel bikes, even those with a sus fork. Most are not made for riding fast on flatter terrain (and i don't mean xc-fast, but roadie-fast) but gear much more towarda more rough and more uphill.
I love my XC (fully), but it is just a different experience compared to riding my gravel bike.
On a side note: modern gravel frame geometry is nothing like 90ies MTB, repeating that statement doesn't make it true.
A gravel bike is very very limited off road. An XC bike would destroy a gravel bike on an XC course never mind an enduro course.
Yeah, no sh*t … Gravel bikes are not built for XC courses or enduro courses. No one is arguing that gravel bikes are the better option for single track or even downhill. A gravel bike than „destroys“ an XC on any kind of fire road or … well … „gravel“ roads :D No one says that gravel bikes are better for mountain biking. But there are better for going fast on gravel-style surfaces, where XCs are just getting to sluggish and also not really comfortable for longer distances. It is a different purpose. More like a road bike that can take a bit more rough stuff. I don‘t want a hardtail for long distance, fast gravel style rides.
When I have build for myself a gravel bike 4 years ago with GRX 2x11 with SLX cassette 11-50 and air for RockShox Paragon with 50mm of travel. Everybody were looking at me that I should not do this. Now a day manufactures doing the same. Ehhh 😂
If I want to climb a 12 to 18% grade as a 195 lb rider, what would be the best crank to cassette mix?
Now - which drop bars to fit to my 90's Kona MTB...
Agree with below. Gravel bikes will eventually overlap with XC mtb's. Probably have some hybrid bars.
Hmm I tried 2 used e-bikes with the enviolo system with belt now and both bikes felt so slow.
Maybe it’s that enviolo system get slower over time?
I would have loved your comments and comparaison about the LAUF fork that is a zero maintenance and very light 30mm suspended fork..
I discuss the Lauf in this video: czcams.com/video/_0mDvy1Ypew/video.html
Decades back, I noticed cross country tires on sale, gravel riding was always possible.
What would be the difference between this upcoming bikes and a Hard Tail MTB?
Exactly, MTB with drop bar
Cannot wait reinventing the Klunker 😂
I’m not sure I see the logic of the 1x11 or 1x12 on a gravel bike that you would use for both pavement and steep terrain. A 2X just makes sense and obviously gives you a dramatic advantage to either ride flats at higher speeds and steeps in lower gears.
Hi,
I bought Log Adventure 27.5 Jappnese bike for tour. Need your expert opinion is it ok ?
Please.
I am from Pakistan.
Stay safe.
The "more capable" gravel bikes mostly seem to be bought with the same logic as people buy pickup trucks. "What if I want to bikepack up a mountain one day", meanwhile they are used for 80 km rides with an extended cafe stop on mostly roads.
I completely understand drop bar bikes with some extra tire clearance, makes sense for the average rider who doesn't really care about getting the last bit of speed on the road to go for a bit more comfort and ability to use some gravel roads. But by the point you add suspension and those massively wide flared bars, you've probably arrived at owning a worse mountainbike.
Yeah I agree. The simplicyt and underbiking is part of the fun of gravel biking. Suspension fork maintenance is a chore
I really want a new adventure bike, but want something with an eagle casette stock.
The lowest gear on my road bike is 24/34. I could crawl up a mountain on my bike. It has an old low end Shimano triple group set.
So lower gearing is out there. Just install it on your bike 🚲.
34 / 40 and 50/11 so you can have both worlds on 7000 105,
My mtb has so much gearing i run out of traction or vertical balance before struggling to pedal its 2x10
What's your ratio at your belt / Rohloff? (How many teeth?)
The future of Gravel Bike evolution is ..... MTB Bike
Your suspension won't be very helpful on my favorite gravel route. This will occur to you when you are riding the part of of the route that is a 7 mile climb. ;) 🤘
I ride gravel and MTB, y compare them? I never have the control and feeling for my front tyre on the gravel as on the MTB. It's like comparing a twin cylinder rally honda with a Motocross husquarna
i agree
The argument that flat bar gravel bikes are hard tail MTBs don't quite sell as (flat bar fitted) gravel bikes would still be 3-4 lbs lighter.
Not everyone wants that racing aerodynamics or clip(-less) pedals not want it a bit more zippier than MTB.
Bikes like Trek FX Sport currently lack gear range. Hope they get GRX 12 speed.
Just bought a Poseidon Redwood for $500 off the official website. Hope this helps whoever is looking for one
I've just been reading today about fat tyres and the suspension they afford and this compared to actual suspension in Jan Heine's "The All-Road Bike Revolution." (Bicycle Quarterly Press) So, from this new knowledge, I feel I need to make a small correction on the point of suspension forks.
So, basically, the vast majority of road vibration is handled by a supple tyre. The principle of sprung to unsprung weight means that shock absorbtion close to the road and with as little weight and resistance as possible is needed for the majority of bumps on any road. The next line of defence, and slower responding, on an unsuspended front end is the fork itself. A quality steel or carbon fork absorbs the harder shocks. Then, if the track is really bad, super hard hitting and gnarly, that's where actual suspension forks take over. The suspension fork is the mop-up crew for what supple tyres and a "zingy" rigid fork can't handle - the really dirty gnarl.
Sprung versus unsprung weight is reactance physics 101 and the lowest possible unsprung weight hs the deforming of the tyre. For gravel bikes, a suspension fork will be useful if you dive off down a strip of rocky gunge on a whim, and that's fine if you realise you brought "the wrong bike" and should have pulled the rock hopper out from the back of the garage, but for 99% of us on a gravel ride, a suspension fork is just dead weight, always late to the "supple meetings."
Wider tyre clearances, though. That stuff is rad. I'm in the process of trying to find a super supple 700x38 for my urban to gravel conversion, "Buster." 700x35s are great on Melbourne's off-road routes, but for longer than urban trails journeys I need wider and 38 is as big as my frame will take. Hardly worth it, except the Schwalbes I currently run are made of "iron and concrete", not supple, not supple at all.
Help me please, please...
Deja vue Alarm...
already experienced the Suspension Story in the 90s...
My Rock Shox Mag 21 SL Ti had 45mm travel...😂😂😂
i mainly ride fixed, so i hear a 38 tooth chainring and i instantly start freaking out before i come back to my senses lol.