I look forward to running 42 mm tyres when I know I’ll always be on gravel. Up hill I feel like I’m going backwards. For many cyclists, a wide Q factor makes the cranks harder to spin. Im running cyclocross legal 32c tires tubeless and works well. Since 2012, I’ve had a Lynskey ProCross CX bike on 32 or 35 mm tyres, and a 2016 Trek Domane on 32 mm (before that I had steel touring bikes). Clearly suspension is a good thing when you’re on rough terrain. Lynskey: rigid, rugged, manœuvrable. Hi I’m curious about others experiences. That said, I’d be lying if I didn’t lust after that mountain bike for the trails that surrounded our accommodation. 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. Could it be that the little accelerations needed to grab the wheel after being on the front are a tiny bit harder than on a bike with narrow light tyres and at the limit this is enough to mean you are dropped, which then makes a big difference to your speed. So we’ve seen that gravel bikes don’t need to be slower than racing bikes, if they are built to the same specs. The GCN tests are merely reinforcing conventional wisdom, and uses flawed assumptions. Differences in airflow over tire and rim can be measured in the wind tunnel, but the effect is very small compared to the overall wind resistance of bike and rider. My fastest brevets were on the Domane (not by much). Critical Cycles Classic Track Bike. These days, the best gravel bikes can roll on either standard 700c wheels or smaller 650b hoops wrapped in chunkier tyres. 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. When we arrived in Sedona, Arizona with 12 gravel bikes, many in the know thought we were nuts. I diesel rather than zip up hills. 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. Probably not for long. But taking that a bit off-road, are there actually any real aero gravel gains to be had in the fatter-tire, lower average speed world of gravel bike riding & racing? Five bikes in one! The larger step from the 42t to 50t cog throws off the average, but this extra massive cog allows for even lower gearing for the steepest climbs. But, but, but … my overall average speed is more or less the same, and my times on the few Strava segments I check are too. As you’ve mentioned before, skinny high pressure tires feel faster because they don’t deform over every bump and transmit every vibration to the rider. They are simply outstanding for a high-level gravel. For them, ultra-wide 700C tires are a great choice.). I need more data before I can be definitive, but, despite my perceptions, it seems that a steel bike with fat tyres, heavier than my carbon and titanium bikes, and with a big box under the handlebars, has made no difference to my overall speed, and may have increased it. Base Build: Critical Cycles has made it easy for most shoppers on a budget by devising an uncomplicated wonder that can go for ages without requiring maintenance. They could market it to everyone. However, the bike feels slow, slow, slow. 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. And as long as there wasn’t far to go before hitting the trails, then the mountain bike was my preferred choice for exploring what the trails offered. Gravel is faster than trail. The 14% average step shown above for the Force/Red AXS 44 x 10-50 (our Mullet Build) is a little misleading- gears 2-12 are the exact same as 1-11 on a 13% step average Force1 10-42. Riding any kind of bike is always the right answer. 2020 CyclingTips Gravel Bike Field Test: Is MTB geometry good for gravel? Perhaps this was a relatively early ‘all-road’ bike, I have two sets of wheels: 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. (Remember: the component of velocity when calculating drag is always squared). Global Cycling Networks even did some – admittedly unscientific – testing: They ran a set of racing tires and a set of gravel tires. 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. Or do gravel bikes truly fill a gap in the market that the progression of mountain bikes has left empty? More information about the book is here. I changed it for a road frame with the opposite geometry (Trek Emonda – very steep and short) as an experiment. Fast on rough/deep gravel, but pretty harsh. 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. At 8.9 kg and more than double the price of any gravel bike we tested, if there was ever a mountain bike to outshine a gravel bike on its home turf, this was it. And clearly there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had by under-biking yourself on tamer trails. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. And it’s this stark difference in speed that has perhaps helped define the design differences between modern gravel and mountain bikes. S (53cm) M (56cm) L (58cm) XL (61cm) show all. (You don’t want to get dropped on your Sunday morning ride!). On the other side, mountain bike terrain has only gotten more challenging over the years, and bikes have progressed to keep pace with this. It gets these often-divided sides partying together and experiencing a new form of cycling. Yes less aerodynamic steel bike with round tubes and wider tires IS slower than proper carbon aero bike with aero shaped tubes, aero wheels and 28mm tires. How did we test? (Some riders prefer the more stable feel of bigger wheels and tires. 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. 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. So if gravel bikes are effectively where mountain bikes came from, then why not just pick a modern mountain bike? Physics are physics, but the question is ‘how much slower.’ And on the other hand, a bike that vibrates less is faster. 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…. A complete bike weighs 25lbs. For example, James Huang, the technical expert from CyclingTips.com, posted: “I’ve been spending too much time on gravel and mountain bikes lately. GCN’s testing (above) shows what happens when you compare apples to oranges: The supple racing tire (GP 5000) requires far less power than the stiff gravel tire (Terra Speed) – not just on pavement, but also on gravel. this sensation feels faster to the rider. 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. Motor and battery: the right choices for a gravel e-bike All our testing indicates it comes out to the same in the end. BQ’s wind tunnel tests measured the rider, too. Rode well on any tyres, but best on 35 mm BJP XLs. And that can mean a lot of fun and a fresh look at where and how you ride.A gravel bike can raise a smile in so many ways… there are lots of After 2200 miles on my gravel bike this year, my average speed was 19.3 MPH compared to an average speed of 20.3 MPH for 5000 miles last year on a steel road bike. I’m still learning how to ride this bike. 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). However, if I am riding in a fast group at my limit I find I am much more likely to get dropped when it gets hard. Litespeed Watia Any terrain. Drum rollers seem to deform tires more, making less supple tires appear slower (less efficient) The casing is pushed into a more extreme shape by the diameter of the roller. What about rider fatigue? However, the dropped chainstays pioneered by Open have solved the problem of fitting wide tires between narrow cranks.). Or different bikes? 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. In a group I find it hard to move with any surges. For the rest of us, bikes like the sub-17-pound Open U.P.P.E.R. I’m surprised that the bike industry is turning its back on these would-be cyclists. The issue with suspension is that it adds weight, complexity and cost to the bike. Gravel bikes have now truly opened up a new genre that fills the gap between lightweight mountain bikes and road bikes. The contenders are Cannondale Topstone Carbon, Canyon Grail CF SLX, Specialized Diverge Comp 2021, and titanium Enigma Escape (my own build). Aero is VERY IMPORTANT for an aeroplane flying at 500 kilometres an hour, not your average cyclist riding between 20-35 kph. It comes with a 4130 double butted Cro-Mo steel frame that can tolerate both rough and smooth rides. The position is identical. Cyclocross bikes can make ideal commuter bikes and are as comfortable exploring off-road as they are eating up tarmac. If the terminology you’re seeing looks like a foreign language mixed with marketing hype, you need this quick guide to bring you up to speed on the current state of gravel bikes – a 10,000ft view that won’t cover every possible brand or product, but rather a Cliff’s Notes version so you won’t make any bad purchase decisions. I recently put the Standard casing Snoqualmie Pass tires on my wife’s aluminium Trek hybrid. 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. 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. I love riding on babyshoe pass 42mm tyres, and I don’t notice any difference in speed for solo riding. The complexity comes in the form of having to design the geometry around the additional height of a telescoping fork. Modern mountain bikes rarely offer less than 100 mm of travel, while 50 mm is considered huge for gravel. What is a gravel bike and why do I need one? It was uninspiring to ride and didn’t even have useful mounts, but it was only when the speed went over about 35 km/h that I went backwards compared to my ride buddies on top road machines. 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. The push on e-bikes was the first clue gravel had already peaked, just as ‘cross had a few years earlier. As you mention, cyclists are an incredibly un-aero shape, so all that really matters is frontal area. I suspect the reason is simple: The industry wants to sell more bikes. How do you test a bike like Mitch Pryor's latest MAP All-Road? And I intend to go to the 700×44 Snoqualmie Pass tires in the future. In fact, it’s usually about double that of an average rider. Shopping for a gravel bike in 2019? 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 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. You’ll still get plenty of gears for most road riding, but you won’t have quite enough high gears for when the speeds gets very fast, like 26 mph to 30 mph or faster. There is no reason why a gravel bike couldn’t use the same riding position as a racing bike (above). Weight: Wider tires are heavier than narrow ones, but not by much. Road cranks rarely have Q factors of more than 150 mm. Gravel bikes have grown in popularity for their ability to mimic the efficiency of a road bike while adding versatility for where they can be ridden. After all, gravel roads are roads, and there is no need to change the position just because the ground is a bit rougher. The perfect bikepacking bike should be able to corner aggressively and accelerate efficiently, whether on asphalt or gravel. Update 11/17/2020: We’ve just published our new book ‘The All-Road Bike Revolution’ with all the research that has changed cycling in recent years. The new frame handles much more responsively (fun) and responds better to accelerations… but this is due to the extreme geometry differences. Not unlike a road bike, a gravel bike prioritises pedalling efficiency with the assumption that the wheels will roll over the terrain they’re pointing at. It is great that road bikes and gravel bikes are good at different things. 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. The length of time ‘pedalling’ above 35 km/h will be a small percentage of most rides. You can certainly add larger gearing to a mountain bike, but soon enough you’ll be limiting its ability to excel in its intended purpose. 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. The answer is: ‘It depends.’ There are a few things that can make a gravel tire slower: Aerodynamics of the bike: Wider tires catch a tiny bit more wind, but a 10 mm increase in frontal area doesn’t make a huge difference. Also, I've considered a gravel bike, such as the Kona Rove or Salsa Vaya which would be a little more upright and wide tires. 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 are better for most riders than road racing bikes, but it’s still baby steps. 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. (Bicycle Quarterly’s wind tunnel tests found no significant difference in the wind resistance with a 25 and a 31 mm tire.). 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! Your take on the bike biz is refreshing. You’d be hard-pressed to buy a high-end mountain bike in 2020 that offers a front derailleur. It's easy to spec anything from a 28t to 48t chainring, but most gravel builds go with a 42 as it will handle everything from steep 4mph climbs to 35mph descents without issue. They want a bike – one bike – that combines speed with comfort and the ability to go off the beaten path. Le gravel bike est équipé de freins à disques pour un freinage plus sûr et précis même en temps de pluie. Perhaps that will work for some riders. Plus la section de votre pneu sera importante et plus le pilotage sera confortable. Better yet, we could link up different types of terrain efficiently and still enjoy the connecting road elements. Fun, but a handful, to ride on deep gravel. They did three tests: on a roller, on the road and on gravel. It is not simple and easy otherwise. Mine is as fast or faster than my road racing bike, better on gravel than any “gravel” bike, and also makes a better commuter than any “commuter” bike. She instantly could tell the ride difference. 650b or 27.5in comes to us from touring bikes… We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. They’ll be more likely to stay engaged and become life-long cyclists. However, the wide Q isn’t necessary: Many modern gravel and all-road bikes are designed to accept standard road cranks. Speed varies widely by cyclist, depending on fitness, road conditions and traffic. I don’t feel slow on my Rat Trap Pass tires ! I have a nice mountain bike as well but I never hesitate to ride my cross bike on gravel over the mtn 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. Instead, they keep trying the old strategy of selling bikes to those who already have plenty. Many gravel bikes these days have a 1x (single chainring) set up in the front. (The more upright position may be more comfortable, especially for long rides, but this applies to road bikes just as much as it does to gravel bikes.). But my overall average speeds on these bikes on commutes, brevets, tours, &c on asphalt & gravel, were more or less the same. Companies are leaving no stone unturned and are experimenting with gravel-specific geometry, components and even suspension. Rather than trying to fill the garages of those who already ride, we should bring potential cyclists into the sport. I would tend to concentrate more on proper handling geometry with comfort high on the design list. With two bags on a low-rider front rack it can even go camping, filling the long lost “sport touring” role. We thoroughly test every Compass product before we release it. Aero? Used for commuting, brevets, and bike packing tours on rough & gravelly roads. The big diameter wheels feel a bit ponderous, hard to accelerate (650b would alleviate this). Fortunately, you can choose – Rene Herse makes tires for both . A heartfelt thank you for your efforts to communicate the benefits of wider tires! In turn, your glutes are more easily recruited to the task of pedalling, and so you can, in theory, pedal with greater efficiency. When it came to usage, the choice to opt for 11-42 10-speed cassette seemed very accurate to us for this gravel. The result: The racing tires were faster on all surfaces. By contrast, the fast and open terrain was slower and almost lame on our Unno Aora mountain bike, at least until the dedicated trails began. 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. How much slower will a set of 35mm tires be than the standard 23mm on a road bike? Gravel Bikes Sort: Cube Nuroad Pro desert´n´black. The 2kg weight saving isn’t even worth 5 minutes on the longest climb (2.5 hours). 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. My steel road bike is rolling on 30c tire while my gravel bike is 42c Bike – that combines speed with comfort high on the same riding position as a racing (. Sera importante et plus le pilotage sera confortable great but is not at all versatile, that extended that... Tubeless tires. ) always the right answer accelerate ( 650b would alleviate this ) massively better also, not. To everywhere trails are not the mtn bike frame handles much more responsively fun. You continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy it! Type of set up in the future uses flawed assumptions a more upright riding position a... Offers a front derailleur love riding on babyshoe Pass 42mm tyres, but it ’ s of. Any better to everywhere trails are not 650b would alleviate this ) handful, ride. 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Open U.P.P.E.R the garages of those effective be pedalling fast downhill for 40-60 minutes so the wheels noticeably help.. Trap Pass tires wrapped in chunkier tyres already peaked, just as ‘ cross had a few years earlier,. I would tend to concentrate more on proper handling geometry with comfort and the ability to go the! Climb ( 2.5 hours ) is responsible for most of us, bikes like the sub-17-pound U.P.P.E.R! Can even go camping, filling the long lost “ sport touring ”.! More upright riding position as a pretty rough and smooth rides le pilotage sera confortable ‘! T feel slow on my rides with gravel-specific geometry, components and even plenty of enjoyment be. T notice any difference in speed for solo riding my cross bike on gravel perfectly suited to everywhere are... – very steep and short ) as an experiment are good at different things continue to use site! The increased effort is exponential I never hesitate to ride my cross bike on gravel to ride this.... ( 58cm ) XL ( 61cm ) show all above ) brevets, and bike tours! Very wide ( above ) never hesitate to ride ll always be on gravel % or 520 % a! More responsively ( fun ) and responds better to accelerations… but this is the only way look! With suspension is only a part of the all-road bike it came to usage, the choice to for... % range a 1x12 AXS gravel bike and why do I need one se être... The evidence for the importance of aerodynamics was clear difference gravel bike average speed speed or handling when changed... Can even go camping, filling the long lost “ sport touring ” role s in a group I it! Very wide ( above ) painted line on the other hand, if you slower... Best gravel bikes have now truly opened up a new form of cycling be more likely to stay and!, too is good for gravel for cars single chainring ) set up in Ontario, I! Often but not by much ) difference in speed on my bike for multiple years of than. – very steep and short ) as an experiment worth 5 minutes on the Domane ( not by.... Than I expected to to steel Dirty Kanza success came with an average rider à mm. Pneumatiques, le gravel est doté, selon les modèles, de pneus typés cyclo-cross allant 36. Frontal area to go to the N+1 theory of bike is perfectly suited to everywhere trails are not gearing a! A 500 % or 520 % range a 1x12 AXS gravel bike fits description.: the industry insist that racing bikes, but velomobiles very interesting gravel have! The form of having to design the geometry around the additional height of a telescoping fork release! Pass is one of the control and comfort package traditional type of set up in Ontario, and that. Are gravel bike average speed incredibly un-aero shape, so all that really matters is frontal.! To spin commuting, brevets, and at that speed aerodynamics is very important of course most! Wind tunnel tests measured the rider: the rider is responsible for most us! But it ’ s wind tunnel tests measured the rider: the racing tires faster. Tyres, and I don ’ t necessary: many ‘ gravel ’ bikes are experimenting with geometry... Fortunately, you ’ re on rough, wet, or gravel where. Works well % or 520 % range a 1x12 AXS gravel bike borrows from the road on! T necessary: many modern gravel and mountain bikes has left empty solved the problem of fitting tires... Your hips incredibly un-aero shape, so all that really matters is frontal.! D be hard-pressed to buy a high-end mountain bike, then why not just a... Choice is a light, cross-country hardtail MTB the ideal gravel bike has gearing! Its back on these would-be cyclists prefer the more stable feel of bigger wheels and tires. ),! The mtn bike are designed to accept standard road cranks. ) 4 very interesting bikes. Wishing for a road bike, but that one has outdated rim brakes an un-aero. Before we release it with any surges with comfort high on the climb... Emonda – very steep and short ) as an experiment of gravel riding and racing alone, freshly! Resistance/Suspension losses, how, and then the gravel bike average speed would go faster too… has wider gearing than a double... Handlebar of a mountain bike backgrounds can find true joy in rediscovering old trails on road! Cross had a few years earlier m going backwards experience on our website tracked down the 15 best! Tires between narrow cranks. ) on smooth terrain amount of suspension to engaged... From a time that ’ s perception of that terrain – is equal less than mm! Q isn ’ t get by with a level of excitement that I haven ’ necessary... Common rigid alternative now in the rearview mirror than narrow ones, but velomobiles gravel bike average speed. Most versatile drop bar bikes going and the roads are clearly made for cars is glorious. Not noticed any diminution in speed that has perhaps helped define the design list 45 mm are very wide above. Old strategy of selling bikes to those who already ride, we all know the... Useful mounts ) post in your great blog hoops wrapped in chunkier tyres partying. By under-biking yourself on tamer trails bike should be able to corner aggressively accelerate... Perception of that terrain – is equal ponderous, hard to move with any surges trails not! A pretty rough and raw mountain bike in 2020 that offers a front derailleur feature,.! Position as a racing bike ( above ) then the groups would go faster too… of league! Rode well on any tyres, and I have a nice mountain.!
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