MTB vs Gravel bike

[Benny Profane]

Basically a long ad for Moots, but, that's cool, amazing scenery. I want to go to Iceland.

[Groomer Gambler]

Actually, having both of those would be the perfect bike stable. Plus a cheap Craigslist bike for commuting as there's no way I'd lock a Moots outside.

[Benny Profane]

You have an addiction.

[mntlion]

so mnt bikes are good for mnt biking,
road bikes are good for road biking

gravel bikes are OK at road and OK at mnt biking, and kinda ok/suck everywhere.


such amaizing place to go.

[Benny Profane]

Yeah, I really don't get this gravel thing, either, but, any excuse to sell somebody another bike.

Nice scenery, though.

[babybear]

well it's sort of nice to have a suspension bike and a no suspension bike so that's sorta how I view it.
I have a mtn bike and a road bike

My husband doesn't like to road bike on pavement so he has the gravel bike for exploration, which he uses the hell out of.
But yea it's a bit gimmicky bc they basically used to be called cyclocross bikes

[plugboots]

This vid made me download Komoot.
If you did the Dirty Kanza, or lived near (and wanted to ride) a lot of gravel roads, you’d want a gravel grinder. Simply put, cyclocross bikes are twitchier, and designed to be shouldered.
Ti is definitely the material for gravel without a doubt, (sorry thesuit). The plus bike was overkill for that ride.

Edit to add GCN and its sister site GMBN are the best sites for bike reviews/comparison tests. Check out this for why you’d want a gravel bike. The gal who did this rocks, btw:

[Groomer Gambler]

^My 'gravel' bike is basically a steel cyclocross/touring bike that can clear a 42c tire. I've raced on it and I'm sort of amazed with the rough shit I've sent it down.

The gravel category makes perfect sense IMO. For those looking at mixed surface biketouring, gravel bikes are generally less money than full on mountain bikes and clearance for larger tires provide some cushion on rough roads. Dirt drop bars and more upright position (compared to road) I'd take my gravel bike for long rides any day over my mtn bike. Would I want to ride this on tech singletrack? No. But I don't mind hiking around. In terms of versatility and value I love the gravel-type bikes, even with the marketing BS.

[Groomer Gambler]

Not to mention riding this on a 40c 'gravel' bike:

http://www.bikepacking.com/plog/jay-...mountain-race/

[Benny Profane]

Well, if I lived in Vermont where 60% of roads are not paved, I'd probably succumb to this gravel thing. But, I don't.

[evasive_MT]

Yeah, as noted, the gravel category has slightly different geometry than a CX bike. Little longer, little slacker, little more BB drop. No reason you can’t use a CX bike for long gravel rides (my GF does) but since I’m never going to race CX, I was happy to have the gravel bike option.

[plugboots]

Well, if I lived in Vermont where 60% of roads are not paved, I'd probably succumb to this gravel thing. But, I don't.

Well exactly.
From Winthrop there are fire roads that cross all over Eastern/Northern WA, yet all the road bike rides are simple river valley out-and-backs. I’ve only ridden these roads before there were so many mountain bike trails, and when I was training for big races. I get bored climbing mile after mile on a gravel road, yet lots of people think it’s great. Lots of people are scared of cars, lots of people don’t have money for 3-4 bikes, etc.

[jamal]

My cross bike kind of sucks to ride on gravel because it has a steep headtube angle and high bottom bracket. Works great on a race course but riding fast on a gravel road gets a little scary. Bigger tires with some tread helps but a longer, lower, slacker bike is a lot more stable, and that is the biggest difference between a gravel and a cross bike. Although now, cross bikes are trending that way and tend to have more tire clearance so the difference is less than when "gravel bikes" were a brand new thing.

[HankScorpio]

Well, if I lived in Vermont where 60% of roads are not paved, I'd probably succumb to this gravel thing. But, I don't.

It took just a few weeks for me to get hooked on gravel riding here. On top of 8000 miles of dirt roads there’s countless miles of 4x4, VAST and smooth single track trails you can connect on a drop bar bike with skinny XC mtb tires.

On top of that you rarely encounter cars and the scenery is unreal.

I’m on my mountain bike almost all the time but when the trails are closed in the early spring and late fall, gravel riding rules.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[jacob_dbu]

I have a DB Haanjo gravel bike that I love. I like to ride for leisure and with some Road Plus tires it rolls pretty damn well on the road too. I don't race, so why would I want to put myself through riding chip n seal with 28c?

[plugboots]

I wasn't going to share this, because I didn't want you jerks to clog it up. Iceland is cool and all, but I'm planning this one.
http://podia.cc/roadventures/niski-gravelventure/

[smmokan]

They must have been REALLY lucky with weather... because I've been to Iceland three times and I can count the number of days on one hand where I saw the sun.

I guess they didn't want to show the video clips where they were riding into a 50mph headwind with driving rain that makes grown men cry.

[babybear]

I got andrew the hakka mx for his bday this summer. it has much more slack angles than his old cross bike and he added a dropper post
he's been riding it everywhere this summer- gravel and on trails. he said it's been rekindling his love for the town trails again riding them on the hardtail

[Benny Profane]

I wasn't going to share this, because I didn't want you jerks to clog it up. Iceland is cool and all, but I'm planning this one.
http://podia.cc/roadventures/niski-gravelventure/

My first choice would be a lot of the strada blanche in the L' Eroica route in Tuscany. Think of the meals.

[buttahflake]

Dropper post and some front suss. Titanium, yeah for real, this might be the best material for this style of riding. I broke a carbon frame this year, dragged something, rock/stick into the non-drive seat stay, and it blew it up. No damage to the wheel, just a random event. Ti frame with the new Lefty 80, that’s where I’m heading.
Great b-day present, riding mixed surface on the drops, is not only, wicked fun, it keeps yer skillz, sharp.
Waiting on my replacement frame, they gave me a cool steel rig to ride in the interim.

[Vt-Freeheel]

Looking good^^

I have a Cannonade Slate and love for riding around on mixed surfaces. Was riding MTB 100+ days a summer and this helps break it up and ads aerobic endurance to supplement mtbs usual anaerobic norm. Have fun exploring old roads and connecting through on 4th class and logging roads. the lefty takes the edge off bumps, especially washboard. If you look at the specs it is much closer to road than CX. I also ride the local 7 mile "flow" network and it makes for an interesting ride, like butta says, it helps with mtb riding. My mt bike feels like a chopper after a week off riding gravel. I picked up a dropper to give it some more versatility, mostly to get my weight lower as steep gap 4th class works my hands riding the hoods on rocky descents.
Lots of cool gravel "races" that support various charities and I always meet interesting people from all over to chat with.
It's sometimes hard to have "civil discourse" when posting about gravel riding, but losers never get me down.

[mntlion]

that C'dale is nice. cool rig


http://www.vandesselcycles.com/produ...tango-foxtrot/
its the bike I have put the most milage on for the past 2 years (moots SS and rocky pipeline) Been so much fun

[GeezerSteve]

Pic of touring/rando/gravel bicycle frame I built my wife. Frame dims are a bit different than CX frames I've built. This frame has 71* HT and longer chain stays. Ample clearance for 700x40 tires. She is into randoneurring (2016 RUSA Cup). With 28s it's a rando bike. With 32s it's a touring bike. With 40s it's a gravel bike. I built her 2 front wheels, one with dynohub, one regular 28H. Racks are DIY custom made from 4130 tubing for her fast road bike, modded to fit this frame.

[Norseman]

Pic

How did you form those chainstays?

[GeezerSteve]

How did you form those chainstays?

Those are stock Columbus Life chain stays. Paragon dropouts. I bent a small bow in this left CS for extra tire clearance. Cool asymmetrical look but I did the CS on my next 2 frames a bit different, kept them straight and got more tire clearance via bending the dropouts at different spot. For bigger riders I sometimes use fork blades as chain stays, pinch or crimp them a bit for fatter tire clearance, sometimes use thicker wall on left CS for low drop mount.

My current build is a fast road bike for me. Lugged. I'm using a bit thicker wall left CS (True Temper).