Speccing a gravel bike
Discussion
Hard-Drive said:
Thanks for the insight all. I'm still "not getting it" with 1 x 11 though!
I've just totted up the weight difference on the groupsets, and although you lose weight out of the front mech and the chainset, you then chuck a load more on thanks to that massive cassette. The difference is a measly 62 grams... over 10 times less than one bottle of water!
I do get that if you want mahoosive tyres you get more clearance around the front mech, there's a bit less to go wrong, and for hardcore off roading the (already clutched) rear mech is having to deal with a bit less chain slap, but I just can't see that the compromise is worth a measly 62 grams. Plus chuck in that with a 2x I can swap wheels with my road bike for instant 28mm tyres, and I'd get a much wider spread of gears with smaller jumps for very similar cash and I can't see why I would want 1x.
Or am I really missing something? Thanks!
I have a Canyon Endurace and a GT Grade.I've just totted up the weight difference on the groupsets, and although you lose weight out of the front mech and the chainset, you then chuck a load more on thanks to that massive cassette. The difference is a measly 62 grams... over 10 times less than one bottle of water!
I do get that if you want mahoosive tyres you get more clearance around the front mech, there's a bit less to go wrong, and for hardcore off roading the (already clutched) rear mech is having to deal with a bit less chain slap, but I just can't see that the compromise is worth a measly 62 grams. Plus chuck in that with a 2x I can swap wheels with my road bike for instant 28mm tyres, and I'd get a much wider spread of gears with smaller jumps for very similar cash and I can't see why I would want 1x.
Or am I really missing something? Thanks!
The Grade was upgraded (YSWIDT
)from mechanical disc and 2x10, to full hydros and 2x11. I opted to keep the 50/34 chainset and went with an 11/34 on the rear.The Grade will now descend on tarmac as quickly as the Canyon, but has 1:1 capability for climbing off road.
I’ve equipped it with the largest tyres it’ll accommodate, 35mm GravelKings and I’ve yet to find any terrain it won’t go over.
I’m actually considering a couple of laps of Llandegla when they reopen!
I've had my Ridley X trail 4 years now. Being an early 'gravel' bike it's got a compact group set 11-32 and 35 mm tyres., I did get an extra set of wheels for long road rides , but to be honest there is not that much difference in rolling resistance between my gravel and normal tyres.. Gravel bikes are evolving to maintain the N+1 formula, but I'm happy my bike is the only one I need.
I run two different road bikes with 2x and a rigid 29er (in esssence a flat bar gravel bike) running 1x.
On the road, having the 1x set up is a compromise, no doubt. Fine uphills but on fast stretches of flat and downhill I miss the higher top gears. A 10t cassette would help.
But I do find it slightly odd that people are building up their gravel bike, spending lots of money in the process and end up saying ‘1x isn’t that bad’ I’d want to feel a lot better about it myself!
On the road, having the 1x set up is a compromise, no doubt. Fine uphills but on fast stretches of flat and downhill I miss the higher top gears. A 10t cassette would help.
But I do find it slightly odd that people are building up their gravel bike, spending lots of money in the process and end up saying ‘1x isn’t that bad’ I’d want to feel a lot better about it myself!
alolympic said:
I run two different road bikes with 2x and a rigid 29er (in esssence a flat bar gravel bike) running 1x.
On the road, having the 1x set up is a compromise, no doubt. Fine uphills but on fast stretches of flat and downhill I miss the higher top gears. A 10t cassette would help.
But I do find it slightly odd that people are building up their gravel bike, spending lots of money in the process and end up saying ‘1x isn’t that bad’ I’d want to feel a lot better about it myself!
I disagree - I love my 1x. On the road, having the 1x set up is a compromise, no doubt. Fine uphills but on fast stretches of flat and downhill I miss the higher top gears. A 10t cassette would help.
But I do find it slightly odd that people are building up their gravel bike, spending lots of money in the process and end up saying ‘1x isn’t that bad’ I’d want to feel a lot better about it myself!
Spinning out a 42-11 I'm at the point where I'm really quite fine with not going faster.
I'm no racer, and am quite happy with the gear spacing (11-40 cassette). I could perhaps see a benefit with 2x Di2 or similar which I believe can automatically move to the "next lowest/highest" even if that means shifts of chainring and multiple moves across the cassette - but with mechanical that's not happening.
Love the look without the front mech. Love the silence.
Thanks for the comments all. I posted a similar question on a gravel FB group, and interestingly the majority of responses were "go 2x", with a few people actually regretting 1x, or actually swapping to 2x from a 1x.
My MTB is old school, a steel 26" On-One Inbred, with a 3x Shimano SLX drivetrain, and it's superb. I can't say I've ever been anything less than totally impressed with it's performance. I get it that when DH bikes started going 1x with chain devices it made sense...they were only used for one thing, downhill, and reducing chain slap was paramount. But the SLX drivetrain doesn't do anything that makes me think "hmmm, 1x would resolve that".
So it seems that the main reasons are:
Noise-not an issue for me. I'd also expect that the noise on my 2x11 road bike, on tarmac on slick tyres would be more noticeable than the noise on fatter aggressive tyres on rough surfaces possibly with a load of bikepacking kit rattling around too, but I'm fine with my 2x11
Simplicity-I kinda get that for extreme mud, however I'd be riding my MTB on that instead, and I don't think I've ever had a front mech let me down as they are such a simple thing
Weight-the 70 odd grams are irrelevant to me, especially on a bike with fattish tyres and a fattish rider, and if it was that important I'd go carbon and not ti
Looks-Yes, 1x does look cool, and aesthetics are important, but when I'm riding I won't notice it, but I'll sure as heck notice the better gear spread!
I do get for proper off-roading 1x has it's advantages, but I guess going back to car analogies that's like sticking 35" Simex tyres and a 3" lift kit on a daily driver Defender because they look cool and are better off road...sure, they do on both counts, but they are going to be way worse to live with for the rest of the time.
Thanks for the insight though, and I think 1x absolutely has it's place, just not for me (a bit like my other Inbred, a single speed, which I soon realised was a waste of time for me and will now be going up for sale!)
My MTB is old school, a steel 26" On-One Inbred, with a 3x Shimano SLX drivetrain, and it's superb. I can't say I've ever been anything less than totally impressed with it's performance. I get it that when DH bikes started going 1x with chain devices it made sense...they were only used for one thing, downhill, and reducing chain slap was paramount. But the SLX drivetrain doesn't do anything that makes me think "hmmm, 1x would resolve that".
So it seems that the main reasons are:
Noise-not an issue for me. I'd also expect that the noise on my 2x11 road bike, on tarmac on slick tyres would be more noticeable than the noise on fatter aggressive tyres on rough surfaces possibly with a load of bikepacking kit rattling around too, but I'm fine with my 2x11
Simplicity-I kinda get that for extreme mud, however I'd be riding my MTB on that instead, and I don't think I've ever had a front mech let me down as they are such a simple thing
Weight-the 70 odd grams are irrelevant to me, especially on a bike with fattish tyres and a fattish rider, and if it was that important I'd go carbon and not ti
Looks-Yes, 1x does look cool, and aesthetics are important, but when I'm riding I won't notice it, but I'll sure as heck notice the better gear spread!
I do get for proper off-roading 1x has it's advantages, but I guess going back to car analogies that's like sticking 35" Simex tyres and a 3" lift kit on a daily driver Defender because they look cool and are better off road...sure, they do on both counts, but they are going to be way worse to live with for the rest of the time.
Thanks for the insight though, and I think 1x absolutely has it's place, just not for me (a bit like my other Inbred, a single speed, which I soon realised was a waste of time for me and will now be going up for sale!)
I've had the above for coming up to two years. It's transformed the fun I have from cycling. It's a truly do everything bike:
- Road only rides? Great. Ok it spins up slower than my dedicated road bike and I wouldn't race or use it for a tri, but for regular road riding it's fine, and if the weather is inclement, it's all the better.
- Commuting? Great. Alu frame, all weather, can find more interesting routes to work that avoid traffic.
- Family? As it's aluminium you might spot the Hamax backet on the seat tube. It's great for taking my daughter along which means we get out as a family more without me having to go on a compromised bike just to take her.
- Gravel/offroad? I'm not an all out singletrack type rider. I don't own a mountain bike. But this bike has transformed the types of ride I go on for fun now. I'm exploring more, not a slave to the stats or trying to beat times, and most importantly I'm riding more (admittedly from a low starting point over the past few years due to family/work.)
As for 1x, well I jumped on that early. This bike is pre-GRX and so it's decked out with a Deore XT/Ultegra Di2 setup with a Praxis crank. 11-40t cassette and 40t chainring. I'm a complete convert and wouldn't choose 2x for this type of bike. If all I did was road riding then sure 2x and closer ratio cassette makes the most sense but for simplicity and flexibility I think 1x works really well. Plus it's really simple to have all three buttons on each lever do the same thing! Up on one side, down on the other.
My carbon road bike is permanently on the trainer now. All my riding in the great outdoors is on this bike.
It was also great to spec out a bike from scratch. This cost me around £3.5k but every time I get on it I know it's exactly what I wanted. No compromise.
Edited by aspender on Friday 12th June 14:55
Hard-Drive said:
Thanks for the insight all. I'm still "not getting it" with 1 x 11 though!
I've just totted up the weight difference on the groupsets, and although you lose weight out of the front mech and the chainset, you then chuck a load more on thanks to that massive cassette. The difference is a measly 62 grams... over 10 times less than one bottle of water!
I do get that if you want mahoosive tyres you get more clearance around the front mech, there's a bit less to go wrong, and for hardcore off roading the (already clutched) rear mech is having to deal with a bit less chain slap, but I just can't see that the compromise is worth a measly 62 grams. Plus chuck in that with a 2x I can swap wheels with my road bike for instant 28mm tyres, and I'd get a much wider spread of gears with smaller jumps for very similar cash and I can't see why I would want 1x.
Or am I really missing something? Thanks!
Simplicity and ease of cleaning.I've just totted up the weight difference on the groupsets, and although you lose weight out of the front mech and the chainset, you then chuck a load more on thanks to that massive cassette. The difference is a measly 62 grams... over 10 times less than one bottle of water!
I do get that if you want mahoosive tyres you get more clearance around the front mech, there's a bit less to go wrong, and for hardcore off roading the (already clutched) rear mech is having to deal with a bit less chain slap, but I just can't see that the compromise is worth a measly 62 grams. Plus chuck in that with a 2x I can swap wheels with my road bike for instant 28mm tyres, and I'd get a much wider spread of gears with smaller jumps for very similar cash and I can't see why I would want 1x.
Or am I really missing something? Thanks!
Sway said:
alolympic said:
I run two different road bikes with 2x and a rigid 29er (in esssence a flat bar gravel bike) running 1x.
On the road, having the 1x set up is a compromise, no doubt. Fine uphills but on fast stretches of flat and downhill I miss the higher top gears. A 10t cassette would help.
But I do find it slightly odd that people are building up their gravel bike, spending lots of money in the process and end up saying ‘1x isn’t that bad’ I’d want to feel a lot better about it myself!
I disagree - I love my 1x. On the road, having the 1x set up is a compromise, no doubt. Fine uphills but on fast stretches of flat and downhill I miss the higher top gears. A 10t cassette would help.
But I do find it slightly odd that people are building up their gravel bike, spending lots of money in the process and end up saying ‘1x isn’t that bad’ I’d want to feel a lot better about it myself!
Spinning out a 42-11 I'm at the point where I'm really quite fine with not going faster.
I'm no racer, and am quite happy with the gear spacing (11-40 cassette). I could perhaps see a benefit with 2x Di2 or similar which I believe can automatically move to the "next lowest/highest" even if that means shifts of chainring and multiple moves across the cassette - but with mechanical that's not happening.
Love the look without the front mech. Love the silence.
I have just finished building this. The frame/forks were £120 brand new from Dolan!
I had everything other than a few bits of finishing kit and wheels (£100 off eBay including brand new G-Ones, inner tubes and rotors) in my shed, so it’s worked out pretty cheap.
I’ve also fitted a GRX 46/30 chainset and derailleur, and would echo what others have said that it looks and feels (and weighs) more substantial than the Ultegra set I fitted originally.
Toyed with 1 x but as the larger part of my riding will be road and winter commute on skinnier tyres I’ve stuck with 2 x for a bit more range.
The 30 inner chainring with the 32 rear cassette does feel ridiculously easy on the flat test road outside my house, so looking forward to trying it on some ascents tommorow, although nothing too taxing in sunny East Anglia. I should have been riding up the Tourmalet tommorow
I have plenty of other dedicated road bikes in the stable, but wanted something for a bit of off road and more comfort for 100 mile plus rides as I want to get into some bigger distances. I’m looking at this as definitely an ‘adventure bike’ rather than a gravel bike.
Off to try and hit a nice steady 150 miles on it tommorow
I had everything other than a few bits of finishing kit and wheels (£100 off eBay including brand new G-Ones, inner tubes and rotors) in my shed, so it’s worked out pretty cheap.
I’ve also fitted a GRX 46/30 chainset and derailleur, and would echo what others have said that it looks and feels (and weighs) more substantial than the Ultegra set I fitted originally.
Toyed with 1 x but as the larger part of my riding will be road and winter commute on skinnier tyres I’ve stuck with 2 x for a bit more range.
The 30 inner chainring with the 32 rear cassette does feel ridiculously easy on the flat test road outside my house, so looking forward to trying it on some ascents tommorow, although nothing too taxing in sunny East Anglia. I should have been riding up the Tourmalet tommorow
I have plenty of other dedicated road bikes in the stable, but wanted something for a bit of off road and more comfort for 100 mile plus rides as I want to get into some bigger distances. I’m looking at this as definitely an ‘adventure bike’ rather than a gravel bike.
Off to try and hit a nice steady 150 miles on it tommorow
Ares said:
I went through this process earlier this year.
Ended up with a Titus Goldrush titanium frame, SRAM Force One Chainset & Brakes, Mavic Allroad rims and WTB Horizon 47 tyres. Who thing came in well under £2k
Was intended as a winter bike, replace my fixie as a bike to ride with my daughter plus a bit of gravel fun. It's ended up being some of the best fun I've had on a bike. Wildly different to my road bikes, but bloody great.
How nice is that Ended up with a Titus Goldrush titanium frame, SRAM Force One Chainset & Brakes, Mavic Allroad rims and WTB Horizon 47 tyres. Who thing came in well under £2k
Was intended as a winter bike, replace my fixie as a bike to ride with my daughter plus a bit of gravel fun. It's ended up being some of the best fun I've had on a bike. Wildly different to my road bikes, but bloody great.
What size frame is it and how tall are you?
I know it’s not really measurable but how does it compare on the road say compared to a carbon roadie? I do a 20 miles commute each way and maybe something like this is a step a little bit too far- making the commute harder rather than easier? But then the state of the roads are shocking in London so...
Alonso92 said:
Ares said:
I went through this process earlier this year.
Ended up with a Titus Goldrush titanium frame, SRAM Force One Chainset & Brakes, Mavic Allroad rims and WTB Horizon 47 tyres. Who thing came in well under £2k
Was intended as a winter bike, replace my fixie as a bike to ride with my daughter plus a bit of gravel fun. It's ended up being some of the best fun I've had on a bike. Wildly different to my road bikes, but bloody great.
How nice is that Ended up with a Titus Goldrush titanium frame, SRAM Force One Chainset & Brakes, Mavic Allroad rims and WTB Horizon 47 tyres. Who thing came in well under £2k
Was intended as a winter bike, replace my fixie as a bike to ride with my daughter plus a bit of gravel fun. It's ended up being some of the best fun I've had on a bike. Wildly different to my road bikes, but bloody great.
What size frame is it and how tall are you?
I know it’s not really measurable but how does it compare on the road say compared to a carbon roadie? I do a 20 miles commute each way and maybe something like this is a step a little bit too far- making the commute harder rather than easier? But then the state of the roads are shocking in London so...
In terms of comparison to a carbon roadie:
With medium volume 700c tyres, there's really not too much in it. It's certainly not slow, and likely a bit faster over the really s
te road surfaces. More comfortable riding position, with better visibility than the head down/arse up approach.
Better braking, especially on wet/s
te surfaces. Better clearance/fitment options for mudguards or luggage.
Alonso92 said:
Ares said:
I went through this process earlier this year.
Ended up with a Titus Goldrush titanium frame, SRAM Force One Chainset & Brakes, Mavic Allroad rims and WTB Horizon 47 tyres. Who thing came in well under £2k
Was intended as a winter bike, replace my fixie as a bike to ride with my daughter plus a bit of gravel fun. It's ended up being some of the best fun I've had on a bike. Wildly different to my road bikes, but bloody great.
How nice is that Ended up with a Titus Goldrush titanium frame, SRAM Force One Chainset & Brakes, Mavic Allroad rims and WTB Horizon 47 tyres. Who thing came in well under £2k
Was intended as a winter bike, replace my fixie as a bike to ride with my daughter plus a bit of gravel fun. It's ended up being some of the best fun I've had on a bike. Wildly different to my road bikes, but bloody great.
What size frame is it and how tall are you?
I know it’s not really measurable but how does it compare on the road say compared to a carbon roadie? I do a 20 miles commute each way and maybe something like this is a step a little bit too far- making the commute harder rather than easier? But then the state of the roads are shocking in London so...
XS Frame - I'm 5'6/61kg.
Difficult to say Vs a road bike, by most used Road Bikes are a Dogma F10 and a Dogma 65.1
It's probably 10% slower, but a world more comfortable. My 65.1 is usually my nominated winter bike, since having the Gravel Bike, I've used that instead - hence the Horizon Tyres. The geo is a lot more relaxed in every way, headset height, flared bars, and overall frame geo. The Titanium is a lot more forgiving than the Carbon too, especially the F10. It's 9.1KG compared to under 7kg for my F10. But it runs on 650s with huge tyres so rides easily enough.
If I had a 20miles commute on crappy roads, I wouldn't look any further - the Gravel Bike is so much more comfortable and virtually bomb-proof. It's a Land Rover defender on two wheels.
Just sorting a build out here, slowly. The specs are:
Frame: Carbonda CFR696 in Pantone 2388 C (takes 50mm @ 700C, 53mm @ 650B)
Wheels: Light Bicycle AR56 (23mm inner / 56mm deep)
Cassette: XT M8000 probably 11-42
Brakes: Shimano R785 Di2
Rear D: Shimano XT Di2 GS
Chainset: Not sure yet, but probably GRX 40t
Saddle: Selle Italia Flite Flow (same as my other bikes)
Pedals: M520 (same!)
Bars: Not sure yet, ideas appreciated!
Frame: Carbonda CFR696 in Pantone 2388 C (takes 50mm @ 700C, 53mm @ 650B)
Wheels: Light Bicycle AR56 (23mm inner / 56mm deep)
Cassette: XT M8000 probably 11-42
Brakes: Shimano R785 Di2
Rear D: Shimano XT Di2 GS
Chainset: Not sure yet, but probably GRX 40t
Saddle: Selle Italia Flite Flow (same as my other bikes)
Pedals: M520 (same!)
Bars: Not sure yet, ideas appreciated!
Edited by Gareth79 on Tuesday 16th June 17:11
Gareth79 said:
Just sorting a build out here, slowly. The specs are:
Frame: Carbonda CFR696 in Pantone 2388 C (takes 50mm @ 700C, 53mm @ 650B)
Wheels: Light Bicycle AR56 (23mm inner / 56mm deep)
Cassette: XT M8000 probably 11-42
Brakes: Shimano R785 Di2
Rear D: Shimano XT Di2 GS
Chainset: Not sure yet, but probably GRX 40t
Saddle: Selle Italia Flite Flow (same as my other bikes)
Pedals: M520 (same!)
Bars: Not sure yet, ideas appreciated!
I'm not sure what effect it might have, but the GRX chainset has a slightly wider chainline/q factor compared to the other road groupsets. Frame: Carbonda CFR696 in Pantone 2388 C (takes 50mm @ 700C, 53mm @ 650B)
Wheels: Light Bicycle AR56 (23mm inner / 56mm deep)
Cassette: XT M8000 probably 11-42
Brakes: Shimano R785 Di2
Rear D: Shimano XT Di2 GS
Chainset: Not sure yet, but probably GRX 40t
Saddle: Selle Italia Flite Flow (same as my other bikes)
Pedals: M520 (same!)
Bars: Not sure yet, ideas appreciated!
Edited by Gareth79 on Tuesday 16th June 17:11
How that would play with a mtb rear mech I'm not certain.
Are you aiming for drop bars or flat?
Sway said:
I'm not sure what effect it might have, but the GRX chainset has a slightly wider chainline/q factor compared to the other road groupsets.
How that would play with a mtb rear mech I'm not certain.
Are you aiming for drop bars or flat?
Needs a dedicated GRX front mech as well if going 2 x How that would play with a mtb rear mech I'm not certain.
Are you aiming for drop bars or flat?
Sway said:
I'm not sure what effect it might have, but the GRX chainset has a slightly wider chainline/q factor compared to the other road groupsets.
How that would play with a mtb rear mech I'm not certain.
Are you aiming for drop bars or flat?
Drops, definitely. I'm currently using ultra-cheap Toseek 1-piece bars/stem which haven't snapped yet. I wanted to use unbranded chinese ones (to match the frame/wheels) it seems there aren't many chinese gravel-style carbon bars, I think there was one, I'll look it up.How that would play with a mtb rear mech I'm not certain.
Are you aiming for drop bars or flat?
As mentioned - the rear mech will work fine with the R785 levers, Di2 is nice than you can mix and match any components..
stepaway said:
Needs a dedicated GRX front mech as well if going 2 x
It'll be 1x, not sure if the Q-factor will be an issue there?stepaway said:
I have just finished building this. The frame/forks were £120 brand new from Dolan!
I had everything other than a few bits of finishing kit and wheels (£100 off eBay including brand new G-Ones, inner tubes and rotors) in my shed, so it’s worked out pretty cheap.
I’ve also fitted a GRX 46/30 chainset and derailleur, and would echo what others have said that it looks and feels (and weighs) more substantial than the Ultegra set I fitted originally.
Toyed with 1 x but as the larger part of my riding will be road and winter commute on skinnier tyres I’ve stuck with 2 x for a bit more range.
The 30 inner chainring with the 32 rear cassette does feel ridiculously easy on the flat test road outside my house, so looking forward to trying it on some ascents tommorow, although nothing too taxing in sunny East Anglia. I should have been riding up the Tourmalet tommorow
I have plenty of other dedicated road bikes in the stable, but wanted something for a bit of off road and more comfort for 100 mile plus rides as I want to get into some bigger distances. I’m looking at this as definitely an ‘adventure bike’ rather than a gravel bike.
Off to try and hit a nice steady 150 miles on it tommorow
I saw that deal and was really tempted to buy and build up with old components (treating myself to a new groupset for my Sunday best bike). In the end, I decided the geometry was a bit odd - really long reach? But I’ve got to say I’m starting to regret that now - looks great. I had everything other than a few bits of finishing kit and wheels (£100 off eBay including brand new G-Ones, inner tubes and rotors) in my shed, so it’s worked out pretty cheap.
I’ve also fitted a GRX 46/30 chainset and derailleur, and would echo what others have said that it looks and feels (and weighs) more substantial than the Ultegra set I fitted originally.
Toyed with 1 x but as the larger part of my riding will be road and winter commute on skinnier tyres I’ve stuck with 2 x for a bit more range.
The 30 inner chainring with the 32 rear cassette does feel ridiculously easy on the flat test road outside my house, so looking forward to trying it on some ascents tommorow, although nothing too taxing in sunny East Anglia. I should have been riding up the Tourmalet tommorow
I have plenty of other dedicated road bikes in the stable, but wanted something for a bit of off road and more comfort for 100 mile plus rides as I want to get into some bigger distances. I’m looking at this as definitely an ‘adventure bike’ rather than a gravel bike.
Off to try and hit a nice steady 150 miles on it tommorow
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