Advice on a first time Gravel Bike

[RS93]

Hi guys,

so i understand stock levels are pretty minimal everywhere so I'm hoping to spend the time wisely and not just rush out and get any bike that's available. I was hoping for a bit of advice in regards to a gravel bike - do you own one, how do they perform, are there any key things to look out for?

I've always had cheap MTB's which have been fine but looking for something a bit more special now - I figured a full suspension mountain bike may be a bit of a waste as I do mainly trails, bridal ways and on road and have always found my MTB to drag on road. So figured a gravel bike would suit my requirements. I've heard mixed reviews on the setup - some people say they are bit of a marketing gimmick and others say you get the best of both worlds on road and off track. I guess the only way to find out is to try one for myself but am keen to ensure my money is well spent,

I have a budget of around 2k - what kind of bike would this get me and are there any key things you would look out for - i've gathered at that price hydraulic brakes are a must,

I am quite tempted by either the Dolan GTX , Canyon Grail, or Specialized Diverge range

Thanks for your help

[tuffer]

I would go with the best hardtail mountain bike you can find in your price range and buy a few sets of tyres. I have just fitted my Felt 9 hardtail with some Schwalbe G-One snakeskins and they are great on hardpack and on the road. Bike is far more comfortable than the Felt Cyclocross/Gravel bike that I had.

[tuffer]

Canyon Exceed

[Julietbravo]

I'm in the same boat - but coming at it from the other end. I have a road bike that doesn't quite have the clearance to take cross tyres. I get that it's all about geometry and what have you, but a road bike on 28mm tyres is pretty resilient - for all the 'gravel' that I want to ride on.

[Will O. Bey jr]

RS93 said:

I do mainly trails, bridal ways and on road and have always found my MTB to drag on road.

If you found MTB's a drag on the road you have to get a gravel. No MTB is going to give you road-like speed. I was in the same boat as you are and I never wanted full road bike. My Diverge gives me the speed I wanted on the road and allows me to go off road. But it won't allow me to hit technical trails that are more suited to MTB. Which is fine, as I mostly do road and "gravel" riding.

Try to find a bike with GRX groupset as the clutch in the derailleur is quite important on bumpy bits. Or get a 105 and swap the derailleur.

[RS93]

tuffer said:

I would go with the best hardtail mountain bike you can find in your price range and buy a few sets of tyres. I have just fitted my Felt 9 hardtail with some Schwalbe G-One snakeskins and they are great on hardpack and on the road. Bike is far more comfortable than the Felt Cyclocross/Gravel bike that I had.

Thanks for the reply - how do you find hard tail on road? I imagine it's difficult to still get close to the speed of a gravel bike set up?

[RS93]

Will O. Bey jr said:

If you found MTB's a drag on the road you have to get a gravel. No MTB is going to give you road-like speed. I was in the same boat as you are and I never wanted full road bike. My Diverge gives me the speed I wanted on the road and allows me to go off road. But it won't allow me to hit technical trails that are more suited to MTB. Which is fine, as I mostly do road and "gravel" riding.

Try to find a bike with GRX groupset as the clutch in the derailleur is quite important on bumpy bits. Or get a 105 and swap the derailleur.

Thanks, i think it may be the fact my MTB has full fat tyres but even with changing them i don't think a hard tail will give me that complete different ride experience I am looking for. I don't do anything technical and will be mostly road and the occasional bridal way, trying to source a decent spec one at present may be a challenge !

[Ares]

I bought a Gravel Bike earlier this year, having come from road bikes only. I wanted a bike that could be used as a winter bike, gravel bike, family bike and just 'grab and go anywhere' bike.

Well under £2k, I got a Ti frame, SRAM Force One chainset, Mavic Allroad wheels and WTB Horizon 47 tyres.

On the road it is 80/90% of my road bikes, but way more comfortable, resilient and can go anywhere. I am 100% happy with my choice!

[LimaDelta]

Ares said:

I bought a Gravel Bike earlier this year, having come from road bikes only. I wanted a bike that could be used as a winter bike, gravel bike, family bike and just 'grab and go anywhere' bike.

Well under £2k, I got a Ti frame, SRAM Force One chainset, Mavic Allroad wheels and WTB Horizon 47 tyres.

On the road it is 80/90% of my road bikes, but way more comfortable, resilient and can go anywhere. I am 100% happy with my choice!

Which tool holder/bidon is that if you don't mind me asking?

[tuffer]

RS93 said:

tuffer said:

I would go with the best hardtail mountain bike you can find in your price range and buy a few sets of tyres. I have just fitted my Felt 9 hardtail with some Schwalbe G-One snakeskins and they are great on hardpack and on the road. Bike is far more comfortable than the Felt Cyclocross/Gravel bike that I had.

Thanks for the reply - how do you find hard tail on road? I imagine it's difficult to still get close to the speed of a gravel bike set up?

Biggest issue is spinning out the gears, could fit a larger front chain ring but I am useless on hills so will keep it low geared

[tuffer]

Ares said:

I bought a Gravel Bike earlier this year, having come from road bikes only. I wanted a bike that could be used as a winter bike, gravel bike, family bike and just 'grab and go anywhere' bike.

Well under £2k, I got a Ti frame, SRAM Force One chainset, Mavic Allroad wheels and WTB Horizon 47 tyres.

On the road it is 80/90% of my road bikes, but way more comfortable, resilient and can go anywhere. I am 100% happy with my choice!

That is a great looking bike.

[Ares]

LimaDelta said:

Ares said:

I bought a Gravel Bike earlier this year, having come from road bikes only. I wanted a bike that could be used as a winter bike, gravel bike, family bike and just 'grab and go anywhere' bike.

Well under £2k, I got a Ti frame, SRAM Force One chainset, Mavic Allroad wheels and WTB Horizon 47 tyres.

On the road it is 80/90% of my road bikes, but way more comfortable, resilient and can go anywhere. I am 100% happy with my choice!

Which tool holder/bidon is that if you don't mind me asking?

It's the Fabric Cageless Tool Keg - £10 (IIRC) from Wiggle.

[Ares]

tuffer said:

Ares said:

I bought a Gravel Bike earlier this year, having come from road bikes only. I wanted a bike that could be used as a winter bike, gravel bike, family bike and just 'grab and go anywhere' bike.

Well under £2k, I got a Ti frame, SRAM Force One chainset, Mavic Allroad wheels and WTB Horizon 47 tyres.

On the road it is 80/90% of my road bikes, but way more comfortable, resilient and can go anywhere. I am 100% happy with my choice!

That is a great looking bike.

Thanks....it was love at first sight

[LimaDelta]

Ares said:

It's the Fabric Cageless Tool Keg - £10 (IIRC) from Wiggle.

Thanks!

[Will O. Bey jr]

RS93 said:

Will O. Bey jr said:

If you found MTB's a drag on the road you have to get a gravel. No MTB is going to give you road-like speed. I was in the same boat as you are and I never wanted full road bike. My Diverge gives me the speed I wanted on the road and allows me to go off road. But it won't allow me to hit technical trails that are more suited to MTB. Which is fine, as I mostly do road and "gravel" riding.

Try to find a bike with GRX groupset as the clutch in the derailleur is quite important on bumpy bits. Or get a 105 and swap the derailleur.

Thanks, i think it may be the fact my MTB has full fat tyres but even with changing them i don't think a hard tail will give me that complete different ride experience I am looking for. I don't do anything technical and will be mostly road and the occasional bridal way, trying to source a decent spec one at present may be a challenge !

The wheel size (unless you have a 29er MTB) and the groupset will make a huge difference in feel. I can easily sustain 20MPH+ on longer stretches - I love my gravel bike for that. I wish this sort of bikes were around when I was 25 years younger.

[RS93]

Ares said:

Thanks....it was love at first sight

Lovely bike - what is it?

[PomBstard]

I've been riding a gravel bike for about 4 years. I bought it as a way to do longer rides, and be able to go off piste should a trail be spotted, not as an alternative way to do single track or mtb routes. I had previously been using a hardtail converted to fully rigid, running slicks. The gravel bike is so much quicker just about everywhere - with the exception of tight, downhill corners - the mtb is much better balanced for that.

As well as full hydraulic brakes, I run a 2x11 105-spec drivetrain. This has been perfect for my use in that I can keep a good pace on the road using the larger chainring, including lots of time in top gear, but it also gives me enough low range for the off-road bits. And round here, nothing is flat. A 1x set up would not work for me.

Its had lots of off-road time, including rooty, rocky singletrack, sandy firetrails, muddy fields, and unpaved roads. And its been fine - getting the right tyres (I've got 35c at the mo with space for 38c) and strong wheels (29er mtb spec) has probably helped too.

[RS93]

PomBstard said:

I've been riding a gravel bike for about 4 years. I bought it as a way to do longer rides, and be able to go off piste should a trail be spotted, not as an alternative way to do single track or mtb routes. I had previously been using a hardtail converted to fully rigid, running slicks. The gravel bike is so much quicker just about everywhere - with the exception of tight, downhill corners - the mtb is much better balanced for that.

As well as full hydraulic brakes, I run a 2x11 105-spec drivetrain. This has been perfect for my use in that I can keep a good pace on the road using the larger chainring, including lots of time in top gear, but it also gives me enough low range for the off-road bits. And round here, nothing is flat. A 1x set up would not work for me.

Its had lots of off-road time, including rooty, rocky singletrack, sandy firetrails, muddy fields, and unpaved roads. And its been fine - getting the right tyres (I've got 35c at the mo with space for 38c) and strong wheels (29er mtb spec) has probably helped too.

Thanks for the info very much appreciated. I'm hoping you may be able to advise on a GXC Dolan configuration I am looking at. I want to have my own built and specced to how I want however I honestly don't have a clue what I'm looking.

Within my price range there are quite a few options;

DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO 105 R7020 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO ULTEGRA R8020 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO GRX RX600 1X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO GRX RX600 2X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO GRX 1X11 RX810 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - CAMPAG POTENZA HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SRAM APEX 1X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SRAM RIVAL 1X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SRAM FORCE 1X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO GRX 2X11 RX810 HDR

So there are basically 10 options before I start configuring the bike set up? Does this mean anything to you?

Other changes which I am unsure what the difference is;

GRX RX600 2X11 CHAINSET then has 3 options either 170mm 172.5mm or 175mm ?
GRX CS-R7000 105 CASSETTE. - 11/28 or 11/34?
Stem size - Deda Zero (7cm) Stem up to 12cm?

Handlebar tape.. I think i can figure that one out lol

[Carl-H]

RS93 said:

Thanks for the info very much appreciated. I'm hoping you may be able to advise on a GXC Dolan configuration I am looking at. I want to have my own built and specced to how I want however I honestly don't have a clue what I'm looking.

Within my price range there are quite a few options;

DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO 105 R7020 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO ULTEGRA R8020 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO GRX RX600 1X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO GRX RX600 2X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO GRX 1X11 RX810 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - CAMPAG POTENZA HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SRAM APEX 1X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SRAM RIVAL 1X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SRAM FORCE 1X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO GRX 2X11 RX810 HDR

So there are basically 10 options before I start configuring the bike set up? Does this mean anything to you?

Other changes which I am unsure what the difference is;

GRX RX600 2X11 CHAINSET then has 3 options either 170mm 172.5mm or 175mm ?
GRX CS-R7000 105 CASSETTE. - 11/28 or 11/34?
Stem size - Deda Zero (7cm) Stem up to 12cm?

Handlebar tape.. I think i can figure that one out lol

It does seem a bit confusing but I'm in a similar boat. I'm considering the 2x11 grx 600. The 800 is marginally better but not worth the increase in price for me, 2x11 is going to suit my riding more than 1x. I'd choose grx over 105 for the larger hoods and derailleur clutch.

Chainset I'd choose 175mm for me but I'm tall and would be ordering an XL so makes sense for my height.

Cassette wise I'd probably be going for 11/34 over the 11/28 but that's because I'm not an avid road rider and I wouldn't be bothered by larger gaps meaning I can't spin the perfect cadence, but the bigger cassette would mean I could climb steeper when I need to. May come in useful off road at some stage.

Stem length I'm not sure, it's very personal to you. I'll probably go for a 100mm and see if I need to change from there.

[LimaDelta]

Carl-H said:

RS93 said:

Thanks for the info very much appreciated. I'm hoping you may be able to advise on a GXC Dolan configuration I am looking at. I want to have my own built and specced to how I want however I honestly don't have a clue what I'm looking.

Within my price range there are quite a few options;

DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO 105 R7020 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO ULTEGRA R8020 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO GRX RX600 1X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO GRX RX600 2X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO GRX 1X11 RX810 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - CAMPAG POTENZA HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SRAM APEX 1X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SRAM RIVAL 1X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SRAM FORCE 1X11 HDR
DOLAN GXC CARBON DISC GRAVEL BIKE - SHIMANO GRX 2X11 RX810 HDR

So there are basically 10 options before I start configuring the bike set up? Does this mean anything to you?

Other changes which I am unsure what the difference is;

GRX RX600 2X11 CHAINSET then has 3 options either 170mm 172.5mm or 175mm ?
GRX CS-R7000 105 CASSETTE. - 11/28 or 11/34?
Stem size - Deda Zero (7cm) Stem up to 12cm?

Handlebar tape.. I think i can figure that one out lol

It does seem a bit confusing but I'm in a similar boat. I'm considering the 2x11 grx 600. The 800 is marginally better but not worth the increase in price for me, 2x11 is going to suit my riding more than 1x. I'd choose grx over 105 for the larger hoods and derailleur clutch.

Chainset I'd choose 175mm for me but I'm tall and would be ordering an XL so makes sense for my height.

Cassette wise I'd probably be going for 11/34 over the 11/28 but that's because I'm not an avid road rider and I wouldn't be bothered by larger gaps meaning I can't spin the perfect cadence, but the bigger cassette would mean I could climb steeper when I need to. May come in useful off road at some stage.

Stem length I'm not sure, it's very personal to you. I'll probably go for a 100mm and see if I need to change from there.

I went for the GRX600 1x. I am planning to ride in some lumpy territory (i.e. Northumberland and les Alpes Maritimes). With an 11-42 cassette and 40T up front I will have a 1:0.95 ratio, which is a bit worse than running a 2x with a 30T front and 11-34 cassette (1:0.88) but better than an 11-28 (1:1.07).

Time will tell whether it works but I prefer the simplicity of a 1x setup and I think the bigger cassette will make it doable.