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Gravel bike

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 jteexy 22 Aug 2022

This new breed of bikes seem a good option.

I have a full susp mountain bike (well the rear shock is stuck down at the mo but that's another story). But we have a lot of trails and country roads round here that are just hard work on a mountain bike. Particularly if I want a quick blast after work something that can go soundly on road but also go a little off road sounds perfect as I can't see myself becoming a roadie.

I haven't got £k s to spend though. Anyone got advice on a sub £1k gravel type bike? I'm 5ft 10 and about 15 stone

 TobyA 23 Aug 2022
In reply to jteexy:

I'm very happy with my Boardman 8.9 ADV - I've done a bit more than 10,000 kms on it over the last 4 years. They used to be 999.99 but have gone up because of the price rises in components and supply issues etc. but I think the 8.8 ADV is still under a grand. That has had some great reviews too. The frame and fork is the same as I understand it, just different components. Personally I think the hydraulic brakes (Tiagra) on the 8.9 are worth the extra, but I rode a lot of tough stuff on my old Boardman CX that had mechanical discs and survived!

 Doug 23 Aug 2022
In reply to jteexy:

Some time ago I started a thread on gravel bikes which might be of interest although I was looking at a higher budget, see

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/biking/new_bike_advice-746584?v=1#x962433...

& the follow up

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/biking/new_bike-_more_questions-748697?v=...

I've now had a Kona Rove for a little over a month & after some 1000 km of cycling I'm very pleased with it. Good on roads & better on rough tracks etc than I expected it to be.

 Yanis Nayu 23 Aug 2022
In reply to jteexy:

Boardman or Ribble?

 jethro kiernan 23 Aug 2022
In reply to Yanis Nayu:

Or Sonder 

 Dave B 23 Aug 2022
In reply to jteexy:

Are you tied to Sram or shimano?

Shimano is pretty rare atm,  but sram seems to be more common on gravel bike anyway. 

 siwid 23 Aug 2022
In reply to jteexy:

I bought a Sonder Camino recently and have been loving it. It's a relatively new interest for me so don't have experience of other options but when I was looking the Camino was highly recommended and reviewed. Prices have just gone up so the cheapest option with drops is now £1200. If you're happy with flats then under a grand. 

You get 10% back in vouchers with Alpkit/Sonder these days which is handy.

Also covered by my cycle to work scheme in case that's an option for you. 

 kylo-342 03 Sep 2022
In reply to Yanis Nayu:

Lots of problems with ribble failing to deliver on time and poorly put together etc 

worth reading the review sites e.g trustpilot

would suggest avoid

 TobyA 03 Sep 2022
In reply to kylo-342:

> Lots of problems with ribble failing to deliver on time and poorly put together etc 

> worth reading the review sites e.g trustpilot

I'm sure that's true although I personally know a few people who are super happy with their Ribbles. Supply of bikes is a total nightmare currently so I'm not sure if anyone is immune.

I recently bought a Sonder/Alpkit bike and they also failed to deliver in the time that the website said. They notified me immediately I ordered but I did think "why did it say build time 5-10 days if they knew it wasn't possible?". They then didn't make the extended delivery date which meant I went on holiday for the next three weeks. They did deliver it on the Tuesday I got back, although they had originally said the Monday.

This isn't meant to be a massive moan at Alpkit - I have the bike now and it's great. I think it was the best built and set up bike I've ever bought, in terms of me not having to fiddle with the brakes or gears etc. I generally have had to improve those things on other bikes in the past. Communication with them was pretty decent - prompt and honest email replies although I did think they could have been more preemptive in contacting me. Let's say 8 out of 10. And I've ended up with their top of the range wheelset on the bike instead of their lower one because of that being where the supply issues were.  They said they hoped that would in part make up for the disappointment of the delays, so that seems a pretty good faith form of apology.

But I do think people who have had bad experiences are the ones who are most likely to leave reviews on trustpilot and the like. That's not to say they aren't true - but rather the people who are happy or reasonably happy are out riding their bikes and not working through their anger leaving reviews. It's a tough one, but maybe not worth writing off companies on the basis of those bad reviews - particularly when you see lots of people enjoying those bikes - but rather just go in with your eyes open.

 ChrisJD 05 Sep 2022
In reply to jteexy:

If you are a MTBer who doesn't want to be a roadie, then a flat (wide) barred gravel bike is the way to go.  A lot more fun off-road than drops (and I'd say nicer on the road as well)

But it's not just a case of putting flat bars on any old gravel bike.  Have a read of these for starters.

https://www.cyclingabout.com/best-flat-bar-gravel-bikes-2021/

https://cycletraveloverload.com/best-flat-bar-gravel-bikes/

1
 elsewhere 05 Sep 2022
In reply to ChrisJD:

Coming from the road bike direction...

I've never had a bike with suspension so in my COMPLETE ignorance it just sounds heavy and expensive so for me, Flat bar gravel bike, Rigid Mountain Bike and *Hybrid bike are about the same. Also haven't ridden anything other than drop bars for decades.

*some supposedly tailored for off road and bike packing, not just urban commute.

Anyway, I find I sink into soft ground with 700x40c knobbly tyres so I'd like wider tyres and low gears of MTB for 40-60km mostly off-road with 400-1100m ascent (Strava total). I think MTB tyres 2"-2.2" for off-road (not interested in downhill). I think that's too wide for most hybrid and gravel frames and may need longer bottom bracket of MTB tech.

I'll have a look at those links - look useful - thanks.

 VictorM 06 Sep 2022
In reply to jteexy:

If you are mechanically inclined, you could also go down the conversion route. There's tons of old mountain bikes for sale that make great gravel conversions for a lot less money than a new bike. 

Alternatively, during Covid many home mechanics started projects and might now be selling them. 

As such I bought a '93 Specialized Hardrock GX that has been almost completely revised and updated for modern gravel last week, for 350 Euros. 

 Jon Greengrass 06 Sep 2022
In reply to ChrisJD:

I would say the complete opposite, as a lifelong mountain biker who is not interested in very difficult and technical riding, putting drop bars on my HT was the best thing I ever did. It has made riding on the flat faster and easier (aero is king above 20kph) and more comfortable for longer rides because I have a choice of multiple hand positions.

My "gravel" bike is based on a 2010 Specialized Hardrock (  old school geometry short top tube), the frame is a size too small to keep the reach correct with drop bars. I'm running  26x2.25 Racing Ralph tyres tubeless which are super lower rolling resistance. I've got a 40x28 double chainset and and 11-32 cassette, which gives ratios low enough to spin up the hills but Idon't spin out until 45kph on the downs.

 LastBoyScout 06 Sep 2022
In reply to elsewhere:

> I've never had a bike with suspension so in my COMPLETE ignorance it just sounds heavy and expensive so for me, Flat bar gravel bike, Rigid Mountain Bike and *Hybrid bike are about the same.

Not quite - my road-oriented hybrid is limited to about 28mm slicks, which is my only bug-bear about it. I'd love to be able to put something a bit more gravel-oriented on it, but the chainstay clearance won't allow it.

There will also be geometry differences, so will handle differently.

 ChrisJD 06 Sep 2022
In reply to Jon Greengrass:

Right tool for the job for you then.

But I have different needs, as I am interested in difficult/technical riding, as well as speeding around on easier trails.

I have a custom framed gravel bike with a long 475mm reach (to match my MTBs) and very slack-for-a-gravel-bike at 67 degree head angle, plus 180mm discs, SRAM Guide brakes, dropper post, wide bars, 1x with 9-46t wide range cassette, etc, etc.

I just love riding it.  On a ride I'll try and incorporate some spicy stuff and near enough ride the same trails I ride on my full suss enduro bike ... a very different experience for sure, but still so much fun (I enjoy the raw physicality/brutality of it, like a Hardtail ... but harder!). 

It is amazing where 700cc x 40mm or 45mm tyres can get you (running tubeless with liners).

 LastBoyScout 06 Sep 2022
In reply to jteexy:

How far are you looking to ride at a time?

If your focus is quick blasts after work, then the first option would be to try narrower, gravel-oriented tyres on your MTB, especially if it's a 29" - probably fine for short blasts, but not for longer rides, as the gearing will be all wrong. My neighbour used to do this.

Next option - a CX bike might be more fun than a gravel bike on shorts blasts, as that's what they're intended for. I've also done some longer rides and bike packing on mine with slick tyres and a slightly longer stem. Beware of crashed and battered 2nd hand ones, though.

Gravel/adventure bikes do what it says on the tin. I nearly bought a Boardman or Pinnacle one, but my CX bike was in a sale at such a good price it was rude not to!

One of these might do you: https://www.evanscycles.com/clearance/bikes/gravel-bikes

Post edited at 10:11
 Jon Greengrass 06 Sep 2022
In reply to ChrisJD:

> Right tool for the job for you then.

Yes, getting the right bike for my local riding has made the riding more fun and more likely that I'll want to ride it. 

> I have a custom framed gravel bike with a long 475mm reach (to match my MTBs) and very slack-for-a-gravel-bike at 67 degree head angle, plus 180mm discs, SRAM Guide brakes, dropper post, wide bars, 1x with 9-46t wide range cassette, etc, etc.

So like an updated 90's MTB?

> I just love riding it.  

The most important thing.

> It is amazing where 700cc x 40mm or 45mm tyres can get you (running tubeless with liners).

I'd be interested in trying out bigger wheels with narrower tyres to see what the difference was between 26x2.25 and 700x45, in terms of float, grip and rolling resistance.

 LastBoyScout 06 Sep 2022
In reply to LastBoyScout:

> Next option - a CX bike might be more fun than a gravel bike on shorts blasts, as that's what they're intended for. I've also done some longer rides and bike packing on mine with slick tyres and a slightly longer stem. Beware of crashed and battered 2nd hand ones, though.

Should have said - CX bike will likely be limited to 32mm tyres for clearance - if you want to go wider, then you'll need a gravel/adventure frame, but you can then put 32mm tyres and a short stem on one of those if you want to try CX.

 deruiter14 06 Sep 2022
In reply to jteexy:

I have a plantet x london road that i love, 700x42c wtb nanos. Sram apex 1x groupset. Have riden it everywhere and i mean everywhere. Always smug overtaking fullsusp ebikes on the rough stuff. Used to swap tyres out for road but now i like the comfort and general opportunitys chunkyer tyres provide and just leave them on.

Originally thought they were a fad but actually a lot of fun and got me hooked on cycling again. 

 Phil79 06 Sep 2022
In reply to Jon Greengrass:

> So like an updated 90's MTB?

We all know they are essentially 90s mtb with drop bars and better brakes, but they are also an excuse for N+1 and you cant argue with that!

I love mine precisely because its like any one of the mtbs I did own in the 90s.


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