The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. Gravel bikes can be thought of as the fusion between cyclocross bikes and road bikes. From easy flats, steep downhills, to extreme climbs, thereâs a lot to work with. If youâre not riding off road on single track or real mountain bike trails a mountain bike with front suspension might be over kill. If it's very loose you'll probably want the wider mountain bike tire. The true gravel riding is limited in what you can reach from CC and you would need to get in a car to do any decent gravel only mileage. Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. This is what you find on most recreational trails whether in parks or rails to trails type conversions. You are balancing three points of contact - feet, hands, and butt. You might be astonished to know, but a gravel bike and a mountain bike differs a lot from each other and from all cycling bikes. For this reason, mountain bike gearing usually has a wide range to help a rider through these different scenarios. Gravel vs Mountain Bike. The road bike was running standard road bike tires at about 80psi. I'm kind of torn between buying a gravel/CX bike versus a real MTB. Gravel bikes, the sweet spot between road cycling and mountain biking, invite open adventure along any road. The shape is tall and has a slick design. I'm not sure of any local shops that sell used high-end bikes, so my first recommendation would be Craigslist and then Pinkbike. I'm happy to ride a road bike on tightly packed gravel over level ground. And it's really hard to define bikes these days with a lot of crossover. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. If you needed to pick one physical trait to separate gravel bikes from mountain bikes, the handlebars are most obvious. Gravel bike would give me access to more road cycling and I'd have further range to bike out to further out trails. We welcome bicyclists of all skill levels including those who don't yet own a bike. So you might feel the difference riding with friends on the uphills, but it shouldnât be a huge deal. Are you ok with drop bar setups? A gravel bike is often a little bit heavier than a road bike, because itâs built to be sturdier. A gravel bike is designed for riding long rides on gravel roads. I'm kind of torn between buying a gravel/CX bike versus a real MTB. but that doesn't necessarily mean suspension - there are bikes out there that will take wider tyres with a rigid fork. Touring bike: best for carrying luggage and travelling far. On deeper, loose gravel, especially where there's steeper sections of grade, I sometimes find that I wish I had knobby tires (or at least some sort of cross tire), but I'll ride them anyway (sliding around is a ... Thing to learn. Some people like Coke, and others Pepsi. These people are awesome fucking riders who have sick handle and guts of steel in my opinion. Forbidden drive? however, my guess is that you don't need a mountain bike and, likely, don't even need suspension on a hybrid. Thereâs an entire category of bike called the all road bike, which overlaps with âgravel bikeâ and âroad bike⦠I can go fast on pavement, or zoom offroad for more adventure. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. "gravel" has different meanings to different people. Regardless of the country you are staying in, there are probably plenty of fire or service roads around you that are easy to tackle on your everyday road bike. Even using just a few of the recommendations to overcome itâs limitations for gravel rides is more than enough to make it the better choice in my opinion. Alternatively, you can make a new post on /r/whichbike, and they will be happy to help. Watch out for any sort of suspension on a cheap-ish bike. Reddit for cyclists who enjoy riding and racing gravel Connect with us! âWe started that bike on 35s, but it ⦠If it's more solid a hybrid would work. Wonât be so bad riding Kelly out to these trails but especially if youâre new to riding donât expect to ride to the wiss on a gravel bike and start tearing up those trails. They would be excellent for your needs and are pretty popular right now, so there is a lot of selection across all price points. So a gravel bike could reach more roads for sure (gravel and tarmac) and with the new current tires you wonât be slowed down on the roads too much. Trek road product marketing manager Anders Ahlberg voted 40mm, which is what Trek specs on its Checkpoint gravel bike. You could ride Belmont and wiss eventually with the right gravel bike and tires. So decide what you want to ride more and get that kind of bike. i think that's the best way to be sure, because "gravel" and "trails" covers such a range that it's difficult to give a good answer. Happy cycling! My first love is MTB, but the versatility of a gravel bike gives you so many more options to explore right from Philadelphia. That leads to the question, are they? This let's you ride quickly on pavement, yet have grip on looser gravel and dirt. Posted by 4 months ago. Hybrid bikes have been around forever and gravel bikes are just starting to get popular so they can be expensive sometimes. I use my Specialized Powe saddle on all my bikes: road, gravel and MTB. General Guidelines. Having a full suspension gravel grinder would take away efficiency, acceleration and add extra weight to the bike and turn it into a full mountain bike. We have carefully picked each model and given you a guide to the top 5 things you need to know when you buy your new mountain bike. It's probably just for looks. So if you want to ride Belmont and the wiss get a mtb. Ask us your questions or meetup with other redditors in your area for local rides. Gravel bikes are equipped with drop handlebars while mountain bikes use flat handlebars. You may not plan to ride in mountains, but mountain bikes handle trails in parks and other outdoor areas better than cyclocross ⦠Just like regular gravel bikes, e-gravel bikes fit in the somewhat fluid and occasionally awkward space between mountain bikes and road bikes. Are expected to take on a road bike geometry with wider tires to handle the gravel take your.... Against off roads similar there are people who do n't deal with,. Hardtail hybrid ( no suspension on a bike and improving your handling Skills the uphills, but something more 28-32mm. But the versatility of a gravel bike is, a gravel bike has a slick design would love hear. Can handle more wear-and-tear than your common road bikes, even all of my opinions... 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