From gravel to road

[BigMeatball]

So, less than 1 year ago I started cycling as part of my triathlon training. As a newbie and 100+kg rider, I was advised by pretty much everyone to opt for a gravel bike for all the obvious reasons (frame and wheels more sturdy, thick tires you can run at lower psi for a more comfortable ride, and so on). I bought a gravel bike and love it; have done almost 2000km on it already and despite being entry-level, I don't see myself selling it ever...call it sentimental value.

Despite saying I was a one bike type of person, I might be soon in a position where I have the space to put another bike and I'm considering buying a dedicated road bike. Something light, carbon frame, with aero frame and aero wheels, skinnier tires...a nice speed machine. Something I can slap a nice pair on tribars on and do my first few races.

My question is: what can I expect when I transition from a heavy 11kg gravel bike with 38mm tires to a lightweight carbon aero road bike with skinny tires?
What difference will I notice? What's the biggest changes I can expect?

Experience from anyone who'd done the same are much appreciated

 

[Grant Fondo]

My experience is that difference is minimal, as only 1kg between gravel and road bikes, both carbon and endurance style road bike. BUT, switching from your 11kg steed to a sub 8kg race frame will be noticeable, and costly the lighter you want to go! Whats budget?, and is gravel frame good enough to get some lighter wheels with 28-32 tyres?

 

[figbat]

I have a steel gravel bike (I'm guessing around 11-12kg) and a carbon road bike (spec sheet says 8.6kg). The difference is noticeable - the road bike feels light, almost flimsy but so, so responsive to acceleration. I find I have to recalibrate my use of gears because where I would be down-shifting on the gravel bike as the gradient increases, on the road bike I just push a little harder and the thing just goes.

 

[avecReynolds531]

e road bike feels light, almost flimsy but so, so responsive to acceleration. I find I have to recalibrate my use of gears because where I would be down-shifting on the gravel bike as the gradient increases, on the road bike I just push a little harder and the thing just goes.

+ 1

 

[ColinJ]

My experience is that difference is minimal, as only 1kg between gravel and road bikes

My old CAAD5 road bike (25C slick tyres) weighs 9 kg and my much newer CAADX 'gravel' bike (35C sem-slick tyres, and including rack and mudguards) weighs 12.5 kg. The CAAD5 definitely feels more nimble and easier to accelerate and throw about on twisty turny undulating roads.

 

[BigMeatball]

Whats budget?, and is gravel frame good enough to get some lighter wheels with 28-32 tyres?

No idea on budget, I'm not there yet. I'm just daydreaming at the moment

And probably replacing wheels won't cut it. I currently have a compact 48-32 chainset. I'm thinking something purely speed/road oriented.

 

[Grant Fondo]

No idea on budget, I'm not there yet. I'm just daydreaming at the moment

And probably replacing wheels won't cut it. I currently have a compact 48-32 chainset. I'm thinking something purely speed/road oriented.

okey doke, good luck with finding something

 

[BigMeatball]

I do have a dream brand in mind though: Wilier.

No particular reasons for it

 

[ChrisEyles]

11kg isn't heavy - my "light" bike is 12kg

Curious that people find a couple of kg makes such a difference when rider + bike typically weigh around 80kg.

Personally I've found riding position and presence or not of panniers to make the biggest difference to my speed on a bike (oh and tyres - but you'd obviously expect marathon pluses or MTB knobbies to be much slower than a road tyre). Bike weight by itself doesn't seem to make such a difference IME - but then again I don't race and rarely push myself super hard when riding.

Lighter wheels/tyres do seem to translate to perceptibly snappier acceleration under effort however (though that too could be psychological... the placebo effect is a strong thing!).

 

[Grant Fondo]

I do have a dream brand in mind though: Wilier.

No particular reasons for it

I'm a fan too
https://www.merlincycles.com/road-b...stock=in-stock&material=carbon&sort=price-min

 

[confusedcyclist]

I started out on a road bike, then over time migrated to a touring set up for commuting but kept the road bike. Then I decided to change the tourer to a gravel bike, and noticed I hardly ever rode on the road bike so I sold it. The simple answer is a light(er) bike will help you travel the same distance using less energy, or a little faster for the same amount of energy. Is it worth it? That's personal. Despite my gravel bike being heavier, it was more comfortable, but keeping up with mates could be a challenge on the climbs. One thing's for sure, it kept me fit.

Even now, from time to time I get an urge to buy a road bike again, but when it comes time to hand over the money the inner Scrooge resists. I'm not trying to win races, so why would I need a marginally faster bike? If I want to go faster, I just need to get fitter or work harder. If fitness is the motivation to ride, I think spending money on a lighter bike is a bit daft. But that's just me!

Personally, I'll resist the urge to buy another bike as long as possible. For me a road bike is just too close to a gravel bike. All my bikes do different things, but I have the gravel bike, a folding bike, and an electric bike, a new road bike will set me back at least £700, if I'm not competing or struggling to keep up on social rides, would I see any reason to rationalise the purchase of another road bike? Probably not.

If money were no object, I would collect bikes like Robin Williams. But I'm family man, with limited fun money, so it doesn't make any sense to me! As ever, with bikes YMMV.

 

[Grant Fondo]

Even though my gravel bike is a bit heavier and lower spec (105 v ultegra) than my road bike, i use it nearly all the time so i can mix road/towpaths/tracks on rides to get more variety and explore further. Photo below prompted me to get gravel bike last year, this track was a real challenge and surprised i got back with two straight wheels (and any teeth)

 

[wafter]

I'm qualified to answer this!

Road bike: Boardman Team Carbon, CFRP, 25mm Vittoria Zaffiro Pro slick tyres, c.9.7kg ready to go.
Gravel bike: Genesis CdF 30, Steel, 35mm Conti Sport Contact II slick tyres, c.12.5kg ready to go.

Factoring in rider weight the difference in mass is only ballpark 3-4% and while this will obviously have an effect I can't say I really notice it when accelerating or climbing; although the Genesis spoils me on really tough / slow ascents with its lower gearing. I do notice the mass when out of the saddle as the lighter bike feels more nimble and responsive over rough (ish) or more technical ground.

The fatter tyres on the CdF feel a bit more comfortable, although I think this is offset to an extent by running them at disproportionally higher pressure to reduce the chance of pinch puntures over rough ground.

I've not done any back to back tests on the same routes but I reckon that my on-road average speed is around 10-15% slower on the gravel bike; I'd guess the main reason being it's greater stack so worse aero drag; then to a lesser extent the mass up the hills and greater rolling resistance of the tyres. Obviously if your tyres have a more pronounced tread you'll see greater gains in RR when switching to skinny slicks.

Since I got the gravel bike in mid April it's covered around 1600 miles to the road bike's 50-odd, largely I think because I rarely plan my routes so pre-ride assign a lot more value to the versatility of the gravel bike over the speed of the road bike. Also the road bike seems like a waste unless I'm intent on going fast; which again is rarely the case (at least from the outset) and the gravel bike is more comfortable / appropriate for a mosey. Finally the gravel bike has nicer components (105 R7000 Hydro disc v. Tiagra 4700 with rim brakes) so there's a little incentive there too although it's not a massive deal-breaker.

 

[RoadRider400]

At 100kg the 3kg frame drop is not going to make much difference. I think you will notice more difference due to the skinny high PSI tyres if you were able to test the two changes in isolation.

 

[Drago]

I suspect the feel will be greater than an actual performance improvement. I'm a lot heavier than you and have always been fine with road bikes - no breakages, explosions, or spontaneous combustion.