New Gravel bike or convert existing bike

[Dwn]

I’m mulling over a bike decision and would be very interested in views from anyone who has done any gravel biking.

Since retiring a few years ago, most of my cycling has been done on the road, with occasional forays onto cycle paths / canal paths. For the latter, I’ve been using a Triban RC500 road bike. This started off with flat bars but I hated them so much, I had the LBS fit drop bars and for the sake of economy they fitted bar end shifters. I also changed the tyres to 35mm Schwalbe G One Speed.

Recently though I have started to explore fairly gentle paths (not even slightly ‘technical’ and would like to do more of this. I’ve found though that on loose gravel the current tyres don’t give great traction when hills are involved.

I’d like to do more off road (but not mountain biking) and my dilemma is whether to buy a gravel bike or further adapt the RC500. If I buy, the budget is £1000.

My dilemmas are:

1. Will that budget get me something better than converting my existing bike?

2. I can add 38mm, maybe even 40mm, gravel tyres to the existing bike but don’t know if the wheels (Fulcrum Racing 6) are up to the trials of rougher pathways. I also have some doubt about the bar end shifters - much less easy to change on the fly than the brifters on my road bike. I could change them I guess, but the costs are then starting to mount up.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[chriswoody]

I converted my old Dawes Galaxy to a gravel bike for precisely the same reasons. I could just about squeeze some 38mm Gravel tires in and I also had bar end shifters, I rode off-road for a year like that.

Some thoughts and observations, for general off-road, 38mm tires are fine, however, where I live it is predominately a very soft, sandy soil and too often I would find myself bogged down and having to push the bike. I'd ridden the bike for twenty years on road with no stress, but off-road, changing gear with the bar end shifters would feel pretty sketchy, even with all my years of experience using them. I found myself changing less often and more often than not, be in a sub-optimal gear for the terrain. Lastly, I had rim brakes on the old Galaxy and riding the forest trails in winter would solicit a wonderful scraping, grinding noise from the brakes as they slowly wore down the rims.

I was happy I'd done it because it gave me a much clearer idea about what kind of cycling I enjoyed and more importantly what kind of bike I needed. I went on to purchase a second hand Kona Sutra Ltd for 1000 Euros, with clearance for 50mm tires, disc brakes and 1 x 11 drive train with SRAM brifters. It's been a perfect bike for me and opened up so many riding possibilities, but that year with the Galaxy was invaluable for informing me of the kind of bike I needed.

 

[Dwn]

I was happy I'd done it because it gave me a much clearer idea about what kind of cycling I enjoyed and more importantly what kind of bike I needed. I went on to purchase a second hand Kona Sutra Ltd for 1000 Euros, with clearance for 50mm tires, disc brakes and 1 x 11 drive train with SRAM brifters. It's been a perfect bike for me and opened up so many riding possibilities, but that year with the Galaxy was invaluable for informing me of the kind of bike I needed.

Chris, thanks - that’s definite food for thought. The bar end shifters are fine for the canal paths or most road trips, but even on the road I have to think ahead when approaching hills in a way that I don’t with my road bike. Gravel paths, especially unfamiliar ones are likely to result in exactly what you experienced with your Galaxy.

Perhaps I should be doing what you did; upgrade the tyres and get something else next year when I’m clear about the sort of riding I’ll be doing?

As an aside, what tyres did / you run?

 

[chriswoody]

Perhaps I should be doing what you did; upgrade the tyres and get something else next year when I’m clear about the sort of riding I’ll be doing?

As an aside, what tyres did / you run?

I used Challenge Gravel Grinder tires, they got some good reviews online and were generally OK for the year I used them, though they were a little slippery when the going got really muddy.

I think tire clearance is defiantly one of the key decisions when choosing a gravel bike, many of them come with a paltry 38/40mm clearance and whilst that may be fine for some, you really need to be sure that it works for the type of riding you want to be doing.

With the current shortage of new bikes and difficulty in finding good, second hand bikes I think just changing the tires and accepting some of the limitations of your existing bike will be more beneficial as you work out what kind of bike you need.

 

[Kingfisher101]

Get some new tyres like Panaracer Gravel Kings, they will be cheaper than a new bike.
The Wheels will cope fine as long as you are not jumping about on them.

 

[Rusty Nails]

My Genesis gravel bike came with Fulcrum Racing Sport wheels so I expect yours will be fine for the job.

I have 35mm tyres on mine because they make a good compromise for road and trail, but that is just personal preference.

 

[Dwn]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I’ve ordered a pair of 38mm Vittoria Terreno Dry tyres based on reviews and availability

 

[DRM]

The Vittoria Teranno dry is a very good all round tyre, they’ve worked well for me

 

[Grant Fondo]

I’m mulling over a bike decision and would be very interested in views from anyone who has done any gravel biking.

Since retiring a few years ago, most of my cycling has been done on the road, with occasional forays onto cycle paths / canal paths. For the latter, I’ve been using a Triban RC500 road bike. This started off with flat bars but I hated them so much, I had the LBS fit drop bars and for the sake of economy they fitted bar end shifters. I also changed the tyres to 35mm Schwalbe G One Speed.

Recently though I have started to explore fairly gentle paths (not even slightly ‘technical’ and would like to do more of this. I’ve found though that on loose gravel the current tyres don’t give great traction when hills are involved.

I’d like to do more off road (but not mountain biking) and my dilemma is whether to buy a gravel bike or further adapt the RC500. If I buy, the budget is £1000.

My dilemmas are:

1. Will that budget get me something better than converting my existing bike?

2. I can add 38mm, maybe even 40mm, gravel tyres to the existing bike but don’t know if the wheels (Fulcrum Racing 6) are up to the trials of rougher pathways. I also have some doubt about the bar end shifters - much less easy to change on the fly than the brifters on my road bike. I could change them I guess, but the costs are then starting to mount up.

Any thoughts on this?

Hi Dwn, best bike I have bought in last 20 odd years is Spesh Diverge Sport, its just so multi purpose... its 90% good on road and 80% off road, opens up routes I wouldn't do on road/MTB bikes... so you can get into the rough stuff and still blast home at the end. Totally bombproof.
Diverge E5 in your price bracket? Don't mod the Triban.

 

[Pale Rider]

Another vote for gravel tyres - assuming your frame has clearance for some width.

After all, what else is there to a gravel bike - other than lots of marketing?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Change the tyres , it’s only more grip you are after

 

[Grant Fondo]

Another vote for gravel tyres - assuming your frame has clearance for some width.

After all, what else is there to a gravel bike - other than lots of marketing?

Sturdier frame, tyre clearance, bombproof wheels? I would have trashed my roadbike on the same off-road routes.

 

[Pale Rider]

Sturdier frame, tyre clearance, bombproof wheels? I would have trashed my roadbike on the same off-road routes.

I mentioned clearance, and the OP has the thumbs up for his wheels from another member.

Sturdier frame might be a possibility, but I doubt the frame on a £1K ally gravel bike is any stronger than a £1K ally roadie.

And the OP does specify gentle gravel path riding, so the only real issue here is improved traction.

I accept frames can snap - a mate of mine did the head tube on his downhill MTB which was a real boat anchor.

 

[T4tomo]

another vote for decent tyres, what you have is a gravel bike anyway, it now (with its drop bars) looks identical to
Grant Fondo's Spec diverge. You have disc brakes and wide tyre clearance (the key difference to a road only bike) and a decent ally frame.

My gravel bike runs a bar end shifter (its 1x10), an manufacturer compromise to run hydro disc brakes cheaply with TPR Hylex's that don't come with a Brifter option) I find them as easy to change as the brifters on my road only bike to be honest (albeit I don't have a front change to worry about, just 10 sequential gears)

 

[Arrowfoot]

Just the tyres which makes most of the difference. Triban frame is fine. The geometry for both bikes are more less the same.