Road Bike vs. Gravel - For Beginner Riders

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Hi everyone. I posted a while ago about comparing carbon to aluminum and I learned some interesting things, so I thought I would post another comparison and maybe I can learn some more.

Today I’ll talk about gravel vs. road, specifically for beginners. Gravel and endurance bikes have become extremely popular for beginners in recent years, and having tried both I think this is for good reason. Being a beginner myself fairly recently and knowing many new rides I can say that beginners aren’t focused on speed and stats all that much, and instead on the other aspects of riding like finding new places.

I have recently built a road bike (as some of you may have seen, it’s a Trifox X16) and after coming from a gravel bike I realize that for beginner riders a gravel/endurance bike is ideal. I like my Trifox X16, it’s snappy and fast but for newer riders I think a gravel bike is great.

A gravel/endurance bike allows you to explore interesting places that are off the traditional path. That’s not to say you can’t find interesting places on the road but when I was riding my gravel bike I ended up finding cool dirt trails and gravel paths that I wouldn’t have been able to access otherwise. Your speed ends up being much lower but for beginner riders that isn’t an issue. I think that a gravel bike helps beginners enjoy the ride, and once they start focusing on speed and stats they can move to a road bike. These bikes also are usually more comfortable and have a relaxed geometry, great for newer riders coming from a hybrid or something similar.

What do you all think?
 
Love my gravel bike. Very versatile. GCN have just done a good Gravel v Road bike autumn group ride video on Youtube.
 
Location
Cheshire
What do you all think?

I think you are spot on!
I would add though, gravel riding can be extremely technical at times and possibly beyond a new or novice rider, particularly where the terrain changes dramatically and quickly (thinking of a ride in Newborough Forest I did. piccy below, powdery sand to rocky gravel and mud). A lot of the steep stuff on really loose surfaces is also a challenge, but its what makes you a better cyclist i guess?
1667842244548.png
 

figbat

Slippery scientist
I've just come in from riding my gravel bike. It is the most versatile bike in my stable - it's not out-of-place on the road and I've tackled some pretty challenging off-road on it and the beauty is you can link together on- and off-road sections to ride where you want. I'll go to the road bike for a sportive that's 100% road and I'll reach for an MTB for mostly technical or tricky offroad, but for simply going wherever you want and enjoying all of it, the gravel is the winner.

Edit: picture from tonight - some compacted, bitumen-bound urban gravel (although the ride took in road, urban cycleways like this, pure gravel and not an insignificant amount of sloppy mud).
Milton gravel lights.jpg
 
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Jameshow

Veteran
Ride my winter bike down the canal on 28mm tyres I guess it's a 40yo gravel bike!!
 

chriswoody

Legendary Member
Location
Northern Germany
I wonder what people did when there were just road bikes and commuter bikes?

Personally what I think has happened over the last twenty odd years or so is that bikes in general have become much more specialised. Road bikes in particular have become much more aero obsessed with more radical geometry and tighter clearances all round for tires. Old style touring bikes seem to have fallen more out of fashion and even though they still exist to a degree, they certainly are just designed to be more about relaxed riding on road.

Predictably many posts about how people are using their touring bikes off-road and yes you certainly can. Back in January 2018 I stuck some 38mm gravel tyres on my old 1993 Dawes Super Galaxy and went gravel biking for a year. I even took the bike bikepacking up the Brocken mountain here in North Germany. However, whilst it was a good and competent gravel bike, it wasn't all rosy in the land of old bikes. The 38mm tyres were just a tad to big for the frame and were rubbing on the inside of the chainstay. Also 38mm was far too narrow for the sandy terrain that I have in the forests here. The 27 gear triple chainring set up worked fine off-road, however, the bar end shifters were really not ideal off-road, where the bars are being constantly jostled around. Coupled with old cantilevers that are a pig to keep maintaining and then every time you braked on muddy rims you heard that joyous sandpaper sound of the rims wearing away under the brake blocks.

Gravel bikes need to be thought of on a scale, with pure road bikes that have slightly fatter tyres and occasional forays onto gravel, at one end, and then the other end are bikes that are essentially 29'er mountain bikes with drop bars, at the other. My old galaxy sat quite comfortably at the lower end of the scale and if that was my need then I would probably still be using it on a daily basis. However, I had a hankering to go more towards the other end and wanted something that could handle more demanding trail riding as well as still be comfortable and reasonably nippy on the road.

The Kona Sutra LTD that I purchased is a revelation after the old Galaxy. It still has a steel frame, because at heart I still love a bit of tradition, however, it has Hope 4 pot Hydraulic discs, a 1x11 drivetrain and a STI lever to take care of the shifting. It also has clearance for up to 50mm tubeless tyres, which will handle the kind of riding I'm doing much better. It also has 500mm wide flared handlebars for increased control and comfort off-road.

Whilst the geometry is not too dissimilar to the old Galaxy in some areas, the bike is much more comfortable in this environment, no creaks or groans from the frame as I slam it through the potholes, I have also ventured onto much more adventurous terrain than I could take the Galaxy, the fatter 47mm, lower pressure tubeless tyres roll much easier over everything. Crucially the gears are a revelation, only a rear shifter to worry about and quick fast efficient changes from a stable position on the bars, no need to move my hands around to change gear. The brakes are quite simply brilliant as well and with the added knowledge of the fact that I'm not wearing the rims out.

Ultimately as bikes have got more specialised it has resulted in bikes like my Kona, which if you are after a real go anywhere machine that will take you on multi day tours or single track adventures, then it really is light years away from an old touring bike.
 
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