Should I get a road bike or gravel bike instead of a mountain bike

[Ming the Merciless]

Enjoyment you say? Is it not all about the suffering

I do still put some effort into slowing the decline of fitness as I age. That means some days I go out and try and tackle hills as hard as possible and some days I go out on much easier but longer rides.

On Sunday I was near the end of an easier but longer ride (104 miles) . As I headed up the final hill I was passed by two riders who greeted me with good afternoon. Then after a short while a guy barely going quicker than me caught me up. Trailing his mates. I was on my recumbent by way of context.

Him: “That looks like hard work”
Me: “What do you mean?”
Him: “Erm, (pause) erm”
Me: “Surely hard work just means how much effort I’m putting in?”
Him: “Well yes, erm..”
Me: “I’m taking it easy, less hard work than you, judging by your breathing..”

Bit further up hill

Him: “Do you want to overtake?”
Me: “Nah happy at the current pace I was doing before you turned up”
Him: “Ah ok, I’ll just drop back behind if you don’t mind”

The only conclusion I have is that he had

1. been trying to keep up with mates
2. Saw recumbent and hill and decided he must overtake
3. Assumed I was going as fast as I could with no reserve.
4. His catch up pace wasn’t sustainable.

It is quite funny how he thought I was suffering when he was suffering because he had this thing about overtaking me up the hill.

Contrast with yesterday’s shorter outing but hard effort. Again on recumbent.

Passed one women about 3/4 up hill. Passed her mate waiting near top. When I passed second mate I was at 96% max HR and breathing like a steam train.

Her: “Great effort you are putting in there“ (having watched me climb that last section and hearing my breathing)
Me: Thumbs up, and smile being well beyond talking
Her: Smile back

It is great when cyclists leave ego behind.

 

[fasturtle]

Thanks everyone. I did think of hiring a road bike for a day just to see what it's like or buy a cheap second hand one.

 

[Hacienda71]

If you want a new bike get a road bike for tarmac and very light off road and keep the 26 inch MTB. A gravel bike is a compromised road bike. The 26inch MTB will do everything a gravel bike can and more. As others have said you can fit different tyres if you don't want full knobbly to make you faster. You can also put bar ends on to increase hand positions. They often have rack and guard mounts so good for a bit of touring/adventuring and generally tend to be bombproof.
Drop bars that you get on a gravel bike have lots of positions, but are narrower than flat bars so reduce control. If you are on the drops you are pitched forward which is not the ideal position off road as any mtb'er will confirm. Aero benefits of riding on drops only really kick in at higher teens in mph which off road is fairly quick. I understand it in a CX race, but ambling along a bridleway at 10 to 12 mph makes little sense. On road, gravel bikes are slower than road bikes. A suspicious person may think they were created to solve a problem that didn't need to be solved to raise revenue for cycle manufacturers.

 

[fasturtle]

I am 47 recovering from a running injury which is nearly fixed. I moved to the bike because of being heavier. Coming back to riding I find I enjoy it a lot more than running. But the runner in me wants to do everything quicker. Which I am trying to let go of. Thanks again for all the information.

 

[vickster]

You go much quicker on a bike than running!

 

[mustang1]

1. Is the position of a gravel/road bike better or worse for long rides?
Better

2. Are drop bars better?
Uhm, slightly. I should spend more time in the drops but mostly am on the hoods. It certainly feels more natural being on the hoods due to the angle at which your hand sits on them.

3. On a gravel bike will there be more punctures?
I've had one gravel and one CX bike and both punctured loads on roads. I recall one bike had Conti CX tyres, cannot remember the other. I only ever rode those bikes on road (the irony) so unsure how they performed off road (or at least it was a long time ago so cannot recall).

4. Will I be faster on a gravel/road bike at my current fitness level?
Maybe a little.

5. What is the gearing difference.
My CX bike had pretty lowish gearing and my gravel bike was very suitable for road use. I reckon you will be ok (or at least get accustomed to whatever gearing you end up with).

 

[raggydoll]

It depends if you intend to keep your MTB?
If you are going to keep your MTB then you could use that for your gravel rides and look at a road bike for faster road rides.
If you are looking to have one do it all bike then maybe a gravel (or cyclocross bike) would be the one as it would be fine on gravel and the roads.
I have a cyclocross bike which currently has 32mm tyres and it is perfect for me on gravel and on the roads.
If you find the happy medium of tyre choice and tyre width then you can find something that will be fine for gravel and road.

Even a road bike with slightly wider tyres (28mm even) would be fine on gravel. Depends how rough the paths are I guess.

Saying that, my advice would be to stick with your MTB for the time being and ride it more and more.

The more you ride, the fitter you will get and over time you will naturally get to know what type of riding you prefer and learn more about bikes.

Read into bikes. Read up on the types of gearing they have and when you do know a bit more, you will know exactly what kid of bike would suit you.

There is so much to learn about.
Wheel sizes - MTB went from 26" to 27.5" to 29" I believe.
Road bikes tend to be 700c - as do grave bikes but some now have 650b wheels which are slightly smaller but allow for even wider tyres I believe.
Gearing - 1x (1 chainring), 2x (2 chainrings), triple (3 chainrings)
Speed - how many cogs on the cassette.
Brakes - rim brakes? disc brakes? (if so, mechanical or hydrolic)
Tyre width?

So much to think about and decide what is best for you.

When I started I knew nothing about bikes and it is really easy to rush out and buy a bike that you later find doesn't suit.

 

[Sharky]

Thanks everyone. I did think of hiring a road bike for a day just to see what it's like or buy a cheap second hand one.

It takes time/several rides to tweak your riding position to get comfortable, so hiring a bike for a day may not be productive. But buying a cheap 2nd hand bike makes sense and will give you time to get the position right and get used to drop bars.

I went with a cheap, new, decathlon bike following a lull in cycling and when my one remaining bike at the time "died". During my "lull", bike technology had changed so much that even me with decades of cycling behind me was confused.

The cheap bike gave me time to consider what I needed and now have 4 bikes in the garage all with modern components.

The cheap bike at £270, wasn't that bad. But over the years, have replaced the wheels, transmission, saddle, bars and the frame set.

 

[Venod]

Wheel sizes - MTB went from 26" to 27.5" to 29" I believe.
Road bikes tend to be 700c - as do grave bikes but some now have 650b wheels which are slightly smaller but allow for even wider tyres I believe.

It's hard to keep up with all the changes, MTB was mostly 26 then 29 became popular then 27.5, I think 27.5 is losing out a little now to 29, but I may be wrong.
650b is the same as 27.5
700c is the same as 29
rims may vary in width.

 

[fasturtle]

Thanks everyone. Lots to think about.

 

[stoatsngroats]

I have had a 29’er mtb, and cycled it to Paris from Sussex over 3 days. It was fine, no great issue on road despite having semi knobbly tyres.
I now have a gravel bike with touring tyres, and find it much easier to maintain my chosen speed, particularly during my infrequent 16 mile e/w commute.
The gravel bike is good enough on unmade roads, compressed pebbles, all that I was doing on the mtb.
I’m glad I changed, because of the things you identify…. Drop bars (my preference) give multiple hand positions, whereas on the mtb I had bar ends, but never felt fantastically comfortable on a 30+ Miles over the South Downs way and road cycle.
The points here about changing your tyres for less knobbly ones will probably be only a positive change.

as regards flatting, I’ve had this on all bikes I have used, it’s only a temporary delay, but my current tyres are Schwalbe Range Cruiser tyres, with modest protection and much less knobbly bits on, so more road suited, it still good enough on unmade tracks.

 

[raggydoll]

650b is the same as 27.5
700c is the same as 29

I didn't realise that.
Gets confusing!

 

[PK99]

A suspicious person may think they were created to solve a problem that didn't need to be solved to raise revenue for cycle manufacturers.

In the uk that may be true, but in the US 32% of roads are unpaved gravel roads. Gravel bikes were designed for these - no need for MtB but not best suited to road bike.

 

[Kajjal]

1. Is the position of a gravel/road bike better or worse for long rides?

Depends on terrain you are cycling on, rougher and more technical trails favour a mountain bike. A gravel bike has more hand positions and I did 50 miles off road on mine with no problems mainly gravel , canal towpaths, byways and forestry trails.

2. Are drop bars better?

Again depends on where you ride, a mountain bike is more stable with better handing but unless the trails are rough or very technical this does not really matter. On smoother sweeping trails my gravel bike is faster.

3. On a gravel bike will there be more punctures?

This is more about tyre choice and pressure, personally not noticed any difference and have not gone tubeless. Also again where you ride.

4. Will I be faster on a gravel/road bike at my current fitness level?

On smoother trails or roads a gravel bike is faster than a mountain bike, especially if the mountain bike has knobbly tyres.

5. What is the gearing difference.

This is something to watch out for, gravel bikes sometimes have road gearing which means you run out of slower gears off road unless you are very fit. Newer gravel bikes have more suitable gearing along with wider tyres for more grip / cushioning.

A gravel bike is a similar ride to a mid 1990’s mountain bike but with much better brakes.

 

[Martinsnos]

So here are my questions.
1. Is the position of a gravel/road bike better or worse for long rides? once you are are used to to it much better, as you are more aero dynamic, although at the moment whilst you are building up some core strength you might find the more upright MTB position comfier.
2. Are drop bars better? - define "better", they are different. there are more positions for your hands which makes for better comfort on a long ride
3. On a gravel bike will there be more punctures? the shape of the frame doesn't cause / prevent punctures. that is all to do with tyres, pressures and the surface you ride on.
4. Will I be faster on a gravel/road bike at my current fitness level? they will be lighter than a MTB (but not hugely lighter than a rigid MTB, its the suspension that generally mean MTB's are heavier) so you may go marginally quicker up hill, and the narrower tyres will roll better on the road bits. ultimately you will become faster when you get fitter and lose weight.
5. What is the gearing difference. in general terms MTB's are normally lower geared than road bikes, since they are designed for off road

I personally find that for mixed surface riding and nothing too extreme, then a drop bar bike with 35mm+ tyres, and no suspension, be that called a gravel / road adventure / touring etc bike is ideal, but a rigid MTB with flat bars (and perhaps bar ends for a choice of hand positions) and suitable tyres will achieve a very very similar result.

My advise is to ride a lot, ride further, get fitter, enjoy life

Punctures - and tyre choice makes a huge difference.