Gravel bikes - I'm a convert!

[simon.r]

I've been umming and ahhing about buying a gravel bike for a few months.

The cycnic in me was fairly convinced they were a marketing ploy and that they'd be the worst of both worlds - slow on the road and not up to much off-road.

The optimist in me thought they sounded like a good idea for much of the type of riding I do.

I live a few miles from Nottingham city centre and to get to any decent off-road trails I have to drive, which doesn't sit comfortably with me in these environmentally aware times. But I do enjoy getting off road onto canal tow paths, riverside tracks, country parks (we have a number of ex-pit sites that have been turned into semi-wild parks in this area) and so on.

I can do this on my road bike (fitted with 30mm tyres), but I have to avoid the rougher trails and tend not to 'explore' too much as when I do I often end up walking with (or carrying) my bike.

So, I took the plunge and bought this:

A Genesis Fugio - a heavily discounted 2019 model, which I figured I could sell at not too much of a loss if I really didn't like it.

I'm not long back from my first proper ride on it - a 30 mile loop from my front door, taking in as much off-road as possible.

What a blast! It is slower on road, but not massively, it's comfy on badly surfaced roads and it's more capable off-road than I expected it to be. It was great on gravel () and coped pretty well on more lumpy tracks and muddy gloopy tracks.

Those of us who can remember riding rigid MTB's with 2" tyres will notice similarities, but this is much nicer to ride on road and the drops / modern brakes / gearing / geometry make it more fun and almost as capable off road.

It won't replace my road bike or my MTB, but I think it will get used fairly often.

 

[Globalti]

Interesting write up. What size is it?

 

[simon.r]

Interesting write up. What size is it?

XL - 58cm ST / 598 ETT

I’m a slightly unusual build - tall, with long legs and a relatively short torso. I really dislike the modern trend of yards of seat-post on show, especially on road-bikes (since when have some brands decided that a 55cm seat tube is extra large?! ) so tend to go for a long seat tube. More often than not that means swapping the stem for a shorter one. This came with a 110mm stem which I’ve replaced with a 80mm.

 

[Mrs M]

Glad you enjoy it, it’s good and often a lovely surprise to try something different
Very nice bike too

 

[Gravity Aided]

In the States, I find gravel bikes handle a lot of situations beyond gravel. Many city streets in my area are getting covered in oil and gravel. Others have many potholes, or are crumbling due to weather extremes and neglect. It's nice to have a road bike that will go off-road as well. I'm straying from 700c into 650b on a couple of bikes as well. Mainly due to circumstances like above, and just an interest in trying out how the different changes behave. I think a lot of people who don't race would really enjoy a gravel bike more. May be a good variant if one were to develop and market a gravel/touring bike, a little longer wheelbase, braze-ons, and slightly more relaxed geometry.

 

[Drago]

Whereas I dabbled, and wasn't so keen. The all round ability was nice, but they excelled at nothing. Just didn't do it for me.

But that's the beauty of cycling. It's the broadest of churches, and what leaves one person cold leaves the next with structural failure of the Y fronts.

 

[confusedcyclist]

My current commuter is a Surly Straggler which is steel gravel frame. I put slicks on it as I ride mostly road, but it handles light trails fine. Recently I converted it to flat bars, and it makes for a fine rigid MTB. I did fit mildly knobbly schwalbe G ones when my commute featured a bit more off road, but they are very expensive to replace and with my commute being 95% road I now stick with cheaper city slicks. The frame itself is luxuriously comfy with clearance for 45mm tyres and thus much lower pressure for ultimate in cushioning of road detritus and poor surfaces. Since I stopped caring about strava segments many years ago, I don't get too hung up on top speeds, acceleration and aerodynamics. I just want to arrive on time, on budget, and with minimal hassle (reliability), and my build achieves that.

 

[MichaelW2]

Doitall bikes are great for general purpose road/trail/commute/shop/tour.
The problem with high end modern mtbs is that they make hard trails easier. If you dont have any hard trails you can difficultise an easy trail by riding an unsuitable bike.
Doitall bikes offer just the right amount of difficultisation for lowland trails.

 

[Saluki]

I have a Genesis Croix de Fer. It currently has 28mm road tyres on but with its nobblies, it handles everything that I want to do with it. I adore it and might well sell the Carbon CX and have gone right off the PX roadie.

I looked at the Fugio but, for me, the Croix de Fer ticked boxes that I didn’t know existed.

 

[Brandane]

I have a Genesis Croix de Fer. It currently has 28mm road tyres on but with its nobblies, it handles everything that I want to do with it. I adore it and might well sell the Carbon CX and have gone right off the PX roadie.

I looked at the Fugio but, for me, the Croix de Fer ticked boxes that I didn’t know existed.

Another fan of the Croix De Fer here. I have a fleet of 5 bikes including a carbon framed Merida roadie, a Trek MTB, a Ridgeback tourer, and a Specialized hybrid. Of my 1600 miles cycled so far this year, 850 of them have been on the Croix De Fer. It does everything quite well. If it wasn't for the poor value of second hand bikes, I'd probably get shot of at least 2 of the others.

 

[Dave7]

I borrowed one for a weekend a few years ago and I really was impressed. Comfortable, very easy to handle etc.
At the time I had a good road bike and a good hardtail (with semi slicks) so it didnt do anything better but I was impressed.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I have a Ribble CGR (Cross Gravel Road) as my all-rounder/work-bike, & whilst it will take '35mm' (& probably '42'?) CX tyres, I run it on Schwalbe Durano PP (28 section) & they handle most things
I can ride it in mud on those, with appropriate care, & get far enough to surprise the odd MTBer

Part of my ride home at times (NewLands Woods)
Ridden with care, as the short ascent has semi-buried stones & bricks, & I sliced a rear sidewall last year



Haw Park Woods
Alongside 'Squire Watertons Wall', the home of the worlds first Nature Reserve (1820s!!) & the wall was built to keep Poachers out
I was on the outside, at that point
(now it's chasing UNESCO World Heritage Site listing for that reason)

 

[Leodis]

My weapon of choice, on some old lead mine tracks near Patley Bridge

 

[clid61]

I've been umming and ahhing about buying a gravel bike for a few months.

The cycnic in me was fairly convinced they were a marketing ploy and that they'd be the worst of both worlds - slow on the road and not up to much off-road.

The optimist in me thought they sounded like a good idea for much of the type of riding I do.

I live a few miles from Nottingham city centre and to get to any decent off-road trails I have to drive, which doesn't sit comfortably with me in these environmentally aware times. But I do enjoy getting off road onto canal tow paths, riverside tracks, country parks (we have a number of ex-pit sites that have been turned into semi-wild parks in this area) and so on.

I can do this on my road bike (fitted with 30mm tyres), but I have to avoid the rougher trails and tend not to 'explore' too much as when I do I often end up walking with (or carrying) my bike.

So, I took the plunge and bought this:

View attachment 491186

A Genesis Fugio - a heavily discounted 2019 model, which I figured I could sell at not too much of a loss if I really didn't like it.

I'm not long back from my first proper ride on it - a 30 mile loop from my front door, taking in as much off-road as possible.

What a blast! It is slower on road, but not massively, it's comfy on badly surfaced roads and it's more capable off-road than I expected it to be. It was great on gravel () and coped pretty well on more lumpy tracks and muddy gloopy tracks.

Those of us who can remember riding rigid MTB's with 2" tyres will notice similarities, but this is much nicer to ride on road and the drops / modern brakes / gearing / geometry make it more fun and almost as capable off road.

It won't replace my road bike or my MTB, but I think it will get used fairly often.

Wise choice ,I have a Genesis Croix de fer ! Hardly use road bike now. Just this and MTB 😀

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I have a Ribble CGR (Cross Gravel Road) as my all-rounder/work-bike, & whilst it will take '35mm' CX tyres, I run it on Schwalbe Durano PP (28 section) & they handle most things
I can ride it in mud on those, with appropriate care, & get far enough to surprise the odd MTBer

I have a photo, after climbing a 1-in-5, on a mixture of gravel & mud, only to be halted by the surface being too soft, to allow me to top the climb - due to digging in (on the Durano's)

It's the track in the blue circle, at a similar point
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3458232







This is a bit of exploration, at Cock Beck, on the Old London Road (between Tadcaster & Saxton)

The pink line on the map, is the 'modern' Tadcaster TurnPike (from Ferrybridge)
http://www.tadhistory.org.uk/OLRTAP/index.html