Thinking of getting a 'Gravel Bike'.

[SkipdiverJohn]

Hammering along gravel tracks will inevitably beat the bike up a bit, so it seems a shame to do that to a shiny new bike costing two grand.

An old-school steel touring bike would be more versatile than the silly marketing fad 1 x gravel/MTB transmissions and a hell of a lot less outlay. As @Pale Rider says, if you kick up loads of grit and loose stones, they are going to hammer the paintwork on your frame and eventually cause multiple small chips which can start to corrode. Mudguards help a lot in reducing flying debris but they don't stop it totally. It's best not to be overly precious about bikes ridden off tarmac, and I would sooner be riding my old £30 Raleigh 531 steel tourer than a shiny £2k modern effort if it is going to get battered by stones.

 

[ColinJ]

I don't think a bike tootling around some disused railway line cycle paths near Wolverhampton is going to be destroyed by trail conditions!

My steel-framed MTB has been used on severe (steep, rocky, rutted, muddy) West Yorkshire bridleways for 17 years and is still in pretty good condition.

 

[DRM]

An old-school steel touring bike would be more versatile than the silly marketing fad 1 x gravel/MTB transmissions and a hell of a lot less outlay. As @Pale Rider says, if you kick up loads of grit and loose stones, they are going to hammer the paintwork on your frame and eventually cause multiple small chips which can start to corrode. Mudguards help a lot in reducing flying debris but they don't stop it totally. It's best not to be overly precious about bikes ridden off tarmac, and I would sooner be riding my old £30 Raleigh 531 steel tourer than a shiny £2k modern effort if it is going to get battered by stones.

Not really, Gravel bikes aren’t a fad, they are designed to do a job, and do it well, nobody won dirty kanza, crusher in the tusher or other huge races on a £30 Raleigh, as for stone chips, heli tape will protect the frame , as mtb’ers have done for years, people spend big on mtb’s and don’t worry about paint work

 

[Pale Rider]

nobody won dirty kanza, crusher in the tusher or other huge races on a £30 Raleigh

They would if they were sponsored to do it.

We ought to get Skippy to start a team.

 

[DRM]

They would if they were sponsored to do it.

We ought to get Skippy to start a team.

Sounds like a plan , let’s show those yanks how it’s done

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

@DRM , we're not talking about racing though, are we?
Most cyclists just ride for either pleasure/relaxation, fitness/weight control, utility transport or some combination of those reasons.
All they require of any kind of bike is that it needs to be able to cope with the surface conditions and weather they will encounter, and be suitably geared. Many types of bikes are perfectly capable of riding on gravel. The only type that really aren't, are close-clearance road racing bikes that have been intentionally designed only to be able to run narrow section tyres and don't have the room to pass road debris under the fork crown and seatstay bridge without the risk of jamming. Anything where you can insert your fingers between the tyres and the frame will work fine on gravel.

 

[DRM]

@DRM , we're not talking about racing though, are we?
Most cyclists just ride for either pleasure/relaxation, fitness/weight control, utility transport or some combination of those reasons.
All they require of any kind of bike is that it needs to be able to cope with the surface conditions and weather they will encounter, and be suitably geared. Many types of bikes are perfectly capable of riding on gravel. The only type that really aren't, are close-clearance road racing bikes that have been intentionally designed only to be able to run narrow section tyres and don't have the room to pass road debris under the fork crown and seatstay bridge without the risk of jamming. Anything where you can insert your fingers between the tyres and the frame will work fine on gravel.

That’s where you’re wrong, mine is useable on more than gravel tracks, mine gets used on some that deteriorate to being nearer cross country mtb territory, with the ability to explore if you see a track that goes off to who knows where, with the ability to get a move on when ridden on tarmac, no going to a trail centre by car , make a suitable mixed ride and go straight from home, and it need not cost a fortune either

 

[I like Skol]

I've seen front derailers clog with a leaf and a twig, so I would be tempted by a single ring at the front.

I hear tales of some hardcore MTBers going through a chain and cassette in a day's riding.

There really is sooooo much guff spouted about cycling and kit selection, usually by people regurgitating nonsense they have previously heard someone confidently state as fact, when actually neither the source nor the person repeating the 'tale' have a clue what they are talking about.
Front derailiuers are amazingly reliable, even in the worst conditions (and I have real world personal experience of this, not just the word of someone i met down the pub or once read about on the internet). If things do get a bit claggy it just means spending a minute at the trailside poking out the muck with a finger or stick. You should be more worried about the rear gears playing up long before this, they are the ones that suffer from muck and branches!

And as for wearing out a new chain and cassette in a single day, utter nonsense. Sure bad conditions will accelerate wear and may tip a worn drivetrain over the edge after a hard day ( "it was working fine yesterday but now the chain is stretched and all the teeth are worn out!" ) but taking a new drivetrain and killing the chain/cassette in a day just doesn't happen in reality.

Don't be conned into getting the current fashion fad of single chainring drivetrains simply because all the ass-kissing cycle journalists and the must-have sheep are busy extolling the virtues of this compromise set up to make sure they stay in their jobs or remain 'on-trend'!
Let's be honest about this. For a general purpose bike that can see action as a commuter, a weekend leisure bike or sometimes an off-road explorer, a double or triple chainset can make a lot of sense. Single chainring systems can work but they can restrict gear range and even with the current mega range (often eyewateringly expensive) cassettes they just cannot match the option for extremes of high to low gearing available with the unpopular multiple chainring set up.
Choose carefully and decide for yourself which will suit you best.

 

[gavgav]

Been looking at the Genesis bikes and they do seem good value.

I’ve been looking at Genesis Gravel Bikes for a while, thinking of replacing my Cube Hybrid (heavy lump) with one......Particularly like the Croix de Fer 20, but can’t find anywhere that has one in my size, on a pay monthly basis, that is in stock. I’ve looked at about 20 bike retailers online.

 

[vickster]

I’ve been looking at Genesis Gravel Bikes for a while, thinking of replacing my Cube Hybrid (heavy lump) with one......Particularly like the Croix de Fer 20, but can’t find anywhere that has one in my size, on a pay monthly basis, that is in stock. I’ve looked at about 20 bike retailers online.

Interest free credit card? Then you can buy anywhere.
Or Freewheel are the online retail outlet for direct Genesis sales And offer finance
https://www.freewheel.co.uk/finance
you may need to wait for the 2021 models now depending on what size you need (the CdF comes up big, for example I’d need a small while my Eqs are M)

 

[CXRAndy]

My Tripster V2 is gravel come tourer. It has huge tyre capacity 40-50mm a lovely relaxing geometry.

If you go for a gravel bike get one with a head angle of 70° and lots of mounting points to add guards and rack if desired.

 

[Deleted User]

Well then, It appears I've sourced an almost new 2021 Specialized E5 Diverge Comp at a decent price which I'll be collecting later this week.

Many thanks for all the input and suggestions this post has received and I'll let you all know what I think of it once I get out on it.

As usual very helpful and informative folks on here.

Cheers.

 

[Deleted User]

I don't think a bike tootling around some disused railway line cycle paths near Wolverhampton is going to be destroyed by trail conditions!

Phrase of the thread

Cheers all.

 

[DRM]

Well then, It appears I've sourced an almost new 2021 Specialized E5 Diverge Comp at a decent price which I'll be collecting later this week.

Many thanks for all the input and suggestions this post has received and I'll let you all know what I think of it once I get out on it.

As usual very helpful and informative folks on here.

Cheers.

Excellent, now get out there and get it muddy !

 

[Pale Rider]

Well then, It appears I've sourced an almost new 2021 Specialized E5 Diverge Comp at a decent price which I'll be collecting later this week.

Many thanks for all the input and suggestions this post has received and I'll let you all know what I think of it once I get out on it.

As usual very helpful and informative folks on here.

Cheers.

Looks to be just what you are after.

I see you get some boing in the steerer, so the bike should come with three springs.

A couple of Spesh Roubaix owners I've spoken to reckon the small amount of compliance is worth having, but does take a bit of getting used to if you usually ride a drop bar road bike.

Spesh offer a flat bar version of your bike.

I'll save @SkipdiverJohn pointing out the similarity with an 80s rigid MTB.

https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/d...309?color=290926-175309&searchText=96220-5602