Gravel Bikes

[Shahn]

From my personal experience (and i claim to be kind of a tire nerd) i'd (lowercase on purpose) say that the Pathfinder style of tire would be a good combo for your use. The smooth in the center will give you low rolling resistance at high(er) pressure on the road and at lower pressures giving you bite with the side tread. The tires i've ridden that I would recommend are (my current bike only allows for 38mm tires):

• Pathfinder Pro - I've only ridden the 38, but insider knowledge says a 42mm is on the horizon. The pro should be faster and more comfy than the Sport.
• Panaracer Gravelking SK - It has tread in the middle but I've ridden these in medium paced group rides on the road and survived towards the front.
• Panaracer Gravelking SS - Basically the SK with a smooth strip down the center. Best of both words and nice and supple still.
• Maxxis Re-fuse - File treat tire that's surprising grippy and fast-ish on the road with good puncture protection... but if you need the tooth of a knobby tire offroad...
• Maxxis Rambler - Perfectly reliable full-tread tire with a nice soft feel offroad. I've ridden 3.5 sets and they've been perfect.

I agree that 45-47's on the would be slow on the road but give you some nice "pneumatic suspension" off road. If you're looking to do faster road rides you'll have to sacrifice a little bit of comfort on the dirt. It all depends on what type of road, dirt, and your balance between the two.

I will say that that I've had multiple bad experiences with WTB tires and would never recommend them to anyone.

I appreciate you taking the time to respond, this is super helpful!

 

[SKv11000]

Got it. Mine sounds more like a gravel bike! but it is advertised as a cyclo-cross. It is all in the marketing! Either way it is an enjoyable ride. I am happy I got it over a traditional road bike. At my age I ain't fast anyway and I like being able to take it on trails.

Yes, as someone who has made marketing a profession, i'd say ride what you have. The Zurigo is a cool bike and should be smooth sailing.

 

[SKv11000]

I appreciate you taking the time to respond, this is super helpful!

Happy to help! Transparently, with coffee/beer in hand I could talk about tire nuances for hours.

I'm curious, what frame are you riding that allows for 47mm tires?

 

[Shahn]

Happy to help! Transparently, with coffee/beer in hand I could talk about tire nuances for hours.

I'm curious, what frame are you riding that allows for 47mm tires?

I ride the Diverge by Specalized.

 

[Nickel]

From my personal experience (and i claim to be kind of a tire nerd) i'd (lowercase on purpose) say that the Pathfinder style of tire would be a good combo for your use. The smooth in the center will give you low rolling resistance at high(er) pressure on the road and at lower pressures giving you bite with the side tread. The tires i've ridden that I would recommend are (my current bike only allows for 38mm tires):

• Pathfinder Pro - I've only ridden the 38, but insider knowledge says a 42mm is on the horizon. The pro should be faster and more comfy than the Sport.
• Panaracer Gravelking SK - It has tread in the middle but I've ridden these in medium paced group rides on the road and survived towards the front.
• Panaracer Gravelking SS - Basically the SK with a smooth strip down the center. Best of both words and nice and supple still.
• Maxxis Re-fuse - File treat tire that's surprising grippy and fast-ish on the road with good puncture protection... but if you need the tooth of a knobby tire offroad...
• Maxxis Rambler - Perfectly reliable full-tread tire with a nice soft feel offroad. I've ridden 3.5 sets and they've been perfect.

I agree that 45-47's on the would be slow on the road but give you some nice "pneumatic suspension" off road. If you're looking to do faster road rides you'll have to sacrifice a little bit of comfort on the dirt. It all depends on what type of road, dirt, and your balance between the two.

I will say that that I've had multiple bad experiences with WTB tires and would never recommend them to anyone.

I will check some of these out next time I need tires. This is what I run in a 32mm width. I've run both 35mm and 32mm, did not notice a difference.

• Schwalbe - Marathon Plus HS440 Bike Tire | 5mm Puncture Protection and Reflective Side Wall | Multiple Sizes | for City, Touring, Urban, Hybrid Bicycles

Strong point is puncture resistance. I think I have had 1 flat in 4000 miles of mix road/trail riding with 75% road, 25% trail (mix of fire roads, light sand, light rocks, very little to no single-track)

Weak point is they are stiff as hell to get onto the rim. I dread every time I need to replace them and the one flat I did have I recall hating it.

 

[MazeVX]

Any good tire recommendations, I also heard there was a potential shortage and wanted to pick up an extra set of tires, but am only a few years into owning my gravel bike so very new to all this still. I'm running the stock tires now (Specialized Pathfinder Sport 700x38), I do a lot of road riding during the week, and gravel on weekends or trips. I have a pair of Teravail Rutlands 700 x 47 that I ran through the winter and they seemed to handle well. Any good tire experience/knowledge would be truly appreciated!

Thanks in advance for the input!

Go for 40mm or 45mm tires, depends a lot on the terrain and conditions... Wtb riddler is a excellent Allrounder and works really good under wet conditions as well.
Fastest tires known at the time are Vittoria terreno dry and pirelli gravel hard terrain, both great for hardpack, street, gravel etc not so much on soft dirt or wet conditions.
If you have a lot of tarmac or similar you can take a look at the wtb byway, preferably with the new "slash guard"

If your terrain is smooth and not too rough you can go for 38/40mm tires if it's rougher and more like coarse gravel or trail go 45mm it's not much but you feel the difference.

 

[M Rose]

Well guys, the Verve Gravel Bike stalled. I can’t keep the 3x chain ring and the hydro disks going to a drop bar. So after much debate, and lots of talking with the wife… I’m looking at N+1.

I have my bike choices narrowed down to 2.
First up is the Trek 1120. I don’t know much about it, other than it has 1x11 gears, flat bars, and looks to be kind of an old school Rigid MTB with modern Components. My LBS is due in a couple in November, and if the snow ain’t flying the owner has offered to let me take it up to the single tracks for a shakedown to see what I think.

Second up isn’t really a “Gravel Bike” per say, but it offers some of the features I’m looking for in a second bike. I’m looking at the Trek Domane AL series bikes specifically the Domane 4 and 5 as they have the hydraulic disk brakes. I was able to take the Domane AL 2 with a 54cm frame out today for a spin around town and was quite impressed with it. It seamed to handle great, fit me very well. I’m not a component snob, but everything I read and see tells me to spend the extra money on the 5 because of the Shimano 105 components, 2x11 gear set, and the IsoBars.

So, my main question is, since I have the Verve already and to get more enjoyment out of it in the wild (meaning going out of town and hit up the gravel trails and possibly mild single tracks as my muscles develop some more) should I look into a more MTB type gearing for it and possibly some better tires? I plan on using the Verve for most of my in town riding, and as I stated, more technical trail riding.

My “Gravel Bike” I want for long distance riding a crossed multiple types of terrain. I would say a good 50/50 split Gravel and Asphalt at first and as my stamina and endurance increases it will probably change to more of a 85/15 split (Gravel/Asphalt). As my ability increases, I am wanting to do some mild bikepacking trips around Eastern Oregon, and maybe eventually even multi state tours. Hence I’m really looking at the Domane harder than the 1120.

The 1120 looks like a heck of a beast, and I’m not ruling it out. I just haven’t had the chance to look at one in person and see how it fits me.

 

[MazeVX]

Well guys, the Verve Gravel Bike stalled. I can’t keep the 3x chain ring and the hydro disks going to a drop bar. So after much debate, and lots of talking with the wife… I’m looking at N+1.

I have my bike choices narrowed down to 2.
First up is the Trek 1120. I don’t know much about it, other than it has 1x11 gears, flat bars, and looks to be kind of an old school Rigid MTB with modern Components. My LBS is due in a couple in November, and if the snow ain’t flying the owner has offered to let me take it up to the single tracks for a shakedown to see what I think.

Second up isn’t really a “Gravel Bike” per say, but it offers some of the features I’m looking for in a second bike. I’m looking at the Trek Domane AL series bikes specifically the Domane 4 and 5 as they have the hydraulic disk brakes. I was able to take the Domane AL 2 with a 54cm frame out today for a spin around town and was quite impressed with it. It seamed to handle great, fit me very well. I’m not a component snob, but everything I read and see tells me to spend the extra money on the 5 because of the Shimano 105 components, 2x11 gear set, and the IsoBars.

So, my main question is, since I have the Verve already and to get more enjoyment out of it in the wild (meaning going out of town and hit up the gravel trails and possibly mild single tracks as my muscles develop some more) should I look into a more MTB type gearing for it and possibly some better tires? I plan on using the Verve for most of my in town riding, and as I stated, more technical trail riding.

My “Gravel Bike” I want for long distance riding a crossed multiple types of terrain. I would say a good 50/50 split Gravel and Asphalt at first and as my stamina and endurance increases it will probably change to more of a 85/15 split (Gravel/Asphalt). As my ability increases, I am wanting to do some mild bikepacking trips around Eastern Oregon, and maybe eventually even multi state tours. Hence I’m really looking at the Domane harder than the 1120.

The 1120 looks like a heck of a beast, and I’m not ruling it out. I just haven’t had the chance to look at one in person and see how it fits me.

If I understood you correctly, and if you want to stay with trek I would look at the "checkpoint alr 5" as it is much more of a gravel bike than the domane wich is more "extended tire roadbike"
If you want to look at other brands too, I recommend looking for a "Giant revolt advanced" or maybe a "Specialized diverge comp"
There are quite a few bikes in the "adventure gravel" range wich is the range that seems to fit your interest best. I picked just a few of the big ones.

 

[M Rose]

If I understood you correctly, and if you want to stay with trek I would look at the "checkpoint alr 5" as it is much more of a gravel bike than the domane wich is more "extended tire roadbike"
If you want to look at other brands too, I recommend looking for a "Giant revolt advanced" or maybe a "Specialized diverge comp"
There are quite a few bikes in the "adventure gravel" range wich is the range that seems to fit your interest best. I picked just a few of the big ones.

I would love to look at other bikes, but my LBS is a Trek dealer, and I have been friends with the owner since we were in diapers so I’m kind of partial to Trek.

Looking at the specs of the Checkpoint 4 (I can’t afford the 5) I would have to sit on it to see how the frame fits me. The geometry of the Domane 54cm fits me very well. And I think with my primary riding I want to do it should fit my needs very well also. I’m not going to be doing a lot of mountain gravel trails with it, that’s what the Verve will still be used for. I’m wanting a bike that I feel comfortable logging 50-100 mile days on with mixed road surfaces. Most of the county owned roads are gravel while state owned roads are paved.

 

[MazeVX]

I would love to look at other bikes, but my LBS is a Trek dealer, and I have been friends with the owner since we were in diapers so I’m kind of partial to Trek.

Looking at the specs of the Checkpoint 4 (I can’t afford the 5) I would have to sit on it to see how the frame fits me. The geometry of the Domane 54cm fits me very well. And I think with my primary riding I want to do it should fit my needs very well also. I’m not going to be doing a lot of mountain gravel trails with it, that’s what the Verve will still be used for. I’m wanting a bike that I feel comfortable logging 50-100 mile days on with mixed road surfaces. Most of the county owned roads are gravel while state owned roads are paved.

If possible drive it, the domane has a road groupset and the checkpoint, no matter what spec, will have a gravel group and there's quite the difference between the gear ratios.
I absolutely struggle with the extremely low cadence on steep hills, it's totally annoying for someone who's coming from mtb... So the gravel ratio is still really on the long side in my opinion.
One last point (sorry...) you can always mount narrow tires on a gravel but never wide tires on the roadbike

 

[M Rose]

If possible drive it, the domane has a road groupset and the checkpoint, no matter what spec, will have a gravel group and there's quite the difference between the gear ratios.
I absolutely struggle with the extremely low cadence on steep hills, it's totally annoying for someone who's coming from mtb... So the gravel ratio is still really on the long side in my opinion.
One last point (sorry...) you can always mount narrow tires on a gravel but never wide tires on the roadbike

I will check out the Checkpoint as well… if I can…

As you know, inventory sucks right now. So getting a chance to sit on anything is hard

 

[M Rose]

I decided against doing a drop bar conversion on my Verve. Instead I am putting an order in for a Trek Domane AL 2 Disk. Then going to upgrade to Shimano GRX Derailuers, brakes, and shifters with the possibilities of also upgrading the drive line. I’m wanting to keep the Domane a 3x drive train since I also plan on adventure bikepacking tours.

 

[SKv11000]

+1 for posting at exactly 11:11 Mountain Standard Time.

 

[M Rose]

Well it looks like I’m getting a new bike sooner than expected… The Verve rode off last night without my power at APX 3:30 AM. I heard them take the bike and tried to chase them down but by the time I got my shoes on they were. I where in site. I called the police and filed a report, and have a fallow up with the officer tonight. In the meantime, I went to the LBS and notified them of the theft as well.

While talking with the LBS owner, she informed me of a shipment of 520 Grandos coming in in the near future.

I have never ridden the Grando before. Haven’t even seen it yet… but the specs look pretty good… and both owners are wanting me to test ride it before I purchase a new bike. I am very excited to see what this bike will feel like, and compare it side by side to the Domane.

Any ways… happy riding every one… it looks like I’m bikeless for a month or so (depending upon which bike I chose)

 

[MazeVX]

Got a new set of fenders for wet season put on the Ridley and got the saddle (sq lab) changed under warranty because there was joint broken, got it back from the first inspection (warranty inspection) so everything is fine, just totally messed up my schedule...
Today in the morning I hurt my back really bad so we'll see if the season is over or not.
Good luck with getting a new bike!

 

[M Rose]

Got a new set of fenders for wet season put on the Ridley and got the saddle (sq lab) changed under warranty because there was joint broken, got it back from the first inspection (warranty inspection) so everything is fine, just totally messed up my schedule...
Today in the morning I hurt my back really bad so we'll see if the season is over or not.
Good luck with getting a new bike!

I have a fit appointment with the LBS on Wednesday, and I will be deciding which bike I’m going to get. K Rose says I can get either one… awesome…. She just wants to see me happy. I think she is more upset than I am over the loss of the bike… just because she knows how much it meant to me… and because it was a present from her as well.

 

[SKv11000]

@M Rose - Pretty rotten to have your bike stolen. It happens all too often. The 520 Grando looks pretty cool though, especially the photos of it all packed up with bags. Makes me want to roll out on a tour. Inspiring.

@MazeVX - Fenders are a good call, your backside will thank you for it once the sky starts to fall. What fenders did you go with? Hopefully your back thing is just a quick thing. I have a bad lower back on my left side that I have treated by a massage therapist monthly. She has me using a foam roller every day, focusing on my glutes, hamstrings, and IT Bands followed by some solid stretching. It's all worth it... would recommend to anyone, with or without back problems.

We went from summer to winter and now back to fall here in Utah. Last weekend I was wearing winter kit and today i'm back to regular bibshorts and a jacket. Gravel in northern utah will shut down for the winter and we'll have to head south for anything not covered in snow. I've been riding road bikes exclusively due to a neck surgery and radiation to remove some cancer cells behind my neck muscle on the left side (burying it in this paragraph to downplay the situation). Speaking of road bikes... here's my rig before I swapped out the tires (32mm), seatpost, and saddle to something more humane (and also swapped the Reynolds for Rovals, an altogether better company to deal with):

 

[M Rose]

I have a fit appointment with the LBS on Wednesday, and I will be deciding which bike I’m going to get. K Rose says I can get either one… awesome…. She just wants to see me happy. I think she is more upset than I am over the loss of the bike… just because she knows how much it meant to me… and because it was a present from her as well.

Well the day ended up on a more positive note… look what showed up at the police station today

 

[MazeVX]

Glad to see that you have your bike back! Wheels are quite easy to get, lot easier than almost everything else...

@SKv11000 I went with a set of sks speedrocker, you can take them of relatively easy and they are light and not expensive.
Well my back is a bit of a long story... As long as I would go to the gym I had no trouble but since the C closed the gym I haven't been there and this year was a hell of work with lots of stuff to hurt my back. I was basically waiting on something to happen.
Speedrocker looking okay

 

[M Rose]

Glad to see that you have your bike back! Wheels are quite easy to get, lot easier than almost everything else...

@SKv11000 I went with a set of sks speedrocker, you can take them of relatively easy and they are light and not expensive.
Well my back is a bit of a long story... As long as I would go to the gym I had no trouble but since the C closed the gym I haven't been there and this year was a hell of work with lots of stuff to hurt my back. I was basically waiting on something to happen.
Speedrocker looking okay
View attachment 212996

So funny thing happened… the day after my last post, I was meeting @KRose for lunch (8:00 pm, she works swing), and I saw my wheels walking out the door strapped to a homeless man’s back. After a brief encounter with him, he admitted to steeling my bike. I turned him into the police and got my wheels back… unfortunately due to COVID, nothing is going to come of it.

Another bit of news… my Verve is going to be going up for sale in December. I just put some money down on a 520 Grando yesterday and am having the LBS add a few custom touches for me which should be done just in time for my Birthday.