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Gravel bike questions
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 2016-04-20 5:44 PM |
Pro  6582     Melbourne FL Gold member |  Subject: Gravel bike questionsI'm planning on getting a new gravel bike this year. I had a something similar before a few years back but was more of a MTB with horns and SRAM apex. Didn't meet my expectations and sold it, didn't care for the Apex either even with the shop adjustments. I've been checking the latest GB and like what I see and plan on picking something up this year. Maybe from bikesdirect as I don't care about brand for this. My fav LBS is really cool, I have great rapport with them. I bought a lot from them since 1999, they built my current TB when I bought a frameset off and components eBay and so on. I plan on riding this GB just about everywhere and on anything I can from single track, soft FL coastal trails, dirt roads, work commuting, etc., other than race/ride events. So, what are the best pedal & shoe types for these bikes? All I have now are Time RXS pedals and my tri-shoes. Never had any other type of pedals/shoes, use to go old school with platforms & toe straps on my old MTB & MTB hybrid. Should I go SDP and recessed MTB shoes or other? There's a local CX event every fall that could come into the question, I have no idea what is best! Also, I know this can get highly biased, but on groupsets all I've ever been exposed to in the past was Shimano, other than the SRAM Apex that I didn't care for. On bikesdirect I can get the same GB setup with either 105 5800 or SRAM Rival 22. Never used Rival 22. Have Ultegra 6800 on the TB and love it with the TT shifters, even with the 52/34 chainring setup, never an issue. Currently using a borrowed older RB with a 105 10spd & triple. Triple sucks but rear is fine. For RB/GB setup is this basically a tie and comes down to shifting method preference? TIA |
| 2016-04-20 9:32 PM in reply to: Donto |
| Subject: RE: Gravel bike questions I've only used crank brothers for my CX bike (candy version), and when I borrow mountain bikes. Getting a used MTB soon...just need to pick it up, and have ordered the mallet version for it. I'm guessing for just general gravel riding where you shouldn't need to mount/dismount or unclip in technical sections...normal egg beater crank brothers pedals or shimano spd should work fine. What kind of tire clearance does the bike you're looking at have. That's the one big thing I would double check as it's nice to be able to go wide if your route favors something like a 40 mm tire. A few of my friends have gotten the new Open U.P. gravel bike. Not cheap, but really cool in that it can accommodate both 700cc wheels for normal road or cx tires, but can also run with 650b so you can go up to 2.1" mountain bike tires. |
| 2016-04-21 8:36 AM in reply to: Donto |
| 63 | Subject: RE: Gravel bike questions I can only tell you what I use: Felt cyclocross bike w/ 11spd 105 components throughout Pedals: shimano A530 pedals which are SPD on one side and flat on the other Shoes: shimano mtb shoes with recessed cleats This has worked very well for commuting, some trails, and weekend road rides. Any time you are looking for multiple uses from a single set of something you are going to have some compromises. The 105 groupset has worked fantastic, though I don't find myself using the small ring much due to the way the gearing range on the bike. The pedals work well as you get the flexibility of clipless with the ability to wear flip flops to take the bike to the grocery store or meet friends at the beach/bar type wear. Sure they are heavier than some pedals, but again thats the compromise. The shoes work fine for the purpose of commuting and running errands and good on gravel rides as well. Again, not carbon super stiff/light shoes, but thats the compromise. If I were into racing more I'd probably look for a different setup, but for general cruising all over for all purposes from commuting to training to errands and towing kids behind it this setup has been a great fit. I will say it is the most fun bike to ride bar none and am sure you will love whatever you come away with. |
| 2016-04-21 12:13 PM in reply to: 0 |
Pro 6582 Melbourne FL Gold member | Subject: RE: Gravel bike questions Thanks for the feedback. The GB I'm eyeing has 700c/29'er wheels and can go up to 45c (1.75") tires, that should be plenty for most of my riding except the softest sugar sand trails. That Open U.P. gravel bike sounds really nice, out of my $ budget though! Thinking if I went with the SRAM equipped bike I could swap out the crank later for a 1x setup. No real need around here for a small ring. A530 pedals sound like the ticket as I can see using the bike to casually cruise around with my wife too. Cheap on Nashbar too!
Edited by Donto 2016-04-21 12:14 PM |
| 2016-04-21 2:23 PM in reply to: 0 |
Veteran 1900 Southampton, Ontario | Subject: RE: Gravel bike questions Here is what I have learned since buying my Giant TCX in January 1. White bar tape and seat is really dumb on any bike with intentions of being used offroad. + my new black seat and bar tape make the bike look much meaner. 2. Mechanical disks are good but seem to squeel (still have to sort that out) 3. SPD's can completely jam with mud and ice after improptu stream crossings. I use 520's and 540's on all my bikes 4. Sooooooo much fun Edited by DaveL 2016-04-21 2:25 PM (gianttcx.jpg) Attachments ---------------- gianttcx.jpg (148KB - 4 downloads) |
| 2016-04-23 9:30 AM in reply to: DaveL |
Expert 1484 | Subject: RE: Gravel bike questions I've been using a Crux Pro Race for winter training and gravel + some cross country mountain bike trails. It clears 40mm wide tires and fenders so I'd guess wider tires would fit. I do find that the 40mm tires are a bit tall and I can get overlap at low speeds. That bike has Ultegra Di2 on it and the shifting is so nice. For mechanical shifting I realy like SRAM. Pedals and cleats I like Crankbrothers. Just service them every couple of months of mucky riding. I'm running 50/34 with oval chainrings. Find better slippery surface traction with an oval ring. (tmp_30729-IMG_20160409_113155870683900.jpg) (tmp_30729-IMG_20160328_1255532008134930.jpg) (tmp_30729-IMG_20160227_111242-936745710.jpg) Attachments ---------------- tmp_30729-IMG_20160409_113155870683900.jpg (2639KB - 5 downloads) tmp_30729-IMG_20160328_1255532008134930.jpg (3148KB - 5 downloads) tmp_30729-IMG_20160227_111242-936745710.jpg (2208KB - 4 downloads) |
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