[Organon]

Due to a recent repair needed on my road bike I have been riding my backup road bike which is pretty much worn out. It is stuck in a mid gear and many other creaks and groans. It is only fit to commute to work and the shops. 

I think it would take more than a few hundred pounds in parts and labour to repair.  And after wrestling with the prospect of living with several zombie bikes in my living room I thought it is now time for a new backup just in case something happens to my No.1 again. I’ve though about an off-road bike, which would also be hard wearing for the winter commute.

What should I be looking for in a good Gravel Bike under £1000 (Bike to Work scheme.) What frame material/gearing do you recommend. I’ve also never had disc brakes and am not sure ho hard they are to maintain. BASICALLY, Why should I go for a Gravel Bike? And what would set it apart from a CX bike for example?

 

Also has anyone else done the Bike to Work scheme? What is the best option you found for the ‘end of scheme’ payment? It is almost like you are hiring the bike (I hope it lasts as long as it takes to pay for.)

cheers

Topic

[Boatsie]

Mybike wrote:

Mybike wrote:

My next. Bike will also be a GT grade alu. Or a norco search both very nice all rounder bikes[/quote]

I love GTs. I think they’re fantastic. My last GT took a hammering and just kept going. Broken seat bled my ball bag when I mistimed a 6 foot double jump, etc.
Not much maintenance on gravel bikes used to route roads and resistance is relatively low.
I only commute.
My hub gear has new parts to restore. Wide tyre road bike.
Buying a Reid Granite 1.0 which will probably obsolete my hub gear. Only 7 speeds, cleaning after storm rides won’t be an issue.
Picture is of another low maintenance commuter. Unfortunately my spare forks don’t fit. Fortunately I have months to clean and prepare . After degrease, will probably look like ship but I know frame suit fits me. Looking at moving, it’s perfect, sits on 30, sprints 40+kmph, direct drive 90 gear inch but I’ll be replacing cogs/chains to enable less wear via prime number circle alignments of about 90 gear inch. Forks alloy when I find them. Rims alloy aero lightweight.
Whole lot’s about 7.5 kg and aero to commute on 20+km flatish smooth roads.
Happy when cycling,
Happy when sailing.
Learning to swim because I’m to lazy to be bailing.
😉

[Mybike]

gunswick wrote:

gunswick wrote:

There are some useful comparisons on YouTube, GCN especially have a video specifically on gravel vs CX bike (and vs road). Gravel is longer wheel base and lower bottom bracket and more mount points for mud guards and racks vs CX. This makes them more stable and less twitchy generally. CX are more agile, easier to carry on your shoulder, higher bottom bracket to avoid objects and pedals hitting the ground mid corner (designed for racing, repurposed for commuting). Personally, Gravel is better for commuting and as a winter road bike IMO.

Defo get hydraulic disc brakes, I have both mechanical (TRP semi-hydraulic Hy-rd) and full hydraulic are so much easier maintenance and better performance.

I have a GT Grade alum 105, very good example for a #2 bike I find (except the non full hydraulic disc brakes, only major thing to change on my 2016 version, newer ones may be full hydraulics by now). Good luck.

My next. Bike will also be a GT grade alu. Or a norco search both very nice all rounder bikes

[Boatsie]

Stuff it.
Stuff it.
Fuji track bike was perfect with expensive aero rims. Fixed. Ideal long distance commuter on 0-2% grades. Melted. Arse end still solid but not bothering.
Ninja Shogun was perfect long distance commuter. Suicide shifts, shorter top bar flicking excess on over speed descents, lay bars to stretch comfort and taper lead to point on long fast straights.
I’ve had enough building bikes now..
After fire (heat, oxygen, fuel) thieves took my gravel bike. 32mm no punctuation within 2 years on crap roads.
Hence, fffff. Can’t see any problems regarding reliability, 20+kmph road speeds, 25,30+ if seasonally aero and 28s here only punctured during winter storms anyhow. Plus comfortable relaxed geometry, hence long rides often without concentration.
(Just tripping out, guessing I should be sad but I’m as happy as.. Um. A well idiot)
Because I did I can believe, I momentum skidded the local mountain hair pin without rear clamp (brake started the skid but I know I’m too scared to hold brake , like a thin stay holds spar of sail that powers a big skiff, sheer wind because snap will break. , rocked up buzzing , Moz’s in hospital paralyzed, stacked his wheelchair, he rolled out, although paralyzed 8 months he had coordination of 10 seconds after lifting him back onto wheelchair.
I kept laughing with him and he kept kicking foot stand.. Brother finally starting to use himself again. I go watch a movie, tell him to shut up etc, kidding. During ads he kicks my hand. 2-3 minutes every 20 plenty to wear we’re where. A paralyzed mate.

Hence why go for a gravel bike? A good all-rounder with a nice turn of speed. IMHO

[Boatsie]

(No subject)
🙂

[Boatsie]

Thanks Sir Squirrel
Thanks Sir Squirrel 😉

I like wooden man too. Years ago I concentrated a 3inch jab, split his trunk 4 foot and was told that I’d broken my arm. I couldn’t work a couple of days because I couldn’t grasp a piece of paper and I was a paper sorting postman.
Wooden man surprised me later, I still don’t visual the physics. I hook punched him with right and he swept my left leg. Does knot make sense yet showed me slow old wood man quick enough to find ease of path and connect.
Repairing him later, he rocks. Not sure how though, probably sawdust, glue and clamps after a cow tongue lick to clean surface.
Might rebuild the Ninja Shogun too. Be a nice summer night bike. Banged it on both agility and fast. Rims melted, thinking new aero rims tend towards 9+ speeds, duraace have 9 speed bike braced shifters, plus cow tongue paper or acid bath, new bearings, takes 28/700c max.
Here’s too riding. Either or. Season rims on gravel bike or a spare rebuilt complete.
Ride on bro,
A rider that’s slow.

[hawkinspeter]

Boatsie wrote:

Boatsie wrote:

Due to a recent FAR K. I’m allowed to buy a bike, hand over receipt and get reimbursed but I’m going for a good quality cheap bike instead of a slightly more expensive lighter, easier shifting transport machine. Because I’m an idiot and really find non needed use of carbon composites unnecessary. Looking at 2 bikes in particular (3), looked at a GT but only found carbon forks. I’d love a GT but don’t care. Other 2 bikes have base models with alloy forks. Looking at CX. Looking at imaginary images on pictures of bike, they look like they’d provide a higher torque during acceleration, hence they look quick. Tending towards the cheapest gravel bike though. Same frame volume throughout models of gravel bikes, not sure if base model is triple butt, double butt, I think it’s hydroform.. It’s 11.5 kg. All alloy. 2*7 speed disc brakes at 250 quid($500 Aud) with front/rear rack and guard mounts plus bottles. 7 speed, I don’t torque shift, spacings easy to clean and maintain and super cheap to replace when worn. Basically a cost effective endurance set with wide stays to roll fat tyres. Wheels on bike are cheap, often hearing of spoke breakage, should be fine to hop gutters and avoid jumps with. More than plenty enough strength and maybe later a seasonal aero set with skinnies. Gravel will offer comfort over long road rides, whereas a CX would be quicker and nimble and adopt more choice of routes but maybe not as fast on a long flat straight due to posture. Well that’s Watt eye recon from this thoughtless more on anyway.. You beauty. Ride on

I like this post

 

[Boatsie]

Due to a recent FAR K.
Due to a recent FAR K.
I’m allowed to buy a bike, hand over receipt and get reimbursed but I’m going for a good quality cheap bike instead of a slightly more expensive lighter, easier shifting transport machine. Because I’m an idiot and really find non needed use of carbon composites unnecessary.
Looking at 2 bikes in particular (3), looked at a GT but only found carbon forks. I’d love a GT but don’t care.
Other 2 bikes have base models with alloy forks.
Looking at CX. Looking at imaginary images on pictures of bike, they look like they’d provide a higher torque during acceleration, hence they look quick.
Tending towards the cheapest gravel bike though. Same frame volume throughout models of gravel bikes, not sure if base model is triple butt, double butt, I think it’s hydroform.. It’s 11.5 kg. All alloy. 2*7 speed disc brakes at 250 quid($500 Aud) with front/rear rack and guard mounts plus bottles.
7 speed, I don’t torque shift, spacings easy to clean and maintain and super cheap to replace when worn. Basically a cost effective endurance set with wide stays to roll fat tyres. Wheels on bike are cheap, often hearing of spoke breakage, should be fine to hop gutters and avoid jumps with. More than plenty enough strength and maybe later a seasonal aero set with skinnies.
Gravel will offer comfort over long road rides, whereas a CX would be quicker and nimble and adopt more choice of routes but maybe not as fast on a long flat straight due to posture. Well that’s Watt eye recon from this thoughtless more on anyway..
You beauty. Ride on

[susanc]

 

 

 

Hi @CXR94Di2 , I really like the look (and price!) of this bike. Is there a women’s version you can recommend? Or perhaps it doesn’t matter? Would love some advice on this…

Thanks,

Susan

 

[Pilot Pete]

quiff wrote:

vonhelmet wrote:

The £1,000 limit applies at the employer end, not the scheme end. To lend above £1,000 to an employee for something like this the employer needs a consumer credit licence.

Off topic, but the government announced new guidance in June which basically suggested that employees would be able to get more expensive bikes without their employer getting a credit licence (the workaround was that the cycle to work scheme provider could hold the licence instead); but it seems none of the providers have yet implemented it due to some ambiguity in the guidance. It will also depend on your employer – I’ve been pestering mine employer to up the limit, but they’re not obliged to.  

You are partly right in that there is new guidance from the government. In fact, they clarified that there never had been a £1000 limit, but the credit licence was required above £1000 so practically every employer limited their scheme to £1000, in my experience because the person tasked with setting it up wasn’t a cyclist and couldn’t imagine anyone spending a £1000 on a bike, let alone more!

However, there is a scheme provider that has the necessary licence now. They are called the Green Commute Initiative https://greencommuteinitiative.uk/

I think what happened is e-bikes are seen as a great way to get non-cylists riding to work and it was realised that very few e-bikes come in under the £1000 budget set by most employer’s cycle to work schemes, hence this group came about.

Ive been pushing my employer to move away from the bog standard Halfords scheme but it seems to be falling on dear ears…

PP

[Boatsie]

Just an idea.
Just an idea.
My summer road bike could be modified to what I believe is an almost perfect gravel commuter.
Maybe idea helps?
I don’t know but long drop brakes have been read to envelope 32mm tyres.

Down here loads of near 30 year old bikes are typically advertised $free-??
I paid $100. Bearings, cassette, etc all good. Double butted Chromoly with a 14 speed downtube shifter makes way about 10kg rolling very old rusty spoke rims.  The stays easily clear 35mm but the stay brace where the brake bolt is doesn’t allow higher volume tyres to clear.  I ain’t modifying but similar bikes with 32mm tyres are out there as are skills such as cut and weld brace higher.

32mm might be on the narrow side of gravel but it does OK here.  I was happy commuting without puncture in 28 mm armoured tyres but when I scored many punctures in a few weeks I switched.  38,35,32 mm all cope well on gravel and wet tarmac and I haven’t punctured in about 2 years.
Maybe a gravel bike is a road bike with wide tyres?  Where as not so well as per off-road duties compared with a cyclocross but I thought that you know your zombie bikes?  If one is an aggressive near vintage racer then a quick weld and long brakes might get clearance to roll all winter.  Although not as wide as others.
I’d much prefer 38 mm but I don’t clear more than 32 on my gravel bike.
Old downtube shifters.  I love em.  Adjust to cassette.  Don’t bother to readjust until next cassette.  A rigid base,  light weight and no fore cables catching wind.  Yet I use STI.  Nicer but needing continual adjustments.
A bloke I bought a track bike/fixie from uses a mountain bike to commute.  Wide tyres on slicks tend to have small resistance.  That’s off-road capable.  I think wind would get at them bars too.  Cycle cross basically a mountain bike with dropbars.
(Got bored and wrote..  Commuting without punctures is way easier.  Obviously a Tad slower or the pros would tour with fatties)

[Boatsie]

I miss informed you.
I miss informed you.
I looked up Lynskey but to my best knowledge their clearance gravel bike frames are sold.
Wishing you well

[Stef Marazzi]

GT Grade or Boardman ADV 8.9
GT Grade or Boardman ADV 8.9 would be good. I’ve had Gravel bikes and Cyclocross bikes. The main difference is that a Cyclocross bike usually feels that you are more riding “on top” of the bike. The centre of gravity usually feels higher up. Whereas a gravel bike, especially ones with slightly flared bars, feels that you are sitting “in” the bike, like inside a cockpit.

[quiff]

vonhelmet wrote:

vonhelmet wrote:

The £1,000 limit applies at the employer end, not the scheme end. To lend above £1,000 to an employee for something like this the employer needs a consumer credit licence.

Off topic, but the government announced new guidance in June which basically suggested that employees would be able to get more expensive bikes without their employer getting a credit licence (the workaround was that the cycle to work scheme provider could hold the licence instead); but it seems none of the providers have yet implemented it due to some ambiguity in the guidance. It will also depend on your employer – I’ve been pestering mine employer to up the limit, but they’re not obliged to.  

[Boatsie]

I read cycle to work scheme
I read cycle to work scheme includes accessories.
Maybe such suits you, maybe not.
Lynskey have titanium gravel bike frame on sale. You have zombie bikes. Would brakes, shifters, wheels suit?

I have a 35 year old 2.25 inch wide tyre bike that taught me windage breaks speed more so than tyre width. The bikes made from aircraft manufacturers alloy as best I know. Looks like new 35 years later. Light weight. Strong. Comparable to titanium.

Currently at 7 km work, a 23,28 is a couple of minutes faster. Yet about 30km would break even the time regarding skinny with 1 puncture vs wide tyres using similar road bike frames. Maybe 50km.. Tend to puncture during horrible moments.
Just a thought.

[Boatsie]

+1
+1
I’m up there amongst your fans bro.
I wanted a GT alloy 9 speed as my commuter.
My friends are probably coming to stay a year, maybe 2 with me. I don’t know what bicycle they’ll choose but that’s 1 of the bikes I suggested.
+1 GT fan

[Author]

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