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Gravel vs Road for commuting

by stevedee
Sat, Jul 06, 2019 19:48
6

So I’ve just started commuting to work, aboard an old and creaky Specialized Alléz.  It’s only a short commute, 9/10 miles on typically crappy broken up British roads.  There is an option to take at least some of danger/boredom out of the journey by hopping onto canal from time to time.  I’m kind of wanting a new bike, just because, and have been thinking maybe getting a gravel/cyclocross bike rather than road, for the reasons above really.  Bit more comfortable, bit more rugged and a bit more flexibility of terrain. 

Drowning though now in options so any advice out there for decent entry/mid level setup I should check out?  I was hoping to keep it under £1k. A local shop has a Cannondale Topstone Sora reduces from 899 to 695 which is certainly tempting.  Slightly put off by the relatively chunky tyres and mechanical disc brakes rather than hydraulic.  They also had a super sexy Scott Adict Gravel 30 but that is properly taking my budget to pieces!  Have looked at ribble and Planet X but don’t have much experience or awareness of how good/bad they are vs more recognised manufacturers  

Any advice on gravel vs cyclo vs road, and similarly any specific models to look at gratefully received  

 

cheers

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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6 comments

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EddyBerckx | 5 years ago
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As long as you get a disc brake bike (with hydraulic disc brakes - there is a big difference) then you'll be able to fit wider tyres and do canal paths and the bumpy stuff with a normal road bike.

 

The thing about gravel bikes especially at the lower end is they will be heavier and generally slower/harder work on the road. Not always, it does depend on your effort level and the sort of riding you do but be aware of that. 

 

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Zermattjohn replied to EddyBerckx | 5 years ago
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StoopidUserName wrote:

As long as you get a disc brake bike (with hydraulic disc brakes - there is a big difference) then you'll be able to fit wider tyres and do canal paths and the bumpy stuff with a normal road bike.

 

The thing about gravel bikes especially at the lower end is they will be heavier and generally slower/harder work on the road. Not always, it does depend on your effort level and the sort of riding you do but be aware of that. 

For anything more than smooth gravel and canal towpaths, in my experience you're best off with at least 35mm tyres, and if you're going to spend a lot of time off road I'd recommend going tubeless too - bigger air chamber, ability to run lower pressures, less risk of punctures, etc. So, if you can find a 'road bike' that can take 35mm, and still fit mudguards, that's great. As I said in my initial post, the Arkose range uses the same frame, and so does the Decathlon gravel bike mentioned, they just market the 'gravel' version with more off-road friendly components.

And, yes, always ALWAYS get hydraulics if you can.

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srchar | 5 years ago
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...or the RC 520 road bike, also from Decathlon, which is identical to the gravel except for tyres, bars and paint job - and saves £120 over the gravel version.

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asinglecrumpet | 5 years ago
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The Triban RC 520 gravel adventure bike from Decathlon looks pretty decent for £849, it comes with shimano 105 groupset and TRP HY/RD disk breaks.

I had a Triban 500 road bike a few years back when I got into cycling and it was great value.

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Fluffed | 5 years ago
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Add the Boardman ADV 8.9 to the list £1000 listed though can be got through Halfords and the BC discount for 900, ticks all boxes I think. I use a cx bike on the road sometimes , the small front ring never bothered me really. I would definately stay away from mechanical discs, they are worse than rim brakes.

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Zermattjohn | 5 years ago
1 like

My commute grew by a few miles a while back, and also allowed me to involve canal towpaths and farm tracks if I wanted to. So I bought a Pinnacle Arkose, which other than the crappy cable-operated disc brakes was a great buy. It was £800 at the time, this is the equivalent now https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-arkose-d1-2020-adventure-road-bike-.... If you can afford the extra I'd recommend going up to the D2, which has hydraulic brakes (but also the ugly brake levers of the old 105 groupset. 

They also do the D3 which is another few hundred again, which has the latest hydraulic 105 groupset with nicer brake levers. 

The whole Arkose range, either the D (dirt) or R (road) use exactly the same frame, which in my experience is bomb-proof and, though slightly heavy, ideal for what you want. The difference between the D and the R is simply in the wheels/tyre choice and the gearing. The D has lower gears, better for riding slower off-road. The R model has slightly higher/faster gears.

You get a lot of bang for your buck on these bikes. It's not a marquee name, but for commuting that was something I wanted to avoid anyway, and you'll get Tiagra/105 rather than Sora/unbranded which you'd find on Cannondale at a similar price. Worth checking out.

In terms of the difference between CX and gravel bikes, you might find more specifically off-road gears (48/30 chainrings rather than 50/34 for example) on a CX bike, which can (for some) be a bit low for road riding.

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