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Impossible. We all know that authentic gravel racing can only take place in the US
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Please, step away from the photoshop
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With all the drop bar bikes with clearance for 650b 2.3” tires, meant to “tackle tough terrain”, at what point is a good cross-country hardtail going to be superior?
Even for some “gravel” races around here an XC bike with appropriate gearing will almost certainly be faster and maybe more fun.
*Disclaimer: I own and ride a drop bar bike on 650b 50mm tires and enjoy it immensely. It regularly sees single track, but I know an XC hardtail would do most of what this bike does as well or better.
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For me, the key to this is when there are inevitably sections of road to deal with when linking up trails. In my experience the riding position of my MTB encourages a different attitude towards riding, my heart rate avg will be lower every time. The same was true while I had a Surly Troll on loan, which kind of split the difference between my gravel bike and my hardtail. It was v neatly in the middle for times on my usual loop as well, which makes sense given it's rigid but flat bar I guess.
There's also the shout of using the same bike with different tyre/wheel options for different stuff, which is something I've done a lot personally.
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Fair points. I play with different wheelsets as well on this bike. Here’s a photo from a few days ago on 700c x 42mm tires, trying out dirt drops. It handles OK this way, but not as well as on the 650b tires. With 700c x 28mm it feels quick enough.
I hadn’t considered the issue of heart rate, but I can’t help but wonder if I had an XC hardtail set up for an aggressive position(like the beach racer types), if I could get a similar result to when I ride this bike.
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at what point is a good cross-country hardtail going to be superior?
Almost all the time unless on tarmac or super smooth gravel with average speeds over 25kph. Unless it's a insta-wagon steel gravel bike with a high and wide bars, then a 29er XC race bike will be faster everywhere.
Gravel bikes are a good compromise "one-bike quiver" but if you already have a road bike, especially a modern one with 28mm tyres, an XC bike is definitely the way forward as a 2nd bike.
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I guess this is where the amorphous nature of "gravel" bike design comes in, because they can be so varied. My Hook EXT-C was essentially road geo with big tyres, so it was hilarious to take on trails. This thread has plenty of examples where its really v close to MTB with drops, or actually just is MTB with drops.
I have a new bike coming soon which subscribes more closely to the long toptube, short stem geo philosophy, but is built around my road fit. I will report back on how that pans out. Hopefully well as I really went over my pay grade on it.
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I am already braced for the insta-wagon abuse
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I am already braced for the insta-wagon abuse
Is it an English?
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No, its going to look nice
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No, its going to look nice
which, let's be honest, is what it's mostly about! Unless you're racing at a high level, buy what you want, not that which is the most efficient
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The advantages would be multiplied. 29er tyres and suspension will be more comfortable as well as better rolling. Marathon MTB races are very popular!
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No, its going to look nice
Curses, I won't be able to post it in this thread then
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I don't own an XC - yet
This was unexpected
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Depends on the surface, again. The hardtail suspension and tyres are more comfortable, but the hand position is not very ergonomic over long milage. It’s optimal for marathon MTB because you need the bar width and angle for ‘attack position’ for off-road control. But 720+ bars and less than 10deg sweep is not optimal for in-the-saddle mile-munching.
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Does that mean we should be using English bikes in England as I don't really want to.
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Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB
Posted by
@BareNecessities
Ought to be disqualified... wrong equipment etc