Great explanation. Very sensible. I go gravel grinding on my CX bike for quick entertaining jaunts. And use a Salsa Vaya Steel for multi-day escapades. I used to think very differently about steel, not anymore. Thanks for the explanation.
Great video. I just picked up a Lapierre Cyclocross. Going to put on 38s and go tubeless with the Mavics. I have a road bike and a mountain bike but wanted to transition... this helped.
Lapierres are nice. Not very common in the US from what I've seen. I nearly bought a Lapierre mntn bike w/ electronic suspension but found a Epic S-works w/ full brain for a better deal. Ride on!
I converted my Specialized Sirrus Elite Disc from a Sora 9-sp flat bar to a 105 11-sp. drop bar with Ultegra hydraulics, and a shorter stem to compensate for the longer reach and, hey presto, I have a gravel-touring bike. Solid alu frame and plenty of room for wider tires. Rock solid.
One key difference: I typically use a shorter stem on my CX bike. The longer stem is better for a gravel bike as you want more of a road position. But for CX you need a shorter stem to make tight hairpin turns. I like riding my CX bike on trails with rocks roots and logs so I will take the higher bottom bracket
When you mentioned tubeless I thought about the fact I've cycled tens of thousands of miles in 9 years on clinchers and have had 6 punctures, with 3 of them on a single ride, I feel like I might be blessed by the tire Gods.... and probably just jinxed myself :)
regarding the different surfaces occuring in a cx event, i don't see the necessity to even ask if a cx bike can handle gravel roads - of course it can!
far too many different bikes out there for all the different events..most bikes can be used for multiple purposes and you would never know the difference..People just like to spend money and have people tell them what the need..Smart move Clint..
not true. CX bikes just are not really designed for prolonged riding. I think a lot of that has to do with how far back you sit on a cyclocross bike. It just feels nowhere near as comfortable as a gravel bike. In exchange the bike is much more nimble though and shock absorption is also slightly improved.
Mountain bikes are meant for rather short rides (e.g. not multi day) and people still tour on them. If life would be as simple as it seems, we would live in very different world.
@@kingprone7846 notice how no one likes your comment. No one agrees with you. With the ability to swap parts, you can easily make bikes comfortable. Sitting too far back on a cyclocross, swap the handlebar stem with something shorter and a higher angle so it brings the bars closer to you. It's now a very reliable, fast, tough, versatile and comfortable bike.
@@TheMarkoPoloProgram mate you are talking shit. the stemlenght is to adjust for armlenght not for seating position. if you cannot contribute anyting to the discussion dont join in.
@@kingprone7846 By adjusting the stem length and OFFSET ANGLE, you reduce the reach and hence the seating position. I know what I'm talking about because I initially bought a CX bike with a long and straight stem that strained my back and stretched out my arms. I brought it back to the bike store a few days later and they swapped it with one of those short EVO stems with a high offset angle that made it come straight up like a mountain bike stem. My seating position and reach changed and the comfort was night and day so no I'm not talking shit. You know what's shit? All these bike labels that force you to believe that one certain bike is made only for that said discipline. Ride what you enjoy and have fun.
I've been using a Giant CX as a gravel bike for several years. I wanted a gravel bike back when I bought it but there wasn't any. It's main diff is higher gearing. I'd like a lowest gear at least 1:1. It is also aluminum so about 2.5 kg heavier than my carbon roadie. I ride it with 42mm tires, and find it very stable no matter the weather. I never worry about losing traction around the city.
I use it mostly as a utility bike, but also riding back country roads. One of the biggest advantages is I've never had to worry about punctures. I used to take my roadie on the same roads, and twice I had to abandon the ride after multiple punctures.
I recently bought a TCX SLR 2 for mostly road with some offroad riding. It feels like my old hardtail, except it goes faster, and hurts my arms on gnarly parts. After swapping the tires for Schwalbe G-One, it got noticeably better at soaking up small bumps. It's now perfect for longer rides.
Thanks again Clint I always enjoy your YT videos! Gives also nice inspiration and I enjoy to see your gravel/dirt roads that you ride in FL! Here in Sweden we will soon have some temperatures below zero and also eventually some snow and the gravel roads will be quite frozen and hard on surface to ride before the snow comes and when the snow comes I guess I need to change to winter tires with studs around 38 to 42 on my TXC SX. With a decent CX you can ride all year around here in Sweden also during the winter season but not with a pure road bike which will be quite limited with 23/25 tires (TCR Advanced for example)! Wishing you a good cyclo cross race season Clint!
Your setup and strategy is super close to what I've got going on. 2015 Giant TCX, was able to barely fit 45mm Ramblers on it with about 5mm to spare on each side. Getting the rear on and off requires pulling the stem but it fits like a glove once one there.
I am really impressed with your video . I am looking to have one bike for road and cyclocross at the same time by changing the wheels not the tires only , in other words looking for a bike with 2 sets of wheels for road and cyclocross . Your advise is much appreciated . Thank you.
depending on the elevation variations you may need to change your rear cassette? You'd of course need to address your chain length also. A very quick change if you have the tools. 4 year old comment so I hope it went well for you.
I have a Trek Crockett 5 cyclocross bike as my main bike for commuting, road riding, gravel, trail, and cross racing. Its such a versatile bike and it handles the terrible roads of Alaska just about perfectly. The only major upgrade I did to it was a set of carbon rims, they made such a huge difference in the ride quality of the bike from absorbing the road chatter to a noticeable improvement of stiffness of the bike. My local shop keeps trying to push the more gravel oriented bikes on me, but they sold me such a good bike with the Crockett that I don't feel the need to get a road or gravel specific bike when my cross bike handles everything so well.
Clint Gibbs I'm in Fairbanks and it's pretty small, the local cycle club started hosting cross races last year with a single race in September. This year we had a 2 race series in September with about 40 racers of all ages at the first race and about 25 at the second race. Our cross season has a super small window to do races, basically they are crammed into the end of September after the equinox marathon and hopefully before it snows in October and fatbiking season starts.
Hi Clint, Thank you for your video's and taking time to respond to my comment. Appreciate it. It is nice to see that there are good people who are passionate about cycling and like to share their knowledge with others. Have a good Cross season!
Enjoyed your video. I do a lot of gravel riding and have only used my Specialized Crux CX bike. The issue is that I have cantilever brakes which limits my ability to put on larger tires. But, it still works just fine!
@@jackgraham4973 it's pretty good so far. I've done everything from road rides to singletrack on it, and It's been just fine. Only thing is because it's 1x11 with a mtb cassette, It kind of lacks the bigger gears that you get on a 2x road drivetrain. But anyways it's not really meant to be a road bike, so it's no big deal in my opinion.
I’ve been looking at a CAADX. Ride mainly road and some gravel and some singe track. Access to gravel is limited. I like the idea of a cross bike as a do it all bike. Thoughts on a cross bike on the road with 46/32 rings.
I ride a Ninr BSB9 RDO! It is a beauty and a beast and I use it for Gravel but also for a lot of XC ... I'm definatly the limiting factor for this bike...
1:39. depends. American cyclocross bikes all feel more like sitting "inside" of the bike. good example is the specialized cruize. European style cyclocross bikes have a feeling of being more on top and slightly forward (ridley x-ride/night)
I think there a many combination of 2 bikes to be capable of any bicycle challenger you will face if you ar not a semi-pro rider. For me the perfect combination would be a trailbike + gravel/crossbike: you get a range from, family rides at a sunday to bikepark and light downhill. maybe you need asecound wheelset but thats far more affordable then another bike. At the moment i am running a Liteville 301 27.5 160mm bike that bike suites the category, everything over xc rides to bikeparks. now i am searching for a bike to go sunday family rides/communting to fireroads. i know the XC part will be open because i have no really suitable bike but thats okay.
I do prefer CX frame over Gravel bike frame but what bothers me is the tooth number on CX bikes 46-36 with 11-28 is still the norm, I would prefer 46-30 with at least 11-32
Most medium-cage derailleurs will handle up to 36t cassette. I've modded a Fuji Altamira CX with a 40t as well. 36-28 gives a gear ratio of 1.29, while 36-36 gives you a ratio of 1.0, quite a huge difference. Swapping crank/chainring to a 30t and keeping the 11-28 cassette gives you a ratio of 1.07. I.e change the cassette it's alot cheaper ;)
Most cyclocross bikes don't have that much clearance. My aluminum specialized diverge only clears 35mm. I like the option of putting on fenders and racks, but I don't like how long and slack most gravel bikes are.
Hey Clint just ordered this in the Pro 2 advanced and a set of Panaracer Gravelking 43s. I am hoping this will be a good combination for off road gravel riding. Great channel. Many thanks.
Positive Negativity Hi A bike like the Giant TCX Cross bike can be ideal for road and gravel riding -the frame can take up to 50mm tyre- most road bikes can do 28/32 max-ideally you can swop the tyres around to suite your type preferred style-you can hold the drop bars in many positions and you would soon get used to them- hope that helps a bit😀
I ride a Specialized Crux to link up the dirt roads around here in addition to some easy single track. I've even put on 28 mm road tires and did road rides with it. Very versatile machine, but I'm lazy and don't want to swap tires all the time, so I have a dedicated road bike as well. The gravel bike vs cx bike difference is a bit too nuanced for me.
+Steven Pedder the Crux makes a really good gravel bike from everything I hear. It even one the dk200! It has a little bit lower bottom bracket than the Giant tcx. So it's going to be even more stable on dirt roads.
+Matt Cecile you can run a little bit lower pressure which is going to of course soften up all those little bumps a little bit. Going from 33 - 40 won't be dramatic but I think over the long run it'll be better for longer rides. 40s will be better in sand.
Hello Clint! Thanks for your useful videos! Speaking about versatility: I do use my TCX advanced pro 1 from 2015 (the baby blue one also being the last model with double chain rings at the front) for gravel, CX, commuting and road training/racing. Each discipline as its own tyre of choice and I even swap to aero wheels when on the road. I wonder however how far I am, performance wise, from a proper road bike within the same price range. Have you got any experience on that matter?
+Olivier Henrat with road tires on a carbon cyclocross bike I don't think you're going to be hardly any slower then you would be on a road bike. The only Advantage I can see and a road bike is that the wheels would probably be a little bit lighter so and situations like criteriums and hard acceleration you may be faster. But it's not going to be very much.
I've now just lost some credits on my Strava KOMs! :-) But also the confirmation that this bike is a great do it all!! Thanks for taking the time to getting back to me and to have done it so quickly! Greatings from Sweden!
Really the only difference is MAYBE more tire clearance on a "gravel"bike, is the crankset. Cross bike will be more 46/36 whereas the gravel bike would be the 50/34 compact cranks.
There's also difference in the frame geometries. The CX bike has a more aggressive position the gravel bike has a more relaxed position due to more relaxed angle of the head tube and forks. I think there's some other differences too, such as height of the BB, as well as the angle of the seat stays. Oh also the length of the wheelbase is different too, longer in the gravel bike I believe.
I have been biking my entire life, for about five years I raced cyclecross. I've taken a few years off the game but now that I'm back and riding harder than ever these gravel bikes have come out of nowhere. But isn't a cyclocross bike the original gravel bike?
Would changing the wheel and tyre to a 650b plush.. Could it make for a excellent gravel bike? For peeps that has long steep gravel descent's? Could anyone recomend the max 650b tyre that can fit this bike? Im just aiming to finish a race with max confort for now
Always thought a gravel bike=cx bike? I am correct that cx is a little bit closer to road and gravel to mtb ? So roadmtb you’d have road-cx-gravel-mtb. Right? Thanks for the vid!
+Wesley Wuyts gravel bikes have lower bottom bracket and slacker geometry to handle higher speeds. I'm getting ready to do a whole project series on the two types of bikes.
Hi Clint... The choices are a bit blurry.... Gravel bikes longer wheelbase and in general larger tire clearance However many can take 650 be wheelsets and tires yet the cross bikes are a bit more nimble... This was a tough decision but I went with a carbon gravel bike with huge tire clearance and 650b opportunities and I won't have toe overlap. I plan to do a lot of trail riding but not race it so am hoping it was a good decision .... Any thoughts?
+The Gefster I think the differences are so close no matter which one you go with it's going to be a great bike. Geometries can differ widely amongst manufacturers. For example the wheelbase on the giant tcx is slightly longer than the wheelbase on the Niner rlt 9 RDO. But the bottom bracket drop on the RDO is 1.5 centimeters lower.
Gravel rides in the mountains are a whole different ball game, gravel bikes get out of their depth very quickly. I long for my 29er hardtail on those rides😩
Many of the old carbon hardtail 29ers with more upright angles w 68mm width bb (I still have 3 of them) make great gravel bikes for long rides. They were years ago what dealers will sell to the next generation or so of gravel bikes...Wider tire spacing. Sure they aren't going to do it faster than they have to or how would they sell you the latest model :). I was with 2 guys in the mountains the other day on there sub 40mm wide tires and it got not pretty, very fast. :) I was on 50mms with spacing to go even larger.
I was talking to someone the other day and they were saying how much better it is to train on road vs on trails for xc racing. Got me thinking not that I'm necessarily going to race xc but I have been thinking of doing some rides that may have varying terrain and I see the benefits of it for fitness. What I wanted to ask is what do you think of a cyclocross bike as an all rounder? I know it will never be a race bike on the road but It seems like it might be a good platform for higher mile maybe even bike packing duties. Seems like what it lacks in all out speed it might make up for in versatility and comfort. I came from mx directly to mountain biking as cross training and ended up gettin out of mx in favor of mountain bikes so im not to well versed when it moves from single track to double track.
I was in the same situation as yourself and went for a Specialized diverge, the new model can fit 42c tyres but it also feels very suited to the road as it does on gravel, it also has a low bottom bracket that clint mentions in the video. And would be a better touring bike than a CX bike as it is designed for longer rides.
I have a question.GIANT IS HAVING A DEMO NEAR ME and I would like to try one of the bikes.Could you explain how it works to me since you already did one. My concern is if I damage the bike would I be charged for it?
+Arturo Fuentes you do have to do identification which I think is a driver's license. I can't remember if you have to give your credit card. Minor damage is not a big deal but if you majorly break something then I suppose you would be charged for it. Just don't go too crazy on the demo.
I don't know if you know what you're talkin about. I've been riding my cycle cross bike off road for over 15 years. My cyclocross bike will kick the shit out of a gravel bike when it comes to both mixed terrain. A cyclocross bike might not be as good mainly because it has smaller wheels.the dimensions of the gravel in the cyclocross bike are different but not that big of a difference..
It would be fine. I prefer two by systems on gravel and road bikes but it's personal preference. A pure 1x cross bike is going to be limited on top-end gear range on the road.
Have you or has anyone had the chance to review Marin's 2017 Nicasio with the 8-speed Claris setup? They also make a single-speed but I find the former option more interesting. Chromoly frame and fork on it, by the way.
You mentioned your shop swapped the 140mm front rotor for a 160. Just curious how they relocated the caliper to accommodate the larger dia. rotor? I have a 2016 Adv Pro 2 I'd like to do the same with. Thanks for any advice and, keep up the great videos!
Hello Jason Divock! Nice to read that you also riding TCX SX - maybe you could also go tube less (TL) with those nice tires I think I will eventually change to tube less and otherwise I think the TCX SX is fine for gravel riding as well! I have not needed a bigger front chain ring than the 40 it comes with and the 11-42 works well. A chain stay protector is important I have found out. Well I am still a beginner and this is my first CX bike other bikes are an ALU MTB FS 650B and a HT 29er in carbon that is both light and fast. I wish you happy riding Jason! TCX SX is an amazing versatile cyclo cross bike for the price tag! Great value!
Hi Clint. I would be very interested to know your opinion on saddle hight...on this video your saddle seems to be far too low (your knees angle...). Is that how you ride ? Is it individual ? Also, from bicycle dynamics point of view, pedals should be close to frame. But people have different hips, different legs, different body weight distribution (that impacts balance on bicycle). People maintain different "ankle gap" (distance between their feet) when they walk...than they are all "forced" to cycle with pretty much same feet to feet distance...I am not convinced that this is correct, I think it may contribute to pain, injuries and impact balance and performance. What do you think ?
I think it's just the camera angle in this video. I generally use the Lemond method as shown in this article roadcyclinguk.com/how-to/technique/beginners-guide-how-to-set-your-saddle-height-on-a-road-bike.html#bSsKkiFzbLFSYD8O.97 I also use the method of putting my heel flat on the pedal with the pedal in the six position.
@@adamgerlach979 I know that road style bikes have narrower Q factor than mountain bikes. I have thought about this in terms of IT band issues. Whenever I've had a flare up in my IT band it's usually on a road style bike. Is this because of the narrower Q factor? I think a lot of research would have to go into that, and I've never seen any done. Not saying it's not out there but I've not come across it.
+JogBird for me it does and I think for most Riders it will be fine, especially with a wider cassette. Check out this video from gcn. He did a good job with it. ruclips.net/video/a7kkkzJFID0/видео.html
I think it doesn't. I have a cyclocross bike with 2x11 gears (Shimano 105). And you really need that first gear to get up steep slopes. The 1x is only for racers who want to save every gram. I would not recommend to buy this as a hobby rider.
To 86 I agree I feel like the 1x thing is just as much marketing as the gravel cross bike thing. If your that concerned about weight dump out a few oz of water and keep those front gears.
If I were going to race cyclocross then it would be the cyclocross bike if I were not going to race cross, I would use a gravel bike for that application.
what would you recommend for someone who is 90 kg and wants a road bike with good stopping power and ability to deal with some bumps on not so good roads? would it be a good choice to pic up a cyclocross carbon or a pure road steel with disks?
I would probably look in the category of all road, also called endurance Road. They are similar to gravel bikes but have a little bit smaller tires. If you're not riding gravel or dirt roads that often then this type of bikes will be faster on the roads. Something like the specialized roubaix or Giant Defy. Or if you think you might be riding gravel more often then go for a gravel bike like the Niner rlt 9 RDO. You can put smaller tires on for faster Road rides.
Yea, i was considering the defy, but which model do u think is best to pic? advanced pro is full carbon although they say it's just as durable as other versions i think maybe the advanced version is better as at least the wheels are aloy and the stearing tube so it's probably safer in terms of impacts on the bumps and stuff at least it won't completely snap off in a bad situation.. or maybe just the top spec aloy version would be better do u think? i know that defy is very fast and responsive even though i'm not racing but i like to have some fun on a bike on my days off weightlifting.
Is this speed top for the bike(30-33 mph) or you just don't go faster? I want one bike for road, Gravel and cyclocross and I wonder if a cyclocross bike can do it all
A cycross bike is a gravelbike. Later today I put some semislicks on my hardtail and then invent a new bike category. Anybody got a stupid idea for a name?
Do you think the TCX can do road racing ? I do 4/5 granfondo races every year and I want a bike to do all with one bike, from CX racing to road endurance racing.
+Kawaspresso yes, with 25c road tires at TCX is going to be about as fast as a road bike. The bottom bracket is a bit higher so you're going to feel more on top of the bike than inside but you get used to it quickly.
+Elijah Langston they are very similar but I think the Boone has a little bit lower bottom bracket which would actually make it even better for gravel.
From my experience my gut feeling is that on a typical course you probably be about 5 to 10 seconds for per lap on a mountain bike, assuming the same amount of effort. However, there are some coueses where I think that mountain bike will be faster. Overall I don't think you're at a big disadvantage of using a mountain bike in cyclocross road but the purists will only do it on a real cyclocross bike.
+Sam Sanders I gave up red riding a couple years ago because it's getting too dangerous. I still have to ride on the road a little bit to connect segments but not near as much. I've had three friends hit in the past two months. It's not the same that used to be when I predominately rode on the road many years ago.
Hi Clint, I want a bike that can be use for cyclocross and gravel biking but I want the frame to be a Steel so it will last a lifetime. Any recommendations? Thank you.
+Marc Sabbun not too many steel frame options out there. The only ones I can think of or maybe they're Ritchie Swiss cross and the Niner rlt 9 Steel. Personally I would go for the Niner. Another option is to buy the Niner sir 9 mountain bike frame and build it up as a cross bike. There is also the Surly cross-check but I'm not sure if you can get that in disc brakes and I would highly recommend disc brakes.
Thanks for the response! I think i’m going to buy Niner RLT9 Steel, im inlove in the Reynolds 853 tubing, but I will check the Surly I believe they have the surly straggler that is better than the cross-check and also it has disc brake. Im also considering Jamis Bikes because they have Gravel Bikes that uses Reynolds tubing. Thank you Clint!
Yes you can, it's a very capable of road and gravel rides, the new adventure/ gravel bikes coming out have basically MTB low gearing and 45c tires, they are way more capable then a CX bike, you can do everything in one ride
+Chris actually, no. For the type of gravel riding that I do and the area that I ride a cyclocross bike is perfect. I think many others will be in the same category. Will I ever have another gravel bike again? Perhaps, but as of yet I have not found one that far surpasses my Giant tcx. I would love to get a test ride on and rlt RDO. Curious to see how that one rides.
I have cyclocross bike with 700x35c tires. I mostly bike gravel.
Great explanation. Very sensible. I go gravel grinding on my CX bike for quick entertaining jaunts. And use a Salsa Vaya Steel for multi-day escapades. I used to think very differently about steel, not anymore. Thanks for the explanation.
I think that’s best distinction. A gravel bike is better for touring because a cx bike is really designed for racing.
Great video. I just picked up a Lapierre Cyclocross. Going to put on 38s and go tubeless with the Mavics. I have a road bike and a mountain bike but wanted to transition... this helped.
Lapierres are nice. Not very common in the US from what I've seen. I nearly bought a Lapierre mntn bike w/ electronic suspension but found a Epic S-works w/ full brain for a better deal. Ride on!
great explanation. I ride my Trek Crockett as a dedicated gravel bike and have no regrets
very informative video; i wish i had dirt roads like that where I live.
Just purchased a TCX and have put about 100mi on it so far and very impressed with the ride and versatility
I converted my Specialized Sirrus Elite Disc from a Sora 9-sp flat bar to a 105 11-sp. drop bar with Ultegra hydraulics, and a shorter stem to compensate for the longer reach and, hey presto, I have a gravel-touring bike. Solid alu frame and plenty of room for wider tires. Rock solid.
One key difference: I typically use a shorter stem on my CX bike. The longer stem is better for a gravel bike as you want more of a road position. But for CX you need a shorter stem to make tight hairpin turns. I like riding my CX bike on trails with rocks roots and logs so I will take the higher bottom bracket
When you mentioned tubeless I thought about the fact I've cycled tens of thousands of miles in 9 years on clinchers and have had 6 punctures, with 3 of them on a single ride, I feel like I might be blessed by the tire Gods.... and probably just jinxed myself :)
Tire choice/pressure affects vibration/comfort overwhelmingly more than frame material.
my cross bike is used as a gravel bike and a road bike. I have 38c maxxis ramblers, a 44t chainring and a 9-42 cassette. Works perfectly.
regarding the different surfaces occuring in a cx event, i don't see the necessity to even ask if a cx bike can handle gravel roads - of course it can!
far too many different bikes out there for all the different events..most bikes can be used for multiple purposes and you would never know the difference..People just like to spend money and have people tell them what the need..Smart move Clint..
not true. CX bikes just are not really designed for prolonged riding. I think a lot of that has to do with how far back you sit on a cyclocross bike. It just feels nowhere near as comfortable as a gravel bike. In exchange the bike is much more nimble though and shock absorption is also slightly improved.
Mountain bikes are meant for rather short rides (e.g. not multi day) and people still tour on them. If life would be as simple as it seems, we would live in very different world.
@@kingprone7846 notice how no one likes your comment. No one agrees with you. With the ability to swap parts, you can easily make bikes comfortable. Sitting too far back on a cyclocross, swap the handlebar stem with something shorter and a higher angle so it brings the bars closer to you. It's now a very reliable, fast, tough, versatile and comfortable bike.
@@TheMarkoPoloProgram mate you are talking shit. the stemlenght is to adjust for armlenght not for seating position. if you cannot contribute anyting to the discussion dont join in.
@@kingprone7846 By adjusting the stem length and OFFSET ANGLE, you reduce the reach and hence the seating position. I know what I'm talking about because I initially bought a CX bike with a long and straight stem that strained my back and stretched out my arms. I brought it back to the bike store a few days later and they swapped it with one of those short EVO stems with a high offset angle that made it come straight up like a mountain bike stem. My seating position and reach changed and the comfort was night and day so no I'm not talking shit. You know what's shit? All these bike labels that force you to believe that one certain bike is made only for that said discipline. Ride what you enjoy and have fun.
I've been using a Giant CX as a gravel bike for several years. I wanted a gravel bike back when I bought it but there wasn't any. It's main diff is higher gearing. I'd like a lowest gear at least 1:1. It is also aluminum so about 2.5 kg heavier than my carbon roadie. I ride it with 42mm tires, and find it very stable no matter the weather. I never worry about losing traction around the city.
I use it mostly as a utility bike, but also riding back country roads. One of the biggest advantages is I've never had to worry about punctures. I used to take my roadie on the same roads, and twice I had to abandon the ride after multiple punctures.
I recently bought a TCX SLR 2 for mostly road with some offroad riding. It feels like my old hardtail, except it goes faster, and hurts my arms on gnarly parts. After swapping the tires for Schwalbe G-One, it got noticeably better at soaking up small bumps. It's now perfect for longer rides.
do you feel the advantages are worth the sacrifices?
Thanks again Clint I always enjoy your YT videos! Gives also nice inspiration and I enjoy to see your gravel/dirt roads that you ride in FL! Here in Sweden we will soon have some temperatures below zero and also eventually some snow and the gravel roads will be quite frozen and hard on surface to ride before the snow comes and when the snow comes I guess I need to change to winter tires with studs around 38 to 42 on my TXC SX. With a decent CX you can ride all year around here in Sweden also during the winter season but not with a pure road bike which will be quite limited with 23/25 tires (TCR Advanced for example)! Wishing you a good cyclo cross race season Clint!
Your setup and strategy is super close to what I've got going on. 2015 Giant TCX, was able to barely fit 45mm Ramblers on it with about 5mm to spare on each side. Getting the rear on and off requires pulling the stem but it fits like a glove once one there.
Exactly the advise I give my riding friends, whom most of are riding mob's on the gravel and what to change to a lighter bike
I am really impressed with your video . I am looking to have one bike for road and cyclocross at the same time by changing the wheels not the tires only , in other words looking for a bike with 2 sets of wheels for road and cyclocross . Your advise is much appreciated . Thank you.
depending on the elevation variations you may need to change your rear cassette? You'd of course need to address your chain length also. A very quick change if you have the tools. 4 year old comment so I hope it went well for you.
I have a Trek Crockett 5 cyclocross bike as my main bike for commuting, road riding, gravel, trail, and cross racing. Its such a versatile bike and it handles the terrible roads of Alaska just about perfectly. The only major upgrade I did to it was a set of carbon rims, they made such a huge difference in the ride quality of the bike from absorbing the road chatter to a noticeable improvement of stiffness of the bike. My local shop keeps trying to push the more gravel oriented bikes on me, but they sold me such a good bike with the Crockett that I don't feel the need to get a road or gravel specific bike when my cross bike handles everything so well.
+BoredSaku how is the cross racing scene in Alaska?
Clint Gibbs I'm in Fairbanks and it's pretty small, the local cycle club started hosting cross races last year with a single race in September. This year we had a 2 race series in September with about 40 racers of all ages at the first race and about 25 at the second race. Our cross season has a super small window to do races, basically they are crammed into the end of September after the equinox marathon and hopefully before it snows in October and fatbiking season starts.
Hi Clint, Thank you for your video's and taking time to respond to my comment. Appreciate it. It is nice to see that there are good people who are passionate about cycling and like to share their knowledge with others. Have a good Cross season!
@daAnder71 Who gives a crapppppppppppppppp. Did I spe11 that one right?
Thanks Clint....excellent perspective, love your reviews, really the best!
Enjoyed your video. I do a lot of gravel riding and have only used my Specialized Crux CX bike. The issue is that I have cantilever brakes which limits my ability to put on larger tires. But, it still works just fine!
30 to 33mph on gravel road. Damn..... on a road bike you must kill it.
That gravel track looked like the roads where I'm from, the gravel tracks where I'm from kick up gravel... not dust... 😂
I have the sram force 10-42 cassette highly recommend that if you hit the steeper climbs
+scott wilson cool. Thanks.
scott wilson what chainring do you match with that?
C T I have 10-42 rear cassette sram force
J S I use a 38T for winter and 40T for summer
Cool. Seems like a decent size
Very helpful! I am actually getting a tcx as my first gravel bike, coming from a mtb background
How is it going? I am about to do the same.
@@jackgraham4973 it's pretty good so far. I've done everything from road rides to singletrack on it, and It's been just fine. Only thing is because it's 1x11 with a mtb cassette, It kind of lacks the bigger gears that you get on a 2x road drivetrain. But anyways it's not really meant to be a road bike, so it's no big deal in my opinion.
@@toony_grant Cheers! thanks Antoine
@@toony_grant Howzit Antoine. Me again,, what tyres have you got on?
@@jackgraham4973 wtb riddlers 37! They work great
Top content as always Clint! Keep up the good work!
Thanks, this is really very helpful!
I’ve been looking at a CAADX. Ride mainly road and some gravel and some singe track. Access to gravel is limited. I like the idea of a cross bike as a do it all bike. Thoughts on a cross bike on the road with 46/32 rings.
Great video, i all ways love your content.
Great info!!!
I ride a Ninr BSB9 RDO! It is a beauty and a beast and I use it for Gravel but also for a lot of XC ... I'm definatly the limiting factor for this bike...
+147_III 👍
Love your videos
1:39. depends. American cyclocross bikes all feel more like sitting "inside" of the bike. good example is the specialized cruize. European style cyclocross bikes have a feeling of being more on top and slightly forward (ridley x-ride/night)
I think there a many combination of 2 bikes to be capable of any bicycle challenger you will face if you ar not a semi-pro rider.
For me the perfect combination would be a trailbike + gravel/crossbike: you get a range from, family rides at a sunday to bikepark and light downhill. maybe you need asecound wheelset but thats far more affordable then another bike.
At the moment i am running a Liteville 301 27.5 160mm bike that bike suites the category, everything over xc rides to bikeparks. now i am searching for a bike to go sunday family rides/communting to fireroads.
i know the XC part will be open because i have no really suitable bike but thats okay.
Was watching this thinking man I know that guy. We’re from Newberry 😅
I do prefer CX frame over Gravel bike frame but what bothers me is the tooth number on CX bikes 46-36 with 11-28 is still the norm, I would prefer 46-30 with at least 11-32
They Live We Sleep - just change to 46-34 and to an. 11/36, cheaper than a new crank
Most medium-cage derailleurs will handle up to 36t cassette. I've modded a Fuji Altamira CX with a 40t as well.
36-28 gives a gear ratio of 1.29, while 36-36 gives you a ratio of 1.0, quite a huge difference. Swapping crank/chainring to a 30t and keeping the 11-28 cassette gives you a ratio of 1.07. I.e change the cassette it's alot cheaper ;)
Most cyclocross bikes don't have that much clearance. My aluminum specialized diverge only clears 35mm. I like the option of putting on fenders and racks, but I don't like how long and slack most gravel bikes are.
The Tough Road GX looks cool
I was riding a cross bike on gravel and trails 30 years ago... it is funny that people think it is new...
Hey Clint just ordered this in the Pro 2 advanced and a set of Panaracer Gravelking 43s. I am hoping this will be a good combination for off road gravel riding. Great channel. Many thanks.
+Darren Morley I think that sounds like a great combination! Make sure you let me know how you like it once you get it rolling.
Clint Gibbs . Will do Clint.
Oliver Aitchison . Thanks. I hope so. I pick it up on Friday.😁 I’ve had a 10-42 put on and the Gravelking 43 made tubeless.
Positive Negativity Hi A bike like the Giant TCX Cross bike can be ideal for road and gravel riding -the frame can take up to 50mm tyre- most road bikes can do 28/32 max-ideally you can swop the tyres around to suite your type preferred style-you can hold the drop bars in many positions and you would soon get used to them- hope that helps a bit😀
No to fast 30 to 32 m/h that’s amazing bro;
I ride a Specialized Crux to link up the dirt roads around here in addition to some easy single track. I've even put on 28 mm road tires and did road rides with it. Very versatile machine, but I'm lazy and don't want to swap tires all the time, so I have a dedicated road bike as well. The gravel bike vs cx bike difference is a bit too nuanced for me.
+Steven Pedder the Crux makes a really good gravel bike from everything I hear. It even one the dk200! It has a little bit lower bottom bracket than the Giant tcx. So it's going to be even more stable on dirt roads.
2014 Expert.. been wanting to swap out to a newer frame with through axles, but in due time
Still a great vid! 👍
Hey Clint, did you ever consider a road plus (650b) conversion? Might make an interesting video topic.
Looks like you could raise your seat a bit
What kind of differences would I notice going from 33s to 40s on my Norco Threshold C? Riding a mix of gravel and road.
+Matt Cecile you can run a little bit lower pressure which is going to of course soften up all those little bumps a little bit. Going from 33 - 40 won't be dramatic but I think over the long run it'll be better for longer rides. 40s will be better in sand.
Hello Clint! Thanks for your useful videos! Speaking about versatility: I do use my TCX advanced pro 1 from 2015 (the baby blue one also being the last model with double chain rings at the front) for gravel, CX, commuting and road training/racing. Each discipline as its own tyre of choice and I even swap to aero wheels when on the road. I wonder however how far I am, performance wise, from a proper road bike within the same price range. Have you got any experience on that matter?
+Olivier Henrat with road tires on a carbon cyclocross bike I don't think you're going to be hardly any slower then you would be on a road bike. The only Advantage I can see and a road bike is that the wheels would probably be a little bit lighter so and situations like criteriums and hard acceleration you may be faster. But it's not going to be very much.
I've now just lost some credits on my Strava KOMs! :-) But also the confirmation that this bike is a great do it all!! Thanks for taking the time to getting back to me and to have done it so quickly!
Greatings from Sweden!
Really the only difference is MAYBE more tire clearance on a "gravel"bike, is the crankset. Cross bike will be more 46/36 whereas the gravel bike would be the 50/34 compact cranks.
There's also difference in the frame geometries. The CX bike has a more aggressive position the gravel bike has a more relaxed position due to more relaxed angle of the head tube and forks. I think there's some other differences too, such as height of the BB, as well as the angle of the seat stays. Oh also the length of the wheelbase is different too, longer in the gravel bike I believe.
I run my Crux 70% tarmac 30% gravel on 35 mm Pirellis.
Hi there fellow biker, I am moving to Netherlands, I where are those roads that are seen on the movie??? Looking for some gravel terrain...
I've never been to the Netherlands so I'll defer to someone else to answer about the terrain there.
I could swear that you mentioned that Netherlands in the video
I have been biking my entire life, for about five years I raced cyclecross. I've taken a few years off the game but now that I'm back and riding harder than ever these gravel bikes have come out of nowhere. But isn't a cyclocross bike the original gravel bike?
Yes, But the gravel scene has exploded and gravel bikes are honed for this type of riding.
ruclips.net/video/3YulxqOuCdg/видео.html
Would changing the wheel and tyre to a 650b plush.. Could it make for a excellent gravel bike? For peeps that has long steep gravel descent's? Could anyone recomend the max 650b tyre that can fit this bike? Im just aiming to finish a race with max confort for now
Didn't know there was a difference. Why so many different types of bikes?
Always thought a gravel bike=cx bike?
I am correct that cx is a little bit closer to road and gravel to mtb ?
So roadmtb you’d have road-cx-gravel-mtb. Right?
Thanks for the vid!
+Wesley Wuyts gravel bikes have lower bottom bracket and slacker geometry to handle higher speeds. I'm getting ready to do a whole project series on the two types of bikes.
Hi Clint... The choices are a bit blurry.... Gravel bikes longer wheelbase and in general larger tire clearance However many can take 650 be wheelsets and tires yet the cross bikes are a bit more nimble... This was a tough decision but I went with a carbon gravel bike with huge tire clearance and 650b opportunities and I won't have toe overlap. I plan to do a lot of trail riding but not race it so am hoping it was a good decision .... Any thoughts?
+The Gefster I think the differences are so close no matter which one you go with it's going to be a great bike. Geometries can differ widely amongst manufacturers. For example the wheelbase on the giant tcx is slightly longer than the wheelbase on the Niner rlt 9 RDO. But the bottom bracket drop on the RDO is 1.5 centimeters lower.
what 's your take on the focus mares cx bikes?
Gravel rides in the mountains are a whole different ball game, gravel bikes get out of their depth very quickly. I long for my 29er hardtail on those rides😩
Many of the old carbon hardtail 29ers with more upright angles w 68mm width bb (I still have 3 of them) make great gravel bikes for long rides. They were years ago what dealers will sell to the next generation or so of gravel bikes...Wider tire spacing. Sure they aren't going to do it faster than they have to or how would they sell you the latest model :). I was with 2 guys in the mountains the other day on there sub 40mm wide tires and it got not pretty, very fast. :) I was on 50mms with spacing to go even larger.
Hey Clint! Just wait until Giant make a fat bike (i.e. NEVER) and you can sell all your bikes and just ride a fat bike!
I was talking to someone the other day and they were saying how much better it is to train on road vs on trails for xc racing. Got me thinking not that I'm necessarily going to race xc but I have been thinking of doing some rides that may have varying terrain and I see the benefits of it for fitness. What I wanted to ask is what do you think of a cyclocross bike as an all rounder? I know it will never be a race bike on the road but It seems like it might be a good platform for higher mile maybe even bike packing duties. Seems like what it lacks in all out speed it might make up for in versatility and comfort. I came from mx directly to mountain biking as cross training and ended up gettin out of mx in favor of mountain bikes so im not to well versed when it moves from single track to double track.
I was in the same situation as yourself and went for a Specialized diverge, the new model can fit 42c tyres but it also feels very suited to the road as it does on gravel, it also has a low bottom bracket that clint mentions in the video. And would be a better touring bike than a CX bike as it is designed for longer rides.
I have a question.GIANT IS HAVING A DEMO NEAR ME and I would like to try one of the bikes.Could you explain how it works to me since you already did one. My concern is if I damage the bike would I be charged for it?
+Arturo Fuentes you do have to do identification which I think is a driver's license. I can't remember if you have to give your credit card. Minor damage is not a big deal but if you majorly break something then I suppose you would be charged for it. Just don't go too crazy on the demo.
Clint Gibbs OK ,thank you I was just curious. I’ll definitely take it easy, I don’t want to damage anything.
Its extremely dangerous, you'll go over the bars as soon as the bike realizes it's on gravel.
I don't know if you know what you're talkin about. I've been riding my cycle cross bike off road for over 15 years. My cyclocross bike will kick the shit out of a gravel bike when it comes to both mixed terrain. A cyclocross bike might not be as good mainly because it has smaller wheels.the dimensions of the gravel in the cyclocross bike are different but not that big of a difference..
Travis Miranda
(I think it was a joke)
@@sir_cornholio5 he's joking mate 🤦🏻♂️👍
Thanks for the video. How would the bike go as a road bike and a gravel bike? I was thinking of getting a set of road wheels to go with it.
It would be fine. I prefer two by systems on gravel and road bikes but it's personal preference. A pure 1x cross bike is going to be limited on top-end gear range on the road.
Nice channel. How was the Stages PM install? I was thinking about picking one up.
+kendogz161 just replacing the crank arm. Takes about two minutes.
Have you or has anyone had the chance to review Marin's 2017 Nicasio with the 8-speed Claris setup? They also make a single-speed but I find the former option more interesting. Chromoly frame and fork on it, by the way.
+Coaljet I have not. Chromoly frame, although a bit heavy, will be a pretty comfy ride.
You mentioned your shop swapped the 140mm front rotor for a 160. Just curious how they relocated the caliper to accommodate the larger dia. rotor? I have a 2016 Adv Pro 2 I'd like to do the same with.
Thanks for any advice and, keep up the great videos!
+Dustin Thewind actually, the caliper mount is a very genius design. All you do is turn it around and it adapts from a 140 to 160.
Well that definitely makes things a little easier... Mine's direct mount to the fork.
How many tooth does your chainring have?
Any thoughts on the TCX SX trim? It comes stock with 40mm tires, a 42 cassette, and wider handlebars making it Giant's gravely cyclocross bike.
Hello Jason Divock! Nice to read that you also riding TCX SX - maybe you could also go tube less (TL) with those nice tires I think I will eventually change to tube less and otherwise I think the TCX SX is fine for gravel riding as well! I have not needed a bigger front chain ring than the 40 it comes with and the 11-42 works well. A chain stay protector is important I have found out. Well I am still a beginner and this is my first CX bike other bikes are an ALU MTB FS 650B and a HT 29er in carbon that is both light and fast. I wish you happy riding Jason! TCX SX is an amazing versatile cyclo cross bike for the price tag! Great value!
I love my tcx advanced sx cx. Works on gravel and for roards i just switch to gp4000s2. Just bought stans tubeless system for those 40cc ramblers.
Hi Clint. I would be very interested to know your opinion on saddle hight...on this video your saddle seems to be far too low (your knees angle...). Is that how you ride ? Is it individual ? Also, from bicycle dynamics point of view, pedals should be close to frame. But people have different hips, different legs, different body weight distribution (that impacts balance on bicycle). People maintain different "ankle gap" (distance between their feet) when they walk...than they are all "forced" to cycle with pretty much same feet to feet distance...I am not convinced that this is correct, I think it may contribute to pain, injuries and impact balance and performance. What do you think ?
I think it's just the camera angle in this video. I generally use the Lemond method as shown in this article
roadcyclinguk.com/how-to/technique/beginners-guide-how-to-set-your-saddle-height-on-a-road-bike.html#bSsKkiFzbLFSYD8O.97
I also use the method of putting my heel flat on the pedal with the pedal in the six position.
@@ClintGibbs I don't know Clint...all that video shows your legs to be seriously badly angled on your knees. And what about ankle to ankle distance ?
@@adamgerlach979 I know that road style bikes have narrower Q factor than mountain bikes. I have thought about this in terms of IT band issues. Whenever I've had a flare up in my IT band it's usually on a road style bike. Is this because of the narrower Q factor? I think a lot of research would have to go into that, and I've never seen any done. Not saying it's not out there but I've not come across it.
Clint,
Very interesting video!
Do you know by any chance how much your Giant with the Rambler tires weighs?
+MontrealsFinest about 18 lbs
Clint,
Thanks a lot and - wow, 18 lbs with the "big" 40 mm Rambler tires is impressive!
does the 1x provide enough range for gravel
+JogBird for me it does and I think for most Riders it will be fine, especially with a wider cassette. Check out this video from gcn. He did a good job with it.
ruclips.net/video/a7kkkzJFID0/видео.html
I think it doesn't. I have a cyclocross bike with 2x11 gears (Shimano 105). And you really need that first gear to get up steep slopes. The 1x is only for racers who want to save every gram. I would not recommend to buy this as a hobby rider.
To 86 I agree I feel like the 1x thing is just as much marketing as the gravel cross bike thing. If your that concerned about weight dump out a few oz of water and keep those front gears.
To 86 1x made me a better and stronger rider.
2 votes for 1x, 2 votes for 2x. Up to personal taste then, I guess! ;-)
What about one bike for road, gravel and CX? Would a CX bike still be your choice?
If I were going to race cyclocross then it would be the cyclocross bike if I were not going to race cross, I would use a gravel bike for that application.
@@ClintGibbs thanks! I'll definitely be racing CX, but most of the miles will be on the pavement.
If I want a commuter bike that I can take on the trails/fire roads on weekends is a gravel or CX bike better?
+AmundsenKalmah CX unless you need braze-ons for a rack
I run 30T chainring and 11-28T casstte ... I just roll downhill :-)
Jonathan Vogel dude why such a small chainring
what would you recommend for someone who is 90 kg and wants a road bike with good stopping power and ability to deal with some bumps on not so good roads? would it be a good choice to pic up a cyclocross carbon or a pure road steel with disks?
I would probably look in the category of all road, also called endurance Road. They are similar to gravel bikes but have a little bit smaller tires. If you're not riding gravel or dirt roads that often then this type of bikes will be faster on the roads. Something like the specialized roubaix or Giant Defy. Or if you think you might be riding gravel more often then go for a gravel bike like the Niner rlt 9 RDO. You can put smaller tires on for faster Road rides.
Yea, i was considering the defy, but which model do u think is best to pic? advanced pro is full carbon although they say it's just as durable as other versions i think maybe the advanced version is better as at least the wheels are aloy and the stearing tube so it's probably safer in terms of impacts on the bumps and stuff at least it won't completely snap off in a bad situation.. or maybe just the top spec aloy version would be better do u think? i know that defy is very fast and responsive even though i'm not racing but i like to have some fun on a bike on my days off weightlifting.
Is this speed top for the bike(30-33 mph) or you just don't go faster? I want one bike for road, Gravel and cyclocross and I wonder if a cyclocross bike can do it all
Gear range on a cross bike will limit you to about 30 mph.
A cycross bike is a gravelbike. Later today I put some semislicks on my hardtail and then invent a new bike category. Anybody got a stupid idea for a name?
Do you think the TCX can do road racing ? I do 4/5 granfondo races every year and I want a bike to do all with one bike, from CX racing to road endurance racing.
+Kawaspresso yes, with 25c road tires at TCX is going to be about as fast as a road bike. The bottom bracket is a bit higher so you're going to feel more on top of the bike than inside but you get used to it quickly.
Hey Clint, do you have any insight on the Trek Boone 7? How would you compare it to the TCX? Im trying to decide between the two
+Elijah Langston they are very similar but I think the Boone has a little bit lower bottom bracket which would actually make it even better for gravel.
Clint Gibbs thanks so much!
Is there a big difference if you race cyclocross with MTB? How much slower are you with MTB?
From my experience my gut feeling is that on a typical course you probably be about 5 to 10 seconds for per lap on a mountain bike, assuming the same amount of effort. However, there are some coueses where I think that mountain bike will be faster. Overall I don't think you're at a big disadvantage of using a mountain bike in cyclocross road but the purists will only do it on a real cyclocross bike.
Do you wax your chain ?
What's the weight approx. & average speed on long rides ? I'm in market for cyclocross
+Billy Cordero this bike weighs about 18 lb. My average speed on long rides is about 17.5 to about 19 depending on the wind. That's for solo rides.
Clint, Do you ever road ride or it just not your thing
+Sam Sanders I gave up red riding a couple years ago because it's getting too dangerous. I still have to ride on the road a little bit to connect segments but not near as much. I've had three friends hit in the past two months. It's not the same that used to be when I predominately rode on the road many years ago.
Hi Clint, I want a bike that can be use for cyclocross and gravel biking but I want the frame to be a Steel so it will last a lifetime. Any recommendations? Thank you.
+Marc Sabbun not too many steel frame options out there. The only ones I can think of or maybe they're Ritchie Swiss cross and the Niner rlt 9 Steel. Personally I would go for the Niner. Another option is to buy the Niner sir 9 mountain bike frame and build it up as a cross bike. There is also the Surly cross-check but I'm not sure if you can get that in disc brakes and I would highly recommend disc brakes.
Thanks for the response! I think i’m going to buy Niner RLT9 Steel, im inlove in the Reynolds 853 tubing, but I will check the Surly I believe they have the surly straggler that is better than the cross-check and also it has disc brake. Im also considering Jamis Bikes because they have Gravel Bikes that uses Reynolds tubing. Thank you Clint!
Maybe a ritcheylogic.com/swiss-cross-disc-bike will do
Marc Sabbun if the Niner fits in your budget, awesome, but for what it's worth I love my Raleigh Tamland for gravel and cross.
What is the chain guide?
+Prastt it came stock on the tcx. I'm not even sure the brand. I can look it up if you want.
thanks, I think I found it. It's a Giant specific part.
what model is that bike?
Giant TCX Advanced Pro 1
@@ClintGibbs thanks i cant find any cyclocross bike that takes more than 35c tires
The Giant TCX definitely does. Do you plan to race cyclocross? If not just get a gravel bike.
a cyclocross bike IS a "gravel" bike... the bike industry just wants to sell more bikes
marketing departments have to ensure their job security somehow
that men looks like Maroon 5 :-)
@daAnder71 haha.. I mean singer Adam Levine
they are all road bikes to me...
technically yes, but that is like calling enduro, downhill, xc, trail the same
Regardless of what kind of bike, being liberated from a front derailleur is, well, LIBERATING. I will never own a bike with a front derailleur again!
QUESTION: Why not just get a cross bike and do gravel...period.
+RBastien yup, I think in a lot of conditions pure Cross Bikes make great gravel bikes. That's what I do.
That's pretty much what the whole video explained.
Yes you can, it's a very capable of road and gravel rides, the new adventure/ gravel bikes coming out have basically MTB low gearing and 45c tires, they are way more capable then a CX bike, you can do everything in one ride
Gravel is a marketing word. Simple. I am waiting for the next “innovative” word to fool the idiots
This video reads as "listen to me justify my decision on selling my gravel bike and trying to not miss it".
+Chris actually, no. For the type of gravel riding that I do and the area that I ride a cyclocross bike is perfect. I think many others will be in the same category. Will I ever have another gravel bike again? Perhaps, but as of yet I have not found one that far surpasses my Giant tcx. I would love to get a test ride on and rlt RDO. Curious to see how that one rides.
You can't fit 40c on most CX bikes.