GRAVEL BIKE RANT - WHY DO BIKE COMPANIES DO THIS?!
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- Опубликовано: 6 июл 2024
- I love gravel and "adventure" bikes. Why do bike companies have to F them up with the wrong gearing?
www.sheldonbrown.com/gear-cal...
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You are my nominee for “Best darn bike rant of the year!!!” Keep it up!
Wider tires, lower gearing and higher handlebars. Makes life better.
Soooo.... basically a mountain bike?
@@SnootchieBootchies27 with drop bars. lol!
Yup. If bigger chainring , you need your leg power if you can. 46t single crank more fast on road but climbing hill more painful
I'm glad someone said it, I've been raving about gearing being too large on bikes for a while now too. I got an endurance road bike, the Giant Contend, a couple of years back which has a compact double, and I ended up putting a 46/30 sub-compact on the front and 11/42 on the back with the aid of a roadlink. And even then I wanted smaller, as even with 30 front/42 back I was having to push hard to keep a healthy cadence going up steep tarmac hills. I think you almost can't go low enough for useable gearing, why do we think we should be grinding up hills, even the GC contenders of the Tour de France in the modern era have discovered that if they keep a healthy cadence up hills they end up climbing better, no grinding. So in the modern era there have been GC contenders using gearing that is often judged negatively by the peleton for being too low for racing, but they are the ones winning the climbs as when they get to the mountain climbs they aren't grinding.
I was talking to a chap a while back that has a gravel bike and he converted it so that his low front ring was a 20 and his low back cog was a 42. You may be thinking 20 front, isn't 22 the normal lowest for the front? Well if you search on ebay you will see you can buy 20-T front rings.
Anyway his small gear was 20 front/42 back and at the time I spoke to him he was planning on extending it to 46 back. It's silly how the bikes are geared with all this top range that is unusable, and you run out of low range on hills and have to grind. Just makes no sense and I'm a huge advocate of sub-compact gearing. In fact I think that for the road, most riders don't really warrant front ring over 40, I think if most people use 40 - 24 front / 11 - 34 back they would enjoy their riding a lot more and be in better condition because of not gaving to grind up the hills.
And 40/11 is not too small a top gear for most riders unless you are racing or you are training in the faster group rides. I was riding with a chap on a slower road group ride that was rocking 30 single on the front and 11 on the back, 30/11 was his big gear. He said it was plenty big enough and he didn't run out of gears trying to keep up with the group. I think for most people, 46/30 on the road is still overgeared, how often are most casuals going to NEEDING 46/11? Very few.
I was listening to a video from a road National Champion of a Eastern European country, I forget which country, and he was also raving about overgearing on bikes. He did an experiment using his compact double where he got on the flat with a huge tailwind and rapped it out as hard as he could, and he still didn't get to the end of his 50/11 big gear. And this is National Champion road legs. Unusable gear at the top, running out at the bottom, that's nonsensical and every bike I get I'm wanting to perform major gearing conversions on them lowering the gearing signficantly. And this coming from a former road racer of the 80s and 90s.
The clap at 1:16 is priceless. Thanks for this, as always.
In 2021, bike companies finally started listening to you. It only took three years.
Well said Russ. I love a good rant.
My mtb bike that I use for gravel has a triple. My steel surly road bike has a triple. No complaints here!
I got a used 3x10, was about to upgrade, but luckily lived with it long enough to understand 3x10 covers all the possible uses I can think of. And it's really not too much work to make it work, it's really only the rear derailleaur that needs occasional adjustment.
Agree. I run ultegra Di2 with 11-34 in the back and FSA carbon 46-30 up front. For me it is perfect for gravel. The range is large and I am able to climb steep pitches sitting down which is important on gravel. Even in my lowest gears, I push 300 watts at a 85 cadence up steeper gravel climbs. Do not understand why Shimano has not got the message and are so behind on releasing cranks for the cyclist like me!
Completely agree. I went with a conscious choice to build my custom "gravel" bike with 42/26T crankset and a 11-speed 11-32T cassette. Works like a charm. I finally use the full range of my cassette all the time.
Love your channel! Keep the content coming.
Giant gravel bikes have 32/48 in the front and 11/34 in the back so it's definitely a bit better than some other brands.
Don’t forget crank length. 165 is often a better option for lots of people. Great videos - keep it up!
Couldn't agree more! Over a decade ago, before "gravel" bikes even existed, I built my Surly Trucker up with a compact mountain double. I've used it for commuting, touring, gravel/light trail and bikepacking. Couldn't be happier with that gear combo! Thanks for this message Russ. Here's to hoping the message gets heard by the right folks with the bike companies!
When I gravel/dirt ride in the mountains where I live I ride my 29er hardtail. It has a 30 tooth chainring and an 11x42 tooth cassette. I mostly use the lowest gears and never the highest ones. That gearing works well when I load it up with bags and gear, too.
So Salty! I loved it! Just ordered my first gravel bike and spent a good bit of time trying to find gearing that would work for the climbing I do in Guatemala.
Best rant I've heard in a long time.
This is needed said for a long time, thank you for standing up for the bike nerds
I have a sugino mtb trple crankset 42-32-22 is it ok for gravel riding
Gravel bikes are evolving more and more into classic MTB hardtails... ;-)
Yup. Now they are going towards suspension,and bigger and bigger tires. The whole idea is a gravel bike is light and does road and gravel both, But they gotta keep coming up with stuff "you gotta have".....
@@bradsanders6954 while I see your point and partially agree, doesn't having more options benefit everyone?
If you want a light drop bar bike with suspension rather than a hardtail, you can get one
Planning on getting a gravel, this is super good info. Thanks
Absolutely gosh darn right! The old wide-range randonnuering doubles, like 46x30 is the right tool for the job. And by the way, the front mech could also use some mods to better fit with such a crankset. I will also rant on the silly 11t cogs (and I've heard a 10t is now out). When chain articulation gets this high, friction starts going through the roof; and chain engagement has so few links carrying the load that chain slip becomes much more likely as the chain starts to wear. Put the additional cog on the other side of the cassette!
Yep yep and yep!
More chain engagement couldnt be stronger?!?! Who woulda thunk?
Common sense is no longer very common.
Totally agree! I love sub-compact gearing, doubles and triples alike. All the cranksets you mentioned are suburb! Don't forget, for the ultra budget conscientious repurposeur, there are lots of 80's era used triples by Sugino to be had for super cheap. They can be "modernized" with new bottom brackets, bearings, and chainrings. I think big bike companies would offer more sub-compact cranks on complete bikes, but they are limited by what the big component manufacturers have to offer. Plus with the large volume they deal in, they are limited in who and how they can build-out complete bikes. I'm sure there are contracts between bike brands and and the component makers which requires a certain amount of time before they can switch stuff around? Any way, I'm just guessing here. Us the consumers will eventually get what we want.
I have two vintage Sugino triples waiting for bikes!
What gearing are you planning to use on your new bike, Henry? I agree that 46-30 is a better option for most riders - I've been riding a Compass crank for a full biking season now, and I love being able to ride with a closely geared 11-25 and getting killed on hills when I'm not touring.
@@LarsWessman Hi Lars! Thanks for asking. I'm still looking at both options; the triple with a 48x40x28, or a double with a 46x30. I'm glad to hear the Compass crank is working out, it's definitely high on my list too. The double would be lighter and use a shorter bottom bracket spindle. I was just looking around at the latest Sugino, IRD, and SunXCD sub-compact offerings. There is also White Industries with the variable bolt circle configuration. The hills in my area are very steep, so I'm leaning towards a 11-32 or 11-34 cassette. The extra gearing will help in climbing steep dirt trails.
I think you're right about contracts and volume deals. It's the first thing that came to mind. The only good thing I've seen is the overall road groupset turn slowly towards more realistic gearing. Shimano now often ships OEM with 11-34 and 50/34 setups. Compared to the old 11-25 and 52/39 combo, it's a serious improvement! And I just hope they go further and offer 46/30 as a gravel/road option some day.
@@medvjek
My father is now getting a bike with Shimano gravel bike gearing 46/30. Forget what it's called, but Shimano now has a dedicated sub-compact gravel groupset.
My gravel rig has Tiagra ST-4703 triple shifters, Deore M610 treking crank 48-36-26, and 11-34 HG500. So far I have all the gears I need.
What do you think about 1x12 for gravel/bikepacking. jumps too steep?
Had an X9 2x groupset for years. My favorite ever. Why gravel and adventure bikes don't have similar gearing as mountain bikes is crazy.
Preach! Even on my road bike I sometimes feel over geared for the hilly terrain around here. I have nothing to prove... I just want to enjoy riding. As I build up my gravel frame I'll be coming back to this video again! Thanks, Russ.
My 2018 SpecDiverge is 48/32 x 32/11 so i think they heard you. What is your suggested/favorite LOW gear? 32frontx42 rear? or is 32x32 ok?
i use mine to do supple life tours AND to PR on a 30mile levee loop (in Flat FL) so i do need the 48x11 gear with the wind so the 1x drivetrains dont work for me... but i havent got to big mountains yet, just tennessee and wisconsin (plus flat flat FL) so would like to know your suggested low for touring.
Agree with you 100%. I'm currently running a very inexpensive FSA crankset with a 46/32 combination on my TI Vaya. Paired with a 36 tooth cassette, I can generally climb just about anything, but if I was going to do a lot of loaded touring on it, I would probably try to find something with a 30 or 28 small chainring. The bike originally shipped with a 48/32 SRAM X0 crankset, but that isn't available in the 172.5 mm crank arm length that I prefer. Back when I had my Surly Straggler, which shipped with a 46/34, I swapped it for an Ultegra compact double. All that accomplished was to wear me out trying to spin that stinking 50 tooth large ring!
Thanks for this video and the recommendations you provided! I'll be replacing the cranksets on at least 4 of our bikes. They have triples cranksets on them now, but really don't use the large chainring while touring and adventure riding..
What do you think of “sub compact” cranksets for gravel, I run a Praxis Works 48/32 on my road bike but I think they go lower than this too
My Salsa Journeyman came stock with FSA Tempo 46-30. However the cassette needed more range (11-34) what cassette range do you recommend for adventure bikes?
OMG THIS! My Cannondale Topstone 105 came with a 46/30 FSA Crankset and 11-34 rear cassette. I still might swap the crankset with something 42/28, but they're hard to find.
Agreed! Also, really digging that Ben Weaver vinyl on the wall.
LOVE the slow clap and deadpan expression at 1:14! I truly laughed out loud! I think bike companies do this because of two things - laziness, and simply because it's what they have a bunch of in their supply chain. It's like all the companies sending out bikes with 1x drivetrains and short chainstays. Sticking a mega-huge cassette on the back isn't going to make your 1x drivetrain suck any less, especially when the short chainstays means the chain rubs and makes noise in half the gear combos.
I've got a few more options on CyclingAbout, including the Engin Spider mod for SRAM road cranks, Middleburn and Praxis: www.cyclingabout.com/low-climbing-gears-road-bike-crankset/
What are you thoughts on 1x gearing for gravel bikes?
Russ, OMG thank you for the powerful and necessary rant! I'm tearing my already-thin hair out trying to get a reasonably-priced gravel/road bike that's geared for an average human being with a high sense of adventure and average pedaling strength.
remotbikes.com/collections/gravel
Comes with 48/32 & 11-34, carbon fiber frame at $2400. There are certainly less expensive options but that looks like a pretty well set up bike from the start
Thank You. I've thought this forever, being new to the sport and living in a hilly area, I need that low gear.
Spot on with your Sequoia review previously calling this out. I love mine, but the ONE change I have made is to put a MTB double up front. I do live in a very hilly area though.
Specialized AWOL Comp is stock with a SRAM Rival 1x. 38t chainring and an 11 speed 10-42t cassette. I’m about to go up to a 40t up front. Plenty of range for bikepacking, commuting, grocery hauling, etc.
I do both road racing on a dedicated road bike and gravel/easy mountain biking on an old CX bike. The Velo Orange 46/30 is a nice crankset. I had one on my CX bike, and i love it. I had been using a 50/34 on my road bike, and upping the cassette to 29 or 32 tooth for mountainous races. This year I tried the VO 46-30 with a 12-27 cassette on the road bike, and well, i just ordered a 2nd one to replace the one I stole off my CX bike.
Agree. I run a 40t or 42t on the rear cassette on my gravel/adventure/touring rigs. New 11speed shimano mechs take 42t cassettes, sram I can fit 46t sunrace cassettes even on short cage mech with. 42 front ring. Otherwise you can put on a wolf tooth road link on older rear mechs to increase rear cassette adaptability. Changing rear mech is the cheapest option. I rate the new ultegra rx mech with the clutch. I run that with a 40t cassette and 30/46 absolute black chain rings on shimano cranks. Perfect gearing for every type of riding.
i use a zee freeride rear mech which is much cheaper and sturdier than ultegra rx and with some b- tension adj works with 40t cassette
I live in an area with steep, medium height hills. I have triple 110/74 bcd cranksets on all of my bikes (with bar end shifters), most of them have steel 24t granny gears. I use 11-30 or 11-32 cassettes. I’d much rather sit and spin up a hill than stress my knees by mashing.
Good one. Rant on a bike with a P1.18 Pinion gearbox. Would love to hear what you think about them. I'm intrigued about never having to decrease another chain.
Great video. You’re channel has pull man, so I would see this happening by next season. Peace
Do normal derailluers work with adventure cranks? For example could you use the same derailleur used on a 50-36 be used (with adjustment) on a 46-30?
Nice Video! Can I just put a Mountainbike double on my latest shimano 105?
Would love to hear your opinion on the shift I’m seeing bikes that had been 2x or 3x becoming 1x in the newest models.
Great Rant and good info on the cranks.
I ride a specialized sequoia, the gearing that came with the bike is 48-32 crank with a 11-36 cassette and its great! even in 20 mm of snow! I've just upgraded to studded tires :) 2.0 X 29 :)
Well said Sir!
Russ thanks to your wisdom I’m now running 32 at the front with 11-42 at the back on my Marin Gestalt. It shipped with a 42 at the front, which isn’t bad, but still too big for adventure/packing.
Good video. I recently built a Surly and used a SRAM APEX 1x11. It's perfect for 95% of environments. It's also quiet, fast (have had it up to 43 kph on the flat), and has a lot less maintenance.
Don’t apologise for your rant. Well said!
Really enjoying your videos.
Hi Russ, is chainline a concern when you put mountain crank on your touring frame?
I've done this already using all Shimano parts.
When you consider most rim brake road bikes run a 130mm rear hub, but adding a disk hub usually means the rear hub is now 5mm wider at 135mm.
A Shimano Hollowtech MTB crank is typically 5mm wider than a road crank
So the combination of disk rear hub and mtb crank push the driveline out with the same distance at the BB and rear hub, retaining the intended driveline design.
Well, thats how I justified making the move to MTB crank on my CX bike!
facebook.com/carlpowernz
I recently put a 38-22 Shimano MTB crankset on my (disc) road bike (11-32 cassette) and was able to get the chainline right with some 5 mm spacers on the crankset (since it's wider than a road crankset). I needed to add the spacers (I think 2 of them) on the non-drive side. It shifts well for me.
Thanks, I am seeking drivetrain components for my 93 Bridgestone XO-1 so rear spacing is 126mm. MTB Double is inexpensive so I am thinking about that but worry about chain line.
48 32 on the Toughroad and thinking of going to 46 30 FSA. Though I agree with you, my question is why an 11 on the cassette? Would love a 13 36 close ratio 10 speed, plenty of optons and fast enough for gravel and road...
Thoughts on the new(ish) GRX 46/30s?
100%. When I got into cycling I was on a hybrid with 28,38,48 and 32-11 in the rear. As I got quicker and quicker, i still could never use the 48 for any amount of time. Downhills I’d be happy to save some energy, so i basically had a 28,38, and it was almost fine. Your thought of a 40,28 is probably spot on. If i could put something like that on my current new drop bar bike I would.
My thoughts too, even 48 big ring is not optimal range for most riders, even 46.
Noob on component compatibility here. I would like to convert my gearing to a 40-28 or something similar. Why can't you convert your drop bar bike to this kind of gearing?
@@geoffreyhenderson4774 you probably could but you would likely have to replace your cranks and obviously your chainrings, maybe your bottom bracket too for the swap. That gets pricey quick. Oh, chain also. The other thing is there are very few options for swaps to that gearing. That makes it difficult to do too.
Low end is never the problem. The issue is the top end. 11t cogs are pretty useless save for long, paved downhills. I would love to see an off the shelf 13-36 or 14-36 cassette paired with the increasingly common 46x30 cranks. Tighter jumps between gears and a more usable range of gears. Right now if you want a 13- or 14- cassette you need to by two cassettes and cobble them together which isn't the cheapest route.
Totally agree. Why have 2 or more gears that are going to wear out incredibly quickly and shift terribly when 9 or more usable gears can be had by using a double instead of a 1x? I have my MTB touring setup with a 32:22 double and the last three on the top end are incredibly hard to use since the gears are that much more spaced out. The newer widerange cassettes used with racing doubles allow for a lot tighter spacing in the functional gears while still offering a ton of sprint top end, but the simple fact is that gravel riders most often aren't going to be sprinting like mad all the time. Having 11 completely evenly spaced cassette sprockets on a bike with a touring double would be absolute heaven.
Exactly. I have 48/32 and 11-34 which I thought would be plenty light as it's much lighter than on my road bike. However, the fire/mountain/gravel roads are steeper n bumpier. And I just realized that since the tires are bigger, the same gear combination (e . g. 34/28) leads to more gear inches and thus a heavier gear. I'd love to have a 12-40!
@@joskoevoet9569 i have a modded 11s 12-40 on my touring i pick an cheap sunrace 8s,9s cassettes and build an 12-13-14-15-17-21-24-26-32-36-40
@@KyriaxWitch that's a good idea!
Hey Path Less Pedaled! Love your content!! Can you guys do a review on the Surly Bridge Club???
Simple, if shimano doesn’t make it, it’s not going on a bike. They own 90% of all road market, gravel is an extension of this market. Shimano’s answer for gravel was to make 11-34 and clutched rear mech, not make smaller chain rings. BB’s also dictate what cranks we get, too many of pf86 pf90 bikes, and all the aftermarket cranks don’t play nice with it.
there are all new gravel specific grouppo from shimano coming soon
All the more reason not to buy PRESS FIT SHIT!
Dont even consider a bike with it. No matter how good everybody says it is. Youll be sorry! Any company using these still ought to be ashamed! So many versions of press fit shit, ever wonder why? Ever wonder why many are going back to threaded standards?Absolutely shit design. I am a mechanic and machinist. Ive installed bearings in aircraft, space craft, medical devices etc. and wrenched on bikes and cars for 50 years. Ask any mechanical engineer or bike mechanic. It appears much of the bike industry never employed any!
Just ordered an FSA 46/30 crank! My capacity is 37. 11-32 I want to use a Shimano GS Medium but the spec says my 16t front difference is to much? "Maximum Chain ring Size Difference: 10T (medium GS version), 22T (long SGS version)" any suggestions?
Yeah, I love my 52-42-30 old road triple. Super convenient!
This.
Yah this.. Why not just use a triple? Best of both worlds!
@Spitch Grizwald My solution is to use a double front derailleur with them. I'd rather move my hand when shifting the front than deal with the terrible implementations of triple front brifters.
they certainly don't
@Spitch Grizwald My Sora FC-3503 / FD-3503 running custom 50-39-24 works great. Never miss, never dropped the chain.
I'm thinking of a mtb double when I build up my first gravel bike (researching steel and Ti frames now). I love the 1x11 or 12 on my 29-plus Jones and ECR but looking for a drop bar gravel machine that won't spin out at 25 mph. Also running ovals which make a huge difference when climbing.
Can you run oval chainring on 2x crankset?
Yes. Chris Froome does.
Really depends where you live and what you want to do with the bike. 50-34 paired with a 11-32 or 11-34 cassette is pretty much perfect for mixed road/gravel riding. Not that I need 50-11 that often, but 34:32/34 is definitely a low enough gear for almost everything I would tackle with a gravel bike. My fatbike has a 28 ring with 10-42 cassette and this setup climbs up almost everything. However, don't think that it is a lot of fun to tackle such terrain with a gravel bike...
Awesome post! So true! Thanks.
I completely agree with you. I got a Felt VR5 with a 48/32 chainring and 11-32 cassette. The higher grade models were 46/30 chain rings. I'm old and for climbing hills in Seattle I need low gearing. I don't need to go fast downhill anymore. Glad Shimano came out with an 11-34 cassette. Lower gearing saves your drivetrain longer because you aren't using as much torque to climb. Plus it helps your joints last longer too.
What about for the 1x drivetrains? I remember when you took the State All-Road out it was this same complaint (totally valid, we're in agreement there), but they also make their own 38 tooth chainring. If they'll swap that out when you order (or you order a spare chain ring) you can go from a 42x42 granny to a 42x38 granny gear, so takes it from a ratio of 1 to ratio of 1.105. It's not much, but it starts to get it there. I'm new to all this, but I can hardly stay upright in my 40x34 granny gear (ratio 1.176) and could walk about as fast (and I'm not too proud to do it either). Still it seems like 1x starting around 34T and going up to 38T make it possible to get great granny options with pretty standard 9 or 10 speed cassettes. Thoughts?
The only exception / distinction worth noting (because of course we need more bike sub-categories) is between gravel as an off road / touring discipline, and gravel racing like Dirty Kanza. The 1x or compact double setup may be well suited to a gravel racing bike, but not a bikepacking bike.
I was considering 48-32 paired with a 11-32 cassette for my first gravel bike, would that be too high?
That sounds better than many bikes already. Depends on the terrain u will be riding in and fitness and if u ever carry anything.
I like my 26-36 mountain double on my gravel bike. Great cruising speed, ultra low climbing with a load, no sweat. The 2x10 105 drivetrain works well with no mods, didnt even lower front der. in case I go back to compact road.
Is SRAM apex good for gravel/touring?
With mods yes.
Hey, so, what shifters are you using for those X7's on your Vaya?
Worked with Apex brifters, Paul thumbies and gevalnalle shifters.
Coming from the mountain bike world I'm patiently waiting for Sram eagle to make it's way to drop bars. Maybe not appropriate for all gravel situations but you can't beat that range and simplicity.
agreed. SRAM Rival or Force Eagle 1 x 12! Please hurry up, and please...no ETAP crap.
Great post. This has been my rant for 40 years...but back then it was way bigger. I was excited when we finally got the 110mm doubles, but now have moved on to 1X. If you already own a compact road 34/50 gravel bike, then I suggest a Wolftooth 34 ring and derailleur extension and then a cheap cassette that has a 40T. You can get them for 8,9,10 and 11 speeds.
My Jamis Renegade has a 50/34 and there are most defo times I wish I could drop lower in climbs to help. Good call!
I ordered FSA 46/30 for my Renegade so it will work with stock bottom bracket. Bike should have come with it.
I agree as well. Luckily, my steel Jari came with a 46/30 and it is perfect for me as a dirt seeker. Keep up the good work Russ!
Both Giant and Cannondale have new bikes with smaller doubles. Giant uses the Praxis cranks at 48/32 and you can get them for just over $200 with the required BB.
Great video! I think your point on price is the biggest reason we do not see more brands doing better off-road gearing.
What do you think of the increase of 1x drivetrains on adventure bikes? Is that the industries solution to lower gearing?
Generally, not a fan. Often the overall range hasn't changed. Might be a good topic for a video!
Great rant. What will it take to make a change?
Shimano sub-compact.
What are your thoughts on the Sram 1x's? I have a 40t with a 11x42 cassette on my bombtrack and I absolutely love it on road and off.
They work great but not enough range for actual touring. On the Cutthroat I swapped the 38t to a 32 for the Ochoco Overlander and was glad I did.
@@PathLessPedaledTV Oh man, thanks for responding! I love your channel!
With a compact road cassette? Wouldn't that give you a low end of a 32:32 / 1:1 vs 40:42 which is pretty close, just missing some top end and with less fine a gradient between gears? It's also totally possible I've misunderstood how this works, just got into cycling in the last year
This needed to be said. Bravo, Russ.
You are absolutely right. My old touring bike has MTB chainring and cassette.
My sentiments exactly!!! I struggled to find a bike with low enough gearing. I ended up with a 1x AWOL with a 38t chainring and 10-42 cassette. Its fine for flat terrain, but It's still too high for hills. I'd eventually like to get it a mtb crankset with a 34t chainring. My prior Salsa Fargo was 40-28 up front and i always felt like i was cross chained. 40 was too high, 28 too low.
I've got the Easton cranks with an xtr rear derailer fantastic!!
Totally agree! Was looking at a FSA sub compact today to replace my SRAM 50-34 crankset. Makes a lot more sense when bikepacking! Hurray!
I have a Trek Domane with 2 wheel sets that I use as a road and gravel bike. On my gravel wheel set I have a 36-32-28-25-22-20-19-18-17-16-14 cassette I created by combining gears from a 36-11 cassette and a 28-14 cassette. The bike still has the 50-34 compact crank. This is good for the relative flat gravel roads of Iowa.
Oh, bummer. My Checkpoint ALR 4, Crank, consists of a Shimano Tiagra, 50/34, (compact), but my Checkpoint's Cassette is a Shimano Tiagra 11/34, 10 speed.
I bought this Trek for bike touring, and off-road touring.
"Houston, I think I'm gonna run into problems, while peddling up hill, under load!"
Can anyone help me out concerning my gearing.
Will I run into problems with the gearing that came with my Checkpoint?
Thanks!
Can you do a video on FD to use on these cranksets.
Thanks
Thanks Russ for my morning chuckle. Great rant! Your explanation as to why is right on. Of course it’s the money but your #3 reason is why the do it. They realize that most consumers buying this bike style is probably new, knows no better, and even if they did doesn’t see any other convenient option.
Seriously! I want to buy one of these dope gravel bikes. Really a $1500-$3000 gravel bike and it doesn't have the gears needed now you have to buy $200 cranks and have that put on, another $200 like seriously!!! Why can't I just buy the thing in it's optimal setting?
It’s the “roadie tax”.
Almost every one of the big brand stock cranksets can have smaller chainrings installed cheaply. If it's new the bike shop will oftentimes give you credit for the ones on there and keep them (although this varies widely of course). Also, I love this type of bike, this kind of biking, and this channel but I don't think most who buy these actually bikepack often. Most stick to roads and want fat tires for comfort or to help with bad roads.
One way to go semi-custom, so you are building your optimal bike, instead of replacing crap to get there. It costs more (the "custom tax"?), but it is more fun and you (hopefully) get a bike with a saddle you like, a cockpit that is not set too low or with uncomfortable bars, ideal gearing, ideal width tires, etc,
Hi Russ, first I want to thank-you for all your videos I really enjoy them and find them very informative. You make a good point about gearing on gravel bikes but I have found if I go on group rides I don't have enough gears at 42 x 11 (11-42 cassette) on mixed road surfaces in Ontario, Canada. Gravel riding on my own no problem. This year I converted a Cannondale Synapse triple to a double with 50/34 X 11-34 while riding on 30 mm Schwalbe tires and find its the perfect go anywhere bike. I would buy the Kona Rove you reviewed, sounds perfect, even without fork racks. I find that Kona does offer a choice in gearing, as you pointed out, in their range of bikes. Manufacturers should offer choice for the rider to select their gearing option.
Well that sounds strange! On 38/11 with 650b wheels you gonna roll 40 km/h ... do you really go that fast on flats on the gravel?
The Cannondale Slate came with a 52/36 and 11-28 gears. Can't figure that one out.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I just bought a new gravel bike and have been debating on adjusting the gearing. I live no too far from you in ID. I definitely have some similar complaints. I went with 1x set up and think the 42t chainring is bigger than I'd prefer for riding fire roads in this terrain. I wonder how much of the "problem" comes from the fact that so much of the gravel boom started in the Midwest and many of the manufacturers that jumped on the gravel train are Midwest-based.
Totally agree with this. No love for Praxis though?
The Zayante only drops a little to 48/32... it should go lower. *edit* I'm unaware of any other offerings from them.
@@craigwilson118 I think the reason that it only goes 48/32 is that they wanted to keep the 110BCD.
I agree. I have a 1x setup on my adventure bike with a 40t chainring and 11-42 cassette. This is great for most situations, even here in the flat Midwest. I've been in a paceline at 28 mph on gravel on that bike and not been spun out. I will say for flat, fast farm road racing here, a road compact double does indeed work great, but that's not what most people are using these bikes for. I also agree that essentially everyone should be using a compact (or smaller) crank on the road, even if you race. 53t chainrings are unnecessary unless you're a crit racer who routinely sprints at over 35 mph... which is basically no one.
Yes that is what I run on my CX bike which I use as a gravel adventure bike. Works great for my 85 - 95 cadence.
Well, Shimano produces a 11-34 cassette and at 90 rpm 34:34 results in a speed of 12km/h, while 40:42 results in a speed of 11 km/h. This isn't a dramatic difference....
I agree with you. I'm surprised a reputable bike would do through axle up front and QR on the rear..wth. What is wrong with Through axle on the rear?
Will a MTB crankset work when its designed for a BB with a length of 73mm. Gravel bike have standard road bike BB shell lengths of 68mm, right? Plus, will there be any problem with the chain line as the MTB crankset will be out a bit further from the BB, than a road bike crankset? This is something I am a bit uncertain about. Is anybody using a MTB crankset on a gravel bike without any problems?
I can't speak for all mtb cranksets but it worked great on our Vayas! ruclips.net/video/0PMcj7f-SeI/видео.html
Jamis(at least) musta listened; my 2023 Renegade S3 is 46/30. Your guff with roadies is endearing. :)
Totally agree. My Trek Crossrip came with a 50/34. I swapped out the 50 for a 46 I picked up off eBay. It was the cheapest solution at the time and I actually use the 46 much more often.