How would the gravel bike have performed with slick road tires? That's the key question because if the speed drastically improves then it makes the gravel bike better value for money...
Only thought about the lower speeds and thought that they would be fairly similar. It would be interesting if the gravel bike was a two by instead of a one by. (Hope that makes sense.)
@@Ted_Eddy There was a test on GCN Tech quite recently where the different width slicks (from 28mm to 50mm) were compared. Anyway, it would have to be a huge difference for me to start considering switching to anything narrower than 50mm.
What would the gravel bike have done if you put on slick road tyres? That's the question because if the differences reduce drastically then a gravel bike becomes better value for money.
I could guarantee the difference would be tiny, the road bike is going to be slightly lighter and slightly more aero. The difference is all in the tires, I tested it on a downhill, my road bike coasted at 50km/h and my mountain bike was 20km/h.
as someone who only has a gravel bike, but with two wheelsets road/gravel, i can say for me personally it is all about the tyres. with the lower rolling resistance it is easy for me to keep up with the local weekly group ride which was defitnetly harder on gravel tyres, even with higher pressure for better rr.
The audio was surprisingly good for how windy it was that day. Whoever is responsible for that always does a great job compared to most RUclips channels.
As someone who works at a shop, I get a lot of customers who want a bike that “does it all”. They want to ride with their road bike friends, they want a commuter, they want to ride the gravel in the area etc. I usually put it like this: A good gravel bike is 90% a road bike. It’s fast, it helps you as the rider get out of the air so it blows away flat bar hybrids like any good road bike and it doesn’t shy away from paths that some road bikers would never go. 90% of a road bike sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Well it sounds good until you think about how being 90% as effective adds up when you’re talking about 60 miles, 3-4 hours of riding. That 10% difference suddenly becomes HUGE. If you ride with people who do it for fun, are a “no drop” riding group who like to stop a time or two for cake and doughnuts.. you’re going to be fine, this bike will do it all for you. If your friends are competitive, if they are serious, if they are constantly trying to improve themselves and set personal records, and you intend to ride to their level.. then you need a dedicated road bike.
i generally approve of this but i'd say a gravel bike is more like 96+% a road bike if you put the same tires on it. yea, if you're about to get your max out of it and ride with people who do that, there's no choice there - get a road bike, but in most cases you and your condition will affect the ride far more than the bike itself and for everything but to-be-pro-racers the gravel bike will be amazing as you're more flexible and 1 kmh or 2 /h less does - in the end- not affect your improvements but just...well.. the average speed itself which doesn't matter as long as you only compare against yourself or similar riders
I feel that a more useful test would have been to include another run with the gravel bike running the same tyres as the road bike. I would assume that one change would reduce the gap to a very minor level, and if so, it would go to show that a decent gravel bike would be just the job for most riders (outside of races). The versatility of the gravel bike seems to be a big draw, and why I am considering buying one. As in, the one bike could be used for dry summer riding on slicks, and winter riding with wider "gravel" tyres helping with the muddy winter roads... with... god forbid... a set of mud guards mounted to the frame! Fun to see Conor struggle to get up to speed here... makes us non-pros feel a little better! 😂
I disagree that such a test would be "more useful." Few people swap out tires for different road conditions. The best comparison is as you would want the bike setup with the tires you would likely be using. I have lived on a gravel road for 40 years and have ridden it in all types of weather. Rarely have I felt the need for tread, but if you want to use your gravel bike on slippery surfaces, such as paths, where tire widths over 38 mm really come into their own, you're going to be running tires more like the ones in this test. Plus, these tires are more typically what is expected on gravel bikes, and therefore more likely to be what people at this point in the gravel fad will be riding. The comparison was between two types of bikes, not different types of tires.
This was a great video. I started cycling again in 2019, at the age of 56. My first new bike was a 2019 Trek Marlin 7. After 3 seasons I realized I was doing 90% of my riding on pavement and at my age wasn’t a singletrack guy anymore. I went through all your steps myself before buying a Checkpoint SL5 in the Radioactive Red this past February. I now have the correct tool for how I ride. I rode almost 2600 miles in 2023 (with 8 weeks downtime for a broken collarbone). I turned 60 in April and did a metric century to celebrate the day. I also did a 72-miler this year. I’m going to ride the Route of the Hiawatha next June, and am looking to do a 100-mile ride next season.
@@GregTheGuitarist When I started riding again, my first few rides were only 5 or 6 miles. And my sit bones screamed at me after each one of them. You just have to get started and keep at it. A little farther each ride to increase the strength and endurance.
I bought a Marlin-7 last and did a 120km. Going faster wasn't my aim. My aim is just to get out and ride and be in the open. I bought a second bike,a Triban RC120 Gravel, and loved it. Both bikes do different things, and they entertain me in different ways. I can't understand the obsession towards speed and going faster.
as someone who only has a gravel bike, but with two wheelsets road/gravel, i can say for me personally it is all about the tyres. with the lower rolling resistance it is easy for me to keep up with the local weekly group ride which was defitnetly harder on gravel tyres, even with higher pressure for better rr.
@@gcn8bar bikes eben allow you to change the geometrie by flipping something at the axle. They offer their Mitte bike with a second wheelset and that's a pretty cool concept. For a beginner a gravel bike with an endurance geometry and wider tires is probably the way to go. Can ride everything where cars won't drive, good training and you don't end up with a bike that's cool looking but has a geometry for a 25 year old that can do 6w/kg...
For those of us don't race or routinely ride in the paceline, a good all around bike like a gravel bike is the best. All we need to do is swap tires for the varying conditions we will ride in. Even the new Gravel tire tread patterns can reduce the need to swap tires. Gravel bikes were a great idea, not a marketing gimmick.
I am a proud owner of both: Trek Checkpoint SL and Pinarello Dogma F, so let's call it "Awesome gravel bike" and an "Insane road bike". I logically understand the comparison this video neatly presents, I'd probably do the same - speed at various watt inputs, and looking at how large the gaps are. What this shows is that modern gravel bikes are pretty snappy, and kinda awesome allrounders. That being said, I feel there are other aspects that in the world of watts and marginal gains get somewhat less looked at. Since I am comparing the feels of these two types of a bike basically week to week, I can tell you that as an example, the Pinarello (road bike) is very noticeably much more stable in descents (I know, wheels are a factor), feels more precise and consequently much safer at speeds of 50+ kph . Plus the more aggressive geometry is something that prompts me to just a different style of riding and it's easier for me to putt the watts out (there's a limit to how much you can influence this with proper bike fit, which I have on both bikes). I suppose the bottom line is - despite how much I nerd out on aero, watts and all that jazz - it's not just power-to-speed at all times, it's also ride feel, handling, your position on the bike and all of these are very much influenced by whether you are riding a road bike or a gravel bike. I enjoy both very much, but notice this every time I change bikes. Happy riding.
Agree! No reason to over think this - ride a nice road bike on the road and a nice gravel bike on the gravel. Done..let’s all move on and have a pint at the pub. Seriously tho - my Tarmac SL7 is simply crazy fast on the road … and it holds speed such that it allows a lot more recovery time. I am at my limit with the local fast ‘A’ group on the SL7 - a gravel bike would not work. That is why I ride it when in a gravel race.
I have a Tarmac SL7 and Checkpoint SL5. Sl7 average speed can goes to 32-34km/h, but gravel bike only goes 27-29km/h. I believe the tire makes a lot difference.@@jimc5696
I have ridden several gravel bikes and have set several KOM and top 10 segment finishes on the road riding tubeless knobby tires! I love the versatility of gravel.
In choosing a bike for gravel (most of us aren't racing) I think handling is the most crucial characteristic. I have a 20 yr old Giant 880xc hardtail mtb that handles gravel very well on gravel. I don"t get left behind by new gravel bikes ridden by younger riders. Only cost me £200.
Great video. Personally, my choice of a Gravel bike over a road bike is because I often embark on long-distance rides. Yes, on 99% of paved roads, road bikes are slightly faster than Gravel bikes. However, when you unfortunately encounter that 1% of rough and bumpy terrain, you'll either have to push your bike or even carry it through. Considering long-distance travel where you might be carrying over 20 kilograms of gear, that 1% of rough terrain becomes quite awkward - 1000 kilometers of riding, and that 1% translates to 10 kilometers. So, from my perspective, it's best to have two bikes prepared: one that's lightweight for enjoying the thrill of sprinting on well-paved roads, and a Gravel bike for long-distance rides, allowing you to savor the beauty of nature!
One cool thing I found about my gravel bike is that my watts were pretty much exactly the same on my local A group ride as my road bike. I have fast tires on both set up tubeless so I think most of the difference is just how much more wind I'm eating on the gravel bike from being more upright.
Its about what i found out over the last years using both gravel and road bike parallel. with around similar to slightly more lazy position on the gravel bike there is around a 1kph to 1.5kph difference between the two bikes on flat roads at 30kphish tempi. for solo rides not focused on KOMs its pretty much negligible and even with 29" tires i have some personal records with the gravel truck because on that day i either was super fit or the weather was in favor. however, it takes much more effort to accelerate the gravel bike from a stand stil, out of corners or on short inclines where you can power up on the road bike without loosing much speed, it has nothing of that light nimble nature a road bike gives you. more than the outright speed i feel much of the joy of the road bike comes from its handling and feel. i love both for their intended purpose and both acompany each other nicely.
@@lio220no the head tube angle is slacker. The wheelbase is longer and usually the stack height is higher. Your position is more upright meaning your body will catch more air. But it’s also able to absorb bumps better. They are more stable and comfortable due to these changes. At the cost of quick direction changes and aero performance.
I put Bontrager R3s on my Scott Speedster Gravel 40 and it can almost hang with my SL5 Domane according to Strava. The Speedster does have Tiagra compared to 105 but it's still fast. The extra 3-4 pounds doesn't really affect me as much as I thought lol. If I switch the wheelset out, I might have very similar results. It makes me wish I just spent more time on the bike instead of more money on "better" bikes 😂
Hey, to each their own. I owned a gravel bike, and very quickly, I found out that it was slow for a road bike and awful for a mountain bike. It seems like in racing, the hot trend is to put drop bars on a cross country MTB. With the proper tires, that would be a very comfortable long-distance off-road setup for everything but the Gnar.
Fwiw I spent most of the summer on a Cannondale Topstone with 32mm GP5000 tires. Recently purchased a Canyon Ultimate CF SL 8 and even on some test rides I smashed most of my PRs on Strava. Not that the gravel bike is bad, especially on longer rides, but the road bike is significantly quicker with less effort overall.
I bought a gravel bike (Rodeo-Labs Trail Donkey) and I ride it all the time, hardly touching my Scott Addict R1. But, then again, I'm 56 and need a softer ride.
I would love to see this video revisited where you add in the comparison with the gravel bike on road tires. All gravel vs. gravel w/ road tires vs. road bike. Then we can really see if we should just buy a gravel bike and keep 2 sets of wheels instead of having 2 complete bikes 😁
I have a Ribble CGR SL and an Orro Venturi. Both size large with integrated cockpits. I've used the same 45mm Carbon wheels with GP5000 on both bikes. And I can say that I very much prefer my Venturi on the road. It just puts you in a better position. I find climbing more efficient and sprinting is just more fun. As much as people hate on Orro etc, I'd still rather have these 2 bikes than 1 very expensive bike.
Interesting video! I'm a bit surprised that the gravel bike did as well as it did with full-on gravel tires, which almost certainly added to the rolling resistance as well as the weight. This video validates my own experience: I've been using my 10kg gravel bike as an endurance road bike for a couple of years now, and, fitted with road tires, it does very nearly as well as my road bike did. In some ways, it's actually even better: the 30/46 chainring and 11/34 rear cassette make it possible for me to ride up just about anything even when I'm loaded up, avoid injury, and ride quite as fast as an older rider like me actually needs to go (in my case, that's about 35-40 km/h over flat ground).
Gravel bike with a 2nd set of wheels and tires. My Grizl SLX di2 is the last bike I will be buying for a long time, it covers all road surfaces and some light trail riding :)
Given the fact that he rode the gravel with knoby tires and maybe the usual calibration, we can assume it was slower. But with slick and narrow tires, hte results would be closer.
I ride a Canyon Grizl on gravel and road. I have two wheelsets, one for each terrain. The biggest things to hold you back are the tires and your groupset imo. I run 32mm Continental GPs on the tarmac and can spin with my raod friends just fine, until I run out of gears at top speed (slight downhill or tailwind, 60km/h seems to be my breaking point cadence-wise) or struggle to find the right gear when pacing, because of the bigger gaps between gears on my GRX set. But other than that, I'm fine. Not saying a pure road bike/aero bike wouldn't be nice to have, just sharing my experience on questions I had myself before buying the bike.
Great video, thank you! Would love to see the exact same video with the road tires on the gravel bike as you mention. With power comparison it would be fun to see the three against each other to really notice how much it affects.
If you want another insight. Here's my 2 cents. Last year I rode very often to my workplace. 25km in one direction. It's a flat ride with only one ramp and one bridge. I was in good form and averaged about 52 min. That was on two different road bikes. Weight doesn't matter much on that ride. 2 months ago I got me a gravel bike. An 11kg monster with 40mm tires, one of the cheapest on the market and at first I was not in form for cycling so i started with 65min. Two days ago though, everything fell in line. I even had a head wind and managed to get to work in 51min. PB for the gravel bike. Pros for the gravel bike: much more comfortable (tires and seating position), easier to get out of the saddle (seating position), more stable when out of the saddle (more weight), easier to manage gears (2x11, haven't used the smaller cog in the front yet), absolutely no worries about punctures (rode over glass multiple times already and nothing happened); simply the perfect commuter bike for such a distance Cons: it doesn't like higher speeds and maintaining them, at all times I'm about 2kph slower, lower tire pressure and that gap goes up. However, the gravel bike allows me to take a slightly different route away from the road. It brought back the joy of riding bikes. I thought about a more road bike-y tire but i would lose the ability to simply take any path I want. I accept the more effort and less speed approach as a means to have a slightly harder and longer training. And last but not least, there is an image and perception thing about gravel bikes. I feel a little more hipster and also a little more in touch with my fellow cyclists on the road. On a road bike you're always that alien, that machine, that knife between the teeth guy who all the car drivers hate more than anything else and casual cyclists too. The gravel bike is the VW Golf that you ride to work every day because it's convenient but in the weekend, for the track or an event you take our the toy (road bike).
This should make you pause for thought on the aero vs weight tests. As you said weight can have a large impact when you are constantly stopping and starting. I know where I live there is nowhere I can ride that doesn't have traffic lights every few hundred meters, so I am almost stopping and starting. Would love to see a real world aero vs weight test rather than always rolling along the farm.
It would be an interesting test if you could plan a route around 10 km length that have tarmac, gravel and dirt sections, and if you could ride it on road bike, gravel bike and cross country hardtail one after another after some rest. The overall time that you spend on this route will tell what is the best type of bicycle on such a mixed terrain.
I actually like the fact that you tested out those bikes in two extreme setups. That shows that the maximum differences are not that important. Of course this test with road oriented tires on a gravel bike would be great!
Conor should do this again, gravel bike with gravel wheels and 50mm tyres against the same gravel bike with road wheels and 28mm tyres. This the way many riders are deciding to go rather than buy to full bike setups. Be interesting to see the benefit of the road wheels on the gravel bike.
I have a 2024 Trek Boone 6 (CX/Gravel) set up with RSL 37v wheel set and Bontrager 700x35 gravel tubeless where I run about 60psi when do road group rides. I have a 1x with a 42x11-33. Over the past weekend completed a metric century with average pace at about 26km/h and then later in the weekend another 40-mile ride with an average pace of about 27km/h. Honestly can say that after about 500 miles on this bike, for road group rides where rolling pace is between 27-32km/h, I have no trouble hanging with the group. If I was to only have one bike, with the greatest versatility, I would have either a CX or Gravel set-up with two wheelsets.
Strange premise: comparing how fast the road bike vs the gravel bike is with different set ups for fit and wheels/tires. The question a prospective buyer wants to know is: if I buy a gravel bike, will it be slower than if I buy a road bike? Then, once you have your frame, you have to decide which tires are the fastest, and whether you want verstility or specialization, but again, that’s not the question when you are buying the frame.
Considering that most people will prefer a more relaxed geometry and will benefit from more compliance and stability i feel like a gravel bike can really do a lot by just swapping tires at will.
Yeah, has pretty much been my experience too. Honestly, a gravel bike works better for me where i live, because i dont have to worry about a puncture as much. Really enjoyed this video 👍
I think the point is it's all about where and how you ride. In rural Michigan with diesel pick up trucks on shoulder-less 55 mph roads, there are very few on road bikes. In the bike shops most of the bikes available here are hybrids or mountain bikes. I can afford one bike and gravel gives me options
If you want ride a pure roadbike, ride a roadbike ! If you want ride a gravelbike, ride a gravelbike! It doesn t matter what RUclips tells you what to ride.
My gravel bike is slower than a traditional road bike. I never bonded with 'fast' bikes, I feel the geometry of faster bikes is too aggressive for me. I tend to enjoy more upright riding positions that offer confidence in descents. Gravel bikes have been a really great option for me. The advent of tubeless tire and thru axels have made riding in the city so fun.
The secret is the tires and gears. I have one gravel bike, an adicional pair of wheels with 700x40 slick Maxxis Velocita tires and a 10x36 cassete. With 42 or 44 in front I can ride with a group of road bikes with no problems. Yes, is a little more difficult than in a regular road bike, but it's absolutely possible.
I'm actually surprised how close a lot of the numbers were, even with those burly 50 mm"s on the gravel bike. A tire change would narrow the gap for certain.
50mm is well beyond what I tend to see on gravels here. Most are on 38-45mm tyres. Those that ride their gravel on the road usually have an spare wheel set.
I have a gravel bike, but ride it with a road set-up most of the time. That means slick 30mm tyres and a the Shimano GRX 2x11 with 48/31 chain rings. With that set-up, the differences with a pure road bike a very minimal and for a recreational rider barely noticable. I just rode it in an area where I hired a top-end road bike twice before and to be honest, I didn't feel much difference. I managed to improve my times on many Strava segments, so variation in fitness level within one or two years plays a much bigger role. I do notice quite a big difference when I fit my heavier gravel wheels with widers tyres. It makes the bike over a kg heavier and acceleration is indeed the part where you notice it the most. I reckon the difference with the road wheels on the flat at around 30 kmh is less than 0.5kmh on average between these tyres. I am keen to see a test where a gravel bike is compared to a road bike with similar wheels and tyres.
Ditched an Orbea Avant for a Cannondale Topstone earlier this year. Having the ability to add a few singletrack/rough sections onto a ride is great, but in every other aspect the road bike wins.
I live in an ultra urban area. I like to buy the proper tool for the job. I ride for fun, fitness, and speed. Therefore it's a road bike for me. I also have a single speed bike, and an old hybrid bike with knobby tires for gravelling once or 2x a year (I may need to sell this) If you're not an avid gravel rider, I would caution you from buying a gravel bike just for the versatility. I don't have a car and if I travel to gravel country I would prefer to spend that time hiking or camping or even kayaking. The folks that I need to keep up with in my community would absolutely dust me on anything other than a road bike
In regards to climbs, the benefit of the gravel bike, for me at least, is the much easier gears. It is easier to hold a good cadence, and lower power, with those gears compared to the standard road bike setup. Of course if you are a good amateur of pro that is probably not an issue, but for a regular joe like me, it helps a lot.
It helps most amateurs. Let’s be honest. My gravel bikes top out at 50 kph.(cadence 95-100 on the hardest gear) I can’t do that for any meaningful sustainable way. I can only do that on descends or with an proper tailwind. An roadbike set-up has an 52t+ at the front. I have an 48t
Either putting the same tyres on the gravel bike or doing a mixed terrain route with a bit of gravel and tarmac would have been the way, but this......this just states the obvious that we already knew.
It should come down to weight and friction. If the bikes weigh the same then the tyres will be the determining factor. You should have tested both bikes with the same tyres.
I'd also assume that the frames don't weigh the same. Assuming the gravel bike is a proper one, the frame should require abit more strength to endure the rougher terrain the road bike doesn't have to. Because more strength required equals to more material which equals to more weight.
I'll get a gravel bike first as a do it all bike. Then later I'll get a nice aero bike with the loudest freehub I can find and very high rims because it looks dope. Even if you need more watts on a gravel bike I think that's a good training.
Also. Putting a bigger chainring, say a 36-52 t on a gravel bike (like what I did) and a 700c x 28c slick road tires would make my bike have the same top speed on a lightweight racing bike but with a bit more effort as the frame is not as light. I do collect road bikes and MTBs on a yearly basis. I also have CX bikes and aero bikes too.
How much of the differences may be attributed to the increased rolling resistance of the gravel tires? I've seen tires that are smooth in the center and nobbed on the edges. This would be an interesting comparison to riding the same gravel bike with different tires. Should include road slicks in this test as well for those who are seeking to purchase one bike to do it all.
I think much of the difference comes down to the wheels and tires (mostly tires though). Buy the road bike's wheels and tires and put them on the gravel bike and I think the average joe only needs the gravel bike. Wdyt?
With the climb what may have been happening is since the gravel bike tires were for all terrain and given the conditions they gripped the surface better than the road tire so there was less wasted effort. I would bet on a bone dry day on tarmac the road bike would have been a clear winner. On dry but varied surface the gravel bike would have matched if not outpaced the road bike
Great video Conor; I do wish you had run the acceleration test with gravel bike and road wheels too. Because gravel wheels are adding most of their weight primarily at the tire, or max rotational radius, you were probably feeling the difference in rotational inertia more than the difference in bike static weights. I was surprised that the top end speed was so close, but maybe that's because the Orca is only moderately aero for a road bike, not Orca Aero, or Aeroad level of aero.
This summer I did a 100mi road race on my gravel bike. The first half was pretty hilly with a lot of climbs and I was able to keep up with everyone else no worries. But the second half was much more flat and that's where I fell off the wagon
We live in a world of neophilia. Love of new things. Gravel is new, so it must be bought. I have tested one, found it sluggish, and bought a cross bike. 7 kg. Nearly as fast as a road bike, but much better on rocky trails (I am living near the Alps). Upwards I overtake mountain bikers due to the low weight, but I am much slower downhill on difficult terrain.
It is slower but not dramatically. In my case about 2.5-3 km/h average speed on the same 80 km course. Vastly different tires are of course the main reason.
When i ditched my cx and road bike and got a gravel bike with 3 sets of wheels (Road, Cx Gravel) I felt like it should be a to anything bike. would love to see your results doing the same thing. Road wheels on the gravel bike.. Vs Road bike. and maybe reverse the wheels too. Put the very biggest knobies on the road bike and see how much it slows down
Not sure why you wouldn’t use the Grail? I recently sold my Domane SL6 and got a Grail. I use it on roads as well as gravel. I have been setting new PR’s on my Grail. I also do tons of group rides and have no issues keeping up or setting the pace. The Grail is fast, light and playful.
Are you sure it is the weight? 1 to 2 kg? What about the tyre and the rolling resistance? Gravel bikes tends to have tyres with RR ~25 to 30W when road tyres tend to be ~10 to 15W. Surely 20to 30wvon rolling resistance makes more difference than 2 kg?…
I frequently put a true road wheelset on my Kuota Kross for group sessions, and other than being limited by the 46x36 11-26 gearing (downhills mostly), it works just fine.
Yes. Obviously. But: I spent a week cycling in Tuscany and switched between groups of road bike riders. Myself on a 10 kg titanium gravel bike. Group 1 was a few minutes ahead on steep 400 m climbs. In Group 3 I was first on the top. The only thing I will change next time is swapping my front wheel from a G-one Allround to an RS. So many free Watts for almost no money!
I think you'll find that most of the difference is in the tire treads. you can kind of see it in the graph from the flat runs. those small differences would stretch out into larger ones over longer distances, and then the marginal gains from the and then the marginal gains from the aerodynamics and differences of frame weight will become more obvious. I'd like to see a video where Sam Pilgrim style you guys create a fatbike out of an aero race frame, just to see what sort of difference the drastic change of tire size makes. tried to find slicker road tires for my Big Fat Dummy, couldn't find any 5-inch, so I had to settle for 4-inch ebike tires, which have more of a gravel style tread on them than a road tread, but after playing with the pressure I did end up gaining a couple miles per hour when riding on pavement compared to the knobby Surly Nate's I had on for winter
That's a great video idea! Maybe we can get the tech team involved, sounds like there is some tinkering to do there. What made you choose a fat bike? They can be a rare sight. 👀
Gravel bike is like a modern SUV car. Just advantages on a daily basis and normal club rides. You don't have to worry about potholes, you can detour and explore without swapping bikes. On a wide tyres I don't feel rolling resistance difference below 20mph which covers 99% club rides
I have an ‘endurance’ road bike so I could run it on gravel as well as the road as it allows for more tyre clearance. Best of both worlds. Tyres make the biggest difference imo unless you’re a Tour de France rider most people won’t notice a difference in speed between gravel and road bikes with the same tyre width.
It depends to the usage and the purpose of the person who ride those kind of bikes. If for competition in plain road and racetrack then Road-bike is the one. Racing bikes is an event for marketing of Bicycle Industry and racing money for Organization for the cause. But if for adventures, long distances for all kinds of terrains and roads then Gravel Bike is the one. Using Gravel bikes is for daily lifestyle and adventure. Not for competition against road bikes.
I’ve changed my gravel bike for commuting with slicks 34mm and a bigger front chain rings like that on my road but still even though it’s so nice and comfy to ride my road bike still has the the edge when it comes to top end speed and acceleration. But everything else it’s the same.
10:35 the daily climb I take has 12-14% and I find myself maintaining a higher average speed on these with gravel tires, which I think is because of the grippier soft rubber(it’s not unusual for the road tire to slightly slip on some sand or tiny rocks)
yup, leaves, sand, roots, etc, that's like soap -you can easily slip-. I'm about to buy the 32mm, the max that my road bike allows, *Continental Ultra Sport III*, which is a road slick tyre but it's the only *Continental Ultra Sport III* size that says *Road-Gravel*, 28mm or less Continental Ultra Sport III are just described as Road
The results make total sense to me. For the seemingly surprising weight related numbers (climbing and accelerating), remember that you need to look at the total weight (rider and bicycle). Given that, a kilo here or there won't make much difference climbing -- especially for the short climb used in the test since that will result in a difference that is probably within the margin of error. As far as acceleration goes, the two biggest factors are the total weight and the angular momentum of the wheels. Both will be accelerated during the test. Since f=ma, both will require some force (which translates into Watts) to achieve the desired acceleration. For a given number of Watts, the heavier gravel bike will accelerate slower than the road bike, just as when climbing hills. However, given most of the extra weight of the gravel bike is in the wheels, accelerating the angular momentum of the heavier wheels will cause a much more pronounced difference between the climbing test and the acceleration test.
i have a gravel bike and 2 sets of disc wheels, in addition to a rim-brake road bike. With the road wheels on the gravel bike it is still about 1Km/h slower than the road bike on courses i do regularly. i think most of the loss of speed is because the road bike is set up for a long and low position, and the gravel bike is shorter and higher (it feels too high on the road but about right on gravel), and no matter how much time i spend in the drops (flared) of the gravel bike it doesn't make up for the less aero position. Conor's position on both bikes looked similarly high - even his road bike position looks high (it is harder to tell because he is so tall), so this wasn't a comparison of a road bike with an aggressive road position v a gravel bike with a typical gravel position - which could have been by design as it would have introduced another variable. My gravel bike with semi-slick 38mm gravel tires is about another 1-2 Km/h slower than the same bike with the Zipps and GP5000, but if i ride the gravel wheels on the road i usually don't care that much about speed. The longer wheelbase does make the gravel bike feel a bit sluggish compared to my road bike, but i think a lot of that is "feel" rather than it being actually slower. All 3 set ups are fun to ride in their own way. Cruising the roads at an easy speed on those wide gravel tires at 30 something psi is loads of fun in a completely different way to hammering it trying to go as fast as i can on the road bike. With those 3 options to chose from i ride the gravel bike with the road wheels as my "default" on the road....I'll give up 1km/h to be a bit more comfortable, better braking and less chance of punctures compared to the road bike....and if i wanted i could always drop the bars and go narrower.
I find that I’m around 15% slower on a mountain bike than a road bike. It’s not that big of a difference. And if I’m planning on going off-road, I don’t have to worry about if it’s going to be too extreme (for a gravel bike). Ride what you want.
I ride a road bike canyon ultimate and a cannondale slate. On a mixed course of 10nk the difference between the two is 22 kph for the canyon compared to 19 .5 kph for the canondale. Both bikes gave slicks so the weight seems to the issue
Now do the test with the road bike & gravel bike in the same specs set up on a gravel road, can tell you from experience that the road bike will be a very bad & uncomfortable choice.!!! I hardly ride my road specific bikes at all anymore since gravel bikes have become so versatile & good fun, actually thinking about selling off all my road specific bikes and just stick with my gravel & CX bikes. Why be stuck with only one riding surface type when you can have multi surface riding fun for the same sort of money spent , especially at race level bike specs!
I have a 2nd set of wheels for my gravel bike with 32mm GP5000 tyres and although it feels slower than my road bike, on regular routes there is very little to choose (except when the 1x 40/11 gearing spins out early). With mudguards on, it's my "best" wet weather bike
Having both an aluminium framed road bike and gravel bike, there’s not a whole lot of difference between the two on the flat. The road bike is that bit easier on climbs though. However it’s on tracks when the gravel gives me extra confidence.
How close can you make the gravel bike with "minor" changes ? Fat slick tyres ? Were you topping out on the gearing ? Or running out of power ? Would narrower bars or similar have helped close the gap ? and would they impact the off-road ?
I would like to see the same test with a little less extreme tire. You were on the outer range on that tire at 50 mm. Try a 32 or 35 with less texture. That would help in decision making.
My gravel bike fitted with 31mm slicks rides almost like my road bike with 27mm slicks. But my gravel bike is usually fitted with 40mm gravel tires and in that case it feels a lot slower and less efficient than my road bike.
I think that likely using the 28mm tires on any bike will reduced the rotational inertia of the wheels. my understanding is the the increased rotational inertia of a 50mm tire will reduce the over all acceleration of the bike. it is interesting to see the the hill climb was so close though but i guess the effect of the slope and gravity have the largest role to play in that case.
I'm a little disappointed you didn't also ride the gravel bike with road-oriented tires. It would be interesting to see the difference solely made by the tires.
I loved this video, I’d like to see more videos of gravel vs road bikes. I have a not so light 12kg gravel bike for my commuter. It’s great for all the pot holes on the road and easier gears for hills, but I’ve always wondered how much faster a road bike would be. Especially now you have me thinking about all the stop/starts I’m doing at traffic lights. Would love to see a video of you making a commuting video with these two bikes. Which is best for commuters??
I'm missing the point of this one. Gravel knobbies are of course slower. You should have done one loop test over some segments of hills/flats/downhills/smooth/chunky roads on the gravel setup, then same thing on road bike setup, then one more loop with gravel bike set up with the road wheels. No point to even go on true gravel on the road wheels you're just going to get a flat, horses for courses. The point, to me, was to see if the gravel bike with the wider stance and maybe more upright setup can be close enough to a road bike, and let you have total versatility which may matter more to people that aren't racing. You missed this one GCN.
One of your best videos.. I ride an xc mtb bike and can get in the top 0.5% on strava on many steep tarmac climbs so it didnt surprise me really but only in top 45% on the flats 😄 its like all the bikes are merging now. Love the grizl id buy one if I had the money.
Since testing shows that wider tires aren’t any slower than skinny tires, what is the tipping point where the wider tire actually slows you down? Is it more from the rolling weight, aerodynamics??
Virtue aside, there's no denying it; if I had the money and space to get a really nice road-specific bike I would get one! But as I have only enough room in my flat for one "hobby" bike of my own, and with the general state of the roads near me, a gravel bike on all-road wheels and 35mm fast rolling gravel tyres was a no-brainer, and gives me the freedom to go off road when I want to.
What did you expect from the results? 🫵 Let us know in the comments below! 👇
How would the gravel bike have performed with slick road tires? That's the key question because if the speed drastically improves then it makes the gravel bike better value for money...
Only thought about the lower speeds and thought that they would be fairly similar. It would be interesting if the gravel bike was a two by instead of a one by. (Hope that makes sense.)
I expected "Conor does cyclocross" ..... :)
@@Ted_Eddy There was a test on GCN Tech quite recently where the different width slicks (from 28mm to 50mm) were compared.
Anyway, it would have to be a huge difference for me to start considering switching to anything narrower than 50mm.
gravel With tire 35mm you thing it’s the same performance?
in your movie witch more fast in climbs 🏔️? thank you so much
What would the gravel bike have done if you put on slick road tyres? That's the question because if the differences reduce drastically then a gravel bike becomes better value for money.
I'd like to see this test carried out. Great point 👌🏼
this!
Maybe Connor just didn't have enough in the tank to do each run 3 times? 😝
I could guarantee the difference would be tiny, the road bike is going to be slightly lighter and slightly more aero.
The difference is all in the tires, I tested it on a downhill, my road bike coasted at 50km/h and my mountain bike was 20km/h.
as someone who only has a gravel bike, but with two wheelsets road/gravel, i can say for me personally it is all about the tyres. with the lower rolling resistance it is easy for me to keep up with the local weekly group ride which was defitnetly harder on gravel tyres, even with higher pressure for better rr.
The audio was surprisingly good for how windy it was that day. Whoever is responsible for that always does a great job compared to most RUclips channels.
As someone who works at a shop, I get a lot of customers who want a bike that “does it all”. They want to ride with their road bike friends, they want a commuter, they want to ride the gravel in the area etc. I usually put it like this: A good gravel bike is 90% a road bike. It’s fast, it helps you as the rider get out of the air so it blows away flat bar hybrids like any good road bike and it doesn’t shy away from paths that some road bikers would never go. 90% of a road bike sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Well it sounds good until you think about how being 90% as effective adds up when you’re talking about 60 miles, 3-4 hours of riding. That 10% difference suddenly becomes HUGE. If you ride with people who do it for fun, are a “no drop” riding group who like to stop a time or two for cake and doughnuts.. you’re going to be fine, this bike will do it all for you. If your friends are competitive, if they are serious, if they are constantly trying to improve themselves and set personal records, and you intend to ride to their level.. then you need a dedicated road bike.
Well said and makes sense
i generally approve of this but i'd say a gravel bike is more like 96+% a road bike if you put the same tires on it. yea, if you're about to get your max out of it and ride with people who do that, there's no choice there - get a road bike, but in most cases you and your condition will affect the ride far more than the bike itself and for everything but to-be-pro-racers the gravel bike will be amazing as you're more flexible and 1 kmh or 2 /h less does - in the end- not affect your improvements but just...well.. the average speed itself which doesn't matter as long as you only compare against yourself or similar riders
Or find different friends and keep the gravel. Solved.
I have a dedicated road bike. I like to stop for cake and donuts 🍩 😋
or be 10% better than them 😅
I feel that a more useful test would have been to include another run with the gravel bike running the same tyres as the road bike. I would assume that one change would reduce the gap to a very minor level, and if so, it would go to show that a decent gravel bike would be just the job for most riders (outside of races). The versatility of the gravel bike seems to be a big draw, and why I am considering buying one. As in, the one bike could be used for dry summer riding on slicks, and winter riding with wider "gravel" tyres helping with the muddy winter roads... with... god forbid... a set of mud guards mounted to the frame! Fun to see Conor struggle to get up to speed here... makes us non-pros feel a little better! 😂
or just ride 32mm cross tyres with a slick bit in the middle.
@@hendrixinfinity3992 I do this, 32mm pathfinder tyres.
Or perhaps a controlled study disproving a null hypothesis with actual science?
I disagree that such a test would be "more useful." Few people swap out tires for different road conditions. The best comparison is as you would want the bike setup with the tires you would likely be using. I have lived on a gravel road for 40 years and have ridden it in all types of weather. Rarely have I felt the need for tread, but if you want to use your gravel bike on slippery surfaces, such as paths, where tire widths over 38 mm really come into their own, you're going to be running tires more like the ones in this test. Plus, these tires are more typically what is expected on gravel bikes, and therefore more likely to be what people at this point in the gravel fad will be riding. The comparison was between two types of bikes, not different types of tires.
The mostwyyb
This was a great video. I started cycling again in 2019, at the age of 56. My first new bike was a 2019 Trek Marlin 7. After 3 seasons I realized I was doing 90% of my riding on pavement and at my age wasn’t a singletrack guy anymore. I went through all your steps myself before buying a Checkpoint SL5 in the Radioactive Red this past February. I now have the correct tool for how I ride. I rode almost 2600 miles in 2023 (with 8 weeks downtime for a broken collarbone).
I turned 60 in April and did a metric century to celebrate the day. I also did a 72-miler this year. I’m going to ride the Route of the Hiawatha next June, and am looking to do a 100-mile ride next season.
I wish to be able to do such distances in my 60s too. Kudos to you, sir 😅
@@GregTheGuitarist When I started riding again, my first few rides were only 5 or 6 miles. And my sit bones screamed at me after each one of them. You just have to get started and keep at it. A little farther each ride to increase the strength and endurance.
That’s awesome. Very impressive.
I bought a Marlin-7 last and did a 120km. Going faster wasn't my aim. My aim is just to get out and ride and be in the open. I bought a second bike,a Triban RC120 Gravel, and loved it. Both bikes do different things, and they entertain me in different ways. I can't understand the obsession towards speed and going faster.
as someone who only has a gravel bike, but with two wheelsets road/gravel, i can say for me personally it is all about the tyres. with the lower rolling resistance it is easy for me to keep up with the local weekly group ride which was defitnetly harder on gravel tyres, even with higher pressure for better rr.
This seems to be the way to go for ultimate versatility and one bike set up
That's the great thing about Gravel bikes is how versatile they are!
@@gcn8bar bikes eben allow you to change the geometrie by flipping something at the axle. They offer their Mitte bike with a second wheelset and that's a pretty cool concept.
For a beginner a gravel bike with an endurance geometry and wider tires is probably the way to go. Can ride everything where cars won't drive, good training and you don't end up with a bike that's cool looking but has a geometry for a 25 year old that can do 6w/kg...
Same tires = same performance, it is a road bike geometry.
Riding wide bars on road is bit horrible, but if it saves thousands of dollars and means you only have one bike than that's not so bad
For those of us don't race or routinely ride in the paceline, a good all around bike like a gravel bike is the best. All we need to do is swap tires for the varying conditions we will ride in. Even the new Gravel tire tread patterns can reduce the need to swap tires. Gravel bikes were a great idea, not a marketing gimmick.
I am a proud owner of both: Trek Checkpoint SL and Pinarello Dogma F, so let's call it "Awesome gravel bike" and an "Insane road bike". I logically understand the comparison this video neatly presents, I'd probably do the same - speed at various watt inputs, and looking at how large the gaps are. What this shows is that modern gravel bikes are pretty snappy, and kinda awesome allrounders.
That being said, I feel there are other aspects that in the world of watts and marginal gains get somewhat less looked at. Since I am comparing the feels of these two types of a bike basically week to week, I can tell you that as an example, the Pinarello (road bike) is very noticeably much more stable in descents (I know, wheels are a factor), feels more precise and consequently much safer at speeds of 50+ kph . Plus the more aggressive geometry is something that prompts me to just a different style of riding and it's easier for me to putt the watts out (there's a limit to how much you can influence this with proper bike fit, which I have on both bikes).
I suppose the bottom line is - despite how much I nerd out on aero, watts and all that jazz - it's not just power-to-speed at all times, it's also ride feel, handling, your position on the bike and all of these are very much influenced by whether you are riding a road bike or a gravel bike. I enjoy both very much, but notice this every time I change bikes.
Happy riding.
Agree! No reason to over think this - ride a nice road bike on the road and a nice gravel bike on the gravel. Done..let’s all move on and have a pint at the pub.
Seriously tho - my Tarmac SL7 is simply crazy fast on the road … and it holds speed such that it allows a lot more recovery time.
I am at my limit with the local fast ‘A’ group on the SL7 - a gravel bike would not work. That is why I ride it when in a gravel race.
I have a Tarmac SL7 and Checkpoint SL5. Sl7 average speed can goes to 32-34km/h, but gravel bike only goes 27-29km/h. I believe the tire makes a lot difference.@@jimc5696
I have ridden several gravel bikes and have set several KOM and top 10 segment finishes on the road riding tubeless knobby tires! I love the versatility of gravel.
This is great! Shows what you can do on a gravel bike. It's all about the engine at the end of the day 🙌
@@gcn
I think he's definitely telling jokes
In choosing a bike for gravel (most of us aren't racing) I think handling is the most crucial characteristic. I have a 20 yr old Giant 880xc hardtail mtb that handles gravel very well on gravel. I don"t get left behind by new gravel bikes ridden by younger riders. Only cost me £200.
Great video. Personally, my choice of a Gravel bike over a road bike is because I often embark on long-distance rides. Yes, on 99% of paved roads, road bikes are slightly faster than Gravel bikes. However, when you unfortunately encounter that 1% of rough and bumpy terrain, you'll either have to push your bike or even carry it through. Considering long-distance travel where you might be carrying over 20 kilograms of gear, that 1% of rough terrain becomes quite awkward - 1000 kilometers of riding, and that 1% translates to 10 kilometers.
So, from my perspective, it's best to have two bikes prepared: one that's lightweight for enjoying the thrill of sprinting on well-paved roads, and a Gravel bike for long-distance rides, allowing you to savor the beauty of nature!
One cool thing I found about my gravel bike is that my watts were pretty much exactly the same on my local A group ride as my road bike. I have fast tires on both set up tubeless so I think most of the difference is just how much more wind I'm eating on the gravel bike from being more upright.
@@uknw4839 it was like 3 watts normalized over 40 miles
What makes you take the gravel bike over the road bike? 👀
@@gcn The road bike was down for maintenance but it was too nice not to ride
of course your watts were the same lol
That was a really interesting video. It would be interesting to see how a gravel bike with more road orientated tyres would fare.
Same tires = same performance, it is a road bike geometry.
Think we'll have to revit this one! We think the gravel bike would be rapid 💨
Its about what i found out over the last years using both gravel and road bike parallel. with around similar to slightly more lazy position on the gravel bike there is around a 1kph to 1.5kph difference between the two bikes on flat roads at 30kphish tempi. for solo rides not focused on KOMs its pretty much negligible and even with 29" tires i have some personal records with the gravel truck because on that day i either was super fit or the weather was in favor. however, it takes much more effort to accelerate the gravel bike from a stand stil, out of corners or on short inclines where you can power up on the road bike without loosing much speed, it has nothing of that light nimble nature a road bike gives you. more than the outright speed i feel much of the joy of the road bike comes from its handling and feel. i love both for their intended purpose and both acompany each other nicely.
I swapped my 35 gravel tires for 28 on my bike and it made a massive difference. Would be good to see a comparison with the same tires.
Same tires = same performance, it is the same geomtry than a road bike.
@@lio220no the head tube angle is slacker. The wheelbase is longer and usually the stack height is higher.
Your position is more upright meaning your body will catch more air. But it’s also able to absorb bumps better.
They are more stable and comfortable due to these changes. At the cost of quick direction changes and aero performance.
Sometimes the geometry isn't the same. But performance in this case is also dependant on the gearing and weight of the bike@@lio220
I think I recall an old GCN video where they test different widths on gravel bikes.
Thanks Conner ..... for confirming 50mm gravel tires are slower than 28mm road tired on tarmac 😂😂😂
Classic. Exactly
I put Bontrager R3s on my Scott Speedster Gravel 40 and it can almost hang with my SL5 Domane according to Strava. The Speedster does have Tiagra compared to 105 but it's still fast. The extra 3-4 pounds doesn't really affect me as much as I thought lol. If I switch the wheelset out, I might have very similar results. It makes me wish I just spent more time on the bike instead of more money on "better" bikes 😂
Hey, to each their own. I owned a gravel bike, and very quickly, I found out that it was slow for a road bike and awful for a mountain bike. It seems like in racing, the hot trend is to put drop bars on a cross country MTB. With the proper tires, that would be a very comfortable long-distance off-road setup for everything but the Gnar.
Fwiw I spent most of the summer on a Cannondale Topstone with 32mm GP5000 tires. Recently purchased a Canyon Ultimate CF SL 8 and even on some test rides I smashed most of my PRs on Strava. Not that the gravel bike is bad, especially on longer rides, but the road bike is significantly quicker with less effort overall.
It would be surprising if it was the other way round! Sounds like you've found a pretty sweet ride though!
I bought a gravel bike (Rodeo-Labs Trail Donkey) and I ride it all the time, hardly touching my Scott Addict R1. But, then again, I'm 56 and need a softer ride.
I would love to see this video revisited where you add in the comparison with the gravel bike on road tires. All gravel vs. gravel w/ road tires vs. road bike. Then we can really see if we should just buy a gravel bike and keep 2 sets of wheels instead of having 2 complete bikes 😁
I have a Ribble CGR SL and an Orro Venturi. Both size large with integrated cockpits. I've used the same 45mm Carbon wheels with GP5000 on both bikes. And I can say that I very much prefer my Venturi on the road. It just puts you in a better position. I find climbing more efficient and sprinting is just more fun. As much as people hate on Orro etc, I'd still rather have these 2 bikes than 1 very expensive bike.
Interesting video! I'm a bit surprised that the gravel bike did as well as it did with full-on gravel tires, which almost certainly added to the rolling resistance as well as the weight.
This video validates my own experience: I've been using my 10kg gravel bike as an endurance road bike for a couple of years now, and, fitted with road tires, it does very nearly as well as my road bike did. In some ways, it's actually even better: the 30/46 chainring and 11/34 rear cassette make it possible for me to ride up just about anything even when I'm loaded up, avoid injury, and ride quite as fast as an older rider like me actually needs to go (in my case, that's about 35-40 km/h over flat ground).
Gravel bike with a 2nd set of wheels and tires. My Grizl SLX di2 is the last bike I will be buying for a long time, it covers all road surfaces and some light trail riding :)
Given the fact that he rode the gravel with knoby tires and maybe the usual calibration, we can assume it was slower. But with slick and narrow tires, hte results would be closer.
I ride a Canyon Grizl on gravel and road. I have two wheelsets, one for each terrain. The biggest things to hold you back are the tires and your groupset imo. I run 32mm Continental GPs on the tarmac and can spin with my raod friends just fine, until I run out of gears at top speed (slight downhill or tailwind, 60km/h seems to be my breaking point cadence-wise) or struggle to find the right gear when pacing, because of the bigger gaps between gears on my GRX set. But other than that, I'm fine. Not saying a pure road bike/aero bike wouldn't be nice to have, just sharing my experience on questions I had myself before buying the bike.
Great video, thank you! Would love to see the exact same video with the road tires on the gravel bike as you mention. With power comparison it would be fun to see the three against each other to really notice how much it affects.
Same tires = same performance, it is a road bike geometry.
If you want another insight. Here's my 2 cents.
Last year I rode very often to my workplace. 25km in one direction. It's a flat ride with only one ramp and one bridge. I was in good form and averaged about 52 min. That was on two different road bikes. Weight doesn't matter much on that ride.
2 months ago I got me a gravel bike. An 11kg monster with 40mm tires, one of the cheapest on the market and at first I was not in form for cycling so i started with 65min. Two days ago though, everything fell in line. I even had a head wind and managed to get to work in 51min. PB for the gravel bike.
Pros for the gravel bike: much more comfortable (tires and seating position), easier to get out of the saddle (seating position), more stable when out of the saddle (more weight), easier to manage gears (2x11, haven't used the smaller cog in the front yet), absolutely no worries about punctures (rode over glass multiple times already and nothing happened); simply the perfect commuter bike for such a distance
Cons: it doesn't like higher speeds and maintaining them, at all times I'm about 2kph slower, lower tire pressure and that gap goes up.
However, the gravel bike allows me to take a slightly different route away from the road. It brought back the joy of riding bikes. I thought about a more road bike-y tire but i would lose the ability to simply take any path I want. I accept the more effort and less speed approach as a means to have a slightly harder and longer training. And last but not least, there is an image and perception thing about gravel bikes. I feel a little more hipster and also a little more in touch with my fellow cyclists on the road. On a road bike you're always that alien, that machine, that knife between the teeth guy who all the car drivers hate more than anything else and casual cyclists too.
The gravel bike is the VW Golf that you ride to work every day because it's convenient but in the weekend, for the track or an event you take our the toy (road bike).
Non cyclists don't know, nor do they care, about the differences between road bikes and gravel bikes.
This should make you pause for thought on the aero vs weight tests. As you said weight can have a large impact when you are constantly stopping and starting. I know where I live there is nowhere I can ride that doesn't have traffic lights every few hundred meters, so I am almost stopping and starting. Would love to see a real world aero vs weight test rather than always rolling along the farm.
It would be an interesting test if you could plan a route around 10 km length that have tarmac, gravel and dirt sections, and if you could ride it on road bike, gravel bike and cross country hardtail one after another after some rest. The overall time that you spend on this route will tell what is the best type of bicycle on such a mixed terrain.
I actually like the fact that you tested out those bikes in two extreme setups. That shows that the maximum differences are not that important. Of course this test with road oriented tires on a gravel bike would be great!
Conor should do this again, gravel bike with gravel wheels and 50mm tyres against the same gravel bike with road wheels and 28mm tyres. This the way many riders are deciding to go rather than buy to full bike setups. Be interesting to see the benefit of the road wheels on the gravel bike.
I have a 2024 Trek Boone 6 (CX/Gravel) set up with RSL 37v wheel set and Bontrager 700x35 gravel tubeless where I run about 60psi when do road group rides. I have a 1x with a 42x11-33. Over the past weekend completed a metric century with average pace at about 26km/h and then later in the weekend another 40-mile ride with an average pace of about 27km/h. Honestly can say that after about 500 miles on this bike, for road group rides where rolling pace is between 27-32km/h, I have no trouble hanging with the group. If I was to only have one bike, with the greatest versatility, I would have either a CX or Gravel set-up with two wheelsets.
Strange premise: comparing how fast the road bike vs the gravel bike is with different set ups for fit and wheels/tires. The question a prospective buyer wants to know is: if I buy a gravel bike, will it be slower than if I buy a road bike? Then, once you have your frame, you have to decide which tires are the fastest, and whether you want verstility or specialization, but again, that’s not the question when you are buying the frame.
Considering that most people will prefer a more relaxed geometry and will benefit from more compliance and stability i feel like a gravel bike can really do a lot by just swapping tires at will.
Great video and well presented as always Conor.
Well done and thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it! We recently released an awesome Gravel film on GCN+ -'Great Outback beer run'. Check it out here 👉 gcn.eu/GOBR
Yeah, has pretty much been my experience too. Honestly, a gravel bike works better for me where i live, because i dont have to worry about a puncture as much. Really enjoyed this video 👍
Thanks! Glad you liked it. For some more cool Gravel content, why not check out 'Great Outback beer run' on GCN+ 👉 gcn.eu/GOBR
@@gcnwhat size tires does a gravel bike have to have, in order for it to be a “gravel bike”
@@JitinMisra cyclo cross is 33 so above that i guess?
I think the point is it's all about where and how you ride. In rural Michigan with diesel pick up trucks on shoulder-less 55 mph roads, there are very few on road bikes. In the bike shops most of the bikes available here are hybrids or mountain bikes. I can afford one bike and gravel gives me options
Loved the experiment! Would also love to know how the road bike performed on wider tyres! (As well as how the gravel bike performed on narrower ones!)
Same tires = same performance, it is a road bike geometry.
You just cant put wider tires on road bike, otherwise that bike is called a gravel bike...😮
If you want ride a pure roadbike, ride a roadbike ! If you want ride a gravelbike, ride a gravelbike! It doesn t matter what RUclips tells you what to ride.
My gravel bike is slower than a traditional road bike. I never bonded with 'fast' bikes, I feel the geometry of faster bikes is too aggressive for me. I tend to enjoy more upright riding positions that offer confidence in descents. Gravel bikes have been a really great option for me. The advent of tubeless tire and thru axels have made riding in the city so fun.
The secret is the tires and gears.
I have one gravel bike, an adicional pair of wheels with 700x40 slick Maxxis Velocita tires and a 10x36 cassete.
With 42 or 44 in front I can ride with a group of road bikes with no problems.
Yes, is a little more difficult than in a regular road bike, but it's absolutely possible.
Customising your setup to meet your riding needs is such a massive benefit of Gravel bikes!
I'm actually surprised how close a lot of the numbers were, even with those burly 50 mm"s on the gravel bike. A tire change would narrow the gap for certain.
50mm is well beyond what I tend to see on gravels here.
Most are on 38-45mm tyres.
Those that ride their gravel on the road usually have an spare wheel set.
If the narrow tyres narrowed the gap would you be temped to buy a gravel bike?
I have one! I'm on 38's and I love it.
@@gcn
I have a gravel bike, but ride it with a road set-up most of the time. That means slick 30mm tyres and a the Shimano GRX 2x11 with 48/31 chain rings. With that set-up, the differences with a pure road bike a very minimal and for a recreational rider barely noticable. I just rode it in an area where I hired a top-end road bike twice before and to be honest, I didn't feel much difference. I managed to improve my times on many Strava segments, so variation in fitness level within one or two years plays a much bigger role.
I do notice quite a big difference when I fit my heavier gravel wheels with widers tyres. It makes the bike over a kg heavier and acceleration is indeed the part where you notice it the most. I reckon the difference with the road wheels on the flat at around 30 kmh is less than 0.5kmh on average between these tyres.
I am keen to see a test where a gravel bike is compared to a road bike with similar wheels and tyres.
How about top speeds? Is the 48 enough for you?
Definitely my favourite presenter on gcn
Ditched an Orbea Avant for a Cannondale Topstone earlier this year. Having the ability to add a few singletrack/rough sections onto a ride is great, but in every other aspect the road bike wins.
I live in an ultra urban area. I like to buy the proper tool for the job. I ride for fun, fitness, and speed. Therefore it's a road bike for me. I also have a single speed bike, and an old hybrid bike with knobby tires for gravelling once or 2x a year (I may need to sell this)
If you're not an avid gravel rider, I would caution you from buying a gravel bike just for the versatility. I don't have a car and if I travel to gravel country I would prefer to spend that time hiking or camping or even kayaking. The folks that I need to keep up with in my community would absolutely dust me on anything other than a road bike
In regards to climbs, the benefit of the gravel bike, for me at least, is the much easier gears. It is easier to hold a good cadence, and lower power, with those gears compared to the standard road bike setup. Of course if you are a good amateur of pro that is probably not an issue, but for a regular joe like me, it helps a lot.
It helps most amateurs.
Let’s be honest. My gravel bikes top out at 50 kph.(cadence 95-100 on the hardest gear)
I can’t do that for any meaningful sustainable way.
I can only do that on descends or with an proper tailwind.
An roadbike set-up has an 52t+ at the front. I have an 48t
Either putting the same tyres on the gravel bike or doing a mixed terrain route with a bit of gravel and tarmac would have been the way, but this......this just states the obvious that we already knew.
It should come down to weight and friction. If the bikes weigh the same then the tyres will be the determining factor. You should have tested both bikes with the same tyres.
I'd also assume that the frames don't weigh the same. Assuming the gravel bike is a proper one, the frame should require abit more strength to endure the rougher terrain the road bike doesn't have to.
Because more strength required equals to more material which equals to more weight.
built an alloy gravel frame into a road bike (Kanzo A) 9kg, rides like a super endurance, a good balance IMO
I'll get a gravel bike first as a do it all bike. Then later I'll get a nice aero bike with the loudest freehub I can find and very high rims because it looks dope.
Even if you need more watts on a gravel bike I think that's a good training.
Also. Putting a bigger chainring, say a 36-52 t on a gravel bike (like what I did) and a 700c x 28c slick road tires would make my bike have the same top speed on a lightweight racing bike but with a bit more effort as the frame is not as light. I do collect road bikes and MTBs on a yearly basis. I also have CX bikes and aero bikes too.
How much of the differences may be attributed to the increased rolling resistance of the gravel tires? I've seen tires that are smooth in the center and nobbed on the edges. This would be an interesting comparison to riding the same gravel bike with different tires. Should include road slicks in this test as well for those who are seeking to purchase one bike to do it all.
I think much of the difference comes down to the wheels and tires (mostly tires though). Buy the road bike's wheels and tires and put them on the gravel bike and I think the average joe only needs the gravel bike. Wdyt?
With the climb what may have been happening is since the gravel bike tires were for all terrain and given the conditions they gripped the surface better than the road tire so there was less wasted effort. I would bet on a bone dry day on tarmac the road bike would have been a clear winner. On dry but varied surface the gravel bike would have matched if not outpaced the road bike
Great video Conor; I do wish you had run the acceleration test with gravel bike and road wheels too. Because gravel wheels are adding most of their weight primarily at the tire, or max rotational radius, you were probably feeling the difference in rotational inertia more than the difference in bike static weights. I was surprised that the top end speed was so close, but maybe that's because the Orca is only moderately aero for a road bike, not Orca Aero, or Aeroad level of aero.
Lot of people talking about having road tires on a gravel frame. Isn't that esentially an endurance bike?
Good content, especially since the switch of Conor from a full on race road bike, to an all around more relaxed geometry of road bike.
This summer I did a 100mi road race on my gravel bike. The first half was pretty hilly with a lot of climbs and I was able to keep up with everyone else no worries. But the second half was much more flat and that's where I fell off the wagon
We live in a world of neophilia. Love of new things. Gravel is new, so it must be bought. I have tested one, found it sluggish, and bought a cross bike. 7 kg. Nearly as fast as a road bike, but much better on rocky trails (I am living near the Alps). Upwards I overtake mountain bikers due to the low weight, but I am much slower downhill on difficult terrain.
It is slower but not dramatically. In my case about 2.5-3 km/h average speed on the same 80 km course. Vastly different tires are of course the main reason.
When i ditched my cx and road bike and got a gravel bike with 3 sets of wheels (Road, Cx Gravel) I felt like it should be a to anything bike. would love to see your results doing the same thing. Road wheels on the gravel bike.. Vs Road bike. and maybe reverse the wheels too. Put the very biggest knobies on the road bike and see how much it slows down
You can’t fit proper gravel tyres on an road bike due to the limited tyre clearance.
So testing the other way around is the only option.
Not sure why you wouldn’t use the Grail? I recently sold my Domane SL6 and got a Grail. I use it on roads as well as gravel. I have been setting new PR’s on my Grail. I also do tons of group rides and have no issues keeping up or setting the pace. The Grail is fast, light and playful.
Are you sure it is the weight? 1 to 2 kg? What about the tyre and the rolling resistance? Gravel bikes tends to have tyres with RR ~25 to 30W when road tyres tend to be ~10 to 15W. Surely 20to 30wvon rolling resistance makes more difference than 2 kg?…
Intuitively lateral axis should indicate the power, and vertical is the resulting speed, change the axis could make the figure more readable....
Great video. Great engineering statistics. Thanks a million. I learnt so much to inform my purchase.
Glad it was helpful!
I frequently put a true road wheelset on my Kuota Kross for group sessions, and other than being limited by the 46x36 11-26 gearing (downhills mostly), it works just fine.
Sounds like the perfect setup for any eventuality!
i always love Conor comments and videos thanks guys.
Yes. Obviously. But:
I spent a week cycling in Tuscany and switched between groups of road bike riders. Myself on a 10 kg titanium gravel bike.
Group 1 was a few minutes ahead on steep 400 m climbs.
In Group 3 I was first on the top.
The only thing I will change next time is swapping my front wheel from a G-one Allround to an RS. So many free Watts for almost no money!
I'm jealous of the weather in this video. I can't get over how you've got fresh gusts of moisty air, and I don't.
That's the UK's special weather 😂
I think you'll find that most of the difference is in the tire treads. you can kind of see it in the graph from the flat runs. those small differences would stretch out into larger ones over longer distances, and then the marginal gains from the and then the marginal gains from the aerodynamics and differences of frame weight will become more obvious. I'd like to see a video where Sam Pilgrim style you guys create a fatbike out of an aero race frame, just to see what sort of difference the drastic change of tire size makes. tried to find slicker road tires for my Big Fat Dummy, couldn't find any 5-inch, so I had to settle for 4-inch ebike tires, which have more of a gravel style tread on them than a road tread, but after playing with the pressure I did end up gaining a couple miles per hour when riding on pavement compared to the knobby Surly Nate's I had on for winter
That's a great video idea! Maybe we can get the tech team involved, sounds like there is some tinkering to do there. What made you choose a fat bike? They can be a rare sight. 👀
It's all about the chain angle at 40 kmh. Bigger chain set is more effecient with bigger sprockets on cassette even if you have the same Tyres
Gravel bike is like a modern SUV car. Just advantages on a daily basis and normal club rides. You don't have to worry about potholes, you can detour and explore without swapping bikes. On a wide tyres I don't feel rolling resistance difference below 20mph which covers 99% club rides
Definitely room for a video with one gravel bike, 2 tyre setups.
I have an ‘endurance’ road bike so I could run it on gravel as well as the road as it allows for more tyre clearance. Best of both worlds.
Tyres make the biggest difference imo unless you’re a Tour de France rider most people won’t notice a difference in speed between gravel and road bikes with the same tyre width.
It depends to the usage and the purpose of the person who ride those kind of bikes.
If for competition in plain road and racetrack then Road-bike is the one.
Racing bikes is an event for marketing of Bicycle Industry and racing money for Organization for the cause.
But if for adventures, long distances for all kinds of terrains and roads then Gravel Bike is the one.
Using Gravel bikes is for daily lifestyle and adventure. Not for competition against road bikes.
I’ve changed my gravel bike for commuting with slicks 34mm and a bigger front chain rings like that on my road but still even though it’s so nice and comfy to ride my road bike still has the the edge when it comes to top end speed and acceleration. But everything else it’s the same.
10:35 the daily climb I take has 12-14% and I find myself maintaining a higher average speed on these with gravel tires, which I think is because of the grippier soft rubber(it’s not unusual for the road tire to slightly slip on some sand or tiny rocks)
Interesting!
yup, leaves, sand, roots, etc, that's like soap -you can easily slip-. I'm about to buy the 32mm, the max that my road bike allows, *Continental Ultra Sport III*, which is a road slick tyre but it's the only *Continental Ultra Sport III* size that says *Road-Gravel*, 28mm or less Continental Ultra Sport III are just described as Road
The results make total sense to me. For the seemingly surprising weight related numbers (climbing and accelerating), remember that you need to look at the total weight (rider and bicycle). Given that, a kilo here or there won't make much difference climbing -- especially for the short climb used in the test since that will result in a difference that is probably within the margin of error. As far as acceleration goes, the two biggest factors are the total weight and the angular momentum of the wheels. Both will be accelerated during the test. Since f=ma, both will require some force (which translates into Watts) to achieve the desired acceleration. For a given number of Watts, the heavier gravel bike will accelerate slower than the road bike, just as when climbing hills. However, given most of the extra weight of the gravel bike is in the wheels, accelerating the angular momentum of the heavier wheels will cause a much more pronounced difference between the climbing test and the acceleration test.
i have a gravel bike and 2 sets of disc wheels, in addition to a rim-brake road bike. With the road wheels on the gravel bike it is still about 1Km/h slower than the road bike on courses i do regularly. i think most of the loss of speed is because the road bike is set up for a long and low position, and the gravel bike is shorter and higher (it feels too high on the road but about right on gravel), and no matter how much time i spend in the drops (flared) of the gravel bike it doesn't make up for the less aero position. Conor's position on both bikes looked similarly high - even his road bike position looks high (it is harder to tell because he is so tall), so this wasn't a comparison of a road bike with an aggressive road position v a gravel bike with a typical gravel position - which could have been by design as it would have introduced another variable. My gravel bike with semi-slick 38mm gravel tires is about another 1-2 Km/h slower than the same bike with the Zipps and GP5000, but if i ride the gravel wheels on the road i usually don't care that much about speed. The longer wheelbase does make the gravel bike feel a bit sluggish compared to my road bike, but i think a lot of that is "feel" rather than it being actually slower. All 3 set ups are fun to ride in their own way. Cruising the roads at an easy speed on those wide gravel tires at 30 something psi is loads of fun in a completely different way to hammering it trying to go as fast as i can on the road bike. With those 3 options to chose from i ride the gravel bike with the road wheels as my "default" on the road....I'll give up 1km/h to be a bit more comfortable, better braking and less chance of punctures compared to the road bike....and if i wanted i could always drop the bars and go narrower.
I find that I’m around 15% slower on a mountain bike than a road bike. It’s not that big of a difference. And if I’m planning on going off-road, I don’t have to worry about if it’s going to be too extreme (for a gravel bike). Ride what you want.
I ride a road bike canyon ultimate and a cannondale slate. On a mixed course of 10nk the difference between the two is 22 kph for the canyon compared to 19 .5 kph for the canondale. Both bikes gave slicks so the weight seems to the issue
Now do the test with the road bike & gravel bike in the same specs set up on a gravel road, can tell you from experience that the road bike will be a very bad & uncomfortable choice.!!!
I hardly ride my road specific bikes at all anymore since gravel bikes have become so versatile & good fun, actually thinking about selling off all my road specific bikes and just stick with my gravel & CX bikes. Why be stuck with only one riding surface type when you can have multi surface riding fun for the same sort of money spent , especially at race level bike specs!
I have a 2nd set of wheels for my gravel bike with 32mm GP5000 tyres and although it feels slower than my road bike, on regular routes there is very little to choose (except when the 1x 40/11 gearing spins out early). With mudguards on, it's my "best" wet weather bike
Same tires = same performance, it is a road bike geometry.
Having both an aluminium framed road bike and gravel bike, there’s not a whole lot of difference between the two on the flat. The road bike is that bit easier on climbs though. However it’s on tracks when the gravel gives me extra confidence.
Gravel bikes can do everything a road bike can do and more!
Music on this edit was honestly excellent!
In my experience 1x gearing on many gravel type bicycles limits higher speeds more so than tire, or wind resistance.
How close can you make the gravel bike with "minor" changes ? Fat slick tyres ? Were you topping out on the gearing ? Or running out of power ? Would narrower bars or similar have helped close the gap ? and would they impact the off-road ?
I would like to see the same test with a little less extreme tire. You were on the outer range on that tire at 50 mm. Try a 32 or 35 with less texture. That would help in decision making.
My gravel bike fitted with 31mm slicks rides almost like my road bike with 27mm slicks. But my gravel bike is usually fitted with 40mm gravel tires and in that case it feels a lot slower and less efficient than my road bike.
Great test Connor. When you returned back to GCN HQ to review the stats, I'd like to share we are both wearing the same tshirt 😉👌🏼
He'll be delighted to hear 😉
I think that likely using the 28mm tires on any bike will reduced the rotational inertia of the wheels. my understanding is the the increased rotational inertia of a 50mm tire will reduce the over all acceleration of the bike. it is interesting to see the the hill climb was so close though but i guess the effect of the slope and gravity have the largest role to play in that case.
I'm a little disappointed you didn't also ride the gravel bike with road-oriented tires. It would be interesting to see the difference solely made by the tires.
Same tires = same performance, it is a road bike geometry.
I loved this video, I’d like to see more videos of gravel vs road bikes.
I have a not so light 12kg gravel bike for my commuter. It’s great for all the pot holes on the road and easier gears for hills, but I’ve always wondered how much faster a road bike would be. Especially now you have me thinking about all the stop/starts I’m doing at traffic lights. Would love to see a video of you making a commuting video with these two bikes. Which is best for commuters??
You might want to check out this video we did! 👉 ruclips.net/video/Jq2NKKtUFnI/видео.html
I'm missing the point of this one. Gravel knobbies are of course slower. You should have done one loop test over some segments of hills/flats/downhills/smooth/chunky roads on the gravel setup, then same thing on road bike setup, then one more loop with gravel bike set up with the road wheels. No point to even go on true gravel on the road wheels you're just going to get a flat, horses for courses. The point, to me, was to see if the gravel bike with the wider stance and maybe more upright setup can be close enough to a road bike, and let you have total versatility which may matter more to people that aren't racing. You missed this one GCN.
One of your best videos.. I ride an xc mtb bike and can get in the top 0.5% on strava on many steep tarmac climbs so it didnt surprise me really but only in top 45% on the flats 😄 its like all the bikes are merging now. Love the grizl id buy one if I had the money.
Since testing shows that wider tires aren’t any slower than skinny tires, what is the tipping point where the wider tire actually slows you down? Is it more from the rolling weight, aerodynamics??
Virtue aside, there's no denying it; if I had the money and space to get a really nice road-specific bike I would get one! But as I have only enough room in my flat for one "hobby" bike of my own, and with the general state of the roads near me, a gravel bike on all-road wheels and 35mm fast rolling gravel tyres was a no-brainer, and gives me the freedom to go off road when I want to.