CanadianBiker32

Ok was it me or was my Mt Bike a Handicap in first Gravel Grinder
So i just did my first Gravel Grinder event - Heck of the North in Two Harbors, MN,
very fun event, loved it
since i not have a gravel monster. used my dual suspension mt bike
now course was dirt roads, paved a bit and some trail
on trails i was benefit on mt bike and was able to ride past all the cross bikers easily on that part
however on dirt roads, even though i am a roadie and right road bikes mt bike was a handicap
seemed many and all on cross bikes were able to ride more faster with less effort on the roads
so was it me or more of riding the mt bike
i am decent shape and many experience doing long distance mt bike events of 100 miles
if i had a cross bike , would i notice the advantage?
to note mt bike is rocky mt, element , full suspension and used regular mt bike tires, didnt get the skinnys for this event

so suggestions for better next time?

mack_turtle

I have been to a few gravel races now and it seems that a FS mtb would be too slow. a hardtail or rigid mtb with some fast-rolling tires would be great. something with "alt bars" or bar ends so you have more than one hand position would be great for the distances covered and varied terrain as well. it all depends on the terrain. one of the rides I did left me wishing that I had more volume than my 42mm tires, but the geometry of a CX/road/"gravel" bike makes more sense.

flargle

Yes, full rigid 29er with some sort of trekking or H-bars makes a great gravel grinder IMHO. I think 45-50mm is the sweet-spot for tire volume, especially if some sections are rough, but you want a fast-rolling tread pattern.

MileHighMark

Agreed. A change of tires easily transforms my rigid 29er into a more gravel-friendly rig.

Kopsis

If FS MTBs were faster for this kind of riding, everyone would be using them. Your suspension only helps on the trails (which is usually a small percentage of the course). The rest of the time it's worse than dead weight -- it's energy sucking dead weight. Every time a shock absorber compresses/rebounds, it's converting kinetic energy to heat and guess who has to replace that kinetic energy? The same is true to a lesser extent with big MTB tires.