Originally Posted by
johngwheeler
There seem to be a lot of similarities between a road endurance bike with disk brakes (e.g. Giant Defy, Trek Madone, Specialized Roubaix) and the sportier end of the gravel / adventure / all-road bike spectrum.
If one considers purely road use, would a gravel bike with 28-32mm road tires be at all disadvantaged compared to a dedicated road endurance bike with similar tires?
I suppose the endurance bike might be more lightly constructed and weight a bit less.
Are there any other factors that would give the dedicated road bike an advantage in terms of performance or comfort?
Thanks!
John
Gravel bikes can have a similar geometry to any road bikes but will have a higher bottom bracket for rocks and gravel to spew up and pass. Road bikes are lower for better handling characteristics. CX bikes have more aggressive angles to mimic the handling of road/mountain bikes where as "gravel grinders" typically have relaxed geometry.
Personally, I got rid of my gravel bike because I thought she was a bit weighty at 23lbs and didn't climb well. She was much more comfortable than my 18lbs endurance road bike due to the 32mm road tires. In my favorite road sprint segments of about 2minutes long my gravel bike. I rode my CX bike in the rain, cyclocross, and local trails. I ditched my gravel bike in favor of a mountain bike.
I'd say an endurance bike with some sort of suspension and clearance for 32mm tires, thru-axles, and disc brakes would be a happy medium between comfort, capability, and strength.
Endurance bikes can be set up to mimic all the best points of a Gravel bike. Unless you need that bottom bracket clearance, go Endurance bike!!