Originally Posted by
guadzilla
Hi all - I've been on the quest for a rain bike and was initially looking at an AL bike capable of fitting 32c wheels.
However, i am now considering something that is more gravel-capable - my wife and i travel a lot, and it would be nice to be able to take bikes that can handle some dirt roads, non-technical single track and such. However, the bike will still see more duty on the pavement (let's say 70-80%), so dont want an absolute boat (or a boat anchor, for that matter). A lot of our holidays involve climbing on tarmac, so the bike definitely needs to be able to climb well and not be a noodle
My leading options are:
- Trek Domane
- Lynskey Gravel
- a custom 853 with SS couplers (sounds ideal, but i dont know if the guy has made any gravel bikes before, and knows how to make a frame with the attributes I want)
Anything else I should consider? I'd like to get a sub-9kg build, if possible.
Do you need gearing for pedaling over 36mph? Most gravel bikes have the same geometry as endurance bikes. They just a bit wider in the seat stay by the crank, which may limit the gearing, and are wider at the top of the fork by 10mm or so.
The differences my Checkpoint and Emonda on the same, or similar, tires are nonexistent. The road bike has a 48t and the gravel bike has a 40t, so it’s really about if the group ride is going to be above 32mph for a bit. The Emonda drafts a touch better because of the steeper fork and would be better in some insanely tight slalom course for the same reason.