Originally Posted by
ericcox
My "gravel" bike is a 1X CX bike. My road bike is Prince with 55mm wheels. On faster rides (20+ MPH), the Pinarello is a little faster at similar power outputs, and is also easier to ride fast due to the gearing. That said, I've thrown some road tires on the cx bike for commuting / group ride on the way to work, and I can definitely hold speeds close to the road bike on a few of my usual routes. I do have issues spinning out above 31-32MPH, but I'm trying it out on our early morning group ride before work for the first time tomorrow (my schedule this fall dictates that I have to ride from the group ride straight to work). We'll see how much the cx bike + the ortlieb saddle bag with my clothes and lunch slow me down on the group ride. I can say as much as I love the cx bike offroad and on more relaxed road rides, the Pinarello feels much better as speed picks up, though, again, gearing has something to do with that. And the swooshing of the wheels. The sound is good for a few watts :-).
Did the group ride this morning. I didn't get dropped, but could definitely tell a difference when doing pulls. Tucked into the group, there were no issues until speeds ramped up. On one stretch as we approach a sprint point, speeds really pick up. I was looking for another gear that just wasn't there... I guess the lesson is that my less expensive (by a lot) cross bike can do what my road bike does for the most part. But I don't think I'll be getting rid of the Pinarello anytime soon.