Originally Posted by
50PlusCycling
I met my weight loss goal last summer, knocking off 25 pounds. My current goal is to prevent it from coming back. I just got back from a ride, 5 hours and 108km, averaging 21.7 kph. I did 120km the day before yesterday. I’m riding a gravel bike with 50mm tires and a suspension fork, and weighs about 10kg. It’s not a flyweight, but it has a smooth ride which is easy on my body. I have a Tarmac SL7 which weighs 7kg, and that bike flies. Unfortunately, “harsh-riding” is an understatement when describing it.
I'm not a professional cyclist, but I recommend putting a rigid front fork on your gravel bike and keep riding that. If it's more comfortable, you're going to ride it more. You can possibly get a higher average speed on the SL7 if you install the widest tires that will fit, probably 32mm according to Google, and depending on your weight, maybe 60psi. That might be enough to remove some of the harshness from the ride. Either that, or stay with the gravel bike. 10kg isn't really that heavy, even if you add a few water bottles, spare tube and a few tools. Comfort is more important than speed to me.