At the time I was riding seriously, "gravel bikes" were cyclocross bikes. Still didn't think of doing this though, lol. Well done, mate! btw, where did you finish? You weren't last, so...
Yes, my first ever road race I entered was done on a Specialized Hard Rock mountain bike. I never trained for the race or even prepared for it. Obviously I lost, but the other riders on full carbon road bikes were surprised that I even finished the race.
I always participate in road events using my CX with some cheap carbon rims with 28mm tires on latex tubes, a 120mm stem vs the 90mm original and some pedals. During winter, I convert it to a pure CX and off we go in the mud. Focus Mares Carbon 105, 2017.
Yes, which inevitably makes me think how the gear is so overated in comparison to individual fitness. Regardless of how the industry (and fellow riders) insists it is the bike holding riders back. PS: I do agree a 15kg bike or the wrong gears/tyres will hold anyone back. Or things like the eurobike.
P.s I was giving this a good go to try and get a result on the gravel bike too, think I finished around 60/70th in end. Maybe worth a retry on a road bike to see how the result compares
@@conordunne1 fair enough, but in truth, at that level the only real difference was wheels and tyres. I have those cincurato H tyres on my gravel bike and they’re awesome for tarmac.
I've owned a gravel bike for a few years now and love it. I have two sets of wheels; road and off-road. I've used it for group road rides, family rides, gravel rides, and city commutes. Gravel bikes can be a great do-it-all bike for those who can only afford one bike.
Looked like a sit in sprinter circuit .. All the 3rd cats love those. Position on the bike and fitness experience at that level counts more than equipment . Ex pro will easily survive. :)
Gravel bikes are awesome I just recently like 2 months ago bought one and its been fantastic so far got me bikepacking even though it was freezing cold and I can do all my MTB trails on it and have way more fun on my way to and from the trails Not as fast on trails obviously but currently I´m also just running 35mil tyres so I have to be a little bit careful but it still loads of fun
A gravel bike is just an endurance geometry bike with wider tyres. If you can't keep up with your mates with 28mm road tyres fitted, it's not about the bike.
My thoughts exactly. It's not possible to do a perfect "control experiment", but it s interesting to contemplate how he would have done on a good road bike.
The only advantage I see with the dedicated road setup would be if one was trying to break away solo or win a sprint. In the group, the draft pretty much makes hanging with the group pretty easy on those CinturatoH tires. At least that's my experience.
@@garyeanes4747 well if are entering a race, you probably want to win, so less dragging resistance, less effort to get to speed in the pack out of corners and on attacking. Any help is a must. So that, only advantage, is a pretty big one tbf.
I’m running a 10-42 rear and a 44 front ring. It gives me the top-end speed on the flats and gives me the ability to find a comfortable gear ratio in nearly any scenario. That’s on my gravel bike. It has gotten me thinking about building up a road bike with a similar setup.
@@gcn - I’m an older man, 61, and live in a hilly area of central Texas. I ride all types of terrain and surfaces. I race gravel events and train mainly on chip seal or asphalt. There are places where I can spin it up a bit but, my riding contains a bit of everything. Keeps it interesting…….
I've got a Norco gravel bike with a GRX groupset, 46-30 chainrings with 10-speed 11-36 cassette, and 38mm tires. I do still want to get some thinner road-specific wheels for the summer road rides, but I'm really happy to see that something even more gravel-focused than mine can hang on in a tarmac race!
I have a grx 30/46 with 11-34 cassette.. its a fantastic bike for long days, I have a 2021 cannondale aluminum topstone 38mm specialized pathfinder pros. Good fast rolling tires. They just don't corner well on tarmac.. little unsettling. But i do like the design of those pirelli's on Connors orbea. Such a sweet ride.
I also have a Norco gravel bike I am guessing we two have the Search model? Mine is a 2021. Before switching to road tire, did you experiment with different tire pressure on tarmac? There is a good difference between 60% pressure vs 90%. give it a try!
I agree! I use my Scott Addict CX for everything: crit racing, longer road rides, gravel, and of course CX. I do have two sets of wheels and cassettes (chain, too). One bike to do it all.
Well done Conor. I ride with my mates who all have road bikes with my Titanium All Road "Curve Belgie Spirit" and keep up no problems .... I prefer this bike to my other road bikes.
I love my Gravel Bike... It was a good buy a few years ago. For Berlin and it's outskirts a solid choice. Having the best of both worlds? Not so much, but at least it's good in both of them and that's good enough for me.
I have a 44 front ring and run on 47mm Byway WTB tyres and it is fast, with the right tyre pressure I’ve ridden my gravel bike at over 20mph av for over an hour, but mostly it’s not about all out speed on the road, it is an exciting bike to ride, really opens the world up to go where you want, it is the perfect all round bike, love it
CONER!!!!WELLDONE!!! I loved the bid but to be honest I wouls also like to see a race like this using road tyres. Stoked that you are going to compete in the World Championship Gravel Event, the Outbound! For your recovery meal might I suggest the Commercial Diner in Emporia? Their biscuits and gravy are legendary!!!!
I'm thinking of getting the Orbea Terra H30 but add a second set of wheels to scratch the road itch. Wanted to get the Orca at first but realized that I'll be more flexible with a gravel bike plus I'm just riding to keep fit and enjoy the sun. No chasing PBs anymore. The Terra will allow me to take advantage of the trails in the woods around my house.
🚴🏽🚴🏼♂️🚴🏼♀️ Next Race! GRAVEL VS. ENDURANCE bikes on different popular tyre sizes! Both gravel and road! Lots of talk between these two format bikes! Pleeeeeeeaaaaassseee! 😊
BicycleRollingResistance will give you a good guide on the impact of gravel tires, but I think a follow up video would be interesting to do 250w in the current gravel setup and swap the tires (same rims) over to a set of Conti GP5000 over 5km. If you only wanted or could afford a single bike but wanted flexibility, some off-road, maybe touring, some road racing - it can be accomplished with a swap of tires?
The answer is yes. I'm riding a Grevil with Reynolds AR-29 rims with Vitorria Corsa N.EXT 28 mm tires for toad and Stan's with Panaracer SK 43s for gravel. Been doing this for several years.
As properly tested by Jan Heine wider tyres roll easier up to 25 mm. And from there up to at least 54 mm the tyres have the same rolling resistance on smooth tarmac. This was tested with a rider. All tests without a rider are pointless as most of the suspension losses occur in the rider's body. Heine's tests rolling down a hill and riding with the same power even take in account for the aerodynamic drag but with non-aero wheels. On rougher surfaces wider tyres win.
The critical issue is tire pressure. You want that to be perfect for your weight and the average terrain you’ll be riding. And that’s not what’s ideal for smooth tarmac. In a gravel race some tarmac sections will rarely prove to be a problem but rather if you got the tire pressure wrong for the rougher sections.
@@gcn - indeed! Thanks! Yes, I will replace the tyres to Continentral GP 5000s (28 mm) and install road specific clipless Shimano pedals to go with my new road shoes. I will have to survive 128 km with 2 months intensive training under my belt. Aiming at around 4 hours finish time, ideally. It will be (and already has been) a fantastic learning experience.
I’ve never attended a race with a/my gravel bike but gotta say I use it in all terrain. That’s not always the best for the tires, but it works pretty good and I’m still fast! And now that’s spring I can go into the forests and wilds with my gravel b 🙃 also now it’s getting better in weather conditions I can get my road bike back on track 😛
This is useful for showing that you don't need one bike for every eventuality. It always used to be that way. I've used my aero road bike on a section of gravel & forest track for years as part of my standard training ride, never even had a puncture.
I started cycling with a self build 105 road bike that weight in at about 8.2kg. But the roads here are so bad it wasnt fun riding around on 25er tires at 8 bar. So I went and build up a gravel bike. It weights about 10kg and has 42mil tires. But it feels so much better on the roads around here in Mainz, Germany. Those things are the fat mans roadbike. Mine is certified to a maximum load of 150kg. 😁
I read this more and more. It seems almost everyone has rough/bad roads! Unless you’re blessed with smooth, new pavement the “gravel” bikes, or gravel tires on a road bike, appear to be the way to go for a lot of people.
This will help decide that my next bike will be gravel, even though I go on a lot of roads. I am not a racer, so don’t care about high speed. Just a normal hobby cyclist who rides for exercise.
More relaxed sitting, better shock absorption, mounting options for bags, if needed, more robust. Those were the main reasons why I got me a gravel bike, but switched to road tires, as I have an MTB for all offroad tasks :)
I just completed my first-ever cycling event, a 164km, 1780m Gran Fondo at the tender age of 49 on a 30 year old steel 26" mountain bike. Looking forward to trying it again but I hope to have a gravel bike before I do!
I have Speedvagen Rugged Road which is basically a gravel bike but I set it up as an all-road with 35c slick tires. I've started using this as my all-arounder and have even taken it on my club group rides amongst all the carbon race bikes. It does make me work that little bit more to keep pace but it can keep pace and I'm pretty sure my ride is a lot more comfy. I do think that the sluggishness is due to the tires, but maybe more my legs. Although, I still think my carbon BMC Team Machine is a lot more efficient and is about 3 pounds lighter which makes it easier for me to maintain speed for less effort.
Weight doesn't matter at all, especially for maintaining speed. You can lose/gain much more than 3 pounds of bodyweight just from water and diet alone during the single raceday. Sometimes when the machine FEELS faster doesn't mean that it really is faster. Tires and position on the bike matters the most in my experience.
@@michadebicki6534 True. I was talking more upon acceleration and responsiveness my lighter bike is quicker to get going so as a whole during a ride it is faster than my other one. I can get them going the same speed but one is more efficient than the other.
As properly tested by Jan Heine wider tyres roll easier up to 25 mm. And from there up to at least 54 mm the tyres have the same rolling resistance on smooth tarmac. This was tested with a rider. All tests without a rider are pointless as most of the suspension losses occur in the rider's body. Heine's tests rolling down a hill and riding with the same power even take in account for the aerodynamic drag but with non-aero wheels. On rougher surfaces wider tyres win.
What was he smoking when fitting those tires? 😄 Rule 40 Conor, tires are to be mounted with the label centered over the valve stem. Or do you want to trigger Ollie? 😉
Stellar content again gcn! Well done Conor! You have demonstrated what Jan Heine of René Herse Tires has been saying for years. Wider tires do not slow you down!
@Global Cycling Network YES! He has been great at debunking tire width myths! Quite articulate. Please have him on. Great insights on tire pressure too!
Never been in a race but I train in a nearby circuit where junior racers also train on their race-setup road bikes. I ride a 40 lb gravel bike setup as commuter/utility with cheap and heavy touring accessories. I can't drop them in the first 30 minutes. I'll be 'leap-frogging' them on the next set. And finally dropping/leading them if they extend their ride past 1 hr. Some of them, thinks I'm on EPO🤣Crit races, sprints, short hillclimbs, maybe no for gravel bike. But on races that can be won with long and constant efforts, possibly winnable on a gravel bike with good training and nutrition.
I was on a road race yesterday with my gravel bike but with road tires. Because of my gear ratio i could climb up every hill. Not everybody was able to ride up the verry steep section with up to 23%. so i would say it depends. 🙂
The San Marcos, California Belgian Waffle Ride, wafer 79 mile edition 2023. I completed it within the time limit 10 hours and some minutes. Soaked in epsom salt bath, chiropractic adjustment, and massage day after felt great, beautiful ride and hope to attend more. Best to all wishing you all safe enjoyment and scenic rides!
I have a gravel frameset or more like an endurance frame that can handle 50mm tyres. I got deep wheels, 32 mm Road tyres and its perfect. Just swap the wheels, 45 mm gravel tyres and it's a perfect bikes for both worlds.
I love to show up to a road ride and ask if this is a gravel ride! Although I haven't done a road race, I have done many road rides on my canyon grail cf8 slx and pulled many a roady and come in far ahead, and they are always like "Wow, and you on a gravel bike!" But no matter the bike, it's about getting out and having fun!
Using a cyclocross bike as a road/tri/gravel bike (with 28mm/42mm tires and 40x11-36). Good enough on flat/uphill but sometimes get dropped on group-ride downhill... which is OK because I ride with friends and don't care about being competitive. Considering a bigger chainring/cassette though.
A few years ago, we welcomed a new member in our road cycling club. He came along the first time with his touring/trekking bike with luggage rack, mud guards, etc. We told him "are you sure? It will be 100km to day, a quite a pace?". Not only could he keep up with the pace, but he left all of us far behind on long uphills. For we it would be more interesting to know what is the power loss on a gravel bike compared to a comparably equipped road bike.
Mudguards partially act as a fairing and benefit the aerodynamic drag. With mudguards covering the rear side of a wheel the result is of course negative but it's not as bad as you think. Jan Heine rides randonneures and race bikes. It's not always the case that the race bike is faster. On the downhills the wider tyres always win.
As properly tested by Jan Heine wider tyres roll easier up to 25 mm. And from there up to at least 54 mm the tyres have the same rolling resistance on smooth tarmac. This was tested with a rider. All tests without a rider are pointless as most of the suspension losses occur in the rider's body. Heine's tests rolling down a hill and riding with the same power even take in account for the aerodynamic drag but with non-aero wheels. On rougher surfaces wider tyres win.
I've gotten my stock Grizl CF up to 34mph so far, taking #2 on my local racer segment on strava. I think in short bursts they are almost as fast 98%. Over time you can certainly feel the rolling resistance from the center lugs. I wonder if new semi-slick gravel tires will be faster on the tarmac also...🤔
can you do 40kph on the flat tarmac to get to the offroad bit with the MTB?Then get to the offroad, and get sketchy as hell pushing the skinny tyres to the limit of grip, on single track that would be boring on a full squish MTB?This is how you use the Gravel Bike.
What I’m more interested is, I noticed that you were using MTB SPD pedals. How did it feel compared to road pedals on road racing scenario? I’m considering switching to SPD pedal because of the convenient of walking on MTB shoes.
I have ridden with SPD pedals on my road bike for years. Commuting in London, the need for clipping in and out quickly and the obvious walking advantages. I commute 50km a day and have completed Gran Fondos up to 350km and never experienced any issues. I'll admit there is more adjustability with SPD-SL, maybe I've been lucky, but I use Shimano XC7 shoes with XT pedals and besides the occasional snobbish look (very rare I might add), they do me fine.
the biggest difference between SPD and SPD SL is the contact patch between your shoe and pedal body for the support. but if you have a SPD pedal with a large pedal body, and a shoe that interfaces well (in terms of the rubber treads and lugs under the shoe), then it'll perform just as well as SPD SL (other than hauling around extra weight with heavier shoes). i say only shoe, since there are a few SPD pedal options which weigh similar to SPD SL pedals (such as the shimano a600, es600, time also makes one, but is long discontinued, along with the a600 shimano pedal). after using SPD SL and SPD, i've long since reverted to just using SPD across all my bikes, so i can wear any of my shoes with any of my bikes. i have the double sided ones on the single speed, or do-everything-bike, and on the fast road bike, i have the light weight shimano a600s
I wonder what pressure Connor did use in his tires. My gravel bike is equipped with 40 mm tires, I would keep them at 35-40psi when on gravel and in the woods, but at 50 to 55 psi if on the tarmac only…
I run a scott gravel addict 20 as a roadbike with 28 mm slick tyers. 1x42t 10...44 and ita complete fine. Sure crit racing might not be on the cards - you start to spin out at 45...50 km/h but in terms if any road biking its more than fine. Only weak link tbh are long high gradient ascents as something like 36t chainring would be more comfortable but there are non where i live.
The gearing in this video allows for a speed of 47.5kph pedalling at 90RPM. For a moderately powerful person with better tyres it would be 'okay ish' on a flat track with no wind. But if there is a 1% downhill or tailwind on any part of the track, then your legs will spin out. The GRX 1x has 40T (shown in this video) and 42Teeth option. The bike in this video should really have had GRX 2x with 46 Teeth the larger chain ring. With a 10 tooth Cassette that would get you 57kph. GRX 2x is a necessity if you want diverse riding (i.e. both gravel and road). Conventional 50/34 (compact) will 11-34 cassette gets you 54.0kph at 90RPM.
Mmm. Not sure what got tested here but for the cost and ease, please adapt the tires to your ride surface. I mean, I get not wanting to have multiple bikes; but Shirley you can swap the tires? Its what, 80 euros more?
I’m still considering getting a gravel bike with 2 up front and a second set of wheels. Feel like it’ll do everything I need and has extra rubber for the miserable weather we get in Snowdonia
I have a Look 765 Optimum+ and do that. I bought two separate axles and it takes about 5 minutes to switch the wheels and align the brake calipers. And if you get 38s or 40s you’ll probably leave them on most of the time.
I’ve got a Diverge with 2x, Roval Terra CL wheels and 38mm Pathfinder Pro tyres. I love it as an all round bike - sub 10kg, the solid strip makes the tyres feel fast on the road, and there is enough width and grip for the worst roads, towpaths dry/damp off-road. I could put 28mm conti 5000s on it, but just never felt the need!
I've been riding this bike for 7 years now! ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L It was a great bike the day I got it, put it together, and went on my first ride; more importantly it's an even better bike today. I've ridden trails, street, and skatepark all on this bike. I have replaced almost every part on the bike. Some stuff has broken: derailleurs, wheels, shifter. Everything else were upgrades. The only ramaing original parts are the frame, bottom bracket, and crank set. BB and cranks will be upgraded soon. The geometry isn't great but that is really the only draw back to how good a value this bike is. Even after all the money I've spent upgrading it's still a more affordable bike than I'd have bought from a proper bike shop, especially with full suspension. I've also learned a lot about bikes working on it over the years. It really is one of the best perchases I've ever made and hopefully it'll still be around for another 7 years.
Nice stuff, interesting. Still not sold into this gravel bike fashion... I´d rather have a light CX MTB for gravel and what else comes because not all you find away from tarmac is nice smooth gravel. Note I have Synapse that I kind of gravel a little ;) so it is not denial.
I ride a mid-level Trek Checkpoint with a 2 by group set, and I'm surprised at the speed you can get out of it. When I purchased it, I thought of buying the Domane, but the geometry was a bit too aggressive for an old man that has had 12 spinal surgeries. Give up a little speed for comfort and versatility.
I was looking at the same two, but came down on the Domane side and promptly mounted gravel tires on it. The new Domane definitely feels less aggressive than my old one. We’ll see how I feel in five years or so.
@Conor Dunne: I would have loved to see you riding this race in full Gravel mode which means: Gravel bike, handlebar bag (we are used to see you with this bag) and an flannels shirt. But most importantly with the handlebar bag installed - it‘s not you without this bag!😂
This is becoming a reality more often at local race and crits. Gravel bikes are FAST. We need to stop pretending we need a particular bike for every particular situation. The technology is simply closing most gaps. WIN for RIDERS!
Depends what for, from what I've been told, gravelbikes are more practical when it comes to bikepacking since they often come with all the attachment t points and I believe the cyclocross vikes ride harder, and have a higher BB? I've azked myself this question before as well and this was the arguments against cyclocross as an all-rounder.
Not neglecting, has been covered before [ua-cam.com/video/S8B-rqqHIEg/v-deo.html&ab_channel=GlobalCyclingNetwork (although, this one is just off road)], but also mentioned in the last week about how the Cyclocross bike is very use specific, whilst Gravel are more encompassing. On the Thruxton course of this vid, unlikely to be much difference at all between CX and GRVL, but something tighter and technical the CX would have an edge being more nimble.
Did a road century on my OBED with 38c gravel kings. Some parts of the highway were so torn apart that a lot of people complimented me on my choice. I didn’t realize 38s were so “wide” 😂 It was my first road race. Also I’m 194cm and road about 20k without even realizing I had 10 riders sheltering behind me the entire time.
Would be interesting to see the same bike with road tires. I have a gravel bike with 2 sets of wheels, aluminium with g-one gravel tires and 50mm deep carbon wheels with contis. I'm about 2-3km/h faster on the road wheels... That's quite a bit.
Have you ever entered a road race on a gravel bike? 🚴 Let us know in the comments below! 👇
At the time I was riding seriously, "gravel bikes" were cyclocross bikes. Still didn't think of doing this though, lol.
Well done, mate! btw, where did you finish? You weren't last, so...
Yes, my first ever road race I entered was done on a Specialized Hard Rock mountain bike. I never trained for the race or even prepared for it. Obviously I lost, but the other riders on full carbon road bikes were surprised that I even finished the race.
I once rode a Touring bike in a Criterium... my first one! I did finish, though. 😋
I always participate in road events using my CX with some cheap carbon rims with 28mm tires on latex tubes, a 120mm stem vs the 90mm original and some pedals. During winter, I convert it to a pure CX and off we go in the mud. Focus Mares Carbon 105, 2017.
I haven't but I might if the Hell of the West is on gravel again this year.
“Can an ex world tour pro hang on to Cat 3 weekend warriors?” , not sure you needed a video to answer that.
Yes, which inevitably makes me think how the gear is so overated in comparison to individual fitness. Regardless of how the industry (and fellow riders) insists it is the bike holding riders back.
PS: I do agree a 15kg bike or the wrong gears/tyres will hold anyone back. Or things like the eurobike.
Informercial gotta informercial.
P.s I was giving this a good go to try and get a result on the gravel bike too, think I finished around 60/70th in end. Maybe worth a retry on a road bike to see how the result compares
@@conordunne1 fair enough, but in truth, at that level the only real difference was wheels and tyres. I have those cincurato H tyres on my gravel bike and they’re awesome for tarmac.
A question not asked is which grade would you normally enter? Did you drop down a grade?
6:51 mate was eyeing Connor's tires and you could see the disappointment in his face. 😂
I've owned a gravel bike for a few years now and love it. I have two sets of wheels; road and off-road. I've used it for group road rides, family rides, gravel rides, and city commutes. Gravel bikes can be a great do-it-all bike for those who can only afford one bike.
That really is one bike to rule them all 🙌
Looked like a sit in sprinter circuit .. All the 3rd cats love those. Position on the bike and fitness experience at that level counts more than equipment . Ex pro will easily survive. :)
It likely does not hinder being an ex tdf world tour rider in a cat 3 race 😊
Gravel bikes are awesome I just recently like 2 months ago bought one and its been fantastic so far got me bikepacking even though it was freezing cold and I can do all my MTB trails on it and have way more fun on my way to and from the trails
Not as fast on trails obviously but currently I´m also just running 35mil tyres so I have to be a little bit careful but it still loads of fun
A gravel bike is just an endurance geometry bike with wider tyres. If you can't keep up with your mates with 28mm road tyres fitted, it's not about the bike.
It would be interesting for Conor to show up the next time with a road bike and compare the results.
My thoughts exactly. It's not possible to do a perfect "control experiment", but it s interesting to contemplate how he would have done on a good road bike.
It wouldn't really be a fair race. Talk about a ringer!
just need to change the tires not the bike
The only advantage I see with the dedicated road setup would be if one was trying to break away solo or win a sprint. In the group, the draft pretty much makes hanging with the group pretty easy on those CinturatoH tires. At least that's my experience.
@@garyeanes4747 well if are entering a race, you probably want to win, so less dragging resistance, less effort to get to speed in the pack out of corners and on attacking. Any help is a must. So that, only advantage, is a pretty big one tbf.
I’m running a 10-42 rear and a 44 front ring. It gives me the top-end speed on the flats and gives me the ability to find a comfortable gear ratio in nearly any scenario. That’s on my gravel bike. It has gotten me thinking about building up a road bike with a similar setup.
Interesting! Do you think you favour a more spinny gear?
@@gcn - I’m an older man, 61, and live in a hilly area of central Texas. I ride all types of terrain and surfaces. I race gravel events and train mainly on chip seal or asphalt. There are places where I can spin it up a bit but, my riding contains a bit of everything. Keeps it interesting…….
Think Connor's chin finished that race 3 minutes before the rest of him crossed the line 😅
I've got a Norco gravel bike with a GRX groupset, 46-30 chainrings with 10-speed 11-36 cassette, and 38mm tires. I do still want to get some thinner road-specific wheels for the summer road rides, but I'm really happy to see that something even more gravel-focused than mine can hang on in a tarmac race!
It's not all about the bike and you'll be amazed what you can do with the bike you have 🙌
I have a grx 30/46 with 11-34 cassette.. its a fantastic bike for long days, I have a 2021 cannondale aluminum topstone 38mm specialized pathfinder pros. Good fast rolling tires. They just don't corner well on tarmac.. little unsettling. But i do like the design of those pirelli's on Connors orbea. Such a sweet ride.
I also have a Norco gravel bike I am guessing we two have the Search model? Mine is a 2021. Before switching to road tire, did you experiment with different tire pressure on tarmac? There is a good difference between 60% pressure vs 90%. give it a try!
I agree! I use my Scott Addict CX for everything: crit racing, longer road rides, gravel, and of course CX. I do have two sets of wheels and cassettes (chain, too). One bike to do it all.
I do almost the same here in Hamburg with a Focus Mares Carbon disk, 105, 2017. I am on the limit with the chain but I am good for now.
Love to hear it! You're getting your money's worth out of that bike 🎉
More racing please. Road, gravel, TT, anything.
Well done Conor. I ride with my mates who all have road bikes with my Titanium All Road "Curve Belgie Spirit" and keep up no problems .... I prefer this bike to my other road bikes.
That is one nice bike 😍 Is it in the bike vault? We would love to see it 👉 gcn.eu/app
I love my Gravel Bike... It was a good buy a few years ago. For Berlin and it's outskirts a solid choice. Having the best of both worlds? Not so much, but at least it's good in both of them and that's good enough for me.
I have a 44 front ring and run on 47mm Byway WTB tyres and it is fast, with the right tyre pressure I’ve ridden my gravel bike at over 20mph av for over an hour, but mostly it’s not about all out speed on the road, it is an exciting bike to ride, really opens the world up to go where you want, it is the perfect all round bike, love it
CONER!!!!WELLDONE!!! I loved the bid but to be honest I wouls also like to see a race like this using road tyres. Stoked that you are going to compete in the World Championship Gravel Event, the Outbound! For your recovery meal might I suggest the Commercial Diner in Emporia? Their biscuits and gravy are legendary!!!!
We'll make sure Conor sees this... any chance for food, he's down 😂
Nice to see as I have the same tires as yours. I didn't know they were that good
Not surprised that Connor could hang with them. I suspect that the gearing rather than the tires are what held him back. Nice ride Connor!
I'm thinking of getting the Orbea Terra H30 but add a second set of wheels to scratch the road itch. Wanted to get the Orca at first but realized that I'll be more flexible with a gravel bike plus I'm just riding to keep fit and enjoy the sun. No chasing PBs anymore. The Terra will allow me to take advantage of the trails in the woods around my house.
just get two sets of tyres one gravel and one road
A gravel bike is a great choice! Alex has done exactly what you want to do in this video 👉ua-cam.com/video/ZtuWYiWRcwE/v-deo.html
For my gravel bike i use specialized pathfinder which aare very good as the have low drag running through the middle.
🚴🏽🚴🏼♂️🚴🏼♀️ Next Race! GRAVEL VS. ENDURANCE bikes on different popular tyre sizes! Both gravel and road! Lots of talk between these two format bikes! Pleeeeeeeaaaaassseee! 😊
BicycleRollingResistance will give you a good guide on the impact of gravel tires, but I think a follow up video would be interesting to do 250w in the current gravel setup and swap the tires (same rims) over to a set of Conti GP5000 over 5km. If you only wanted or could afford a single bike but wanted flexibility, some off-road, maybe touring, some road racing - it can be accomplished with a swap of tires?
The answer is yes. I'm riding a Grevil with Reynolds AR-29 rims with Vitorria Corsa N.EXT 28 mm tires for toad and Stan's with Panaracer SK 43s for gravel. Been doing this for several years.
As properly tested by Jan Heine wider tyres roll easier up to 25 mm. And from there up to at least 54 mm the tyres have the same rolling resistance on smooth tarmac.
This was tested with a rider. All tests without a rider are pointless as most of the suspension losses occur in the rider's body. Heine's tests rolling down a hill and riding with the same power even take in account for the aerodynamic drag but with non-aero wheels. On rougher surfaces wider tyres win.
The critical issue is tire pressure. You want that to be perfect for your weight and the average terrain you’ll be riding. And that’s not what’s ideal for smooth tarmac. In a gravel race some tarmac sections will rarely prove to be a problem but rather if you got the tire pressure wrong for the rougher sections.
Like the intro when Connor is dropped by the big block.......helps me to get back on the track after two surgeries , thank you
You just keep producing videos I need! In 4 weeks I am planning to survive a road race on a gravel bike. :D
We must be mid readers 👀 Good luck!!! Are you changes anything on your bike for the race? 💨
@@gcn - indeed! Thanks! Yes, I will replace the tyres to Continentral GP 5000s (28 mm) and install road specific clipless Shimano pedals to go with my new road shoes. I will have to survive 128 km with 2 months intensive training under my belt. Aiming at around 4 hours finish time, ideally. It will be (and already has been) a fantastic learning experience.
Great to see you in the mix racing, Conner. Well done.
Would you like to see more race content from Conor? 👀
@Global Cycling Network I am more of a bike packing fan so I've enjoyed his Slow Pro rides.
Great ride Conor, you looked right at home there :) x
Conor, great job. Gravel bikes are the best. I am not into Road races but I have always believed that they are the only bike needed by most riders
I’ve never attended a race with a/my gravel bike but gotta say I use it in all terrain. That’s not always the best for the tires, but it works pretty good and I’m still fast! And now that’s spring I can go into the forests and wilds with my gravel b 🙃 also now it’s getting better in weather conditions I can get my road bike back on track 😛
Your seatpost height looks like it would be up to my eyeballs 😂
This is useful for showing that you don't need one bike for every eventuality. It always used to be that way. I've used my aero road bike on a section of gravel & forest track for years as part of my standard training ride, never even had a puncture.
One bike really can do it all! Do you think you would want to go for a gravel bike if you were doing more forest tracks? 👀
I started cycling with a self build 105 road bike that weight in at about 8.2kg. But the roads here are so bad it wasnt fun riding around on 25er tires at 8 bar. So I went and build up a gravel bike. It weights about 10kg and has 42mil tires. But it feels so much better on the roads around here in Mainz, Germany. Those things are the fat mans roadbike. Mine is certified to a maximum load of 150kg. 😁
Sounds like a Cannondale Topstone. Same here 😉
I read this more and more. It seems almost everyone has rough/bad roads! Unless you’re blessed with smooth, new pavement the “gravel” bikes, or gravel tires on a road bike, appear to be the way to go for a lot of people.
Nobody gonna ask about the ground-level helicopter, huh?
This will help decide that my next bike will be gravel, even though I go on a lot of roads. I am not a racer, so don’t care about high speed. Just a normal hobby cyclist who rides for exercise.
Gravel bikes are the best. Offroad, tarmac, or wet conditions it can do it all!
More relaxed sitting, better shock absorption, mounting options for bags, if needed, more robust. Those were the main reasons why I got me a gravel bike, but switched to road tires, as I have an MTB for all offroad tasks :)
I raced there with him and fair play it was a spicy affair well done buddy 👏
I just completed my first-ever cycling event, a 164km, 1780m Gran Fondo at the tender age of 49 on a 30 year old steel 26" mountain bike. Looking forward to trying it again but I hope to have a gravel bike before I do!
Wow, very surprising, I thought if you rode a gravel bike on pavement they would burst into flames, amazing that that a bicycle can be used as a bike.
I have Speedvagen Rugged Road which is basically a gravel bike but I set it up as an all-road with 35c slick tires. I've started using this as my all-arounder and have even taken it on my club group rides amongst all the carbon race bikes. It does make me work that little bit more to keep pace but it can keep pace and I'm pretty sure my ride is a lot more comfy. I do think that the sluggishness is due to the tires, but maybe more my legs. Although, I still think my carbon BMC Team Machine is a lot more efficient and is about 3 pounds lighter which makes it easier for me to maintain speed for less effort.
Weight doesn't matter at all, especially for maintaining speed. You can lose/gain much more than 3 pounds of bodyweight just from water and diet alone during the single raceday. Sometimes when the machine FEELS faster doesn't mean that it really is faster. Tires and position on the bike matters the most in my experience.
@@michadebicki6534 True. I was talking more upon acceleration and responsiveness my lighter bike is quicker to get going so as a whole during a ride it is faster than my other one. I can get them going the same speed but one is more efficient than the other.
As properly tested by Jan Heine wider tyres roll easier up to 25 mm. And from there up to at least 54 mm the tyres have the same rolling resistance on smooth tarmac.
This was tested with a rider. All tests without a rider are pointless as most of the suspension losses occur in the rider's body. Heine's tests rolling down a hill and riding with the same power even take in account for the aerodynamic drag but with non-aero wheels. On rougher surfaces wider tyres win.
Brilliant..... What were your tyre pressures for the tarmac please?
What was he smoking when fitting those tires? 😄 Rule 40 Conor, tires are to be mounted with the label centered over the valve stem. Or do you want to trigger Ollie? 😉
Stellar content again gcn! Well done Conor! You have demonstrated what Jan Heine of René Herse Tires has been saying for years. Wider tires do not slow you down!
Maybe we should Invite Jan onto the show 👀
@Global Cycling Network YES! He has been great at debunking tire width myths! Quite articulate. Please have him on. Great insights on tire pressure too!
Thanks Conor. It ain't the bike , boss ! In my OAF and SAF opinion , it's the rider . Prime mover
Never been in a race but I train in a nearby circuit where junior racers also train on their race-setup road bikes. I ride a 40 lb gravel bike setup as commuter/utility with cheap and heavy touring accessories. I can't drop them in the first 30 minutes. I'll be 'leap-frogging' them on the next set. And finally dropping/leading them if they extend their ride past 1 hr. Some of them, thinks I'm on EPO🤣Crit races, sprints, short hillclimbs, maybe no for gravel bike. But on races that can be won with long and constant efforts, possibly winnable on a gravel bike with good training and nutrition.
I was on a road race yesterday with my gravel bike but with road tires. Because of my gear ratio i could climb up every hill. Not everybody was able to ride up the verry steep section with up to 23%. so i would say it depends. 🙂
“depends”. Don’t you find those in swimming pools 😊
The San Marcos, California Belgian Waffle Ride, wafer 79 mile edition 2023. I completed it within the time limit 10 hours and some minutes. Soaked in epsom salt bath, chiropractic adjustment, and massage day after felt great, beautiful ride and hope to attend more. Best to all wishing you all safe enjoyment and scenic rides!
On a 2018 Trek checkpoint
Good to see some ACU lads cutting about
What are you doing out in the wind?! You have the aerodynamic profile of an upright mattress. Good work on the race 👏💪👍
Well done, Conor, that'll silence Oli's smug laugh! Glad to see that Conor's wife got to choose the paint scheme for his Terra, subtle AND classy!
Never in doubt Conor!!!
Redo with a handlebar bag fitted😅
I have a gravel frameset or more like an endurance frame that can handle 50mm tyres. I got deep wheels, 32 mm Road tyres and its perfect. Just swap the wheels, 45 mm gravel tyres and it's a perfect bikes for both worlds.
I love to show up to a road ride and ask if this is a gravel ride! Although I haven't done a road race, I have done many road rides on my canyon grail cf8 slx and pulled many a roady and come in far ahead, and they are always like "Wow, and you on a gravel bike!" But no matter the bike, it's about getting out and having fun!
Alex and Ollie should have given Conor at least a 50 50 chance. Great video love it and I was there watching
Using a cyclocross bike as a road/tri/gravel bike (with 28mm/42mm tires and 40x11-36). Good enough on flat/uphill but sometimes get dropped on group-ride downhill... which is OK because I ride with friends and don't care about being competitive. Considering a bigger chainring/cassette though.
I have a Trek Domane that I consider a gravel bike. I race road, gravel, and even CX on it. The one race I won the past 2 years was a gravel race!
Some road wheels with 28mm slicks and a tighter cassette, and a 52 tooth chainring; you've got yourself a crit weapon
A few years ago, we welcomed a new member in our road cycling club. He came along the first time with his touring/trekking bike with luggage rack, mud guards, etc. We told him "are you sure? It will be 100km to day, a quite a pace?". Not only could he keep up with the pace, but he left all of us far behind on long uphills. For we it would be more interesting to know what is the power loss on a gravel bike compared to a comparably equipped road bike.
Mudguards partially act as a fairing and benefit the aerodynamic drag. With mudguards covering the rear side of a wheel the result is of course negative but it's not as bad as you think. Jan Heine rides randonneures and race bikes. It's not always the case that the race bike is faster. On the downhills the wider tyres always win.
Can you do a video on rolling resistance where you test different types of tires on the same set up? Curious just how much it equates to.
There’s a website for it
As properly tested by Jan Heine wider tyres roll easier up to 25 mm. And from there up to at least 54 mm the tyres have the same rolling resistance on smooth tarmac.
This was tested with a rider. All tests without a rider are pointless as most of the suspension losses occur in the rider's body. Heine's tests rolling down a hill and riding with the same power even take in account for the aerodynamic drag but with non-aero wheels. On rougher surfaces wider tyres win.
Ollie's evil laugh at the beginning of the video. 😂😂
Thanks Conor
So fair play to you and the bike Connor, but where did you finish? How big was the field.
Honestly, it would never occur to me to do a road race with those tires unless for a training purposes. :-) but well done.
I've gotten my stock Grizl CF up to 34mph so far, taking #2 on my local racer segment on strava. I think in short bursts they are almost as fast 98%. Over time you can certainly feel the rolling resistance from the center lugs. I wonder if new semi-slick gravel tires will be faster on the tarmac also...🤔
Now need to find that 2% to get the KOM 😉
what is your setup? or you are stick with the stock setup, which is?
I’m doing my first 10 mile TT aged 57 on my 700x47 Gravel bike tomorrow 😮😂
That bike is just huge!
If roadies want to ride offroad there are bikes called MTBs they do the job very well.
can you do 40kph on the flat tarmac to get to the offroad bit with the MTB?Then get to the offroad, and get sketchy as hell pushing the skinny tyres to the limit of grip, on single track that would be boring on a full squish MTB?This is how you use the Gravel Bike.
What I’m more interested is, I noticed that you were using MTB SPD pedals. How did it feel compared to road pedals on road racing scenario? I’m considering switching to SPD pedal because of the convenient of walking on MTB shoes.
I have ridden with SPD pedals on my road bike for years. Commuting in London, the need for clipping in and out quickly and the obvious walking advantages. I commute 50km a day and have completed Gran Fondos up to 350km and never experienced any issues.
I'll admit there is more adjustability with SPD-SL, maybe I've been lucky, but I use Shimano XC7 shoes with XT pedals and besides the occasional snobbish look (very rare I might add), they do me fine.
the biggest difference between SPD and SPD SL is the contact patch between your shoe and pedal body for the support. but if you have a SPD pedal with a large pedal body, and a shoe that interfaces well (in terms of the rubber treads and lugs under the shoe), then it'll perform just as well as SPD SL (other than hauling around extra weight with heavier shoes). i say only shoe, since there are a few SPD pedal options which weigh similar to SPD SL pedals (such as the shimano a600, es600, time also makes one, but is long discontinued, along with the a600 shimano pedal).
after using SPD SL and SPD, i've long since reverted to just using SPD across all my bikes, so i can wear any of my shoes with any of my bikes. i have the double sided ones on the single speed, or do-everything-bike, and on the fast road bike, i have the light weight shimano a600s
Impressive, Conor. Tbh, I didn’t think a 40 tooth chain ring would have a chance! Maybe I need to reevaluate my opinion on 1x set-ups.
I wonder what pressure Connor did use in his tires. My gravel bike is equipped with 40 mm tires, I would keep them at 35-40psi when on gravel and in the woods, but at 50 to 55 psi if on the tarmac only…
Reminds me of that meme where there is a fox sitting in a pack of hunting beagles trying to blend in 😁😄
It was great to see these images from the inside of the race! 👍 Why don't they do the same in Pro races?🤔
Ollie would easily answer that
Go Conor gravel bike hero!
I run a scott gravel addict 20 as a roadbike with 28 mm slick tyers. 1x42t 10...44 and ita complete fine. Sure crit racing might not be on the cards - you start to spin out at 45...50 km/h but in terms if any road biking its more than fine. Only weak link tbh are long high gradient ascents as something like 36t chainring would be more comfortable but there are non where i live.
The gearing in this video allows for a speed of 47.5kph pedalling at 90RPM.
For a moderately powerful person with better tyres it would be 'okay ish' on a flat track with no wind.
But if there is a 1% downhill or tailwind on any part of the track, then your legs will spin out.
The GRX 1x has 40T (shown in this video) and 42Teeth option.
The bike in this video should really have had GRX 2x with 46 Teeth the larger chain ring. With a 10 tooth Cassette that would get you 57kph.
GRX 2x is a necessity if you want diverse riding (i.e. both gravel and road).
Conventional 50/34 (compact) will 11-34 cassette gets you 54.0kph at 90RPM.
I tried a MTB race with a hybrid-commuter bike, just to see if it could be done. Gears and tires were lacking, but I/it finished in the pack.
Of course your 1X and the internally routed cables made your bike to most aero of the bunch :)
Aero is everything 🙌
Mmm. Not sure what got tested here but for the cost and ease, please adapt the tires to your ride surface. I mean, I get not wanting to have multiple bikes; but Shirley you can swap the tires? Its what, 80 euros more?
Conor will henceforth be known as “Shirley”.
The gravel bike was cool. You should have gotten off and onto the track as the crow flies to finish first instead of taking every turn.
Well done Connor.
thank you GCN my next project will be a gravel bike :)
Great! Remember to post it in the GCN app so we can all have a look!
I’m still considering getting a gravel bike with 2 up front and a second set of wheels. Feel like it’ll do everything I need and has extra rubber for the miserable weather we get in Snowdonia
I have a Look 765 Optimum+ and do that. I bought two separate axles and it takes about 5 minutes to switch the wheels and align the brake calipers. And if you get 38s or 40s you’ll probably leave them on most of the time.
Good idea! That's the great thing about gravel bikes is that they can be so versatile!
I’ve got a Diverge with 2x, Roval Terra CL wheels and 38mm Pathfinder Pro tyres. I love it as an all round bike - sub 10kg, the solid strip makes the tyres feel fast on the road, and there is enough width and grip for the worst roads, towpaths dry/damp off-road. I could put 28mm conti 5000s on it, but just never felt the need!
I got an Aspero-5 GRX 2x for that reason. Two sets of wheels and you’re good to go.
That gopro killed his aero. 🙂
I've been riding this bike for 7 years now! ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L It was a great bike the day I got it, put it together, and went on my first ride; more importantly it's an even better bike today. I've ridden trails, street, and skatepark all on this bike. I have replaced almost every part on the bike. Some stuff has broken: derailleurs, wheels, shifter. Everything else were upgrades. The only ramaing original parts are the frame, bottom bracket, and crank set. BB and cranks will be upgraded soon. The geometry isn't great but that is really the only draw back to how good a value this bike is. Even after all the money I've spent upgrading it's still a more affordable bike than I'd have bought from a proper bike shop, especially with full suspension. I've also learned a lot about bikes working on it over the years. It really is one of the best perchases I've ever made and hopefully it'll still be around for another 7 years.
Conor is pretty easy to spot in a group :D
Nice stuff, interesting. Still not sold into this gravel bike fashion... I´d rather have a light CX MTB for gravel and what else comes because not all you find away from tarmac is nice smooth gravel. Note I have Synapse that I kind of gravel a little ;) so it is not denial.
I ride a mid-level Trek Checkpoint with a 2 by group set, and I'm surprised at the speed you can get out of it. When I purchased it, I thought of buying the Domane, but the geometry was a bit too aggressive for an old man that has had 12 spinal surgeries. Give up a little speed for comfort and versatility.
I was looking at the same two, but came down on the Domane side and promptly mounted gravel tires on it. The new Domane definitely feels less aggressive than my old one. We’ll see how I feel in five years or so.
Connor is a strong damn good rider, a gravel bike will not be the best but I am not surprised how well he did!
It’s not the bike it is the motor.
Next week 32mm slicks!
Lol - look at that saddle angle!
You should start a format showing all crit races that are happening around your country
@Conor Dunne: I would have loved to see you riding this race in full Gravel mode which means: Gravel bike, handlebar bag (we are used to see you with this bag) and an flannels shirt. But most importantly with the handlebar bag installed - it‘s not you without this bag!😂
I thought it would be too much for a gravel bike but well done for a trying
On the roads of Sussex that have fallen apart and are like gravel tracks this would make definite sense.
I think the same goes for most of the UK 😂
This is becoming a reality more often at local race and crits. Gravel bikes are FAST. We need to stop pretending we need a particular bike for every particular situation. The technology is simply closing most gaps. WIN for RIDERS!
In a discussion about gravel vs road bike, everyone is always neglecting cyclocross bikes. Just a thought.
Depends what for, from what I've been told, gravelbikes are more practical when it comes to bikepacking since they often come with all the attachment t points and I believe the cyclocross vikes ride harder, and have a higher BB?
I've azked myself this question before as well and this was the arguments against cyclocross as an all-rounder.
Not neglecting, has been covered before [ua-cam.com/video/S8B-rqqHIEg/v-deo.html&ab_channel=GlobalCyclingNetwork (although, this one is just off road)], but also mentioned in the last week about how the Cyclocross bike is very use specific, whilst Gravel are more encompassing.
On the Thruxton course of this vid, unlikely to be much difference at all between CX and GRVL, but something tighter and technical the CX would have an edge being more nimble.
Did a road century on my OBED with 38c gravel kings. Some parts of the highway were so torn apart that a lot of people complimented me on my choice. I didn’t realize 38s were so “wide” 😂
It was my first road race. Also I’m 194cm and road about 20k without even realizing I had 10 riders sheltering behind me the entire time.
Nice going! How did you get on at the end of the race? 👀
Which OBED do you have, I am currently waiting on the GVR SRAM Force to arrive. Looking to rely heavy on the speed everyone is raving about.
Would be interesting to see the same bike with road tires. I have a gravel bike with 2 sets of wheels, aluminium with g-one gravel tires and 50mm deep carbon wheels with contis.
I'm about 2-3km/h faster on the road wheels... That's quite a bit.
Go on Felix lad