Reddit for cyclists who enjoy riding and racing gravel

Hi everyone,

I currently have a Wahoo Kickr V5 with the default Shimano HG freehub. My bike is a gravel bike with a SRAM AXS 12-speed groupset, a 10-52T cassette, and a 48T chainring.

I’m looking for the cheapest cassette option that will work with my setup without having to change or modify any components on the Kickr V5—just swapping the cassette.

Also, would my gravel bike be compatible with a Zwift Cog considering my current cassette and chainring setup?

Thanks in advance for your help!

This has been asked before, many times, but not quite in the way I’m looking for so uh yknow.

I’m fixing up my old bmx- we live on a gravel access road and the only place I can ride is a gravel/dirt path between fields. Money’s also tight so I’m likely bound to generic boxed tires rather than specialized ones, but I don’t know if I should be looking at traction, knobbed, mountain, or if any anti-puncture would cover it.

I’m also a bigger guy, about 250lbs. I know I’d have to buy ones that can handle the psi needed for my fat ass but I’m wondering if my weight makes it a fool’s effort. Granted this is road gravel so it’s not sharp, and it’s been worn down with farm traffic, but it’s also a far cry from asphalt

Building up a gorilla monsoon. I'm eyeing a sram nx groupset. Budget is a factor, I don't have a ton of money for this.

If I run flat bar/risers, is that groupset going to work on this bad boy? TIA

Should I was a new tire on a new rim before adding the sealant.?

Opinions on the 2024 Aspero vs Grail? Currently have a Canyon Grizl that’s just not the right size for me but also wanting to upgrade to electronic drivetrain. Considering the Aspero with Rival XPLR and the Grail CF SLX 8 with Force XPLR. Both are about the same price but I’d like something that’s very good on the road as well as gravel. I do about 50/50 road/gravel so I don’t need the massive tire clearance that some bikes have.

5’5” rider..curious about people’s thoughts or experiences on a 54cm 2024 Salsa Cutthroat. The 52cm feels really tight, but the 54cm size chart wise would be a touch big. Anyone have any experience at this height with this frame? Mountain bike background so feeling going larger wouldn’t necessarily hurt especially with the ability to shorten the cranks/stem but interested in hearing folks opinions! Thanks!

NBD I picked up this carbon gravel bike with a very nice brushed copper finish, it originaly came with
brown Brook saddle (already replaced with a fizik) and leather bar tape which Im debating if i keep or not. Brushed metal bar end plugs already ordered.

How's the grip on theses when sweaty? Durability? I know these are consumable and that got me thinking if i keep them (new) and replace only when worned.

To keep the bar tape or replace with black or funky?

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Hey everyone, I just bought an M5120 rear derailleur and planning to buy koozer xm490 pro non boost or boost and i dont know what to choose, but I don't have any other components yet no shifter, cassette, or crankset. I'm looking to build a durable and reliable 2x setup. Would you recommend 2x11 or 2x10, and what shifter, crankset, and cassette would work best for smooth shifting and good climbing performance? I ride a mix of trails and climbs, so any advice or recommendations would be appreciated!

Finally got this Vaast A/1. I wanted to post it on here and thank everyone who helped me on this sub!!

I’m going down to Santa Cruz for my annual weekend home and the drive I take brings me down HW1 right through Half Moon Bay (HMB). I used to live there so I’ve done the majority of the coastal hikes but was wondering if there’s any trails in the hills perfect for a Gravel Bike (ie more flow, few small to no drops/ and not supper steep) tech/rock and root gardens I’m not supper worried about so long as it isint in supper steep areas). Please don’t focus on the trails in Santa Cruz or north of SF. I’m really looking for trails that are gravel friendly inbetween Davenport and HMB. I do have a good amount of experience on trails just not looking to do crazy shit.

Hello everyone,
Firstly, sorry for my English.

I want to buy a Cube Nuroad Race 2025, but I'm unsure about the size. I'm 186 cm tall with an inseam of 82 cm, and my arm span is 187 cm. Do you think the size M would be better than L ? If so yes, why?

https://www.cube.eu/fr-fr/cube-nuroad-race-rubyred-n-gloss/829510

Thanks for your opinions!

I've been using my Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H for a year, and it is really good for road riding. Unfortunately I can't commend it on paved/gravel terrain as it seems it got a weak side wall.

Now, i'm planning to replace these tires and i'm trying to look for a fast rolling tires which I can also used in paved/gravel terrain without worrying of its sidewall getting punctured.

Hoping to hear from someone's recommendations based from their gravel riding experience.

Cheers! 🥂

Hi all,

I've been searching for a gravel bike at or under £2,500 for some time, and can't seem to make my mind up.

I am 176cm tall and have an inseam of 83.5cm, so pretty long legs and a shorter body. Therefore I would prefer a gravel bike with a shorter reach.

Would also prefer a carbon frame and 1x groupset but not as important as a comfortable riding position. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I am looking at a new bike and frankly do not know which direction to go. Nothing too fancy but my typical use is commuting daily (2-3 miles round trip) and trail use with weekend longer rides planned trail/road. Biggest issue is I am 6’7” and weigh 280 lifting has always been big for me but my general size is always an issue. With that not many bikes cover this and currently looking at the Cannondale quick 6 XXL which seems to check the boxes with an understanding of needing to upgrade within 1-2 years due to use and just overall need to upgrade to more my size/weight components. The price currently is also a big help giving more ability to upgrade components as needed. Mainly just looking for advice/help as this will be my first bike purchase in a long time any advice would be awesome.

I just moved from a very basic/entry road bike to a (I think) decent gravel bike. Took it for the first ride today and it felt great. No worries about the bike coming out from under me on the wet/mud and I liked being able to just decide on the fly to follow a footpath that would have been off limits on the road bike.

The only thing that seemed odd to me was the loudness of the bike in freewheel. I’ve never experienced that level of noise on a bike before, is it specific to gravel bikes or because this has a large cassette for the 1x drive train?

Pics for attention.

Tread on my rear tire after 4,000 miles of commuting. I believe I’ve had one flat in that time frame. Tubeless obviously. 700 x 35. Sidewalls will definitely be the fail point since they’ve seen lots of direct sunlight and a general state of neglect.

With the pending tariffs and likely increase in cost for bicycles, I’m wondering if it’s worth upgrading to a new gravel bike. My current ride is a mostly stock 2014 Marin Lombard in great condition.

I have not closely followed advances in gravel bike tech over the last 10 years so I’m not sure what, if anything, I might gain from upgrading to a new bike (other than excitement).

Recognizing costs have increased since 2014, my budget would ideally be <$1100 which I know limits options.

My riding style is 60% dirt single track and gravel paths, 40% road cycling. I have a dedicated Specialized mountain bike for more technical riding.

Thanks in advance for feedback!

After over a decade of MTB, I’ve finally built up a gravel bike to get me out on some lanes when the trails are too washed out for the MTB.

Well, finally getting a bike after not owning one for about 25 years (rode bmw as a kid - turned 40 recently). I've decided that I want a fast gravel bike that can 'kinda' do it all: go to the park with the family, pull a kid trailer, maybe go on some light trails and be used as a semi quick road bike (friends have road bikes and I would likely join on rides every once in a while). All of my LBS are saying the same thing: Get a quick gravel bike instead of a dedicated road bike. It's nice when everyone says the same thing. My budget is 2-4k, ish. I'm 5'7 with a 30" inseam. I rode about 6 different bikes yesterday and I think I've narrowed it down to three:

Giant Revolt - geometry was really nice, seems like a good value. Only one I actually rode

Otso Warakin in Ti or steel - LBS love these for their build quality, ride comfort and uniqueness. Couldn't ride one as they weren't in stock locally.

Scott Addict - couldn't ride one, but this seems to check off my boxes

In my search, I was really blown away with electronic shifting. I'm not saying this is a must have, but it was really slick! I think I want a 2x so I can keep up with my road friends (maybe not needed).

I've ruled out the domane, checkpoint, cervelo aspero, canyon's and specialized diverge. I don't want the isospeed (personal preference - rode both and they were nice. The domane sl 6 is FAST), the cervelo aspero felt too aggressive for me (rode it), I don't want a direct to consumer bike, and the specialized seemed to be overpriced compared to the above (also rode one and it was a nice bike).

Thoughts of the three above, or anything missing? I found a nice revolt advanced pro from 2021 that's local to me and for a good price - I haven't bought a used bike before so would not know what to really look for other than frame damage and that everything works. Maybe my LBS can do a tune up and once over?

https://buycycle.com/en-us/bike/revolt-advanced-pro-0-2021-34023

A little bit of rambling, but hopefully this is enough for guidance/recommendations. Appreciate the help! It felt good to be back on a bike!

I'm a mechanical engineer with 3 steel bikes, so I really appreciated Daniel Yang's (Neuhaus Metalworks) video explaining, in engineering terms, what makes steel as a bike frame material so unique. He goes into Stress vs Strain, Elastic/Plastic deformation, butting, heat treating, and second moment of inertia in non-engineering terms.

First ride of the year. Just mounted the Schwalbe G-One Allround 27.5/2.8 on my Cotic Cascade. First impression: not too shabby!

I’ll try to make this quick.

My dilemma is whether or not it’s worth the extra $900 CAD for a checkpoint SL6 w/ Rival vs. the SL5 w/ APEX. Both are AXS, both the same spec build otherwise, with the exception of a slightly better aluminum wheel set on the SL6, and the difference between the two wheel sets is marginal enough that I’m not really weighing that into my consideration. It’s really the groupset that differentiates.

My question essentially boils down to this. In fast gravel group rides with my club, am I likely to regret only having the 40-11 and not the 40-10?

I know that when I eventually upgrade my wheelset, I can upgrade with an XDR driver which would enable me to use a 10-44 cassette, and my understanding is that I can put a 46T ring on the APEX group to increase the top end speed, but until any of that happens, how much speed am I losing here?

I looked on the bike gearing calc website and it looks like at 90rpm, one can still hold pretty good speed, although I know that tire width and other factors will influence this. I just really don’t want to be spinning out anytime the group is riding fast on the flats. We don’t have a lot of steep descents here and I wouldn’t be pedaling hard through descents so I’m less worried about that—it’s really just on those longer, interval power flat sections where the group is cooking that I want to be able to ride in.

Is this $900 price difference worth it or should I be okay with the gearing of APEX here?

Many thanks.