Reddit for cyclists who enjoy riding and racing gravel

I have a Salsa Warbird (1x11) with a Shimano GRX RX600, 40t crankset. It's 170 length, which means that my toes are clipping the front tire on tight turns. (I don't want to and can't move my cleats forward on my shoes. I have a foot with many screws in it and the cleats are where they have to be.) The fit is also off and I need shorter cranks.

Does GRX make a 160mm crank arm? The smallest I can find is 165, but the actual Shimano website keeps erroring out so I can't check. If not, what's a good alternative?

What bikes should I look at for under $1500? I could probably spend $1750 if there was a significant increase in component quality or features.

New to cycling? New to gravel? Don't know which bike you need to get the job done? You're in the right place!

Please use this thread to for help picking out your perfect ride. Whether you're completely new to the sport and have no idea where to start or have two specific bikes and need to know the nitty-gritty of Shimano 105 vs. SRAM Apex 1, you'll find the answer you need in this thread.

For a subreddit devoted to this type of discussion during the rest of the week or for other types of bikes, please check out /r/whichbike.

I have fun here.

I think I managed to crack my frame, but don't know how it happened (too clamped saddletubeclamp (or how you call it) seems unlikely, because the crack starts underneath... I'm not sure it's cracked yet or if it's just the paint, but it sounds a bit more dull in the possible cracked area when "hit" with a coin. Any advise in how to proceed? I bought the bike a few months back from a local frame builder here in Germany (definitely gonna ask him for advise), but I doubt it's covered by warranty.

Leaves holding out on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee. First cold ride of the season today.

Hello all! I’ve been researching bikes and going back and forth between Specialized and Poseidon. For the price point I’m leaning toward Poseidon because I’m hopeful I will fall in love with riding but am afraid to spend a lot. I’ve checked the used bike market in my area and everything I’ve found in my frame size looks rough so I’m going to buy new. One even had a severely bent rear rim and severe road rash on the frame, but the seller swears the bike has never been in an accident. lol

I’m stuck between Poseidon Drop Bar X Ambition Gen 2 or Triton. We have a lot of paved trails and roads I would be comfortable riding on near me but I also live at the edge of the desert so I want something that will transition easily from paved surface to dirt/gravel. The X Ambition Gen 2 was in my cart but they sold out of the black and blue medium sized frames and I don’t like the green. It’s petty I know but it got me looking at the Triton which comes standard with a carbon thru axel fork and tubeless ready wheels. I’m planning to do the hydraulic break upgrade on whichever model I go with.

Which Poseidon model would you get if you’re looking for a comfortable beginner road to dirt/gravel bike? The Drop Bar X Ambition Gen 2 or the Triton?

I've been riding used Craigslist bikes my whole life, this is my first brand new bike! Jamis Renegade S3

Tried a bike with a SRAM rival AXS eTap groupset. Very impressive

Questions if anyone uses them

• is the entry level SRAM Apex as smooth or jankier than the Rival?

• does Shimano GRX have an entry level electric option?

I recently bought a gravel bike with Rival AXS with the 10-44T cassette. I wanted to add a lower first gear and the popular choice was going to a mullet setup, swapping the GX AXS and 10-52T cassette. I know I'll lose the close-matched gear ratios but are there any downsides? I know the bike has a easy to bend hanger and wondering if this would cause more stress?

Thank you!

Is there any way to get Shimano Di2 shifters to work with a big cassette 10-44+?
GRX Di2 has a max capacity of 11-42, I was hoping to use something like the Sram 10-44 with a 44T Chainring...do road links work with Di2...like combining a Road Link with a GRX Di2 RD?

I’m trying to train for a gravel charity ride that is 30 miles with 3,000 ft of climbing. That will be a stretch for me.

My current stable is a Kona Dew and a Trek Roscoe 7.

I am trying to decide if one of these can be the right choice or if I should consider a 3rd that is somewhere in between these.

I can’t get comfortable on drop bars for neck and back physical reasons. I fully recognize the advantage, though I do like the steering control of flat bars.

The Kona Dew is fine. It’s low end specs, but adequate. It’s built for 650b, and I currently am running 47mm Specialized Pathfinder Pro, set up tubeless. Altus 2x8.

HTA is 70.

I’ve come to love the Roscoe. The Deore 1x12 is awesome.

If I were to use it for the gravel ride, I think I’d want to swap the fork for a rigid and put on thinner, slicker tires.

I love the 65 HTA. The bike is just so amazingly stable, and being 54 and not a highly skilled rider, it feels like a really safe bike for me. It’s not light or fast, but it sure is sturdy and stable.

Option 3, I’m looking at the Norco Search XR Flat Bar and Marin Muirwoods. Muirwoods has HTA 67.5 which I don’t see that often, and seems like a good balance. I know there are other ideas. Like a Kona Unit X and swap the tires. Or Marin DSX. Or Specialized Diverge Expert Evo, but it seems quite overpriced to me.

I know Scott is coming out with that Scale flat bar gravel that is likely to be awesome, though I’m guessing the price will be beyond my budget. It sure looks like a hot bike.

Any advice?

This would be my first long, serious really hard event ride. I’ve done easier event rides, but 30 miles with 3,000 ft of climbing would be a huge achievement for me.

Thank you!

My city has an incredibly flat terrain. I usually cycle 100 km with only 120m elevation. I believe it's the same case in most American cities, so why there isn't a fixy gravel bike? 40T crank + 15T rear wheel could be pretty sweet.

Is riding through muck classed as gravel?