Teach me on gravelenture bikes

[Bill Talbot]

@epic, here's the old girl, fresh from the 12th running of D2R2.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Mine was a different color, but really close. Nice bike though!

 

[cantunamunch]

Giant x-road bicycles can be found here

On that page the Steals and Deals option is road bars on a ToughRoad.

 

[Ron]

so I went to one of my LBS shops and had a great conversation. I really liked a lot of the info posted here so its really appreciated. @GregMerz also has a lot of experience with these bikes. He has a Niner gravel bike and Greg is also in the camp of using a 29'er. He has a sweet Santa cruz Hard tail he loves. So that brings me back to my conversation with my LBS. After some chatting about our local trails and roads/fire roads, he suggested that the Salsa Cutthroat may be an awesome option! I still come back to liking a drop bar, i like the riding position options.

So check this bike out. I have to say that I am really liking this option.

http://salsacycles.com/bikes/cutthroat/2017_cutthroat_force_1x

 

[Bill Talbot]

Ron that would seem to tick all the boxes you want/need. I'm not a 1X fan but if it covers the range you need then it could work for you.

 

[Ron]

@Bill Talbot i'm not sold on them either, they also have a Sram rival 22 2x11 version as well.

http://salsacycles.com/bikes/cutthroat/2017_cutthroat_rival

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I guess you'd want to be sure about the 1x thing. You can't just add a shifter when it's an integrated hydraulic brake. Well, I guess you could add a bar-end shifter, but you wouldn't. I'd need at least a 50t or maybe a 48t up front to not go nuts (could live with smaller if a 10t cog), then you'd have to decide if you could live with the low gear. Maybe 1x makes sense for Cross racing, but it could certainly limit the scope of your adventures.

 

[Ron]

no, I wouldn't get the 1x. the 2x version is also 1K less$. there's really no other differences.

 

[Bill Talbot]

no, I wouldn't get the 1x. the 2x version is also 1K less$. there's really no other differences.

This is better and closer to your original price point too. Versatility is a plus! I could live with this gear range.

 

[Josh Matta]

44x9 is a slighter higher (harder faster) gear than 53x11

44x42 is slightler lower than 34x32 if you had a 53 front rin you most likely have 39 little ring

Maths proving people wrong since math.....basically if you can run the 9x42 SRAM cassette which that salsa does you have slightly more range than typical road double.

 

[Josh Matta]

This is better and closer to your original price point too. Versatility is a plus! I could live with this gear range.

View attachment 13396

So you like having less gear range with more moving parts?

Force 1 has 3.8 to 0.9 a 2.9 spread
Rival 2 has 3.3 to 0.8 a 2.5 spread

If you wanted a lower gear on the 1x force bike and swapped to a 36 tooth 1x chainring

you would have

3.5 to 0.8 matching the low gear of the 2x and still having higher gear. Plus less moving parts, and a lighter weight, and no chance of ever dropping a chain.

 

[Bill Talbot]

So you like having less gear range with more moving parts?

Force 1 has 3.8 to 0.9 a 2.9 spread
Rival 2 has 3.3 to 0.8 a 2.5 spread

If you wanted a lower gear on the 1x force bike and swapped to a 36 tooth 1x chainring

you would have

3.5 to 0.8 matching the low gear of the 2x and still having higher gear. Plus less moving parts, and a lighter weight, and no chance of ever dropping a chain.

First off, I LIKE the front shift ring change. Front derailers have worked great for decades. In a lot of terrain I can go back and forth on the front instead of 3-5 cogs out back. Second, I haven't 'dropped a chain' in more years than I can count. Moving parts and weight? Really? You think you are going to wear out a quality FD in a decade of riding? I haven't. Weight is not even a consideration. I ride steel, not plastic so you won't ever find me chasing grams on something that can carry 5-10 pounds of mud clinging to the frame alone.
This 2X set up can allow chainring changes to increase the range as required. 9, 10, 11, 12t cogs are something else I would not use as SunTour found out with their Micro-Drive systems.
So much gimmickry is being marketed and you seem to like it. Have at it, I won't.

 

[Josh Matta]

not sure if really gimmicky at this point. Especially on a MTB.

on full suspenssion mountain bikes using up all of its travel, with a out a clutch and narrow-wide chain ring I lose chains left and right. Never really been an issue on road bikes though and I have never raced crossed not on a single speed.

 

[scott43]

So much gimmickry is being marketed and you seem to like it. Have at it, I won't.

I'll stop short of going this far. There has been progress on bicycle stuff over the years for sure, driven by marketing sometimes and questionable "gotta have it, it's the latest and greatest" perhaps but progress nevertheless. There are some aspects of carbon that I don't like but honestly, it's a terrific material for bikes. I'm not rich and I'm not rushing out to blow $7k on a carbon bike, but it's a great material in many ways. We've been around a long time and seen all these things go around. 5 years ago 29'ers were going to rule the world..everyone had to have one and you were an idiot if you didn't. Now, not so much. I haven't seen a single-speed in weeks..couldn't step outside my house without getting run over by one 4 or 5 years ago. If people have the dough and want to try stuff, have at it. It's great to get out and enjoy riding and if new stuff makes you enjoy it more, great! Knowledge and experience are great.

 

[Bill Talbot]

I'll stop short of going this far. There has been progress on bicycle stuff over the years for sure, driven by marketing sometimes and questionable "gotta have it, it's the latest and greatest" perhaps but progress nevertheless. There are some aspects of carbon that I don't like but honestly, it's a terrific material for bikes. I'm not rich and I'm not rushing out to blow $7k on a carbon bike, but it's a great material in many ways. We've been around a long time and seen all these things go around. 5 years ago 29'ers were going to rule the world..everyone had to have one and you were an idiot if you didn't. Now, not so much. I haven't seen a single-speed in weeks..couldn't step outside my house without getting run over by one 4 or 5 years ago. If people have the dough and want to try stuff, have at it. It's great to get out and enjoy riding and if new stuff makes you enjoy it more, great! Knowledge and experience are great.

When I bought my Ritchey Break-Away Cross a few years back, I rode it around my yard and then took off the carbon fork and replaced it with a steel unit. When I'm in CO especially, riding in some pretty remote areas, carbon anything is not an option. I simply don't trust it. Let's say you take a little spill and a tube or blade and a shape rock meet and a stress riser is inflicted and now you have 20 plus very rugged mile back out. Not a position I ever want to be in. With steel the whole event is a none issue. A principal mechanical engineer I sometimes ride with can't help himself with certain techno bits but will admit that if not being chased by a team car with a replacement bike off road, it gives him pause to reflect. So for me it's not an option, for others that like it, fantastic, if it meets your needs ride it.

 

[Josh Matta]

I'll stop short of going this far. There has been progress on bicycle stuff over the years for sure, driven by marketing sometimes and questionable "gotta have it, it's the latest and greatest" perhaps but progress nevertheless. There are some aspects of carbon that I don't like but honestly, it's a terrific material for bikes. I'm not rich and I'm not rushing out to blow $7k on a carbon bike, but it's a great material in many ways. We've been around a long time and seen all these things go around. 5 years ago 29'ers were going to rule the world..everyone had to have one and you were an idiot if you didn't. Now, not so much. I haven't seen a single-speed in weeks..couldn't step outside my house without getting run over by one 4 or 5 years ago. If people have the dough and want to try stuff, have at it. It's great to get out and enjoy riding and if new stuff makes you enjoy it more, great! Knowledge and experience are great.

I still own and actually ride a single speed MTB its also a 29er.

....but if your going to have gears you might as well at least have 11 of them.

 

[Tom K.]

Maths proving people wrong since math.....basically if you can run the 9x42 SRAM cassette which that salsa does you have slightly more range than typical road double.

Except that SRAM 11 speed cassettes are 10x42, not 9x42?

At least the three of them in my garage on bikes are.

You CAN get a 9 tooth cog with an e13 11-speed cassette.

 

[tromano]

I would look for one with rack mounts and such.

 

[skibob]

I still own and actually ride a single speed MTB its also a 29er.

....but if your going to have gears you might as well at least have 11 of them.

I generally agree with you on the 1x issue. The thing is, I don't like cassettes over 10 rings. Too narrow, fragile, hard to keep a chain on and shifting accurately. I am sure you will say that a high end derailleur can do this if properly tuned, etc. Probably true. And, all other things being equal, not so much as on a 10-. I need reliable and easy, not peak performance.

 

[Ron]

so since its been a spritied but polite discussion, let me throw this option out to you all. I did some investigation and measuring and it seems that I can in fact, put a 32 on the BMC granfondo 01, (as per BMC product video). I think before I go and buy a new bike, i am going to put some Schwalbe Pro One 28's (which will measure closer to 31 on my rims and give it a try. Most of what we have here is not deep, soft gravel but mostly hard pack fine road base and sun-baked dirt. the 28's will also be good on our chip and seal (finer grade). the BMC was originally spec'd with 28's. (I am currently running 25 One's which sit at 27.5 on my rims)

BUT... I also have that superfly, so I am going to put some 2.1 Thunder Burts on that and see how it goes for rougher roads and 2-track stuff.