this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2023
14 points (100.0% liked)
Bicycling
2221 readers
8 users here now
A community for those who enjoy bicycling for any reason— utility, recreation, sport, or whatever!
Post your questions, experiences, knowledge, pictures, news, links, and (civil) rants.
Rules (to be added on an as-needed basis)
- Comments and posts should be respectful and productive.
- No ads or commercial spam, including linking to your own monetized content.
- Linked content should be as unburdened by ads and trackers as possible.
Welcome!
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Gravel recommendations are hard as gravel can range from pretty-much-tarmac to CHUNK. But I'll try at least. For the record I'm riding a Canyon GRIZL, 2x10 gears and 45mm tyres. This I'm navigating on up to blue MTB trails so it is quite capable. If I would buy again I would get very similar specs except I would go for a metal frame, probably steel.
So recommendations then. I would go for a lot of gear range, on my I have about 430% and it is enough. Wouldn't mind an additional climbing gear or two. Not sure if a high end MTB 1x system can be gotten with drop bar shifters but barring that I would go for a 2x system. The extra range really helps. For tyres I would make sure the frame can accommodate 45mm as that will allow you to go CHUNKY if needed. But some 35mm fast rolling tyres would be a good starting point if you only have light gravel. Mechanical disc breaks would most likely be enough but if you go mid-tier it will most likely be hydraulic and those are great. Suspension I wouldn't bother with, go for more tyre instead. Oh and mounting points for EVERYTHING. Fenders, racks, bags, bottles etc. Fenders especially can be a godsend if you find yourself on slightly damp gravel, they also save the paint job. I would also try to find one with mounts for rear rack as I find a seat back sways too much. Personal preference there.