Help choosing gravel bike
Hello, I have a 31 lb mtb I would like to replace for gravel riding. Most of the bikes I'm interested in are 9-10 lbs lighter, so I'm trying to figure out how to narrow down the choices.
At the moment I'm trying to decide whether to build a bike based on 650b or 700c. I'm finding a lot of frames will take both sizes, but there don't seem to be as many wheel choices for 650b. Most of my riding is smooth to moderate gravel (50+ mi, 5000 + ft climbing). I also like to ride really fast, and am currently riding 1.75" tires, which is about 45 mm. Should I stick with that size, or go the 650b route and have the option for wider tires?
Dave