Originally Posted by
Sorg67
I think you are right that the geometry is the principle reason to select any bike. My understanding of the gravel geometry is it more stable easier to ride around varied terrain.
My understanding of the the rationale for a carbon frame for me is not for weight, it is that carbon dampens vibration and makes the bike more comfortable. I am 60 years old and have Rheumatoid Arthritis and am sensitive to vibration.
I do not think I will do much true off road riding. The gravel bike appeals to me for stability, comfort and ability to ride over grass, pop over curbs, brick streets, rail road tracks, wood bridges, etc.
I am currently focused on the Specialized Base Carbon. The difference between that and the Pro Carbon is the 1x rather than 2X drive train. I like the simplicity of the 1x set up. I am guessing that the narrow gear range will not be limiting for me.
Not that hilly in Florida to need the super low granny gear and I do not see myself riding fast enough to need the top gear.
Still researching and learning. I appreciate all the helpful, educational comments. Don’t be shy about telling me if I do not understand something correctly.
A quality wide tire run tubeless at lower pressure will give you a ton of suspension and negates the inherent vibration differences between frsme materials. An extreme exame would be if you rode on balloons- so much road chatter would be absorbed by the balloons that the frame material is...immaterial.
Add in thick bar tape and a redshift stem or brand's proprietary suspension stem/hesdset, and you have a ton of suspension and vibration damping built in.
Also consider that any bike in your price range will have a carbon fork which is attached to the front wheel and stem/bars. If carbon as a material is good for damping vibrations to the hands then that is the job of the carbon fork.
With that said, a curved thin steel fork that can literally spring up and down when pressed down will naturally absorb a lot of vibrations. So it isnt just the material, but also how its designed and used.
As for 1x or 2x...there is no right or wrong only preference. I prefer 2x as my gravel bike is ridden on gravel roads which are ultimately just roads. The large ring is used just as much as a road bike on paved roads and the small run plus larger cassette cogs then help because gravel hills here are typically steeper than paved road hills.
In florida, 1x may work great due to lack of climbing- you could tighten the cassette's range if needed. Or 1x may be bad because its flat and you want more large chainring use.
Who knows.
For geometry-
- a slack head tube angle and high trail numbers will slow the steering down. It will make the steering feel more stable on descents. It will also make staying straight more difficult when riding slowly up hills.
- a more traditional road head tube angle and lower trail numbers will make steering feel quicker or more responsive. Steering on climbs will be straighter and easier. Steering on descents requires more rider input to stay straight.
Neither of these is 'good' and neither is 'bad'.
on one end you have the Evil Chamois Hagar with an absurdly slack head tube and huge trail number. Its almost like a mountain bike. In the middle you have Giant's gravel bike with a slack medium-high trail setup, trek's gravel bike with a middle ofnthenroad medium trail setup, and then on the lower trail side you have usually smaller boutique brands that cater to those wanting a road bike feel on gravel.
I prefer lower trail and chose a bike with that. Other want higher and that's cool too.