Originally Posted by
ERabbit
Hey guys - I have been heavily debating getting a gravel bike to use as my "road bike" I like the idea of a little more relaxed/endurance geometry, bigger tires for a smoother ride, etc. I will be primarily using this as a "Road Bike" not really gravel riding.
Have been narrowing it down to several different models of Specialized Diverge or Giant Revolt Advanced. One of the Diverge models I really like aesthetically is Comp E5 which has a 40t Chainring and 11-42 Casette.
My ? is, will this be too limiting from a gearing perspective?
Yes. IMHO, cassettes with a two tooth jump before the 19 cog are unacceptable for road riding. I rode 13-21 8 cogs, 13-23 9, and currently use 13-26 10.
The pro-peloton didn't regularly ride cassettes wider than 12-23 until 10 cogs allowing more with one tooth jumps through the 17.
With 11 cogs, that gives you a choice of 11-25 or 12-27 with typical tolerance. You can have 11-23 or 12-25 when you're like me or the Campagnolo riding pros that stuck with 12-23 when they had 10 cogs but Shimano riders just 9.
That doesn't work with a single ring for most riders living outside Florida.
Would I be better off in everyone's opinion with a 2x setup, seeing that this will be used primarily on the road.
Yes.