Notices
Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational) This has to be the most physically intense sport ever invented. It's high speed bicycle racing on a short off road course or riding the off pavement rides on gravel like : "Unbound Gravel". We also have a dedicated Racing forum for the Cyclocross Hard Core Racers.

Gravel Bike vs Hybrid

Old 06-04-18, 08:42 AM
  #1  
mariusvt
Newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 1
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Gravel Bike vs Hybrid

I've been loosely toying with the idea of adding a gravel bike to go alongside my Trek 7.3 FX, something under $1000 so just looking for some bike suggestions, advice or any other thoughts.

85% of my riding is on hard & loose pack gravel trails, which the FX does well with. The reason I'm thinking about the gravel bike is for those times I venture out on the road for a ride, a little more speed than the FX on the trails or simply different riding ergonomics. There's some pretty good hills so I'm thinking a 46/30 up front and 8 or ideally 9 on the cassette. 2 bikes that have caught my eye are the Diamondback Haanjo 3 and the Raleigh Willard 2, which on paper seem very similar since they are the same company with the advantage going to the Raleigh for the through axles.
mariusvt is offline  
Old 06-04-18, 01:55 PM
  #2  
stringsonbikes
Member
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 45
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Also look at the salsa journeyman
stringsonbikes is offline  
Old 06-04-18, 06:46 PM
  #3  
jbell_64
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Mitchell IN
Posts: 215

Bikes: Trek fx 7.2, Raleigh Tamland

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 66 Post(s)
Liked 11 Times in 10 Posts
I have a trek 7.2 fx and a Raleigh tamland. The trek is currently hooked to the toddler trailer and is my "family time" bike. The Raleigh is my "me" bike. I'm not in to mountain biking and will never be a road racer, so these two bikes fit my lifestyle and local roads perfectly. The local county roads are pretty rough and I'm pretty big, so the durability and comfort of the tamland was a selling point for me.
jbell_64 is offline  
Old 08-06-18, 04:49 PM
  #4  
tclong03
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 68
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 23 Post(s)
Liked 6 Times in 5 Posts
For now I am using a specialized sirrus for gravel. I put drops on it and upgraded to 9 spd drivetrain. I have been wondering if it is strong enough to handle gravel in the flint hills of Kansas?
tclong03 is offline  
Old 08-06-18, 09:15 PM
  #5  
medic75
Senior Member
 
medic75's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: NW Pennsylvania
Posts: 241

Bikes: '19 Trek Stache 5, '17 DB Hannjo Trail, '09 Scott CR1 Pro, Schwinn Central commuter, '16 DB El Oso

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 108 Post(s)
Liked 57 Times in 29 Posts
I'm in a similar situation. I haven't ridden a bike with drop bars for almost 30 years. I am thinking I want to replace my Raleigh Cadent 2 with a gravel bike, but I am not sure. Unfortunately my local bike shop is limited to Trek and doesn't have a gravel bike in stock. I recently found a great online deal on a Diamondback Haanjo Trail, but I don't know how long the deal will last. I hate to spend money on a bike that I have never ridden and am not sure if I will like. I am really torn as I doubt I will ever see this deal again. If I buy it and don't ride it, I will have a really neat looking decoration, which is the last thing I want to do.
medic75 is offline  
Old 08-07-18, 01:10 AM
  #6  
tFUnK
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 3,652

Bikes: Too many bikes, too little time to ride

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 424 Post(s)
Liked 442 Times in 303 Posts
Anything more than 13 miles and I find myself preferring drop bars instead of flats. I think you'll enjoy the differentiation that a gravel bike offers from a hybrid.
tFUnK is offline  
Old 08-07-18, 06:25 AM
  #7  
chas58
Senior Member
 
chas58's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,863

Bikes: too many of all kinds

Mentioned: 35 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1147 Post(s)
Liked 415 Times in 335 Posts
Originally Posted by medic75
I'm in a similar situation. I haven't ridden a bike with drop bars for almost 30 years. I am thinking I want to replace my Raleigh Cadent 2 with a gravel bike, but I am not sure. Unfortunately my local bike shop is limited to Trek and doesn't have a gravel bike in stock. I recently found a great online deal on a Diamondback Haanjo Trail, but I don't know how long the deal will last. I hate to spend money on a bike that I have never ridden and am not sure if I will like. I am really torn as I doubt I will ever see this deal again. If I buy it and don't ride it, I will have a really neat looking decoration, which is the last thing I want to do.

I had that debate with myself too with Bikes Direct, Raleigh, and Canyon. I ended up looking at the return policy and asking myself if the “deal” was worth risking the $50 return shipping fee? Unless it was a screaming deal, it would have to be returnable.

One bonus for Canyon, is that their bikes are 100% refundable if you don’t want to keep it (including shipping). I ended up buying two and returning the one that I liked least.

Seems like the Haanjo has been on sale for a while now



Originally Posted by tFUnK
Anything more than 13 miles and I find myself preferring drop bars instead of flats. I think you'll enjoy the differentiation that a gravel bike offers from a hybrid.
Then again, the OP only posted once in this forum, and that was many months ago.
chas58 is offline  
Old 08-07-18, 06:29 AM
  #8  
chas58
Senior Member
 
chas58's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,863

Bikes: too many of all kinds

Mentioned: 35 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1147 Post(s)
Liked 415 Times in 335 Posts
Originally Posted by tclong03
For now I am using a specialized sirrus for gravel. I put drops on it and upgraded to 9 spd drivetrain. I have been wondering if it is strong enough to handle gravel in the flint hills of Kansas?
Probably best to start your own thread rather than revive something that is months old. It confuses people who often don't realize how old the thread is.

The sirrus should be good for gravel, as long as you keep the wheels on the ground and don't jump it.
chas58 is offline  
Old 08-14-18, 01:53 PM
  #9  
pbass
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,186

Bikes: 2016 Surly Cross Check, 2019 Kona Rove ST

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 284 Post(s)
Liked 313 Times in 211 Posts
Originally Posted by tFUnK
Anything more than 13 miles and I find myself preferring drop bars instead of flats. I think you'll enjoy the differentiation that a gravel bike offers from a hybrid.
Me too. I switched from flat bars to drops in my mid-50's (a time when many people are going the other direction and trying to get more upright and while it did take some extra adjustment due to my flexibility (or lack thereof), I would never go back to flats on any kind of gravel, touring, adventure, etc. bike. For my dedicated MTB, sure it's flat bars, but anything else, drops FTW (and I went through several different "alt" bars too).
pbass is offline  
Old 08-16-18, 08:49 AM
  #10  
McMitchell
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Cherry Log, Georgia
Posts: 185

Bikes: Focus Mares CX, Rocky Moutain Sherpa

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 76 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
You might review some of the YouTube videos done by Clint Gibbs. Clint had both a Gravel bike, a Cyclocross bike and two MTB bikes. He rides flater gravel in Florida a large amount of the time. He ended up modifying his Cyclocross bike for gravel and selling the Gravel bike, which he documents the reasons for.

I can ride the “gravel” roads at my back door every day. My issue is there are very steep up & downs everywhere. I am modifying my cyclocross bike for fast shifting over lower gear ranges. I am about to turn 69 so I am not interested in being fast/racing. I am more interested in getting up steep hills and not loosing control of tires in deep sandy gravel over pavement.
McMitchell is offline  
Old 08-16-18, 09:01 PM
  #11  
EpicTwiglet
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 19
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Just to mix things up... Here is my Hybrid/Road/Gravel bike.
Edit: For context, to those who may say this is a hair brained idea, I have 3 slipped discs in my back and need the comfort of a flat bar, but I'm also very fit and love to put the miles down at 20+mph. Drop bat's are no go due to geometry, and the Iso Speed Decoupler of the Trek FX5+ range make this the comfiest bike I've ever owned.

Last edited by EpicTwiglet; 08-16-18 at 09:05 PM.
EpicTwiglet is offline  
Old 08-16-18, 09:12 PM
  #12  
mstateglfr 
Sunshine
 
mstateglfr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,538

Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo

Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10902 Post(s)
Liked 7,393 Times in 4,148 Posts
Originally Posted by EpicTwiglet
Just to mix things up... Here is my Hybrid/Road/Gravel bike.
Edit: For context, to those who may say this is a hair brained idea, I have 3 slipped discs in my back and need the comfort of a flat bar, but I'm also very fit and love to put the miles down at 20+mph. Drop bat's are no go due to geometry, and the Iso Speed Decoupler of the Trek FX5+ range make this the comfiest bike I've ever owned.
very cool bike setup and solution to your back limitations.
do you find yourself sliding off the nose of the saddle with it pointed down so much? Wasnt sure if that helps woth the back or what.
mstateglfr is offline  
Old 08-23-18, 11:19 AM
  #13  
IvyGodivy
Gravel Rider
 
IvyGodivy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: CT
Posts: 153

Bikes: 2019 Trek Checkpoint ALR5 | Trek Farley 5

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 93 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I haven't ridden drop bars since i was a teenager (44 now). A few weeks ago I bought a Trek Checkpoint ALR 5 that has drop bars and sold my Specialized Hybrid with straight bars and I adapted really fast. Speaking of fast the speed difference between the two and how light a bike is without shocks is now making me want all my bikes to be without shocks. I am one bike away from getting rid of all bikes (that are mine) with shocks.
IvyGodivy is offline  
Old 08-24-18, 09:22 AM
  #14  
Metieval
Senior Member
 
Metieval's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,857

Bikes: Road bike, Hybrid, Gravel, Drop bar SS, hard tail MTB

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1218 Post(s)
Liked 298 Times in 214 Posts
https://www.cannondale.com/en/USA/Bi...ntid=undefined
Metieval is offline  
Old 09-02-18, 07:53 PM
  #15  
thehammerdog
Senior Member
 
thehammerdog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: NWNJ
Posts: 3,704

Bikes: Road bike is a Carbon Bianchi C2C & Grandis (1980's), Gary Fisher Mt Bike, Trek Tandem & Mongoose SS MTB circa 1992.

Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 722 Post(s)
Liked 353 Times in 226 Posts
Originally Posted by mariusvt
I've been loosely toying with the idea of adding a gravel bike to go alongside my Trek 7.3 FX, something under $1000 so just looking for some bike suggestions, advice or any other thoughts.

85% of my riding is on hard & loose pack gravel trails, which the FX does well with. The reason I'm thinking about the gravel bike is for those times I venture out on the road for a ride, a little more speed than the FX on the trails or simply different riding ergonomics. There's some pretty good hills so I'm thinking a 46/30 up front and 8 or ideally 9 on the cassette. 2 bikes that have caught my eye are the Diamondback Haanjo 3 and the Raleigh Willard 2, which on paper seem very similar since they are the same company with the advantage going to the Raleigh for the through axles.
holmes you have a gravel bike. The hybrid us the original gravel bike but lacks the new jazzy name. Go ride it up grade to better stuff but u got a gravel bike yo!
thehammerdog is offline  
Old 09-10-18, 12:55 AM
  #16  
McMitchell
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Cherry Log, Georgia
Posts: 185

Bikes: Focus Mares CX, Rocky Moutain Sherpa

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 76 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Hybrid or Gravel bike? Does the “straiight” bar make it a Hybrid.


Last edited by McMitchell; 09-10-18 at 01:03 AM. Reason: More info, can’t seem to get pictures to fit
McMitchell is offline  
Old 09-10-18, 09:22 AM
  #17  
Rock71
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Iowa
Posts: 239

Bikes: Fuji Gran Fondo 2.1 and Scott Sportster P45

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 81 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by EpicTwiglet
Just to mix things up... Here is my Hybrid/Road/Gravel bike.
Edit: For context, to those who may say this is a hair brained idea, I have 3 slipped discs in my back and need the comfort of a flat bar, but I'm also very fit and love to put the miles down at 20+mph. Drop bat's are no go due to geometry, and the Iso Speed Decoupler of the Trek FX5+ range make this the comfiest bike I've ever owned.
I blew out my L4 and L5, and started back to riding on flat bars by request of my Dr.. I went back to the drops about 45 days ago and I am not looking back at all. I have actually found my rides to be more comfortable. The upright position actually puts more pressure on the lower back than riding on the hoods for me personally. I can see with the way you have this bike set up you have plenty of hand positions and can get stretched out.
At the end of the day though its what works for you right. Looks to me like the FX 5 and 6 are pretty nice bikes.
Rock71 is offline  
Old 09-15-18, 11:34 AM
  #18  
McMitchell
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Cherry Log, Georgia
Posts: 185

Bikes: Focus Mares CX, Rocky Moutain Sherpa

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 76 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I was in a car accident, herniated all but one cranial vertebra. I also paddled white water and caught dogs on a bite sleeve for 20-30 years, which does not help thoracic or lumbar vertebra much. Exercise can help, especially stretching & sit ups......Sometimes my bike helps issues sometimes not so much...which may be fit issues.

It is certainly worth doing a little experimenting with bike fit to find what works for various issues.

I am currently experimenting with end bars on a carbon riser bar.

Last edited by McMitchell; 09-23-18 at 07:48 PM.
McMitchell is offline  
Old 09-22-18, 08:36 PM
  #19  
tclong03
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 68
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 23 Post(s)
Liked 6 Times in 5 Posts
I have been wandering about hybrids the original gravel bike. The geometries are quite alike.
tclong03 is offline  
Old 09-22-18, 08:45 PM
  #20  
McBTC
Senior Member
 
McBTC's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 3,888

Bikes: 2015 22 Speed

Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1543 Post(s)
Liked 51 Times in 39 Posts
Gravel bikes do not have suspension forks.
McBTC is offline  
Old 09-23-18, 07:32 AM
  #21  
mstateglfr 
Sunshine
 
mstateglfr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,538

Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo

Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10902 Post(s)
Liked 7,393 Times in 4,148 Posts
Originally Posted by McBTC
Gravel bikes do not have suspension forks.
original hybrids didnt have suspension.
and while some hybrids do have suspension now, many dont.

a hybrid needn't have suspension.
mstateglfr is offline  
Old 09-23-18, 07:49 AM
  #22  
mstateglfr 
Sunshine
 
mstateglfr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,538

Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo

Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10902 Post(s)
Liked 7,393 Times in 4,148 Posts
Originally Posted by tclong03
I have been wandering about hybrids the original gravel bike. The geometries are quite alike.
my first gravel bike was buily from an early 90s Univega hybrid frame. It was a blast to ride and i used it for a couple years to figure out what I like and don't like before buying a modern gravel frameset and building that up.

the Univega worked well for what i needed at the time, but the geometry was slower than my current gravel bike and way slower than many modern gravel race bikes.

gravel bikes is a wide category. Anything from light carbon gravel frames with semi-aggressive geometry to moderately upright high stack-height 29er style drop bar mountain bikes are considered gravel bikes.

point is, some gravel bikes may be similar in some geometry to old hybrids, but many arent.
mstateglfr is offline  
Old 09-23-18, 03:04 PM
  #23  
one4smoke
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Nashville, TN.
Posts: 2,176

Bikes: 2020 Specialized Roubaix Comp SC - 2016 Specialized Roubaix SL4 - 2015 Giant Roam 2 Disc

Mentioned: 23 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 639 Post(s)
Liked 338 Times in 224 Posts
Originally Posted by EpicTwiglet
Just to mix things up... Here is my Hybrid/Road/Gravel bike.
Edit: For context, to those who may say this is a hair brained idea, I have 3 slipped discs in my back and need the comfort of a flat bar, but I'm also very fit and love to put the miles down at 20+mph. Drop bat's are no go due to geometry, and the Iso Speed Decoupler of the Trek FX5+ range make this the comfiest bike I've ever owned.
I don't see how it'd be possible to ride on a saddle tilted like that. Is that the normal position?
one4smoke is offline  
Old 09-23-18, 03:44 PM
  #24  
fietsbob
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
"Gravel" is just an unpaved road, that pavement dwellers discovered is not a busy road..
as if its a new thing..
fietsbob is offline  
Old 09-23-18, 04:36 PM
  #25  
mstateglfr 
Sunshine
 
mstateglfr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,538

Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo

Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10902 Post(s)
Liked 7,393 Times in 4,148 Posts
Originally Posted by fietsbob
"Gravel" is just an unpaved road, that pavement dwellers discovered is not a busy road..
as if its a new thing..
thanks for the insight, bob.
mstateglfr is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.