RMoudatir

I just built a gravel bike a couple months ago and it comes with 650B 47mm WTB Byways. I wonder if it would be worth it to buy a 700c wheel set with 25/28 mm tires for a more efficient set up on roads. would my current tires hold me back if I wanted to join a group ride? Or should I keep the Byways for road usage since they are semi knobby but have a smooth center thread and get another wheel set to swap quickly for rougher terrain on events such as the Dirty Kanza or Grinduro or even long bikepacking off road trips.

katsup

You can keep up with road riders on fat 26in tires if the motor is working well. Although, how easy it is depends on the group.

Take your current wheels and tires and try it out. You may opt for a 2nd bike instead of wheels.

loheiman

I'm finding that adding a second (and third!) wheelset is a tricky in that each time you do so, the tires you previously purchased for a wider variety of riding may no longer be ideal for the more specific type of riding you now intend to do with them. Your 650 x 47 Byways are all around tires. They should be fine on almost any kind of gravel and most everything except for grass, sand, or mud. So unless you ride any of that, I think you're set for gravel.

Therefore I would go with 700c wheelset, maybe with 28 or 32mm road tires like the GP4000/5000.

I.B.Roots

For my MTB I have both sets of wheels; 27.5 and 29. At first I loved the 27.5 but then I started riding my 29s more and now prefer them. My 27.5s just sit.

Recently bought a gravel bike with 650s with a plan to buy a second set in 700...I wonder if it's worth the trouble. It's a 1st world struggle man...good luck.

alcjphil

" A gravel bike" More detail please. What sort of overall gearing? Is this bike suited for riding fast in close proximity with other fast riders? Tire size is almost irrelevant. Gravel riding is mostly solo and gravel bikes are made to be stable on bad roads where you don't have to worry about adjacent riders. If you want to join group rides where you are in close proximity with other cyclists, tire size is irrelevant. You have to develop group riding skills. Tire size and wheel size will not help with that. Join a cycling club and learn how to ride with other people. Changing wheel and tire size will not magically enable you to be able to join a group ride

RMoudatir

I built a gravel bike piece by piece, it's off an Otso Warakin frame set. It's running an 11-40t cassette with a 46/30 crank set using the RX800 rear derailleur. I built the bike for versatility but I just thought I was losing a lot of power with 35 psi semi-knobby tires.

Troul 

A second set for road use would be the plan I'd go. You may find that you'll likely use the road set more often than the original set, pending the combo you choose. You could outfit it with a different cassette to better suit the road wheels too.

mstateglfr 

Very cool frame- I considered that frame when I built my most recent gravel frame.

If you are going to do DK, then once you are accepted thru the lottery, buy some tires specific for the ride(if what you have wont work).

As for a second wheelset, I would ride the tires you have and see if you like them on pavement before buying new tires for pavement or a whole new wheelset. But I would also get wider than 25mm tires for pavement if I were to get a second wheelset that is 700c. There is no downside to riding low resistance 32mm tires, for example. Or even get some fast 35/38mm tires from Compass/RH or Schwalbe. The comfort will be higher than using 25mm tires and you can still roll along just as quickly.

RMoudatir

Thanks! I didn't know you had to go through a lottery to qualify. I just found out about the race, it seemed brutal and epic especially the 200 miler one. I was also considering building a lightweight road bike just for the pavement rides and just leaving the tires I have right now on my gravel bike.