mohamilton

Curious what people are riding for fast all out gravel races? I know gravel has a lot of variables and people use a lot of different bikes - all road, CX, gravel, endurance road, ext.

I have a Steel Niner RLT, I love the bike, comfort is great but it's slugglish when you hit the throttle - no surprise. Considering picking up something racier and lighter

thehammerdog

italian titanium bianchi.

shoota 

Warbird

sgtdirt

I have a race next month...hopefully. it has A LOT of climb so i'll gear it appropriately.

redline SS conquest

mstateglfr 

You use a 25yo megatube for the style of racing mentioned by the OP?

Even if you do, the OP is looking for suggestions. Jumping in a DeLorean and going back a quarter century isn't realistic.

gus6464

Another option for full gas gravel is a cx bike that can take a big tire. Something like the Kona Super Jake comes to mind which can take a 700x42 no problems. I almost got one before I decided on the Libre but this is a great deal.

https://www.cambriabike.com/products...13178970800240

thehammerdog

slick.
it was a craigslist find last fall. An amazing do it all rare fun special bike.
re read the post. u need to chillax yo.

mohamilton

​​​​​​That's a good call. I've been trying to find CX bikes with a lower BB - been looking at Trek Crockett/Boones, and the Niner BSBs. I'll check out the Super Jake - that frame looks sweet!

shoota 

How much does that weigh?

thehammerdog

not sure. 1990 titanium
nothing uber light on it.
just sturdy stuff. fork is beast.
9 speed dura ace . added sora rear der as original could not accomadate 32 teeth cassett.
18-19 lbs?

shoota 

It better not be 18-19lbs, my Warbird is 20lbs lol.

thehammerdog

maybe heavier.
im a fatso so not an issue.
i will get a weight for u.

shoota 

HA! No worries man, just a curiosity.

chas58

This Canyon climbs and leaps under acceleration unlike anything I've ridden outside of the velodrome. Besides, I can put that cheater tire on the front...
(Well, I've never gone uphill on the track bike, lol).

blitzo

Looks great!

Rides4Beer

Won my first gravel race on my completely stock Revolt, it has no problems going fast, even at 22lbs. It's more about the engine than the bike, so long as the bike is well maintained and equipped for the job.

chas58

I like the no brand look, but the saddle and bottle cages give it away. ;-)

thehammerdog

i struggle with going full blown bianchi or not.
to untrained eye it is just an ugly grey bike.

Koyote

I regularly get dropped by riders on bikes that are heavier and/or cheaper and/or have fewer gears and etc...So I don't know if my bike is really the deciding factor.

rosefarts

You're getting a lot of answers from people who don't race. I don't know if you can take a lot of responses seriously.

Look for a sub 20lb bike that can fit 40's. Good chance this means carbon but can be done with wise wheel selection with aluminum also. You probably want higher gearing and smaller steps. 50-34 or 46-30 would both work but you need to plan on 35mph. A lot of 1x probably can't do that.

I may have a minority opinion here too but 105 or GRX 600 is the absolute bare minimum to use. Less than that and performance might get in your way.

Experiment on gravel courses. Some are dusty road rides, a 28-32mm tire probably is faster. Others are a little less civilized, and pushing into 40 and beyond might work. You need to figure it out what you like. Tubeless, no brainier.

Single seat bag, tube co2, levers. The big stuff is for bike packing and epic solo rides.

Does that cover it?

mstateglfr 

Yup, its for sure been a mixed bag so far, with regard to experience and useful info.

chas58

CX is a good option. Most all modern ones take 40mm (they call it "mud clearance" for 33mm). I'm not sure why people worry about BB. Might help if you are a newbie, but my XC mountain bike (and track bike) have 50mm drop, and it doesn't hinder me. I'll say that the short wheelbase and tight handling of a CX bike demands a little extra care on loose fast downhill turns, but a good one will climb amazingly well. A more traditional gravel bike will have longer wheelbase and more trail, making it easier to drift around a loose turn.

Yeah, cheap looking (metal), ugly grey bikes aren't the first ones to get stolen. Its kinda fun passing people on a bike that doesn't look like a fast carbon racer...

Yup, that was good advice!

dwmckee

I ride an Open U.P. with Ultegra derailleurs & shifters, Easton crank, Reynolds 650b wheels, Lauf fork, Rene Herse or Vittoria tires (depending on terrain). I keep up with many riders that are in better shape than I am. Maybe they are just nice, or maybe good equipment can give you a bit of an edge? Or maybe I am just more tired after? I am not beaten up after though with the Lauf fork and the Open frame at least. I am not a podium finisher, but I am in the competitive pack.

mohamilton

Totally agree you can't outbike your fitness but you can use the right tool for the job.

mohamilton

That covers it well, thanks! I like the idea of a shorter wheelbase bike - makes a huge difference IMO. I'm leaning towards building an older canti brake carbon cross frame and using higher spec'd wheels and groupsets like 10spd Sram Red or di2. I'm only 60kg at 5'11 so I find low gearing and a light bike make a huge difference.

I'm working on base miles now but will be racing gravel in October as things allows.