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Newbie- Gravel comfort question.

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Newbie- Gravel comfort question.

Old 07-16-21, 02:14 PM
  #1  
Jiffy07
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Newbie- Gravel comfort question.

I am used to a steel rigid adventure touring bike with 700x2.1 tires around 35 psi. (about right for my weight).

Recently I borrowed a friend's gravel bike. It is an aluminum frame, carbon fork, running 700x42 at around 35 psi.

I liked the gravel bike, it seemed lighter, faster, more aero.. etc. However, the ride quality I could only describe as jarring. I could feel every crack in the paved road, small unavoidable potholes made my teeth rattle.

This was my first time riding a gravel bike. Are there gravel bike setups that are inherently a smoother ride than others? Is this just the nature of the game when on a gravel bike? Comparing my bike to the gravel bike does the steel frame and what 13mm wider tires make that much difference?

Just looking for general thoughts from more experienced gravel riders. Thanks in advance.
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Old 07-16-21, 02:40 PM
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msu2001la
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Originally Posted by Jiffy07
Comparing my bike to the gravel bike does the steel frame and what 13mm wider tires make that much difference?
42mm vs 55mm tires? Yeah, that's going to probably feel a little different.

Carbon bikes are usually engineered to be laterally stiff and vertically compliant. Compared to a steel frame, the difference in compliance is probably not a significant factor.

Edit: Sorry, I misread your post and thought your buddy's bike was carbon frame. Aluminum frames vary in quality, but they are often very stiff in all directions - I'm not surprised to hear that you found it to be a bit harsh compared to a steel frame with larger tires. My carbon frame CX bike is a lot smoother than my aluminum frame CX bike, even with the same size/psi tires.

Last edited by msu2001la; 07-16-21 at 02:44 PM.
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Old 07-16-21, 03:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Jiffy07
Just looking for general thoughts from more experienced gravel riders. Thanks in advance.
If 42mm at 35psi is jarring, you should stay away from ever riding a road bike with 25-32mm tires.
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Old 07-16-21, 04:10 PM
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If 42mm tires at 35 psi is jarring then you might add a suspension seat post and stem to your bike.

Redshift Sports has a ShockStop stem that is very well built and laterally rigid. I had one on my bike for a few months but ultimately I prefer a rigid stem. It does work well though and would probably get you back to the compliance you are used to from the 2.1s.
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Old 07-16-21, 04:17 PM
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I guess I'll be the first to chime in: steel is real! Not just frames - I also prefer a nice steel fork to the alternatives.

But otherwise fwiw, I have two steel gravel bikes--one is 700c x 40 tubed, and the other is 650B x 47 tubeless. The difference in cushiness is pretty dramatic due to even that tire difference and the psi I can run - about 30 is as low as I go on the tubed 700cx40, but I run as low as 19-21psi on the tubeless 650bx47.
What's your steel adventure rig? I expect it's a perfectly good if not great gravel bike.
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Old 07-16-21, 04:40 PM
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Originally Posted by pbass
What's your steel adventure rig? I expect it's a perfectly good if not great gravel bike.
Thanks for all the previous replies.

I have a bombtrack beyond 1 that is a few years old. Basically bone stock running tubeless. It's my, I will get there when I get there, cushy, tank of a bike.
I am dreaming of an n+1 bike so I tried my buddy's Davinci Hatchet. The only organized events near me are all gravel grinders. Maybe I will just stick to the bomber and ride in the back of the mullet group . I am generally just trying to expand my knowledge and was surprised by the difference in the comfort of the ride between the two bikes.

I was curious about the shockstop and their seatpost. Or a thudbuster etc. Do they make a significant difference?

Last edited by Jiffy07; 07-16-21 at 04:46 PM. Reason: add to the question
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Old 07-16-21, 04:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Jiffy07
Comparing my bike to the gravel bike does the steel frame and what 13mm wider tires make that much difference?
My guess is tire size makes up 90% of the difference. I went from 700x50 (Gravelking SK) to 700x43 (Gravelking SS), then back to the 700x50 SKs (all on the same bike). Noticeable, big difference in shock absorption. Immediately noticeable. And that's only a 7mm size difference.
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Old 07-16-21, 05:15 PM
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Re the frames I've read some scandium designs feel a little like steel.
Vaast does a very light magnesium frame which is supposed to feel between steel and ti.
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Old 07-16-21, 05:18 PM
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Tire volume and pressure does constitute the biggest slice of ride comfort, but the frame, fork, and tires also matter. A quality hydroformed alloy frame and carbon fork with supple tires would be considerably different than a cheap alloy frame with a super-stiff fork and tires.

Personally I have embraced wider and wider tires (35 -> 40 -> 43, and I would even run a 50 for certain one-off cases), but I was never uncomfortable on the 35's. When I hear people using words like bone-jarring to describe the ride quality on a gravel bike, it makes me think that they would probably be happier just using a mountain or fat bike for gravel if they want to ride on that terrain, and there's nothing wrong with that at all. I just don't see the point of running mtb size tires all the time, suspension stems and seatpost, frames with microsuspenion, probably shoes and bibs with suspension at some point too to make a gravel bike tolerable.

Last edited by zen_; 07-16-21 at 05:23 PM.
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Old 07-16-21, 06:40 PM
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Originally Posted by Jiffy07
Thanks for all the previous replies.

I have a bombtrack beyond 1 that is a few years old. Basically bone stock running tubeless. It's my, I will get there when I get there, cushy, tank of a bike.
I am dreaming of an n+1 bike so I tried my buddy's Davinci Hatchet. The only organized events near me are all gravel grinders. Maybe I will just stick to the bomber and ride in the back of the mullet group . I am generally just trying to expand my knowledge and was surprised by the difference in the comfort of the ride between the two bikes.

I was curious about the shockstop and their seatpost. Or a thudbuster etc. Do they make a significant difference?
I vote for the Bomber and back of the pack (ego parked at the door ).

You could look into a second wheelset for when you can manage with less volume.
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Old 07-16-21, 08:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Noonievut
I vote for the Bomber and back of the pack (ego parked at the door ).

You could look into a second wheelset for when you can manage with less volume.
Agreed. That bike looks rad! And not such a terrible weight penalty (but I'm no racer..)
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Old 07-17-21, 04:49 AM
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My bike with 700 x 42 tires would be jarring at 35psi too. That's why I ride it with 30psi rear and 26psi front. Tire pressure has far more to do with ride quality than frame material.
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Old 07-17-21, 01:38 PM
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Originally Posted by dsaul
My bike with 700 x 42 tires would be jarring at 35psi too. That's why I ride it with 30psi rear and 26psi front. Tire pressure has far more to do with ride quality than frame material.
Fact
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