What kind of bike do I need (Road/Cyclo/Adventure??)

elliot.baker

Hello all

Just looking for a bit of direction really...been riding mtbs forever and want to get a road bike but quite like the idea of the versatility to take it on dirt/gravel cycle paths - I'm curious about the cyclocross / adventure / gravel bike style or bike but don't really know enough about them to make a judgement.

Basically my questions are:

1) what kind of bike could I cycle many miles on on the road (say 50 miles), but also cycle on off road bicycle paths, like what families go round reservoirs on etc?

2) would the style of bike suited to what I described above be much, much slower on the road than an 'all-out' road bike?

3) even if it was slower - would it still be infinitely faster than my full-susser (on the road AND on the off road cycle paths...)?

Many thanks for any advice that can be offered - specific model suggestions to get me started would also not go amiss!

animal72

One of my bikes is a Genesis Datum Gravel bike.
I've done everything from century road rides to fire roads to the odd bit of single-track where I could have done with my MTB.
Not quite as quick as a road bike, but certainly more comfy on my local (read poorly surfaced) roads.

kajjal

I bought a diverge (gravel bike) as I wanted hydraulic disc brakes, be able to fit bigger tyres than a road bike and take it off road sometimes. It works well as a road bike and I ride it all winter on road. The shorter reach wider bars and slacker fork make it more stable than a road bike.

On road it is much faster than my fs mtb. On smoother non technical trails like the gravel track round a local reservoir it is again much faster than my xc hardtail. Once the trail gets tougher , looser, more technical and tighter it becomes slower. An example is a local trail where on my fs I can hit 40mph fine, on the gravel bike anything over about 20 mph is not good.

taon24

The fastest bikes on the road are a conventional road bike as they will be lighter and more aerodynamic than more versatile bikes. They will be limited to narrower tyres which will limit you to better maintained paths and probably be less comfortable over rough roads than a larger volume tyre.
The lack of suspension, narrow tyres and drop bars make road bikes significantly faster on good surface than a full sus mountain bike.
'All road' bikes will be more suitable for gravel type paths with larger volume tyres, they are available in styles from very similar to road to similar to mountain bikes but with drop handlebars to flat bar hybrid types.
Cyclocross bikes are similar but designed for racing, without mountings for rack and mudguards, and in some cases without water bottle mounting points. If this is a nice bike for summer only then this may be suitable.

Most brands now have something that could meet your requirements.
Suggestions would depend on budget, the use and the amount of off road to on-road riding intended. Thoughts about frame material, whether a big or little brand is preferred, and what might be available online/via local bike shop should be considered.

cougie

My uncle john cross bike is basically as fast as my road bike if I put road tyres on it.

Depending on the surface of your trails you can use a road bike but you might be better off going to gravel or cross bike so you can fit wider tyres and have a bit of clearance. Just make sure that the gears on the bike is suitable for the road too - some are under geared

w00dster

Modern Road Bikes, especially with Disc Brakes means you are no longer limited to narrow tyres, at least not narrow in the context of a road bike.
My carbon Trek Domane for example takes 33mm knobbly tyres. (UCI limit for CX tyres so wide enough for reservoir and two path)I've done quite a lot of "gravel" rides on it. For me its the ultimate all round bike.
Either a CX Bike, a "gravel bike" or a disc braked road bike would meet your needs, I'd just want to ensure it takes at least 32mm tyres and you're good to go. Any of these bikes will be an awful lot faster than your full sus.
Depending on your budget and whether you see yourself exploring more gravel roads and more off-road type rides will dictate your bike. A Specialized Diverge is a good shout, but you end up paying the "Specialized Tax", so end up with lesser componentry for a certain price. I'd probably look for a Pinnacle Arkose 3, if your not a member of British Cycling, then join it and then use this to get 10% discount.
If you did decide to do some more adventurous riding, the Arkose also takes 650B wheels, so you could go 650B with a 2" tyre. You could then have the bike with a choice of wheels/tyres - a set of 32mm slicks would be fine for reservoir rides and road, but if you then decide to do the bigger ride, then the 650B wheels can go on.

CitizenLee

I'm in a similar boat - a MTBer that wants a more road-ish bike for year-round commuting, coastal paths, forest paths, light trails etc and have decided on a Cannondale CAADX Tiagra CX bike (just waiting on my work to pull their finger out and pay for my CycleScheme voucher).

Some other bikes to consider would be:

-Genesis CdF / CdA
-Giant Toughroad SLR GX
-Giant TCX SLR
-Planet X London Road
-Pinnacle Arkose (this was my 2nd choice)
-Specialized Diverge