Road Bike vs. Gravel - For Beginner Riders
bikesnthings
Posts: 8
in Road general
Hi everyone. I posted a while ago about comparing carbon to aluminum and I learned some interesting things, so I thought I would post another comparison and maybe I can learn some more.
Today I’ll talk about gravel vs. road, specifically for beginners. Gravel and endurance bikes have become extremely popular for beginners in recent years, and having tried both I think this is for good reason. Being a beginner myself fairly recently and knowing many new rides I can say that beginners aren’t focused on speed and stats all that much, and instead on the other aspects of riding like finding new places.
I have recently built a road bike (as some of you may have seen, it’s a Trifox X16) and after coming from a gravel bike I realize that for beginner riders a gravel/endurance bike is ideal. I like my Trifox X16, it’s snappy and fast but for newer riders I think a gravel bike is great.
A gravel/endurance bike allows you to explore interesting places that are off the traditional path. That’s not to say you can’t find interesting places on the road but when I was riding my gravel bike I ended up finding cool dirt trails and gravel paths that I wouldn’t have been able to access otherwise. Your speed ends up being much lower but for beginner riders that isn’t an issue. I think that a gravel bike helps beginners enjoy the ride, and once they start focusing on speed and stats they can move to a road bike. These bikes also are usually more comfortable and have a relaxed geometry, great for newer riders coming from a hybrid or something similar.
What do you all think?
Today I’ll talk about gravel vs. road, specifically for beginners. Gravel and endurance bikes have become extremely popular for beginners in recent years, and having tried both I think this is for good reason. Being a beginner myself fairly recently and knowing many new rides I can say that beginners aren’t focused on speed and stats all that much, and instead on the other aspects of riding like finding new places.
I have recently built a road bike (as some of you may have seen, it’s a Trifox X16) and after coming from a gravel bike I realize that for beginner riders a gravel/endurance bike is ideal. I like my Trifox X16, it’s snappy and fast but for newer riders I think a gravel bike is great.
A gravel/endurance bike allows you to explore interesting places that are off the traditional path. That’s not to say you can’t find interesting places on the road but when I was riding my gravel bike I ended up finding cool dirt trails and gravel paths that I wouldn’t have been able to access otherwise. Your speed ends up being much lower but for beginner riders that isn’t an issue. I think that a gravel bike helps beginners enjoy the ride, and once they start focusing on speed and stats they can move to a road bike. These bikes also are usually more comfortable and have a relaxed geometry, great for newer riders coming from a hybrid or something similar.
What do you all think?
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Comments
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rem manifestam0
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I've always struggled with the evolving definitions of bikes. According to BSEN14764 my bike is "intended for use on public roads, paths or cycle tracks that are in good condition. Paths and cycle tracks can be gravel or dirt roads with minor undulations and small potholes."
However, it's not a gravel bike! It's a Dawes Geneva Hybrid and it's got 700c tyres but it needs big panniers, mudguards, dyno hub and nexus hub gears for the day to day.
I'd cheerfully take it down a gravel track, but I'd take is slowly. Not sure that would count as fun. But it suits me better than a pure road bike.
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If you are beginner you are hardly going to find gravel paths an easy options unless you are on a Mountainbike.0
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Depends how gravelly surely?
.The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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or the steepness.
so many variables tbh..The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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