A Cyclist's Guide to Gravel Bike Shopping

The growing world of gravel cycling provides a thrilling blend of road biking speed and off-road adventure. If you're a road cyclist considering a leap into gravel biking, you're in for an exciting ride. Selecting the right gravel bike can be tricky, requiring more consideration than choosing a road bike. Based on my experience and research, this guide aims to simplify your journey, ensuring that you make an informed choice.

Shopping Considerations

The following sections break down a few important considerations when determining the right gravel bike for you. When weighing your options, keep your preferred riding style and frequent riding environment(s) top of mind.

Max Tire Clearance

When traversing the diverse terrains of gravel cycling, tire clearance is paramount for providing riders with tire and wheel size options.

Wider clearance provides more options to equip monster tires or smaller wheels for better handling and comfort on the most demanding trails. That being said, wider clearance often means slightly worse aerodynamics. On more race-oriented gravel bikes, you might notice lower max clearance in exchange for better efficiency at high speed.

In areas like the Arizona desert, where the trails are rocky and typically best suited for mountain bikes, I recommend a minimum max clearance of 40cm. This ensures versatility for different surfaces and conditions, whether loose gravel or muddy trails. Most modern gravel bikes cater to this, but it's always best to confirm. Wider clearance will also enable you to fit smaller 650b wheels. These smaller wheels often allow even bigger tires and better handling on technical terrain.

On the other hand, for some areas in the Midwest or East Coast with milder terrain and an abundance of options for flowy trails, I recommend a minimum max clearance of 32mm. This allows you to browse bike options of the most race-oriented gravel bikes or even some endurance road bikes, which will improve your efficiency and thus enable you to ride slightly longer or faster.

Think about the environments and events in which you plan to ride. When in doubt, it's always better to err on the side of more flexibility (thus higher clearance).

Mounting and Storage Options

Gravel riding often involves longer, more remote routes, so consider bikes that support adequate storage options to pack all the nutrition, hydration, and tools you might need in the middle of nature.

Racier gravel bikes make compromises for aerodynamic efficiency, often leading to fewer mounts and proprietary tube shapes. This makes you faster in a race setting, where you likely also have frequent access to aid stations or mobile support vehicles.

If you plan to go on long solo adventures or delve into the world of overnight bike-packing, seriously consider how the bike you purchase will enable you to store essential goods. Standard features to consider:

• Fork mounts
• Frame mounts
• Rack mounts
• Fender/mudguard mounts
• Handlebar/frame/seat bag compatibility
• In-frame storage
• Trailer compatibility

Gearing Choices

When shopping for gravel bikes, you'll notice that many models offer a one-by (1x) or two-by (2x) crankset. One-by setups are lighter, more straightforward to use, and easier to maintain but come with trade-offs like a lower top speed and larger cadence jumps between gears. If you plan to race your bike in mixed-terrain events where much of the riding will be high-speed or in tight groups, consider looking for a two-by component set to prevent yourself from getting dropped by either running out of gears or not having the right gear to hold the pace of the group.

Shifting Mechanism

Electronic shifting offers maintenance ease and crisp performance but at a higher cost, the inconvenience of regular charging, and the risk of electronic issues. Weigh that against traditional mechanical shifting, which can be trickier to tune and maintain but is more affordable and has no reliance on batteries or electronics (which can be a risk on long multi-day adventures), to determine what aligns best with your preferences and budget.

Frame Material

Gravel bikes come with the same material options as road or mountain bikes:

• Steel
• Aluminium
• Carbon Fiber
• Titanium

Your choice here impacts the bike's weight, strength, and comfort. Aluminum frames are strong, stiff, and affordable but heavier and harsh on bumpy trails compared to carbon fiber. Aluminum is tougher than carbon fiber but less durable than steel. Steel is real, as in real strong and durable. You could bend a steel frame in half, bend it back, and ride without issues for years (joking... kind of).

The choice of frame material will likely be driven chiefly by your budget, so I recommend being flexible on material if it affords you better options in the other categories here.

Integrated and Proprietary Parts

Aerodynamics matter, but better aerodynamics are often achieved through proprietary and integrated parts, which can limit your options for customizing ride position, storage, and accessories. If versatility and customization are critical factors for you, opt for a bike with a standard fork tube, standard handlebar width, standard seat post, and a fair amount of mounting options. This allows more freedom in customizing your setup to suit different riding styles and needs.

Frame Geometry

Gravel bikes vary from aggressive, race-oriented designs to more relaxed, adventure-focused shapes. Race-oriented gravel bikes excel in speed and comfort on smoother surfaces where you plan to maintain high speed but will feel slightly less nimble while moving slowly on technical terrain. More relaxed gravel bikes will give you more confidence to eat rocky trails for breakfast, but you will likely feel out-of-place and more anxious holding speed in a tight peloton. Consider where you'll be riding most frequently and choose accordingly.

Helpful Resources

The following resources are great to bookmark as you venture into gravel bike ownership:

• 99 Spokes - In-depth analysis and comparisons between bikes to help you shop more informed and choose between bikes.
• Bicycle Rolling Resistance | Silca Tire Pressure Calculator - Figure out which tires and tire pressure are best for your ride style, terrain, and preferences.
• BikeReg Event Calendar | Gravel Calendar - Join the community and sign up for a gravel event near you.
• Strava Routes | Gravelmap - Discover or build gravel routes anywhere you want to go with your bike.
• Gravel Cyclist | The Impossible Route | Forgotten Roads - Youtube creators/series to teach and inspire you.

Conclusion

Transitioning from road to gravel cycling opens up a new realm of riding experiences. While the options may seem overwhelming, focusing on these critical aspects will help you find a bike that is perfectly tailored to carry you along your gravel adventures. Remember, it's about finding the right balance between performance, comfort, and versatility. Happy gravel grinding!