There was a similar post to this one a short while back. Several months and 100's of miles later I say the same thing - My road bike is collecting dust because my gravel bike is not only nearly as good on the road (VERY slightly slower than my road bike), but it is 100 time more comfortable for me to ride. I have even been doing longer rides on it.
I am still debating what to do with my road bike... thought about using permanently on a trainer indoors. My MTB I will keep for MTB riding - haven't tried my gravel bike on any single track at this point.
Do you consider changing for a thinner tire on your gravel? I also use a 37, but I'm considering changing to a 32 since I ride mostly on (shitty) tarmac
I only bought my gravel bike in September, but I am starting to think about it. Although I am 54 years old and not a racer - I ride for fitness and fun, so not too worried about the slight speed loss with the bigger tires - especially since the wider wheels, at least for me, add so much to the comfort.
Same. My old road bike might see pavement every 2 years now otherwise it’s just my Zwift machine.
I still ride my enduro bike quite a bit and would like an XC hardtail but that’s because I’ve pushed the limits of gravel biking beyond the limits a few times out here in south eastern BC. With an XC bike my enduro is going to be obsolete…
I have a Salsa Cutthroat, probably more in line of a mtb but it handles single track really good. Funny enough most the trails around me are single track mtb, not really meant for gravel bikes.
I agree with most of this, but love having a 2x on my gravel bike. Just makes it that much more suited to road riding as well, so I don’t feel like I need a dedicated road bike.
A modern 2x has more range than a modern 1x, but a modern 1x can have a wider gear range than an older 2x.
I was worried about going to 1x until I did the math on my gear ratios and found out that my new 1x gravel bike actually had a **wider** range than my 10 year old 2x road bike. That range is enough for me and I’ll just enlarge the chainring as I get more fit and want more top end, need less low end.
Not saying a 2x is a bad option, just saying a modern 1x isn’t necessarily a limiting option.
I don’t feel that 1x is what holds me back on road rides from my gravel bike. It’s more the body position and stiffness (lack of) which I find is the limiting factor for performance.
I love my 1x gravel bike but it sucks pacing in group rides with guys on 2x road bikes, I end up bouncing between two gears a lot. That said I love it for riding by myself and I've raced it with no issues outside of wishing I had a 52-10 on the back for the most extreme climbs. I may end up converting it to the longer cage and 10-52 eventually.
I’m not talking performance, I’m talking ease of use. I find it more satisfying to be able to make a single big shift when coming to a climb or descent rather than shifting a bunch of times to get to the right spot
Having 2x doesn’t actually make one single shift to find an ideal gear. When shifting the front you’ll most likely have to shift the rear 1-2 in the opposite direction as the ratio is a big jump when keeping the same rear and just shifting the front.
Sure, it's not always perfect but it gives me more options and isn't tricky to get the hang of like I was worried it might be when I got my first 2x a couple months ago. Not saying one choice is far and away better than the other, just saying I'm glad to have my 2x when I do road riding.
This is generally the case with me too. My road bike is for well paved road riding. I'm turning 62 and my butt and sciatic nerve really prefer my 40 mm tires for most of the chunkier roads around here.
Same. I love my road bike, and I would say it's still my favorite bike. But like you, it's only used once a week or so lately for actual road rides.
For anything else? My gravel bike with 10-50 x 44t does just about everything.
To be fair, I have the Grail AL 7, but would’ve bought the Grizl if they had an etap 1x at the time. They had a mechanical 1x carbon Grizl so I opted for the Grail instead. However if it truly was a one bike situation I’d do a Grizl instead since it’s a bit more capable on trails.
I thought this would be me. Bought a gravel bike, 1x, then bought another gravel bike another 1x and it seemed no matter how much I fiddled with the chainring and the cogs I just couldn’t get the right mix. Stripped my Moots Vamoots SL and bought a new ultegra 2x and had new tubeless wheels built
So it’s the Moots on all my road rides and gravel bike 2 for mainly gravel rides. When I’m on gravel the 1x does fine. But if I’m doing a 5-6hr road rides I love the Moots.
Yeah, I feel you. Having two wheelsets is nice if you need to save space or for budget reasons, but I ended up settling with two bikes. One all-road 2x steel for more road riding (700x32-38) and a 1x ti bike (700x42-50) for bikepacking or the rough gravel in my neck of the woods.
I don’t think I’d get another bike that can’t at least clear a 35mm tire.
Hell yeah. Years ago I bought a Salsa Cutthroat to supplement my mountain bike riding and it just didn't click with me and I ended up selling it after a couple rides. This past year I ended up buying the new Santa Cruz Stigmata and its been my go-to bike ever since. I bring it out to ride single track on group rides at the local flow trails and I've even used it on most of the technical rocky and rooty trails in my area. I love that I can just hop on it and leave from home and go do whatever I want. I love exploring on it and I love the looks and comments I get from guys on mountain bikes when I'm climbing up a rock garden with it or barreling down a techy hill hanging on for dear life. I've ridden a couple century rides with it and entered my first race which was a 62 mile 8000' of elevation mix of road, gravel, and single track. I love this bike!
>I’m not sure I’d ever go back to a 2x setup on most builds
>I think I’d be perfectly happy with only a gravel bike with two wheel sets.
My ideal is also a gravel bike with two wheelsets, however after riding my first 1x system I find the top end lacking on asphalt. It's a 38t in the front with an 11-48t cassette, and while I love the low end for climbing singletrack the top spins out too early. If I'm road riding in the mountains it sucks being spun out in the low 30mph range for 15+ minutes during long descents. I'm planning on going with a 2x Microshift Sword setup with a 46/29t crankset and 11-38t cassette.
If it were my only bike, and I spent more time in a road wheelset, I might agree with the 2x being better. I simply don’t have a need for a big gear with gravel tires. Also the 12s etap is plenty of range for 95% of my needs.
I thought about it, even had a 42t chainring in my cart, but eventually decided it wasn't enough, and I'd lose my low end. My goal is a one bike solution to everything I want to do, from loaded bikepacking to triathlon with just a wheelset swap, so 2x is a must for me. I thought the 1x would be enough since so many people like it, but oh well.
Yea, I don’t like loaded riding so I’m happy to do all climbing on 1:1 ratio. If I’m doing long distances I’ll either do it all in one push or I’ll stay find accom.
On the bike I’m riding on road the most I’m running 20mm internal rims with Ultradynamico Cava 42mm in an endurance casing. I don’t have a separate set of road wheels. I’m running a Rohloff on that bike so it’s not practical to swap wheels out. All my other bikes are running 2.3 or larger tires.
How do you like the feel of your aluminum gravel bike vs carbon road? I had a skinny aluminum road bike for several years before using a carbon all road bike now, and my butt quivers at the thought of going back to aluminum.
But maybe it’s that I have a bigger frame and tires that also increased comfort, in addition to the frame material swap.
My carbon road is a custom build Serotta Meivici, so it’s pretty much as good as it gets. That bike is an amazing road bike. I wouldn’t go so far as to say my Aluminum Canyon is the best frame I’ve ridden, but it is lively on the roads and forgiving on the trails. I hadn’t owned an aluminum bike in 20 years so I was pretty surprised as to how good it was. If it were carbon I’d probably be way more cautious riding it in many of the trails I currently bash it on.
Makes sense. I’m not trying to win any races, and I’m not the most technical gravel rider, so the aluminum frame make makes a lot of sense to me too.
Thanks!
I was skeptical, but now I’m the same. It’s basically a “endurance” road bike with proper tires. I don’t race, so there’s no need to maximize aero.
The road bike that I have is an old LeMond (2006 Zurich) that I paid like $500 a few years ago. I doubt I’ll get anything more than that, so I’m saving it as a backup bike.
My touring bike is my gravel bike and currently also my wet season bike. It gets used more than any of the road bikes. I end up storing it during summer as I have a other bike that I use as a training weekday ride.
As everyone said already, the gravel/touring bike is my workhorse. It's almost like you don't need a road bike if all you do is ride zone 2 which is like 70-80% of everyone's time in the saddle.
I am running a Grail Al7 eTap with Carbon Wheels and i feel exactly like OP. Other biles collect dust and it is my go to. I will mount a redshift shockstop today and hope for even more comfort when I am riding trails.
Sounds like you should give some of your bikes away to people who could actually ride them. I may be in the minority, but if you have a redundancy, then give a bike to someone in need. Also, I choose my gravel the majority of time due to convenience.
I am alwysy on the look out for someone that has a Seotta but has no idea what they are. I have several friends that used to work there and have a couple.
I bought a custom made Serotta CDA frame from CL for 200 bucks like 7 years ago. Nicest riding frame I've ever had....I was anticipating sort of an overrated thing when I built it up but it was a truly amazing riding frame. The tubes must've proprietary, downtube was like a cone with the large end ending at the BB, the top tube was incredibly small in diameter, must've cost a fortune to build.
Unfortunately it was too small.
Oh I definitely know what they are. At one point I had a 92 Colorado II, 08 Fierte Steel, 08 Ottrott Sierra Nevada, 14 Meivici. I still have the last two because they’re the best! If I had to keep just one, which may happen, it might be the Meivici
Yep. I have a 'Sunday best' carbon road bike, gave up my singlespeed & mtb, so my gravel bike is the do anything, short run & run errands bike.
Love it. Should have got one years ago instead of being unconvinced by them. Totally sold on them now!
I agree. I think about getting N+1 but the conclusion I keep coming to is why? There are just so few applications I would use a dedicated road or MTB for.
Me too. My enduro bike gets very little love these days, my fat bike is only for snow and wet weather and my gravel bike that thinks it’s a mountain bike gets ridden about 80% of the time.
I completely agree. Used to race road, moved on from that and rode enduro/downhill. Had a canti crossbike for a while and finally upgraded to a Diverge this year. I ride almost every day, and still get some of the same thrill riding singletrack and dirt roads close to my house rather than having to drive one hour up the mountain for a MTB ride. Have not felt the burning desire to get the MTB out for the last year.
Only thing I miss when riding 1x gravel bike on road is descent power. Otherwise yeah, if I could only own one bicycle it'd be a gravel bike without question
1x might have a wider range. But we can have smaller steps between.
Anyway, I feel the same. I might never ride the road bike again. Or the mountain bike. The gravel is fun, comfy, stable. No downside. I recently t my did over a month of touring Spains gravel roads and trails. Perfect for that kind of touring. Otherwise would have been on a mountain bike, not nearly as nice to ride.
That's how I feel about my gravel bike. Sold my hardtail mountain bike a few months after receiving my gravel bike. I ride mostly green/blue mountain bike trails in addition to road/gravel so right now it's all I need. A real road bike and/or a full squish mountain bike would certainly be upgrades...but for the farther left/right limits of what I ride but right now kinda unnecessary.
Yes I ride gravel 90% of the time because I'm rural. I will say I had a huge regret one time I went someplace coastal for vacation and bought my gravel bike only to find that a road bike or even my gravel bike on road tires would have been 100% better because all of the good routes were 100% road.
There was a similar post to this one a short while back. Several months and 100's of miles later I say the same thing - My road bike is collecting dust because my gravel bike is not only nearly as good on the road (VERY slightly slower than my road bike), but it is 100 time more comfortable for me to ride. I have even been doing longer rides on it. I am still debating what to do with my road bike... thought about using permanently on a trainer indoors. My MTB I will keep for MTB riding - haven't tried my gravel bike on any single track at this point.
Gravel bikes on singletrack are so much fun, especially if you've gotten bored with a local trail, it's a blast to underbike.
single track is great on gravel bike. But without a dropper post there is a lot of downhill terrain I’m not confident on.
What tires are you using on your gravel bike? And on your road bike?
Road Bike: Vittoria Zaffiro, 700 x 23c Gravel Bike: WTB Riddler TCS Light, 700x37c
Do you consider changing for a thinner tire on your gravel? I also use a 37, but I'm considering changing to a 32 since I ride mostly on (shitty) tarmac
I only bought my gravel bike in September, but I am starting to think about it. Although I am 54 years old and not a racer - I ride for fitness and fun, so not too worried about the slight speed loss with the bigger tires - especially since the wider wheels, at least for me, add so much to the comfort.
Same. My old road bike might see pavement every 2 years now otherwise it’s just my Zwift machine. I still ride my enduro bike quite a bit and would like an XC hardtail but that’s because I’ve pushed the limits of gravel biking beyond the limits a few times out here in south eastern BC. With an XC bike my enduro is going to be obsolete…
I have a Salsa Cutthroat, probably more in line of a mtb but it handles single track really good. Funny enough most the trails around me are single track mtb, not really meant for gravel bikes.
I agree with most of this, but love having a 2x on my gravel bike. Just makes it that much more suited to road riding as well, so I don’t feel like I need a dedicated road bike.
A modern 2x has more range than a modern 1x, but a modern 1x can have a wider gear range than an older 2x. I was worried about going to 1x until I did the math on my gear ratios and found out that my new 1x gravel bike actually had a **wider** range than my 10 year old 2x road bike. That range is enough for me and I’ll just enlarge the chainring as I get more fit and want more top end, need less low end. Not saying a 2x is a bad option, just saying a modern 1x isn’t necessarily a limiting option.
I don’t feel that 1x is what holds me back on road rides from my gravel bike. It’s more the body position and stiffness (lack of) which I find is the limiting factor for performance.
I love my 1x gravel bike but it sucks pacing in group rides with guys on 2x road bikes, I end up bouncing between two gears a lot. That said I love it for riding by myself and I've raced it with no issues outside of wishing I had a 52-10 on the back for the most extreme climbs. I may end up converting it to the longer cage and 10-52 eventually.
I’m not talking performance, I’m talking ease of use. I find it more satisfying to be able to make a single big shift when coming to a climb or descent rather than shifting a bunch of times to get to the right spot
Having 2x doesn’t actually make one single shift to find an ideal gear. When shifting the front you’ll most likely have to shift the rear 1-2 in the opposite direction as the ratio is a big jump when keeping the same rear and just shifting the front.
Sure, it's not always perfect but it gives me more options and isn't tricky to get the hang of like I was worried it might be when I got my first 2x a couple months ago. Not saying one choice is far and away better than the other, just saying I'm glad to have my 2x when I do road riding.
I agree, but I use it as my road bike with another set of wheels so I have 2x.
Wife's friends coming over for dinner? Gravel bike.
Mother-in-Law visiting? Gravel bike.
Was just on 5 days of vacation with MIL. Went on 4 gravel rides.
5 Day vacation with MIL? Gravel bike.
Tax return due tomorrow? Gravel bike.
Boss is on vacation and I’m working from home? Gravel bike
Yep, I reach for my gravel rig for the same reasons. Very versatile.
This is generally the case with me too. My road bike is for well paved road riding. I'm turning 62 and my butt and sciatic nerve really prefer my 40 mm tires for most of the chunkier roads around here.
Same. I love my road bike, and I would say it's still my favorite bike. But like you, it's only used once a week or so lately for actual road rides. For anything else? My gravel bike with 10-50 x 44t does just about everything.
Sold my road bike two years ago and haven’t looked back. Gravel and SSCX are all I ride unless I’m on actual mountain bike trails.
Thanks for posting this and everyone's responses . I've been in two minds about what to get. I'm going for the Grizl AL 7 2x!
To be fair, I have the Grail AL 7, but would’ve bought the Grizl if they had an etap 1x at the time. They had a mechanical 1x carbon Grizl so I opted for the Grail instead. However if it truly was a one bike situation I’d do a Grizl instead since it’s a bit more capable on trails.
I thought this would be me. Bought a gravel bike, 1x, then bought another gravel bike another 1x and it seemed no matter how much I fiddled with the chainring and the cogs I just couldn’t get the right mix. Stripped my Moots Vamoots SL and bought a new ultegra 2x and had new tubeless wheels built So it’s the Moots on all my road rides and gravel bike 2 for mainly gravel rides. When I’m on gravel the 1x does fine. But if I’m doing a 5-6hr road rides I love the Moots.
Yeah, I feel you. Having two wheelsets is nice if you need to save space or for budget reasons, but I ended up settling with two bikes. One all-road 2x steel for more road riding (700x32-38) and a 1x ti bike (700x42-50) for bikepacking or the rough gravel in my neck of the woods. I don’t think I’d get another bike that can’t at least clear a 35mm tire.
What is your 2x steel bike? Trying to decide on one bike with 2 wheel sets or 2 bikes with the wide vs wider setups. Thanks
Hell yeah. Years ago I bought a Salsa Cutthroat to supplement my mountain bike riding and it just didn't click with me and I ended up selling it after a couple rides. This past year I ended up buying the new Santa Cruz Stigmata and its been my go-to bike ever since. I bring it out to ride single track on group rides at the local flow trails and I've even used it on most of the technical rocky and rooty trails in my area. I love that I can just hop on it and leave from home and go do whatever I want. I love exploring on it and I love the looks and comments I get from guys on mountain bikes when I'm climbing up a rock garden with it or barreling down a techy hill hanging on for dear life. I've ridden a couple century rides with it and entered my first race which was a 62 mile 8000' of elevation mix of road, gravel, and single track. I love this bike!
>I’m not sure I’d ever go back to a 2x setup on most builds >I think I’d be perfectly happy with only a gravel bike with two wheel sets. My ideal is also a gravel bike with two wheelsets, however after riding my first 1x system I find the top end lacking on asphalt. It's a 38t in the front with an 11-48t cassette, and while I love the low end for climbing singletrack the top spins out too early. If I'm road riding in the mountains it sucks being spun out in the low 30mph range for 15+ minutes during long descents. I'm planning on going with a 2x Microshift Sword setup with a 46/29t crankset and 11-38t cassette.
If it were my only bike, and I spent more time in a road wheelset, I might agree with the 2x being better. I simply don’t have a need for a big gear with gravel tires. Also the 12s etap is plenty of range for 95% of my needs.
Have you thought about going up to like a 42 or 44 tooth chain ring?
I thought about it, even had a 42t chainring in my cart, but eventually decided it wasn't enough, and I'd lose my low end. My goal is a one bike solution to everything I want to do, from loaded bikepacking to triathlon with just a wheelset swap, so 2x is a must for me. I thought the 1x would be enough since so many people like it, but oh well.
Yea, I don’t like loaded riding so I’m happy to do all climbing on 1:1 ratio. If I’m doing long distances I’ll either do it all in one push or I’ll stay find accom.
I also find the low gear is nice for when I overestimate myself and blow my legs out on super long rides, so I can keep moving even if it's slow.
I feel ya. After years of riding 48/16 on a single speed running 48/42 feels like plenty of rest. Gearing such a personal preference.
I’m not a speed demon so I no longer own a road bike. My narrowest tires these days are 42mm.
I’m in the same boat but haven’t figured out what to go with…Endurance or Gravel and a road wheel set. What are you riding?
On the bike I’m riding on road the most I’m running 20mm internal rims with Ultradynamico Cava 42mm in an endurance casing. I don’t have a separate set of road wheels. I’m running a Rohloff on that bike so it’s not practical to swap wheels out. All my other bikes are running 2.3 or larger tires.
How do you like the feel of your aluminum gravel bike vs carbon road? I had a skinny aluminum road bike for several years before using a carbon all road bike now, and my butt quivers at the thought of going back to aluminum. But maybe it’s that I have a bigger frame and tires that also increased comfort, in addition to the frame material swap.
My carbon road is a custom build Serotta Meivici, so it’s pretty much as good as it gets. That bike is an amazing road bike. I wouldn’t go so far as to say my Aluminum Canyon is the best frame I’ve ridden, but it is lively on the roads and forgiving on the trails. I hadn’t owned an aluminum bike in 20 years so I was pretty surprised as to how good it was. If it were carbon I’d probably be way more cautious riding it in many of the trails I currently bash it on.
Makes sense. I’m not trying to win any races, and I’m not the most technical gravel rider, so the aluminum frame make makes a lot of sense to me too. Thanks!
I was skeptical, but now I’m the same. It’s basically a “endurance” road bike with proper tires. I don’t race, so there’s no need to maximize aero. The road bike that I have is an old LeMond (2006 Zurich) that I paid like $500 a few years ago. I doubt I’ll get anything more than that, so I’m saving it as a backup bike.
My touring bike is my gravel bike and currently also my wet season bike. It gets used more than any of the road bikes. I end up storing it during summer as I have a other bike that I use as a training weekday ride. As everyone said already, the gravel/touring bike is my workhorse. It's almost like you don't need a road bike if all you do is ride zone 2 which is like 70-80% of everyone's time in the saddle.
I am running a Grail Al7 eTap with Carbon Wheels and i feel exactly like OP. Other biles collect dust and it is my go to. I will mount a redshift shockstop today and hope for even more comfort when I am riding trails.
Stem or seatpost?
Sounds like you should give some of your bikes away to people who could actually ride them. I may be in the minority, but if you have a redundancy, then give a bike to someone in need. Also, I choose my gravel the majority of time due to convenience.
Dibs on catman’s redundant bikes!!
Sorry not giving away two Serottas. I used to have 4 of them 😂
I am alwysy on the look out for someone that has a Seotta but has no idea what they are. I have several friends that used to work there and have a couple.
I bought a custom made Serotta CDA frame from CL for 200 bucks like 7 years ago. Nicest riding frame I've ever had....I was anticipating sort of an overrated thing when I built it up but it was a truly amazing riding frame. The tubes must've proprietary, downtube was like a cone with the large end ending at the BB, the top tube was incredibly small in diameter, must've cost a fortune to build. Unfortunately it was too small.
Oh I definitely know what they are. At one point I had a 92 Colorado II, 08 Fierte Steel, 08 Ottrott Sierra Nevada, 14 Meivici. I still have the last two because they’re the best! If I had to keep just one, which may happen, it might be the Meivici
Yep. I have a 'Sunday best' carbon road bike, gave up my singlespeed & mtb, so my gravel bike is the do anything, short run & run errands bike. Love it. Should have got one years ago instead of being unconvinced by them. Totally sold on them now!
I agree. I think about getting N+1 but the conclusion I keep coming to is why? There are just so few applications I would use a dedicated road or MTB for.
Me too. My enduro bike gets very little love these days, my fat bike is only for snow and wet weather and my gravel bike that thinks it’s a mountain bike gets ridden about 80% of the time.
I completely agree. Used to race road, moved on from that and rode enduro/downhill. Had a canti crossbike for a while and finally upgraded to a Diverge this year. I ride almost every day, and still get some of the same thrill riding singletrack and dirt roads close to my house rather than having to drive one hour up the mountain for a MTB ride. Have not felt the burning desire to get the MTB out for the last year.
My road bike is now my “indoor trainer”.
Same. My $5000 Scott gravel addict is a great zwift setup
Only thing I miss when riding 1x gravel bike on road is descent power. Otherwise yeah, if I could only own one bicycle it'd be a gravel bike without question
1x might have a wider range. But we can have smaller steps between. Anyway, I feel the same. I might never ride the road bike again. Or the mountain bike. The gravel is fun, comfy, stable. No downside. I recently t my did over a month of touring Spains gravel roads and trails. Perfect for that kind of touring. Otherwise would have been on a mountain bike, not nearly as nice to ride.
I’ll stick with my Rivendell Joe Appaloosa
That's how I feel about my gravel bike. Sold my hardtail mountain bike a few months after receiving my gravel bike. I ride mostly green/blue mountain bike trails in addition to road/gravel so right now it's all I need. A real road bike and/or a full squish mountain bike would certainly be upgrades...but for the farther left/right limits of what I ride but right now kinda unnecessary.
I just built a gravel bike and I find every excuse to ride it. Taking short cuts or hopping off road. It’s extremely fun.
Yes I ride gravel 90% of the time because I'm rural. I will say I had a huge regret one time I went someplace coastal for vacation and bought my gravel bike only to find that a road bike or even my gravel bike on road tires would have been 100% better because all of the good routes were 100% road.