Gravel bikes. They are fast, light and versatile. The true do-it-all bike! But can they truly do it all? Can a gravel bike keep up in a road race? To find out, we sent Conor to Thruxton Circuit to enter a crit race on his Orbea Terra gravel bike. With 40mm gravel tyres, a single 40T chainring on the front, 10-42 cassette on the rear and MTB pedals, how long can he survive in this race?
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35 Comments
Have you ever entered a road race on a gravel bike? π΄ Let us know in the comments below! π
Connor, what kind of shoes are you wearing, is it custom colors? Thanks
Stellar content again gcn! Well done Conor! You have demonstrated what Jan Heine of RenΓ© Herse Tires has been saying for years. Wider tires do not slow you down!
Impressive, Conor. Tbh, I didnβt think a 40 tooth chain ring would have a chance! Maybe I need to reevaluate my opinion on 1x set-ups.
Reminds me of that meme where there is a fox sitting in a pack of hunting beagles trying to blend in ππ
Using a cyclocross bike as a road/tri/gravel bike (with 28mm/42mm tires and 40×11-36). Good enough on flat/uphill but sometimes get dropped on group-ride downhill… which is OK because I ride with friends and don't care about being competitive. Considering a bigger chainring/cassette though.
Conor is pretty easy to spot in a group π <3
Next time, use a super aero gravel bike.
I was on a road race yesterday with my gravel bike but with road tires. Because of my gear ratio i could climb up every hill. Not everybody was able to ride up the verry steep section with up to 23%. so i would say it depends. π
Thanks Conor
Not surprised that Connor could hang with them. I suspect that the gearing rather than the tires are what held him back. Nice ride Connor!
Way to go Conor! Way to humble the "experts" who have never accomplished what you did!! How do you feel now Alex and Olie? Owe your fellow presenter an apology or at least a pint or two, perhaps?
I personally think Hank should have done this. Conor is a great cyclist but Hank is smaller and he's built for crits. You can literally see Conor's head above everyone else's. Hank would have been able to hide behind people better and give the gravel bike a chance. Conor did well but I think Hank could have gotten top 5.
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Would be interesting to see the same bike with road tires. I have a gravel bike with 2 sets of wheels, aluminium with g-one gravel tires and 50mm deep carbon wheels with contis.
I'm about 2-3km/h faster on the road wheels… That's quite a bit.
I run a scott gravel addict 20 as a roadbike with 28 mm slick tyers. 1x42t 10…44 and ita complete fine. Sure crit racing might not be on the cards – you start to spin out at 45…50 km/h but in terms if any road biking its more than fine. Only weak link tbh are long high gradient ascents as something like 36t chainring would be more comfortable but there are non where i live.
Well done Connor.
The gearing in this video allows for a speed of 47.5kph pedalling at 90RPM.
For a moderately powerful person with better tyres it would be 'okay ish' on a flat track with no wind.
But if there is a 1% downhill or tailwind on any part of the track, then your legs will spin out.
The GRX 1x has 40T (shown in this video) and 42Teeth option.
The bike in this video should really have had GRX 2x with 46 Teeth the larger chain ring. With a 10 tooth Cassette that would get you 57kph.
GRX 2x is a necessity if you want diverse riding (i.e. both gravel and road).
Conventional 50/34 (compact) will 11-34 cassette gets you 54.0kph at 90RPM.
Hy guys , I,ve got a question for you : my Zannata has a problem , or maybe I have π’ when i m riding in the Belgian Ardennes with very bad tarmac my front wheel starts whobbling under strong braking and i need to relief the front break and rely on the rear brake which compromise my corner speed heavily . If i lose some Bar on the front tyre (2 bar) iits less but still i can not use my front brake in heavy conditions to the fullest . Please help ,comment !!
Iβve never attended a race with a/my gravel bike but gotta say I use it in all terrain. Thatβs not always the best for the tires, but it works pretty good and Iβm still fast! And now thatβs spring I can go into the forests and wilds with my gravel b π also now itβs getting better in weather conditions I can get my road bike back on track π
This is useful for showing that you don't need one bike for every eventuality. It always used to be that way. I've used my aero road bike on a section of gravel & forest track for years as part of my standard training ride, never even had a puncture.
Conor, great job. Gravel bikes are the best. I am not into Road races but I have always believed that they are the only bike needed by most riders
Basically, there a 1980's mountain bike with some gucci gear on them.
Fun π
No. 28 should have raised his saddle . βπ»
@Conor Dunne: I would have loved to see you riding this race in full Gravel mode which means: Gravel bike, handlebar bag (we are used to see you with this bag) and an flannels shirt. But most importantly with the handlebar bag installed – itβs not you without this bag!π
Itβs not the bike it is the motor.
The San Marcos, California Belgian Waffle Ride, wafer 79 mile edition 2023. I completed it within the time limit 10 hours and some minutes. Soaked in epsom salt bath, chiropractic adjustment, and massage day after felt great, beautiful ride and hope to attend more. Best to all wishing you all safe enjoyment and scenic rides!
What type of gravel bike is Conor on?
You didn't get dropped way to hang in there!
OMG!!!! YOU ARE TALL…A LOT.
IS IT A 450MM SEATPOST?
Can someone tell me why I would get a gravel bike aver a MTB if I already owned a road bike? Genuine question
I have a Trek Domane that I consider a gravel bike. I race road, gravel, and even CX on it. The one race I won the past 2 years was a gravel race!
Next time on a fatbike, please!
Whats your wheel and rigid fork size?