Gravel or Road Bike: Which is faster?
10-24-24, 07:55 AM
#101
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10-24-24, 09:08 AM
#102
Not actually Tmonk
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When I ride a mountain bike it is a Honda (either CR500 or XR650R, both with HRC modified engines), about half the time in District 37 races (Expert class). In my view, pedal MTBs are a waste of time.
Man up? Why don't you come ride with me? I'll let you ride my CR500 as it's lighter than my XR650R. You'll have to start it, which could be amusing.
Man up? Why don't you come ride with me? I'll let you ride my CR500 as it's lighter than my XR650R. You'll have to start it, which could be amusing.
. how much experience do you have with pedal MTBs?
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"Your beauty is an aeroplane;
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"Your beauty is an aeroplane;
so high, my heart cannot bear the strain." -A.C. Jobim, Triste
10-24-24, 09:18 AM
#103
Grupetto Bob
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It's up to the individual and his bank account to determine both what is a marginal gain and what is a large cost.
Regarding what's marginal, I have previously described an experiment I did with my bikes, riding a 25 mile route with no traffic lights at the same time of day, similar temps, and similar RPE. The difference between the fastest and slowest bikes was 4%, which some dismissed as insignificant. The thing is, that's almost 4 minutes over the 25 miles, which is not only "getting dropped by the group", that's getting up toward "the group got back, packed their bikes in their cars, and drove home" numbers.
So, what's marginal? As you say, we can see things differently. Personally, while I may fantasize about a $10K "Superbike", in reality I'm very content with <$3K "Pretty Good Bikes", and I REALLY like <$1K "Really Good When New Bikes".
Regarding what's marginal, I have previously described an experiment I did with my bikes, riding a 25 mile route with no traffic lights at the same time of day, similar temps, and similar RPE. The difference between the fastest and slowest bikes was 4%, which some dismissed as insignificant. The thing is, that's almost 4 minutes over the 25 miles, which is not only "getting dropped by the group", that's getting up toward "the group got back, packed their bikes in their cars, and drove home" numbers.
So, what's marginal? As you say, we can see things differently. Personally, while I may fantasize about a $10K "Superbike", in reality I'm very content with <$3K "Pretty Good Bikes", and I REALLY like <$1K "Really Good When New Bikes".
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Road 🚴🏾♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾♂️
Road 🚴🏾♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾♂️
10-24-24, 12:57 PM
#104
climber has-been
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These are the BF rules.
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Ride, Rest, Repeat. ROUVY: terrymorse
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10-25-24, 04:07 AM
#105
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10-25-24, 04:07 AM
#106
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10-25-24, 06:05 AM
#107
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10-25-24, 10:14 AM
#108
OM boy
I'm purely a Joy off road rider, crashing hard is no longer a quick get-up-and-go....
There are some less crazy rides in the Los Padres Back Country, like the ride to Sunbird Mine - those can be fun/done on Gravel bike.
North County & SLO county have some great gravel/road combo rides....
A few great rides in the Ojai area....
I have a very nice FS mtb, which almost never gets used these days - I'm almost always on the gravel bike, when wanting to get dusty/dirty....
I have many decades of road racing (and track) behind me, not a thing for me, anymore. I do try to do the faster group rides in the area, but not always.
I'm on that cusp of no longer being able to hold a wheel, and feel near that level... Has taken some head time to come to terms, but now ok with it...
'Gravel' is becoming a real 'sweet spot' , and it offers the wonderful of being in a natural environment and riding...
SD seems to have some wonderful 'gravel' potential.
I would suggest borrowing a gravel bike and giving it a try.... It's a great way to clear 'racing' out of your head for a short while, without sacrificing riding/conditioning.
This is the 'Mellow' of Ellwood...
Ride On
Yuri
EDIT: West Camino/Refugio is a good ride.
Last edited by cyclezen; 10-25-24 at 10:33 AM.
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10-25-24, 10:56 AM
#109
Not actually Tmonk
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Santa Barbara... what a wonderful place to ride. Did a summer internship at the UCSB chemistry/materials departments in 2010 (I think) and rode all over. My favorites were OSM/Painted Cave climbs and Mountain Drive in Montecito, though I rode all over between Ventura and Solvang. Just had the road bike with me.
Looks like the gravel and trails out there are pretty dang good too!
Looks like the gravel and trails out there are pretty dang good too!
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"Your beauty is an aeroplane;
so high, my heart cannot bear the strain." -A.C. Jobim, Triste
"Your beauty is an aeroplane;
so high, my heart cannot bear the strain." -A.C. Jobim, Triste
10-26-24, 08:26 AM
#111
OM boy
Santa Barbara... what a wonderful place to ride. Did a summer internship at the UCSB chemistry/materials departments in 2010 (I think) and rode all over. My favorites were OSM/Painted Cave climbs and Mountain Drive in Montecito, though I rode all over between Ventura and Solvang. Just had the road bike with me.
Looks like the gravel and trails out there are pretty dang good too!
Looks like the gravel and trails out there are pretty dang good too!
Not a lot of gravel, but once familiar with the area you can string sections which can take you all the way from Ehlings Pk/Douglas Preserve thru Lower Hope Ranch on the old railway line, More Mesa, dirt along the bike path to UCSB, out to campus point, around that lagoon, Coal Oil Pt and then the Ellwood Mesa - out and back can be an easy 40-50 mi. if you loop-D-loop a little...
... I wish there was some way to get from Ellwood to Naples on gravel.... that would be awesome !!! Way back I tried it along the railway line - toooo crazy, scary - if you have the train come by, it's just a few feet off your shoulder, with NO chance to bail out !!!
. Of course trying to convince the railway to widen the right of way is a no-go. But I'm imagining riding all the way to El Cap and Refugio - awesome !!!But Romero 'Road' is very doable, climbable. It was a 'service' road way back in the day, and the lower section is still 2 spur, but about halfway up it becomes nice singletrack.... about 5.5-6 miles up to Camino Cielo... A nice , tough ride up (3k climbing) and a joy to ride down, even for riders like me.
Lots more in the Los Padres back country... reachable from the Santa Ynez Valley, Ojai area, and Santa Paula Fillmore area.
Summer is tough though - the Heat is unbearable - could be fatal !!! Fall/Winter/Spring the best time to ride there.
Ride On
Yuri
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10-27-24, 01:28 PM
#112
Senior Member
You'll hear quite often that the difference in speed is small, and that's true.
However, speed is a tough metric to compare because the power needed to overcome aerodynamic drag increases with the 3rd power of speed. That means to go 1% faster requires about 3% more power. That also means that you can reduce your power by 3% with only 1% loss in speed. So if you ride alone, speed isn't that consequential. If there's a 2% difference in speed between road and gravel bikes when you ride alone, that's only a bit more than a 1 minute difference per hour. However, the difference is magnified when you ride with friends. If you're riding with friends, to close down a 2% difference in speed requires about 6% more power.
I would suggest that the more important question is, do you ride alone, or do you ride with friends? If you're a solitary rider, the difference won't matter much. If you ride with friends, a 6% difference in effort level adds up.
However, speed is a tough metric to compare because the power needed to overcome aerodynamic drag increases with the 3rd power of speed. That means to go 1% faster requires about 3% more power. That also means that you can reduce your power by 3% with only 1% loss in speed. So if you ride alone, speed isn't that consequential. If there's a 2% difference in speed between road and gravel bikes when you ride alone, that's only a bit more than a 1 minute difference per hour. However, the difference is magnified when you ride with friends. If you're riding with friends, to close down a 2% difference in speed requires about 6% more power.
I would suggest that the more important question is, do you ride alone, or do you ride with friends? If you're a solitary rider, the difference won't matter much. If you ride with friends, a 6% difference in effort level adds up.
10-27-24, 04:47 PM
#113
Senior Member
