Mountain Bike For Gravel Racing

Gravel bikes such as cannondale s topstone lefty have dual suspension yet the available travel remains comparatively low at only 30mm.

Mountain bike for gravel racing. No one bike is perfect which is part of the joy of gravel grinders. You don t need a gravel bike to ride gravel trails you can use a cyclocross or a mountain bike but gravel bikes optimize comfort thanks to geometrically designed frames drop handlebars and huge tires which gives them a slight to mountain bikes which are designed more for ascents and descents rather than constant peddling on slushy surfaces. Even the most lightweight and race focussed modern 29er. The xc mountain bike shoes that a lot of people are using on gravel rides also have provisions for toe spikes used for sprinting uphill and are especially useful in cx racing.

If you re looking to compete the cross bike is the weapon for you. If you re worried about comfort over the long miles go with a mountain bike. Pick a bike that has a 2x system due to the limitations of 1x systems for finding the perfect gear on tempo rides and. How to maximize a mountain bike for gravel roads bike selection a hardtail 29er is going to be the closest to a gravel bike while also offering the benefits of a true.

Gravel bike geometry is traditionally a touch more forgiving than a road bike and a bit more aggressive compared to a mountain bike. How we tested cannondale topstone carbon. This obviously means it strikes a good balance between the two. Gravel grinders are ultra distance races and you don t get the natural breaks of mountain bike races.

The vault is a race ready. Modern mountain bikes rarely offer less than 100 mm of travel while 50 mm is considered huge for gravel. Force 1 super light with a frame weighing 880 grams and a fork weighing 370 grams the u p.