Electronic Drivetrain: Is it worth the hype?

[Chazmo]

I mean, pretty much every manufacturer under the sun makes basic flat bar general purpose bikes with utilitarian specs. Its not like that ever went away. All the various genres and subgenres and nitpicking about various categories is more for enthusiasts. Its like that in every hobby. You can spend big money chasing smaller and smaller gains, and spend lots of energy obsessing about smaller and smaller differences. At the end of the day, its your bike and it only matters to the extent that it increases your enjoyment of riding it.

Amen to that, jw!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

A toughroad flatbar gravelbike is a 'roadbike' too but it has to have it's own special category that obfuscates it's abilities. And honestly, having 3 of them downstairs, I wouldn't consider riding them on the gravel roads out here. You want an MTB for that, something with wider tires and some suspension else you'll be skittering all over the place.

Perhaps the Australia is harder but here a gravel cyclist can ride any terrain as long as it's not a technical singletrack (rocks, jumps, etc). Them 45 mm lowly inflated tyres and a lightweight bike do the trick. MTBs are too heavy and too slow for the sport.

Somewhere near to Warsaw, Poland

 

[jabberwocky]

MTBs are too heavy and too slow for the sport.

Definitely untrue, I've known many people who ride MTBs for gravel. I actually have a friend who placed 2nd in the tour divide race who rides gravel on a niner MTB hardtail.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Definitely untrue, I've known many people who ride MTBs for gravel. I actually have a friend who placed 2nd in the tour divide race who rides gravel on a niner MTB hardtail.

Yes but you are talking about something a way more harsh than your usual Ultra 300 miler. In events such as Atlas Mountain Race it is all about the endurance not the speed.

 

[jabberwocky]

Yes but you are talking about something a way more harsh than your usual Ultra 300 miler. In events such as Atlas Mountain Race it is all about the endurance not the speed.

He rides normal gravel on it too, I've ridden with him on my ebike. Its not that unusual. There isn't that much difference between a flat bar gravel bike and a mountainbike. The local gravel group has several people who ride various mountainbikes.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

After a reconsideration, I must agree with you, jabber. Yes, many people choose lightweight XC bikes, hardtail or FS for gravel rallies/races, especially when the terrain is obviously hard (think of rough cobblestone, steep climbs etc).

My friend Alfer is a competing cyclist in XC and sometimes gravel races. A gravel bike is his daily ride but he chooses an XC bike when he feels it appropriate. Only he never wins gravel races against the proper drop bar gravel bikes, which he openly admits.

Yet, we all should bear in mind these people do not ride your average general purpose bikes. All such bikes are specialized for the purpose and expensive.

 

[stompandgo]

At the amateur level, it's not unusual for an MTB rider to win a cyclocross race. Good, fast riders are good, fast riders no matter what they are on. They definitely have the advantage at the start with the wide bars.

I rode my Pinarello (Nytro E5 Allroad) with 45mm (actual) Gravel Kings on trails that were meant for full suspension MTB's. It was totally the wrong bike for the course, but I made it. Of course, it was quite fast on any trail that was remotely smooth. I had trouble with the rocky descents. Rocky climbs were no problem to power through. My Allroad is an electric flat bar gravel bike, equipped with Deore XT Di2 in the SGS configuration (10-45).

 

[jabberwocky]

I've commented before that I used to lead MTB rides after work at a local park that was between my office and home. Generally I'd ride my road bike home, switch to the MTB and ride back to the park, but if work ran late I would just ride there on my carbon road bike and ride that. 23mm Pro3s at 120psi on a 15lb road bike with drop bars was fun off road. It was good line selection practice, because I had to be really careful on rocky sections and couldn't bomb downhills like I could on the FS MTB, but it was totally manageable.

The point is that there is rarely a need for a super specific bike, and normal people can ride a pretty wide variety of bikes on a pretty wide variety of terrain. The bike industry loves to convince people that they need a gravel bike as soon as you put a tire off pavement, but really you can ride gravel on many road bikes, cyclocross bikes, hybrids, mountainbikes... You won't be the most efficient on some of them, and depending on tire selection you may not have the easiest time, but if you are having fun and aren't trying to be hyper competitive who cares?

 

[stompandgo]

I used to do the Jeremy Powers Gran Fundo 50+ mile gravel ride on my Felt FR1 race bike and GP4000S 700x25's. Gravel bikes were just gaining traction then.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

cyclocross

Did you mean cross country (XC)? Cyclocross (CX) is the most conservative of cycling sports with strict rules about the gear. I mean the discipline with a tight circuit, mud and hurdles.

 

[jabberwocky]

I used to do the Jeremy Powers Gran Fundo 50+ mile gravel ride on my Felt FR1 race bike and GP4000S 700x25's. Gravel bikes were just gaining traction then.

Hah, I bet that was fun.

I did the Alpine Gran Fondo in 2011 on the carbon road bike, which was mostly pavement but had two intense gravel climbs (Fultz Gap Road in WVa on the way out and Reddish Knob Road on the way back); a friend did the same ride on his gravel bike with semi-knobbies and I ended up finishing quite a ways ahead of him. Getting beat up on the gravel climbs was more than made up by the better efficiency on the roads which was most of the route. I remember the Fultz climb sucking because it had several sections in the 15% range and it was hard to keep traction on the gravel with road tires when it was that steep.

 

[stompandgo]

Did you mean cross country (XC)? Cyclocross (CX) is the most conservative of cycling sports with strict rules about the gear. I mean the discipline with a tight circuit, mud and hurdles.

No, cyclocross. CX. The UCI has strict rules about gear. I know, because I have to enforce them. USA Cycling is more lenient. Note that I said "amateur level".

 

[stompandgo]

Hah, I bet that was fun.

The ride was mostly fun. The party afterwards was hella fun. Descending gravel covered, pothole filled dirt roads on a road race bike, not so fun. And to keep on topic, that bike had Dura-Ace 11 speed Di2 with an 11-30 cassette.

 

[jabberwocky]

No, cyclocross. CX. The UCI has strict rules about gear. I know, because I have to enforce them.

Lol. Socks 1/2" too long, DISQUALIFIED!

USA Cycling is more lenient. Note that I said "amateur level".

I spectate some of the local cross races, and yeah. Basically parties. Some people run the most outlandish bike they can find just for the lulz. Mountainbikes are relatively normal!

Friend of mine mid race. His only comment afterward was that he thought he ran the wrong tires.

 

[stompandgo]

Maybe in your country they are, but most of the shenanigans you speak of are at unsanctioned races.

I don't give two $h*ts about socks. There are plenty of other regulations that matter which need attention.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I have eventually received the replacement paddle for the Shimano Di2 XTR shifter-switch.

It could have been my fault to lose the original paddle. Now, I take care both paddles are properly secured, bolts tightened. My replacement Di2 Deore goes to my parts' cabinet as a spare. The third button has been configured to swap data screens on my Wahoo (the channel is called D-FLY 2).

 

[PedalUma]

The point is that there is rarely a need for a super specific bike, and normal people can ride a pretty wide variety of bikes on a pretty wide variety of terrain. The bike industry loves to convince people that they need a gravel bike as soon as you put a tire off pavement, but really you can ride gravel on many road bikes, cyclocross bikes, hybrids, mountainbikes... You won't be the most efficient on some of them, and depending on tire selection you may not have the easiest time, but if you are having fun and aren't trying to be hyper competitive who cares?

I agree. I do not need lycra to have fun. No need to clip-in. I take my three speed coaster brake bike on single track. Now that is fun. That is not a water bottle. It is the battery. And the photo was in December.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Your "Clean Custom Conversions" thread not doing well, Uma? I wonder whether your latest contraption perhaps has an electronic drivetrain?