As a triathlete I really need my TT bike. But my other bike is a do-it-all Ritchey cross bike that I use for everything else --- group rides, touring, commuting, gravel, etc.
I consider getting a 700c wheelset for my 650b gravel racer. This way I can change the wheelsets between "off and on road" while keeping the same geometry, handling, everything I am used to on this bike.
Yeah, wives just don't seem to understand men. The look we give them when they have 50 pairs of shoes with 50 purses to match them. And let's not even count the dresses to match them.
I agree with the comment about having different bikes and costing the same to run. I have a carbon dream road bike, commuter road bike, hard tail MTB and a old bike which was a bodge TT bike. I planed them all around the same time to share as much kit as possible so they are all SRAM 10 speed. There is a lot of apex, a Red groupset and X9/eagle. That mean they can all share parts and buying in bulk is far easier for chains, cassettes and tyres.
Whats the model of your Diverge, David? Im starting to get real about biking. I have a rockhopper but since i ride mostly tarmac or not-so-loose-stuff pavements, im thinking in getting a single bike and swapping just tires/wheels. Is the Diverge entrance model enough to get me started in more serious biking?
great looking footage, excellent presentation, some cinematic drama choir music --> super entertaining video, on one of the most interesting topics at the moment (for me). Thanks again GCN :-) My new Merlin GX-01 will be shipped very soon, so I start my own Do-it-all bike experiment ...but I already feel the hesitation to sell my proper carbon roadbike (even though it's pretty old :)
But they have to be designed for aero bars add ons as well to use them on triathlons! And that also means electronic shifting most likely 🙂 so that we can shift from aeros. Also I’d like a 650b wheel option for road and tri, maybe 650c for gravel.
Ok so now we've seen that a bike tweaked the right way can do both, but what is the absolute best geometry for gravel? Is a more stable bike the ticket for longer races on loose terrain, or does the snappiness of a short chainstay have the advantage?
@@simonrichardson5259 I suppose it depends largely on the rider and their goals. My bike has 440 chainstay so it does feel sluggish when accelerating, but it's stable and holds speed well. Probably ideal for loaded bike packing
Anyone actually doing this with two wheelsets? How's it swapping them over with the disc rotor alignment? Still think a dedicated road bike with lower bars and a separate gravel/CX would be better overall TBH. My CX is generally on commuter duty.
Would love to see GCN review lower-end bikes. Not everyone has a bottomless wallet. I have a Triban RC520 (shimano 105s, hydraulic assisted discs) - I find it a brilliant commuter and very comfortable on trails, but too heavy to be a good road bike. It'd be nice to see what you guys think of these compromise bikes.
Geoff Taylor I have a feeling they do these high end bikes because the companies either give them for free or loan them for free. So I imagine it’s just a tad easier for them to get them done. I wish they would do some lower end bikes as well though. It’s always nice to see, not everyone has deep pockets.
Bike media is generally paid by the industry to survive (factually, not saying it's good or bad). So there is really no incentive to get people to buy cheaper bikes. What really happens is many regular casual cyclists will end up getting $3000-$5000 even though they can be well served on $1000 bikes.
Good decision on keeping the pedals the same. Mountainbike shoes and pedals are the epitome of do-it-all gear IMO. Also I loved how much fun you had in both events. True passion.
@@sebastianjost Be my scientific guest, it's a free world. But to me, the rider's weight seems of little importance for comparing the weight you want to pedal around the bracket with both your leg musles (i.e. approximately 11,500 times per hour ridden).
@@GerardvanReekum your legs and feet have weight too. 100g more on each foot doesn't matter that much. Also I don't think lifting your feet is what wears you out the most while riding, it's pushing down on the pedals, when you transfer the most amount of force to keep moving. For hill-climbs, the rider weight is even more directly related as you have to move every gram you carry up that mountain. But 200g more or less are for most riders probably about 0.25% difference. Therefor I think for the vast majority of cyclists, 200g heavier shoes are not a big deal and certainly not enough reason to loose the ability to walk normally in your cycling shoes.
I'm literally horrible at racing - but I race all the time. Toeing the line is intimidating, but you give it all you've got and the cycling community will celebrate your finish like you just won the Giro. That's the best feeling! Just sign up, show up, and race like nobody's watching. You'll be so glad you did it!
Si, at 10:17, when you needed a pro pep talk, I thought you were gonna say: "Hi Dan, you alright mate? Is Oli there?" ;-) PS. Like the bog roll touch - classy!
I was more excited to see Si have so much fun than I was about gravel bikes. And, really, that's all that matters. Can I have tons of fun with one bike? Yes.
I run SPD's on all my bikes (MTB, Gravel and Carbon race bike). Nothing wrong with that, at least you can still walk with them on. ;) BTW, Gravel is my gravel, commute, pubride and sometimes my singletrack bike.
Just made the switch to spd-l since my trusty cx shoes gave up. Honestly I feel zero difference through the pedal stroke and much prefer the comfort my s works cx shoes gave vs their road shoe.
Absolutely smashing video. Well done si and crew. Understand that if the Sunday feature was am hour long we'll still watch every single second of every single one.
Si and CGN should definitely do more racing events. Especially these weird and fun races. Thanks for the video. I will look for a gravel bike now, just because I don't want to swap bikes everytime.
Apart from spreading enthusiasm and fun for bike riding. I just love the moment you get the wd40 out. I bet that had a lot of the chain lube police out in force!!
That happened to me at the Three Ring Circus in 2012, a 15 y.o wearing a Tutu overtook me on my big 150mm all-mountain rig, riding a CX bike. We were climbing at the time, I will point out.
Great timing GCN am just looking at the best bike for a 12 mile commute on road and on gravel tracks. Good to see Si checking in his encyclopedia Britannica of excuses before each race. This was ace ♠️👍
This video was perfect timing. I bought a MTB and for pass 2 days I have been looking at both road and gravel bikes. I was thinking of buying a do it all bike and it made sense, but at the end of your video you made more sense why I shouldn't get a do it all bike. Also I bought a t-shirt from your shop yesterday! Go GCN!
Hell yeah, Si! Honestly it's so awesome that you were willing to come out of retirement to do these events and make these videos. I personally appreciated the time you spent exploring the way signing up and doing these events made you feel because honestly I can imagine it isn't easy to go back and actually race after competing on such a high level as you have in pro racing. Keep up the awesome work !
A do it al bike is great when you don’t have the money for more than one bike. Or the space. I have one bike and 2 different tyerssets it is for me the best option with te money i have. Ofcourse i want 2 or 3 different types of bikes but i need to pay my bills also. Great video and good to see you back Si.
Daniel MacDonald my bike was not zo expensive idd. And Yes i don’t have the best bike or group set on te market but i can ride. I think thats the most importend thing
Or if you go on a trip where conditions vary - you always have only 1 bike available during a trip, that's why an all-rounder like gravel-bike comes into play.
Sheesh, when you spray WD40 this casually around the cassette, I'm worried for the disc brake rotor just looking at this in the future and from 1000km away.
Like the saying goes, jack of all trades but master of none. I have a gravel bike currently and will be upgrading to a proper road bike for my weekend expeditions! The gravel bike while great for commuting and a backup option, I just won’t be able to go fast enough.
6 and a half, then 7 years since his last road race, I was just waiting for 10 years since and further excuses 🤣 Fair play Si, great results and entertaining video mate.
Literally built up a Gravel/Road all in one last month. 1xDi2, road shifters with MTB derailleur & Cassete (44t +11-46t). 1 pair of Token roubx prime carbon wheels with GP 5000TL 32c (road) 1 pair with hunt gravel 35 carbon wheels with WTB Resolute 42c (Gravel). Still need a full-sus. But now I can cover [full-sus, hard tail], [CX, gravel, touring & road] with just 2 bikes. GCN conclusion is spot on IMHO & respect for the great results :)
I like that Sy did the road race with MTB pedals. I have now MTB pedals in both my bikes (city/trek and road), so I can use both pair of bike shoes with both bikes. Also I like MTB pedals and I can't see that I would never need road pedals anymore. For city riding MTB pedals are great, because they make the bike more thief proof (mine are extremely difficult to ride with normal shoes).
Well Si, I own a road bike Cervelo R3 and a specialized diverge and I switched tires to Roubaix pro 28’s and it does fantastic on road and trails. The Diverge is heavier than my R3 at 21 lbs but I take shorter rides on it.
Whats the model of your Diverge, rudy? Im starting to get real about biking. I have a rockhopper but since i ride mostly tarmac or not-so-loose-stuff pavements, im thinking in getting a single bike and swapping just tires/wheels. Is the Diverge entrance model enough to get me started in more serious biking?
same here mate now I don't feel pressure to buy a expensive gravel bike and get two good bikes with great gear and less wear and tear when have two bikes
Great vid Si, yeah I would agree with you, you only have to change the tires n tubes. The thing is if you have one set of wheels and they are set up tubeless then you have to change out all that stuff. I don’t race so for me and many of my homies, we just put on tubeless panaracer 38 gravel kings and we’re done.
The issue is that for the same price as a 3T Exploro and two sets of Zipp wheels you can buy a great road bike such as a Giant TCR and also a great mountain bike. Both the Road bike and the Mountain bike will be better for their intended purpose than a Gravel bike.
you dont need the most expensive frame or wheels . i've got a set up with a super x apex1 and 2 wheels tune and crossmax cost me 2000 euro all brought used.
@@tomaldous5641 I'd say with the tune wheels it's as fast as any roadbike in the 1000 euro bracket. And for 1000 euro its hard to find a decent mtb + you can do Cx , bikepacking and other thing that a roadbike or a mtb can't do as well.
why not go even cheaper and get a cheap aero, cheap climbing, cheap downhill, cheap xc, and cheap commuter instead of just a gravel bike. they'll all be even better at their respective jobs than one or two bikes will. if you choose to only ever have one is it enough or do you actually need more is the discussion. most of us never even ride competitively so it's a personal line that's more about what people want rather than what they need, which is fine by me. and as someone has mentioned there's plenty of cheaper gravel options as well.
@@CommaCam I only swap out wheels on my commuter bike where I have studded winter tires installed on one set of rims and fast rolling road tires on the other. I do swap the one cassette. Mind you these aren't high end components and rims. Winter riding wears out the chain and cassette together. So if I did have a summer cassette it probably won't mesh with a winter worn chain. Not saying what I do is best, but that's just how I've always done it and changing over a cassette is very easy compared to changing the agonizingly tight tires.
@@newttella1043 I think you're spot-on to keep the one cassette so the whole drivetrain wears at the same rate. Pretty sure I would do the same. Swapping a cassette is pretty easy once you figure out how to use a chain whip, it's just an extra step to deal with.
coming from 100% MTB in my past, a gravel bike has helped me get comfortable with drop bars and a road frame for commuting with 32mm tyres. Not sure I have the stability yet to go down to 23mm but a gravel bike has definitely helped me transition. In theory you need 3 bikes. The MTB, the road/gravel and the get-stolen city bike for when you commute/trip to the city at night.
THmusic Dude 23mm is old world these days, 25-28mm and even 32mm is where it’s at. Thinner, faster tyres won’t matter when you puncture every 100 metres
Got my gravel bike and love it. Just saving up for a road specific wheel set (and cassette and disc rotors) and then I’ll be set. It really will be a Swiss Army Bike.
Great video, Si. I love those longer videoes, where you (guys) tune down the GCN humour quite a bit, and get more into telling and showing the story - from a more serious point of view. Great work 👌 Cheers from Denmark
I raced Castle Coombe the day before my wedding. After previous face plants I was instructed not to contest the sprint.... Which is why I came dead last... Honest.
@@kubowich I have no idea how much secondhand parts cost in other countries nor how much money our friend has at his disposal - hence my comment "if you can afford it"
Of the Castle Combe race track came to mind an idea for CGN challenge: 24-hour race. That came to mind because I have wanted to do Le Mans 24-hour cyclosportive for years, but I haven't managed to find enough fools to do with me.
"Can do it all" doesn't mean "can do everything without compromises", so no one has to do that. It just means that it's not significantly hindered on either on-road or off-road.
You all realize that the very same bike that raced gravel and on the road was compliant enough to carry Si around the north coast of Scotland in 3 days. That is one really special do it all bike.
Do you have one bike to do it all?
Yes, for two days now (Focus Mares 9.8), and I couldn't be happier!
As a triathlete I really need my TT bike. But my other bike is a do-it-all Ritchey cross bike that I use for everything else --- group rides, touring, commuting, gravel, etc.
I consider getting a 700c wheelset for my 650b gravel racer. This way I can change the wheelsets between "off and on road" while keeping the same geometry, handling, everything I am used to on this bike.
Specialized Diverge
Specialized Diverge
The looks my wife is giving me at the end of this video are amazing. I can feel the hostility towards si emanating from her eyes. "No more bikes!"
Hhahaha!
Yeah, wives just don't seem to understand men. The look we give them when they have 50 pairs of shoes with 50 purses to match them. And let's not even count the dresses to match them.
@@montiraruba2831 but shoes are cheaper :) even if you have a lot it's still less than one good bike.
Welcome to the club:-)
Anja O bless you 🙏🏼
I agree with the comment about having different bikes and costing the same to run. I have a carbon dream road bike, commuter road bike, hard tail MTB and a old bike which was a bodge TT bike. I planed them all around the same time to share as much kit as possible so they are all SRAM 10 speed. There is a lot of apex, a Red groupset and X9/eagle. That mean they can all share parts and buying in bulk is far easier for chains, cassettes and tyres.
17:22 "you can only ever ride one bike at once" Challenge accepted!
Specialized Diverge, I just change tires depending on road or gravel.
Whats the model of your Diverge, David? Im starting to get real about biking. I have a rockhopper but since i ride mostly tarmac or not-so-loose-stuff pavements, im thinking in getting a single bike and swapping just tires/wheels. Is the Diverge entrance model enough to get me started in more serious biking?
great looking footage, excellent presentation, some cinematic drama choir music --> super entertaining video, on one of the most interesting topics at the moment (for me). Thanks again GCN :-)
My new Merlin GX-01 will be shipped very soon, so I start my own Do-it-all bike experiment ...but I already feel the hesitation to sell my proper carbon roadbike (even though it's pretty old :)
Do it all beer, cheers mate, well done
Great video as always! Thanks
But they have to be designed for aero bars add ons as well to use them on triathlons! And that also means electronic shifting most likely 🙂 so that we can shift from aeros. Also I’d like a 650b wheel option for road and tri, maybe 650c for gravel.
Great video 👍👍👍😁😁😁
Drink every time you hear "6.5 years". ☺️ JK, good job Si!
I am riding 42 tires and can't believe how little they are holding me back. And running 40 psi makes the pot holes go away!
did you change wheels? if so what size tires
Dayum
That's a nice bike!
yes I do focus mares cx
Ok so now we've seen that a bike tweaked the right way can do both, but what is the absolute best geometry for gravel? Is a more stable bike the ticket for longer races on loose terrain, or does the snappiness of a short chainstay have the advantage?
Horses for courses I think. Personally, something low but snappy is my preference.
@@simonrichardson5259 I suppose it depends largely on the rider and their goals. My bike has 440 chainstay so it does feel sluggish when accelerating, but it's stable and holds speed well. Probably ideal for loaded bike packing
Anyone actually doing this with two wheelsets? How's it swapping them over with the disc rotor alignment? Still think a dedicated road bike with lower bars and a separate gravel/CX would be better overall TBH. My CX is generally on commuter duty.
Company: spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on aerodynamic research and engineering
Racers: stick big flat pieces of cardboard on the front
Well this is usually only for MTBs which are not very aero anyway
Well, at least everyone has the same disadvantage.
Nopinz spend loads on good fit for aerodynamics then we have to attach a parachute to our backs😂
Matt Parsons I don’t, I use velcro race numbers for my road race skin suits
Really enjoyed this. The actual topic was interesting but the highlight was Si's ear to ear grin after both races.
Just joined my first race today Si. I finished last but I enjoyed every minute of it
You can only get better, mate.
I didn’t finish my first race, by the time of my fourth race I got in the extended podium 5th place
Having fun is a win!
@@rodneysmart9774 indeed
Clint Nieves Good Job. Only one way to go but up!
If not for the two critical mistakes (calling Dan instead of Emma and drenching the bike in WD-40), you would have won that race for sure!
GCN is usually good, sometimes very good and occasionally excellent. Excellent video!
Cheers John!
Agreed...I was cheering during the rAce....16 not too shabby for the off road race...
WD-40 and the cap on backwards...
Where's my Popcorn? 🍿
It was not on backwards.
17:36, there's definitely a peak at the back. That's not a skull cap. 😋
@@Malesoun Haha indeed. I wonder if it was casting a shadow so for filming they reversed it.
And putting some WD-40 mist on his brake rotor in the process...
Who eats popcorn with porn?
Would love to see GCN review lower-end bikes. Not everyone has a bottomless wallet. I have a Triban RC520 (shimano 105s, hydraulic assisted discs) - I find it a brilliant commuter and very comfortable on trails, but too heavy to be a good road bike. It'd be nice to see what you guys think of these compromise bikes.
I love this kind of bike, got a format 5551 which is alike yours. Gotta say, love it more than my giant tcr.
Format 5221, sorry
I've mentioned this before, but no answer. £500 is more than enough for me, not £2000!
Geoff Taylor I have a feeling they do these high end bikes because the companies either give them for free or loan them for free. So I imagine it’s just a tad easier for them to get them done. I wish they would do some lower end bikes as well though. It’s always nice to see, not everyone has deep pockets.
Bike media is generally paid by the industry to survive (factually, not saying it's good or bad). So there is really no incentive to get people to buy cheaper bikes. What really happens is many regular casual cyclists will end up getting $3000-$5000 even though they can be well served on $1000 bikes.
Good decision on keeping the pedals the same. Mountainbike shoes and pedals are the epitome of do-it-all gear IMO. Also I loved how much fun you had in both events. True passion.
Cheers Daniel, some great days out!
Profiled mountain bike shoes are considerably heavier than road shoes.
@@GerardvanReekum but 200g don't matter so much if the rider weighs 70kg.
And if you don't race, it's totally fine.
@@sebastianjost Be my scientific guest, it's a free world. But to me, the rider's weight seems of little importance for comparing the weight you want to pedal around the bracket with both your leg musles (i.e. approximately 11,500 times per hour ridden).
@@GerardvanReekum your legs and feet have weight too. 100g more on each foot doesn't matter that much.
Also I don't think lifting your feet is what wears you out the most while riding, it's pushing down on the pedals, when you transfer the most amount of force to keep moving.
For hill-climbs, the rider weight is even more directly related as you have to move every gram you carry up that mountain. But 200g more or less are for most riders probably about 0.25% difference.
Therefor I think for the vast majority of cyclists, 200g heavier shoes are not a big deal and certainly not enough reason to loose the ability to walk normally in your cycling shoes.
Can't explain how much I love these kinds of videos from GCN. Also, Si's joy after the race is contagious =)
Aww cheers Welves
Aww cheers Welves
I'm literally horrible at racing - but I race all the time. Toeing the line is intimidating, but you give it all you've got and the cycling community will celebrate your finish like you just won the Giro. That's the best feeling! Just sign up, show up, and race like nobody's watching. You'll be so glad you did it!
Si, at 10:17, when you needed a pro pep talk, I thought you were gonna say:
"Hi Dan, you alright mate? Is Oli there?"
;-)
PS. Like the bog roll touch - classy!
I half expected Dan to show up in the race.
Seems like you have forgotten Dan used to ride for the Cervelo test team. Havent seen Oli pulling that off.
@@michiel831 if they want real pro advice then they should ask Emma, she has Olympic level experience among other things.
@@Maxwaehrens Emma is gone Max. The is in GCN heaven chilling with Matt.
Was expecting Lasty to answer the phone,...
Si is just the best gcn presenter. Great video
Thanks for the Si-washing-a-bike montage. It's been a while 🤣
Well, I think that you need at least 2 bikes. For me, my road bike is for performance and fun while my gravel bike is for fun and performance!
2 wheelsets is enought if you have a frame that fits both categories. I only need one bike for gravel and road and one track bike for fun
I would say one full suspension fatbike and one gravel bike
Lightweight F/S mountain bike all the way.
Mmm, I’m not sure. I’ve already told my wife that 5 bikes just doesn’t cut it nowadays!!! Can I buy this new one because it has........?
A MTB would be more fun than both ;)
I was more excited to see Si have so much fun than I was about gravel bikes.
And, really, that's all that matters. Can I have tons of fun with one bike? Yes.
a masterclass in pre-race excuse making
I run SPD's on all my bikes (MTB, Gravel and Carbon race bike). Nothing wrong with that, at least you can still walk with them on. ;)
BTW, Gravel is my gravel, commute, pubride and sometimes my singletrack bike.
Just made the switch to spd-l since my trusty cx shoes gave up. Honestly I feel zero difference through the pedal stroke and much prefer the comfort my s works cx shoes gave vs their road shoe.
Absolutely smashing video. Well done si and crew.
Understand that if the Sunday feature was am hour long we'll still watch every single second of every single one.
Si, did you know your DS for this race used to ride for the Cervelo Test Team?
Really? if that's true He's really quiet about it ;-)
It feels almost as good as riding for Cervelo Test Team yourself!
Si and CGN should definitely do more racing events. Especially these weird and fun races.
Thanks for the video. I will look for a gravel bike now, just because I don't want to swap bikes everytime.
One bike to rule them all..my precious. 💍
I think u should enter a gcn team into the road race for a season see how you do and document it all
Apart from spreading enthusiasm and fun for bike riding. I just love the moment you get the wd40 out. I bet that had a lot of the chain lube police out in force!!
The eye contact was the best part
The guy at 4:12 can't believe he's witnessing a drop bar bike go past him.
That happened to me at the Three Ring Circus in 2012, a 15 y.o wearing a Tutu overtook me on my big 150mm all-mountain rig, riding a CX bike.
We were climbing at the time, I will point out.
Pete McKinlay Thats so mee😂😂 dressing up in my enduro kit riding a road bike🤣
Great timing GCN am just looking at the best bike for a 12 mile commute on road and on gravel tracks. Good to see Si checking in his encyclopedia Britannica of excuses before each race. This was ace ♠️👍
This video was perfect timing. I bought a MTB and for pass 2 days I have been looking at both road and gravel bikes. I was thinking of buying a do it all bike and it made sense, but at the end of your video you made more sense why I shouldn't get a do it all bike. Also I bought a t-shirt from your shop yesterday! Go GCN!
Hell yeah, Si! Honestly it's so awesome that you were willing to come out of retirement to do these events and make these videos. I personally appreciated the time you spent exploring the way signing up and doing these events made you feel because honestly I can imagine it isn't easy to go back and actually race after competing on such a high level as you have in pro racing. Keep up the awesome work !
Cheers, really appreciate the support!
A do it al bike is great when you don’t have the money for more than one bike. Or the space. I have one bike and 2 different tyerssets it is for me the best option with te money i have. Ofcourse i want 2 or 3 different types of bikes but i need to pay my bills also.
Great video and good to see you back Si.
I imagine the bike that he is riding in this video costs as much, or more, than two ride specific bikes.
Daniel MacDonald my bike was not zo expensive idd. And Yes i don’t have the best bike or group set on te market but i can ride. I think thats the most importend thing
I just put money down on a trek check point sl6. I can’t wait
Or if you go on a trip where conditions vary - you always have only 1 bike available during a trip, that's why an all-rounder like gravel-bike comes into play.
Sheesh, when you spray WD40 this casually around the cassette, I'm worried for the disc brake rotor just looking at this in the future and from 1000km away.
I realize he probably cleans and rebuilds his bike 3 times a day but I agree directly spraying the cassette still makes me cringe!
oh man, you do realize he is doing that to provoke people like you, right?
Been a while since a gcn presenter took part in an actual race. Love those episodes.
omg that go pro footage and editing has me drooling. looks like a type of ride i would want to do.
But can your gravel bike become s triple threat ie GRATT bike .........gravel road and TT
Well done, I really enjoyed this one, makes me wanna get out and ride right now, but I can't, I'm at work.... Will do afterwards though!✌🏼
However this kind of contradicts the n+1 bike theory🤔
You can still own a lot of bikes. But just ride one and drool over the rest at home
it become the w + 1... how many set of wheels do you need...
Like the saying goes, jack of all trades but master of none. I have a gravel bike currently and will be upgrading to a proper road bike for my weekend expeditions! The gravel bike while great for commuting and a backup option, I just won’t be able to go fast enough.
6 and a half, then 7 years since his last road race, I was just waiting for 10 years since and further excuses 🤣
Fair play Si, great results and entertaining video mate.
Danggg. Hanging with cat 1/2 without training really. Impressive
But those base miles.....
Literally built up a Gravel/Road all in one last month.
1xDi2, road shifters with MTB derailleur & Cassete (44t +11-46t).
1 pair of Token roubx prime carbon wheels with GP 5000TL 32c (road)
1 pair with hunt gravel 35 carbon wheels with WTB Resolute 42c (Gravel).
Still need a full-sus. But now I can cover [full-sus, hard tail], [CX, gravel, touring & road] with just 2 bikes.
GCN conclusion is spot on IMHO & respect for the great results :)
I like that Sy did the road race with MTB pedals. I have now MTB pedals in both my bikes (city/trek and road), so I can use both pair of bike shoes with both bikes. Also I like MTB pedals and I can't see that I would never need road pedals anymore. For city riding MTB pedals are great, because they make the bike more thief proof (mine are extremely difficult to ride with normal shoes).
OMGG the contents are coming in
Send more presenters to race GCN!
Damn it hyped me up to sign up for a race as well..
watched 100's of GCN's vids but this is up there with the most balanced and informative.
I wanna see GCN presenters enter a race as a team
Great video. For a 1 bike garage, the do-it-all bike is a great choice.
si is the man. i'd watch him do a video on racing chickens. he's the steph curry of cycling - the joy he brings is unmatched. thanks guys.
Well Si, I own a road bike Cervelo R3 and a specialized diverge and I switched tires to Roubaix pro 28’s and it does fantastic on road and trails. The Diverge is heavier than my R3 at 21 lbs but I take shorter rides on it.
Whats the model of your Diverge, rudy? Im starting to get real about biking. I have a rockhopper but since i ride mostly tarmac or not-so-loose-stuff pavements, im thinking in getting a single bike and swapping just tires/wheels. Is the Diverge entrance model enough to get me started in more serious biking?
I watched a dude lap a cat 2 field on a cx bike with slick tires...
well he was a burglar!
Great video! Think I would rather have two cheaper, lower spec bikes than the one gravel bike in practice
same here mate now I don't feel pressure to buy a expensive gravel bike and get two good bikes with great gear and less wear and tear when have two bikes
I went for the cheaper, lower spec gravel bike. Reduce to the max. ;)
Great vid Si, yeah I would agree with you, you only have to change the tires n tubes. The thing is if you have one set of wheels and they are set up tubeless then you have to change out all that stuff. I don’t race so for me and many of my homies, we just put on tubeless panaracer 38 gravel kings and we’re done.
The issue is that for the same price as a 3T Exploro and two sets of Zipp wheels you can buy a great road bike such as a Giant TCR and also a great mountain bike. Both the Road bike and the Mountain bike will be better for their intended purpose than a Gravel bike.
you dont need the most expensive frame or wheels . i've got a set up with a super x apex1 and 2 wheels tune and crossmax cost me 2000 euro all brought used.
@@sexyhemch , The Super X is a great bike but 2000 Euros in the used market will get you both a good road bike as well as a good mountain bike.
@@s.9075and bikepacking
@@tomaldous5641 I'd say with the tune wheels it's as fast as any roadbike in the 1000 euro bracket. And for 1000 euro its hard to find a decent mtb + you can do Cx , bikepacking and other thing that a roadbike or a mtb can't do as well.
why not go even cheaper and get a cheap aero, cheap climbing, cheap downhill, cheap xc, and cheap commuter instead of just a gravel bike. they'll all be even better at their respective jobs than one or two bikes will. if you choose to only ever have one is it enough or do you actually need more is the discussion. most of us never even ride competitively so it's a personal line that's more about what people want rather than what they need, which is fine by me. and as someone has mentioned there's plenty of cheaper gravel options as well.
you forgot to mention that gravel bikes make excellent winter bikes with great clearance for mudguards and excellent brakes for wet weather.
Only thing is that 3T doesn't have mudguard/fender mounts (way to go Vroomen & 3T! Makes perfect sense....)
Road bike, gravel bike,indoor bike, touring bike. My 4 bikes have a combined age of 102, and my road bike is a 2019 😂
This guys bike is like top 0.1 percentile of this race
CX bikes should be the middle ground between MTB and roadies, where we both come together.
WD-40.. i haven't seen that running joke used in a while.
One bike just doesn't cut it. Remember the n+1 rule!
New trend is one bike but w+1. W is for current number of wheel sets.
It's such a neat idea. Do you do this? Do you use the same cassette and swap it out? Or two cassettes?
@@CommaCam I only swap out wheels on my commuter bike where I have studded winter tires installed on one set of rims and fast rolling road tires on the other. I do swap the one cassette. Mind you these aren't high end components and rims. Winter riding wears out the chain and cassette together. So if I did have a summer cassette it probably won't mesh with a winter worn chain. Not saying what I do is best, but that's just how I've always done it and changing over a cassette is very easy compared to changing the agonizingly tight tires.
@@newttella1043 I think you're spot-on to keep the one cassette so the whole drivetrain wears at the same rate. Pretty sure I would do the same. Swapping a cassette is pretty easy once you figure out how to use a chain whip, it's just an extra step to deal with.
shoud've gone 650b for the gravel setup
Came here to say this.
You won the Rás. You don’t ever need to worry about racing again¡
coming from 100% MTB in my past, a gravel bike has helped me get comfortable with drop bars and a road frame for commuting with 32mm tyres. Not sure I have the stability yet to go down to 23mm but a gravel bike has definitely helped me transition. In theory you need 3 bikes. The MTB, the road/gravel and the get-stolen city bike for when you commute/trip to the city at night.
THmusic Dude 23mm is old world these days, 25-28mm and even 32mm is where it’s at. Thinner, faster tyres won’t matter when you puncture every 100 metres
Got my gravel bike and love it. Just saving up for a road specific wheel set (and cassette and disc rotors) and then I’ll be set. It really will be a Swiss Army Bike.
Andrew Kirk and you will never use it because of the fucking about to switch everything around will kill the joy of it
gravel bikes are just hybrids w drop bars, but, ppl wont spend $10k on a hybrid, so marketing happened
don't think a hybrid can fit 40mm tyres though
Who was hoping he was calling Matt Stephens? I miss that guy. Also Emma Pooley. No offence Dan
What happened to Emma?
Yeah, where is Emma?
@@AndriusMatuliauskas she returned to Hogwarts.
@@tyleramato4526 You realize she is a PhD level scientist. She got a professional science job near her home in Switzerland.
Great video Si. have GCN thought about a club series in Bath?
Curious as to what wheels/tires you used for the road race?
My Open U.P. does it all, and my Pegoretti stays safely in the garage
Great video, Si.
I love those longer videoes, where you (guys) tune down the GCN humour quite a bit, and get more into telling and showing the story - from a more serious point of view.
Great work 👌
Cheers from Denmark
You're supposed to actually open the beer to enjoy it 😂
That Orbea is fucking gorgeous
Is there any alloy version of the 3T Exploro or something like it from other brands that is made on alloy? 😍
Bombtrack audax maybe?
Trek Crockett
I raced Castle Coombe the day before my wedding. After previous face plants I was instructed not to contest the sprint.... Which is why I came dead last... Honest.
I'm so jealous I want that bike and yet I'm still a teenager can't afford anything not living in 1 world but in 3rd world
You could build a decent fun bike from secondhand parts as long as they are within your budget.
@@grahamaustin9085 what if he lives in Philippines or Cambodia or basically anywhere except Europe or Northern Americas, off 300$ paycheck...
@@kubowich I have no idea how much secondhand parts cost in other countries nor how much money our friend has at his disposal - hence my comment "if you can afford it"
I use my cyclocross bike for everything! I love it! :) nice video too guys!
Of the Castle Combe race track came to mind an idea for CGN challenge: 24-hour race. That came to mind because I have wanted to do Le Mans 24-hour cyclosportive for years, but I haven't managed to find enough fools to do with me.
Rad am Ring comes to my mind right now
Egads, what manner of beef witted popinjay only has one bike?
the amount of bullshitery in bikes is insane. aero gravebike :'D
15:36 yea but u changed the wheels so not EXACTLY the same
I'll believe that a gravel bike can do it all when someone wins a Grand Tour on one.
"Can do it all" doesn't mean "can do everything without compromises", so no one has to do that. It just means that it's not significantly hindered on either on-road or off-road.
Can you guys review Trek Checkpoint, is it a good buy?
I have the checkpoint ALR 4 for a couple of months now, it's a lovely bike, no complaints whatsoever. great bike for it's price.
I only have mtb pedals. Even on my TT bike.
Ruining the disc rotors with WD40 🤦🏻♂️
Ronnie Tse really? Doesn’t wd40 just evaporate pretty quickly?
What a laugh!
You all realize that the very same bike that raced gravel and on the road was compliant enough to carry Si around the north coast of Scotland in 3 days. That is one really special do it all bike.
Yep true, same steed!
Road bike with some Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres can tackle all that.
SI is GCN's Newt scamander and he was showing us a couple of fantastic beasts
i'm sorry I said that but I couldn't stop
2019 is for adding fandom crossovers to GCN!
Si is the perfect GCN rider for that type of event! Dan is that cool only a "boss" can be and GCN made my day again :)).
BIG BIG THUMBS UP!