[txsurfer]

Let me start this by saying **WARNING**, this will be long and there is a good chance it is utterly pointless.

Another **WARNING** is that I dont have a power meter on all 3 bikes, only one and therefore this will be tough to quantify properly if even possible.

First, a few thoughts.
I love Steel/Ti/Al(when done correctly) bikes. Not a big fan of carbon frames but carbon bits are cool
- I subscribe to the propganda from Reneherse and others that big tires are not necessarily slow
- I subscribe to the propoganda that weight is not the killer of performance under the right circumstances. Obviously climb fests through mountain passes will have a large effect
- I live on the coast of Texas and it is LITERALLY PANCAKE FLAT with steady, predictable winds
- I ride 99% of my rides solo and I ride them like they are hard training rides. I save interval work for the trainer
- I have zero racing experience nor do I follow a lot of cycling racing if it isnt ultra endurance / gravel racing.
- I have started racing last year and have found some early success (2x 1st Place - 30mile gravel, 2nd place in 280mile gravel)

On to the questions, thoughts and utter rambling!

I have had the chance lately (last 3 weeks) to run my same training route in similar wind, weather and on my 3 different bikes. What started as a speed and comfort
comparison has now opened pandora's box for me. What I have noticed is that my gravel bike was easily the slowest of them. Most of you would say "yea, no joke" and exit this thread. But READ ON!

The interesting part is that I could not get my HR to my normal (165+) levels, yet the perceived effort felt just as hard as the two other racier bikes. I know
many outside variables can effect this but lets just try and roll with it for entertainment purposes.

Lets toss out the stats for each bike really quick:

- Bowman Pilgrims Disc
-- frame type: AL
-- groupset: Ultegra r8k 2x
-- weight as ridden that day including water: 9.98kg
-- tires: Panaracer GravelKing Slicks - 32c

- 1985 Batavus Professional
-- frame type: Columbus Steel
-- groupset: Campy Chorus 2x
-- weight as ridden that day including water: 11.22kg
-- tires: Donnely - 25c

- 2018? Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross Disc
-- frame type: Steel
-- groupset: Rival 1 (force 1 crankset) 1x
-- weight as ridden that day including water: 13.58kg
-- tires: Panaracer GravelKing SemiSlick 43c

Comfort:
The Bowman probably ranks last here but there is a good chance Im just running too much tire pressure (75psi f/r). Honestly, its a crazy comfortable modern
aluminum frame. The Batavus caught me off guard yesterday as its 25c @ 95psi but omg, crazy comfortable!!! The BMC is just behind the Batavus, soaking up all the bumps
but oddities about it throw certain things off for me, like the feeling of constantly struggling for speed.

Speed:
I was a little surprised to find that I could keep very similar speeds on the batavus as my Bowman, even with my total newbness with downtube shifting. That thing
FLIES. The BMC can feel fast at times, but it usually FEELS like a much higher effort, yet my HR doesnt always reflect that effort.

Other Variables to Consider:
wind - Constant both days. Route is roughly headwind/tailwind, very little cross. My effort is usually the same upwind as it is downwind.
elevation - pancake flat. I gain about 80ft on the whole ride and 60ft of that is a bridge. Im not joking.
FTP - mix of zwift/strava est - ~235w

The whole reason for all of this???
Will a larger tire bike, with a higher stack and all of those other "gravel" characteristics, ever be as fast a true road bike? As my interest in racing increases,
I find myself wondering how long I can hold my ground on "steel is real" when I see people on gravel carbon wonder bikes running their mouths and doing 22mph, seemingly
with ease. I know there are an absolute ton of variables here, so I just want to have a conversation about what I could be missing, ways to improve speed on the gravel
bike and if ultimately, Im wasting my time with such thoughts. Are large tire bikes just slower? Is Jan at Reneherse full of crap?

I am including screenshots from the 3 rides. They dont show HR so Ill write it beneath. HR from garmin hr strap. I can see now the HR from the Bowman ride is significantly higher and max was chasing segments, which throws it off a bit.

BOWMAN IS ONLY BIKE WITH POWER METER. Rest are strava estimates from weights

Batavus Ride: avg HR:143 Max: 173
BMC: avg HR: 142 Max: 174
Bowman: avg HR: 171. Max 189