CAAD 13 Gravel conversion?

[spoonrobot]

Originally Posted by phishrabbi

This thread is good evidence for the argument that “gravel” is far too broad a term to be useful.

In my experience, ~38mm tires are as small as I’d want to run for any ride that had more than 50% not on tarmac.

Gravel is a subclass of road bikes, same as touring bikes and cyclocross bikes.

OP wants to use a road bike to ride gravel, his colloquial explanation "as a gravel bike" doesn't magically transform his road bike into something else. "It's a spectrum" v. "it's a social construct" hand-in-hand, sometimes at odds.

Same as using a mountain bike with slicks as a commuter, is not the same as a commuter bicycle.

Very hard concept for many to understand, as we often see. In 10 years when Gravel bikes have finally cemented themselves as a distinct design class I will be able to rest easy.

Remember, the Tour Of Battenkill has as close a line to modern American Gravel as anything else. Lots of gravel raced, no gravel bikes.

What should i look out for? I would assume the frame could handle being on gravel if the pro road bikes withstand the cobbles in Paris–Roubaix and other cobbled classic races?

See if Cannondale has a ASTM classification for the bike, if it's a 1 I'd pay close attention to the frame and fork. If it's a 2, less to worry about. Have fun and get rad, but not too rad. Pro frames have a short service life, 8-9 months, maybe 12-14 at max. Service course doesn't use last years equipment in pursuit of this years winnings, often.

[ridethecliche]

OP, what did you end up going with? What fit?