Do the benefits of a great bike diminish on dirt, gravel or even in cross?

[Fishbike]

We all know that tubes of any material put together well will yield a great-riding bike. Steel, titanium, carbon, aluminum and even bamboo (or wood!), in conjunction with good design, will make for a smooth, perhaps snappy ride that makes climbing a bit easier and riding on pavement a joy.

But on rough roads, do you lose much of the benefit of a "great," perhaps custom bike? Assuming the bike fits well, are there diminished returns in having a top tier (or custom) drop-bar bike for riding on gravel, dirt or crappy pavement?

In other words, if I want a tread of at least 32 mm for off road, will pretty much any decent frame suffice? Will I appreciate the benefits of a great frame on not so great roads?

Whad'ya think?

[joosttx]

No, its just the opposite.

[veggieburger]

Originally Posted by joosttx

No, its just the opposite.

Agreed. My cross bike fits me better than any of my other sleds, and is usually ridden on the road w slicks. But when I do put on the knobbies and tackle gravel, etc, it's dreamy. And it's nothing terribly special - aluminum, carbon fork. But fits like a glove.

I will say this though - tire choice (width, pressure, TPI) makes a much more significant difference on bad roads and dirt.

[Mzilliox]

well, thats a pretty loaded question but ill have a go. Im not sure about your gravel rides, but mine include pavement, sometimes half pavement, sometimes even more.

So I ride a Jeff Lyon custom built bike, one he built with gravel and roads in mind. And he used skinny tubes and mid reach brakes. bike clears 35s, but i mainly ride 32 or 33s. i have a bit less drop than my goodrich roadie, but otherwise fit points are the same. The Lyon Bike excels on gravel where the goodrich doesn;t. i think a lot of it is the steel fork. i can see that thing sucking up the bumps when i look at it. i have been running 28mm tires on the goodrich, so its pretty cush, but the Lyon is a different beast on the gravel. also the wheelbase is a bit longer too, so i guess it tracks a bit more stable. i don;t pay attention to all that crap. just to how the bike feels.

so yeah, i guess you do get benefits of riding a nice bike on gravel, especially on 50-60 mile days. I used to use other bikes for gravel too, but now its pretty much just the Lyon, its just the right tool for the job.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by joosttx

No, its just the opposite.

i agree.

you're going to get beat up a lot less on a well designed bike that fits properly than a lesser bike.

[chiasticon]

Originally Posted by Fishbike

In other words, if I want a tread of at least 32 mm for off road, will pretty much any decent frame suffice? Will I appreciate the benefits of a great frame on not so great roads?

my usual frames for cross are both titanium with carbon forks. different manufacturers, but almost the exact same geometry and, other than one weighing slightly more form the build, I basically forget which one I'm even on sometimes; they're that close.

in addition to these, for a little while, I was trying out an aluminum frame I had come across, also with a carbon fork. fit points were pretty much exactly the same as the Ti bikes and I used it for some cross practices, with the same wheels I use on the other bikes. while I felt like it accelerated a little bit better, it wasn't a huge difference. what was a huge difference though was that it was like riding a jackhammer compared to the titanium bikes. I was way more beat up after riding it for an hour or so.

now, is that all from the frame material or is it also from how the three frames were designed (tube diameters, butting, geo, etc)? absolutely. but the point is, the difference was certainly noticeable. just because you're running bigger tires and lower psi doesn't mean the frame is no longer a part of the bike, and doesn't contribute to the way it feels and rides.

[Bonesbrigade]

In order of importance for a gravel bike, my experience says:

1) fit
2) geometry
3) tires - volume, psi, tread (if any)
4) frame material/design

My specialized crux is an off the shelf aluminum bike that fits great and the geo is very good (for me). I've used this bike so much over the years in a variety of conditions and surfaces - for a $600 frameset i can't believe how much I've gotten out of it.

[Peter P.]

Tires will dictate the ride quality on gravel more than the frame material.

Tire width, AND tire pressure, can make or break a great bike.

So yes; I think you have it right; "if I want a tread of at least 32 mm for off road, will pretty much any decent frame suffice? Will I appreciate the benefits of a great frame on not so great roads?"

[PacNW2Ford]

To me, it's the handling and balance that comes to the fore in lower grip situations, so fit and geometry of a good bike.

[paredown]

I've been struck reading the threads about Velotel's (Hank's) adventure rides in France on mainly gravel/rough roads on his new Moots Eriksen, purpose built for that--and he has waxed poetic about how great the new bike has been for that purpose.

(I'll see if I can find the thread when he first got the new bike).

So much so that I think his 'main' bike is not getting ridden.

What impresses me about his reports--he's an old guy who has a bazillion miles and does rides that most of us would give our left nut to do, and he is a complete convert to the success of a purpose-built gravel bike.

Good enough recommendation for me.

[Hilltopperny]

While I sometimes ride my titanium bike through gravel, dirt and crappier terrain with corsair g+ 25s there is no substitute for my duende cross bike with Barlow pass tires on it. The Pegoretti is so smooth and responsive and I can ride it all day. I sometimes take it out for strictly pavement rides because it just floats over everything and I don't feel beat up at the end of a ride.

[pinkshogun]

Before I had a decent mtb I had a crappy mountain bike...world of difference between the two.

[shoota]

Originally Posted by paredown

I've been struck reading the threads about Velotel's (Hank's) adventure rides in France on mainly gravel/rough roads on his new Moots, purpose built for that--and he has waxed poetic about how great the new bike has been for that purpose.

(I'll see if I can find the thread when he first got the new bike).

So much so that I think his 'main' bike is not getting ridden.

What impresses me about his reports--he's an old guy who has a bazillion miles and does rides that most of us would give our left nut to do, and he is a complete convert to the success of a purpose-built gravel bike.

Good enough recommendation for me.

I'd like to read about this if you can provide a link.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by shoota

I'd like to read about this if you can provide a link.

You can search for all posts by VELOTEL.

[sandyrs]

Originally Posted by paredown

I've been struck reading the threads about Velotel's (Hank's) adventure rides in France on mainly gravel/rough roads on his new Moots, purpose built for that--and he has waxed poetic about how great the new bike has been for that purpose.

(I'll see if I can find the thread when he first got the new bike).

So much so that I think his 'main' bike is not getting ridden.

What impresses me about his reports--he's an old guy who has a bazillion miles and does rides that most of us would give our left nut to do, and he is a complete convert to the success of a purpose-built gravel bike.

Good enough recommendation for me.

It's an Eriksen...