CAAD 13 Gravel conversion?

[charliedid]

I suggest....you take your bike as is and before any of these events, like sooner rather than later and go ride some of these roads. As Slambers3 mentions, rightly that it all depends on the conditions as well as your skill and comfort level. I have ridden many of those roads as well as BARRY-ROUBAIX on a bike with 32 Gravel Kings as was lucky that it was a rather dry course.

You can't change the weather.

[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.

[charliedid]

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.

Country Bikes

[BRad704]

Originally Posted by robt57

So I seem to have a good gyro built in.

I really like that way of thinking about it.

I grew up a lot like you I guess with BMX, mountain biking since I was 14, sport bikes, and some off-road dirtbike experience. It’s very very rare that I get uncomfortable when things get Squirrley.

I have friends who did not grow up on bikes at all, and are good road cyclists but are extremely uncomfortable and poor as soon as they get off road. Even for the road, I have friends that are just “Crashy” people and it makes a lot of sense to think that they just don’t have a good internal Gyro.

[Jaybee]

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.

And even the same routes can change day to day with weather, maintenance, use.

I second the idea that OP should get up there and see how it feels on the biggest tires he can fit. And if it's so muddy that you can't ride it, then that's information too.

[aaronffs]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjQPOlXMBlD/

this dude has size 35 contis on his caad13

[72gmc]

Depending on the weather, 30-32s are fine for a lot of surfaces. Avoid the deep stuff that accumulates on the outer edge of turns, ride where the car tires go. At the least you’ll be a favorite among cannondale fans and people who respect the old school.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by aaronffs

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjQPOlXMBlD/

this dude has size 35 contis on his caad13

Yeah I wouldn't go that big unless all I am doing is taking Instagram pics.

[Zee]

32c slicks worked for me in Michigan when things were dry.

I am comfortable with 2 tire drifts in high speed turns.

Pre riding the course will give you the best chance at success, or at least minimize the surprises on raceday!

[AngryScientist]

I've ridden a lot of gravel in the greater northeast on 32-33mm tires, because that's what was available and what cyclocross bikes fit for many years. I dont race anything and I'm never afraid to pop off the bike and walk a sketchy or difficult section.

Some of the courses people ride gravel bikes on these days look like MTB territory to me and would be completely unsuitable for 32-33mm tires though, so as others have said, check the courses out for yourself and see what they look like.

[GregL]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

I've ridden a lot of gravel in the greater northeast on 32-33mm tires, because that's what was available and what cyclocross bikes fit for many years. I dont race anything and I'm never afraid to pop off the bike and walk a sketchy or difficult section.

Some of the courses people ride gravel bikes on these days look like MTB territory to me and would be completely unsuitable for 32-33mm tires though, so as others have said, check the courses out for yourself and see what they look like.

+1. Spot-on advice that matches my experience perfectly. A week before my first gravel race, I pre-rode the course with a buddy. Something about the course felt familiar. When I got home, I realized I used to ride MTBs on sections of that course! Yesterday's XC MTB trail had become today's gravel race course.

I rode my cross bike with a 36/27 low gear and 32mm cross tires. Parts of the course were almost unrideable with that configuration. I went home and installed a cassette with a 34 tooth low gear and ordered some 38mm tires. On race day, I was able to clean all the loose and muddy sections.

Greg

[mstateglfr]

Last weekend I rode a race in Mississippi that ran thru the Tombigbee National Forest. It was really tough- sections with loose deep gravel, sections with wet sandy gravel, a ton of punchy climbs, and it seemed like every downhill segment would curve so you had to ride your brakes.
I had 43mm tires on my bike and would not have wanted narrower. There is simply no benefit to a narrower tire for that mix of terrain. All the roads were public roads, so no singletrack or anything like that. If I rode 32mm tires, I would have biffed hard 3 miles in going downhill in loose gravel. I remember the road segment specifically. And had I gotten up from that, I would have struggled to finish since so many more tough segments were ahead.


Here in Iowa? If you luck out on the time of year and county you ride in, you will see endless miles of hero gravel- hardpack surface with a few obligatory loose rocks sparsely scattered about. If you dont luck out on the time of year, you may hit a bunch of segments with deep loose gravel that has just been laid. Or you may get stuck behind a team of road graders that are scraping the roads and making your ride suck.
If you ride multiple counties, thats always fun since each county sources their gravel, so a road may be hero up to the county line and it switches to loose and deep. Or it may go from one type of rock to another.
Many days, a 32mm tire would be fine for 80% of the gravel I ride. A 43mm tire would be better, but a 32mm tire would be fine. Other days, it would be downright miserable and slow.


I can tell you one thing for sure- if I saw you toe the line with 30mm tires in a gravel race here, I would either not want to ride with you due to fear of being taken down, or would respect the hell out of you for being way tougher than me.

[charliedid]

This is what the OP is up against.

https://www.google.com/search?q=BArr...&bih=687&dpr=1

Yes people ride all sorts of bike even fat bikes but....it all depends.

Ride Bikes.

[p nut]

There are so many good road-ish gravel bikes out there now (or Road Plus), if you already have 3 other road bikes, why not mix it up a bit and get something that will make the ride a bit more enjoyable. Some even let you change the geo (ie Allied).

I know I’ve taken the wrong bike on plenty of rides. Some are fun adventures. Some had me wanting to throw the bike off the cliff and call an Uber.

[fredd]

I say pop those 30s on and go for it, so long as they're tubeless. Will your bike be the best tool for the job? Probably not. Will it be able to handle course conditions so long as it's reasonably dry? Most likely, and you might just find out that underbiking is the best form of biking.