Gravel biking has formally grow to be knowledgeable sport. Few issues spotlight this transformation greater than the numerous funding from main manufacturers in R&D within the gravel house, the aggressive salaries some riders earn, and the truth that the world’s prime cyclists are vying for a coveted rainbow jersey.
Gravel racing has additionally sparked a brand new stage of tech obsession, with infinite debates over the optimum race setup. For the on a regular basis rider interested by gravel, this may be may be each thrilling and daunting. There isn’t any single setup that works for each occasion—there’s all the time a trade-off relying on the following race. The one fixed is that nothing is constant.
Together with the fixed adjustments and experimenting, each geographical area seems to have its personal interpretation of what a gravel course needs to be like, too. When the UCI entered the gravel house in 2022 with the debut of its UCI Gravel World Collection and the first-ever UCI Gravel World Championships, it turned clear that its interpretation of gravel differed vastly from the extremely standard American occasions like Unbound Gravel. Whereas mountain bike tyres are trending in Kansas, the primary UCI Gravel World Championships was received on a highway bike.
To discover this divide and provide some ideas and inspiration to your personal race setup, we have got down to construct the last word bike that bridges each kinds. Let’s dive in.
The separate technical challenges of American and European gravel racing
(Picture credit score: Snowy Mountain Pictures)
To start out, let us take a look at the concrete variations between gravel on the 2 predominant continents the place it’s raced. In North America, the place the self-discipline was based, gravel racing from journey rides that supply all kinds of technical challenges and often increase some severe mileage. Except however a number of races, U.S. gravel races are between 100 km and 322 km (200 miles) in size. (Whether it is longer than 200 miles, it’ll seemingly be thought-about an extremely occasion.) Moreover, most of those races are considerably self-supported, which implies dietary and mechanical assist for the riders is proscribed and typically not allowed in any respect.
In Europe, the expectations are completely different, particularly amongst the UCI Gravel World Collection. Born from highway racing, UCI gravel races have to be between 50 and 175 kilometres (31-108 miles) and may both be a circuit race or a point-to-point race. What’s extra, the UCI requires frequent feed zones; races over 90km require a minimum of three feeding factors the place riders can obtain hand-ups. There aren’t any staff vehicles, and riders are nonetheless required to repair their very own bikes outdoors of the help stations.
Most significantly, gravel roads in North America are vastly completely different from gravel roads in Europe. Europe is a way more densely populated place, which implies the technical traits of European gravel races are sometimes fast tight turns, frequent adjustments of terrain, and punchy climbs. In North America, the problem comes from tough distant roads, larger climbs, and the potential of singletrack. After all, some European races have lengthy climbs and singletrack, and a few American races are punchy and alter terrain like a number of the European races, however typically, geography does play a job.
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Huge image comparability
How I might construct my bike for say, Unbound Gravel
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
One of many joys (or hassles) of gravel biking is all of the fine-tuning that goes into a motorcycle setup. Extra just like mountain biking than highway biking, gravel encourages daring swings and particular decisions in pursuing technological features.
For this story, we now have saved it easy: one body, one drivetrain and two very completely different specs to fill out the opposite particulars. Our objective was not solely to match two kinds of gravel racing, but in addition to focus on the customisation choices that let you personalise your bike and construct confidence in your race setup, all whereas holding it accessible.
How I might construct my bike to race a UCI occasion
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
Listed here are the total decisions of each builds:
The darkish artwork of tyre selection
A set of ENVE 4.5s wrapped in Rene Herse Snoqualmie Extralight tyres skewes furthest in direction of out and out velocity on a blended floor/mild gravel course
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
All the pieces we thought we knew about tyre choice for gravel has come beneath a lot scrutiny over the past years on account of one key change in understanding: narrower tyres aren’t essentially sooner.
Now, that’s to not say that it is a common rule. Slim tyres can be faster, nevertheless it additionally just isn’t all the time the case. Many different variables affect the velocity of a tyre greater than merely the millimetres of tyre quantity.
In gravel racing, tyre selection could be the primary pre-race subject, as the selection is extraordinarily course-dependent. Even in these large U.S. versus UCI race generalisations that I am making, naming a particular tyre to make use of for every class could be counterproductive. What I can provide, nonetheless, is 2 options that optimize a gravel bike for both finish of the gravel spectrum, assuming the UCI gravel racing is on the tamer finish of the size and U.S. gravel racing is extra on the gnarly facet.
For UCI racing, with its shorter distances, typically managed lap environments and vital parts of pavement, riders would possibly favour a slick tyre with dramatically extra quantity. As talked about earlier, narrower just isn’t sooner, however rubber building and thread rely (TPI) do. For me, this idea has rang true with the tyres I have been testing, together with the Snoqualmie Extralight tyre from Rene Herse as featured on my construct.
Constructed with a excessive thread rely and weighing simply 335g, the Snoqualime Extralight is as quick as it’s supple. It creates a dynamic contact level that manages the suspension losses that gradual different tyres down. It’s 44mm extensive, which may be very massive, nevertheless it nonetheless retains a good form on fashionable wheels.
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
The mixture of the light-weight, slick tyres and deeper-rimmed highway wheels creates an excellent trip that’s quick on the tarmac, agile round corners each on and off the highway, and surprisingly easy when the going will get a bit rougher. That mixture is essential to the distinction between all-road and gravel, however in a comparatively easy off-road surroundings with out massive or sharp rocks, it’s undeniably quick.
On many American programs, nonetheless, the additional mild building of the Rene Herse tyres just isn’t the proper selection, even with its 44mm of width, as a result of the whole lot that makes it quick additionally makes it vulnerable to punctures. There are increased sturdiness casings out there from Rene Herse, nonetheless these do include a compromise on weight, suppleness and velocity. An increasing number of, riders are searching for an answer that retains the identical pliable building and provides quantity to create a system with low suspension losses and extra flat prevention.
Mountain bike tyres are the brand new gravel tyres
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
Probably the most seen instance of that is the recognition of a brand new Maxxis mountain bike tyre that a number of the greatest names in U.S. gravel are utilizing. Each Keegan Swenson and Payson McElveen have leaned into the two.25-inch extensive Maxxis Aspen ST tyres. By all accounts, this isn’t only a sponsor-driven stunt, particularly because the likes of Lifetime Grand Prix athlete Dylan Johnson had doubled down on his place that each one gravel races needs to be run on tyres which might be two inches or wider.
Whereas the Aspen ST just isn’t slick, the tread may be very minimal and it wants some positive tuning earlier than it feels pure because it would not act like very many different tyres over unfastened terrain
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
In case your bike has clearance for such beefy tyres, they do make quite a lot of sense. On the highway, there could also be a distinction to the sound of the tyre – with its width and small knobs creating each wind and floor noise – however the velocity truly solely drops on sustained climbing. Off-road, it adjustments the whole lot because the width and excessive thread rely are extremely easy in a straight line. Round technical options, tight turns and tough roads, the tyre is a large improve in consolation and velocity versus the slicks talked about above.
A be aware about wheel selection
McElveen is among the gravel athletes who has been on the forefront of the massive tire revolution in gravel racing. He makes use of mountain bike tyres on some Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels.
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
When working large tyres, the wheel selection is one the place there are a number of completely different instructions to go. Not like the UCI construct, the place slick 44mm tyres may be paired nicely with deep and extensive highway wheels, components like aerodynamics and weight grow to be extra murky when working with mountain bike tyres.
From an aerodynamics perspective, the latest gravel wheels, like Zipp’s 303 XPLR and Parcours’ FKT wheelset, would theoretically be sooner. Even with the two.25-inch tyre width being nicely over the 105° rule that has usually ruled wheel-tyre aerodynamics, which states that the rim have to be at the very least 105% of the width of the tyre to realize aerodynamic advantages.
However deep wheels do have trade-offs, particularly when using over gravel. Cross winds, for example, may be way more impactful on uneven surfaces of racing. Moreover, including extra rim weight to a comparatively heavy extensive tyre can change the dealing with and acceleration. To grasp these trade-offs, it’s good to have a look at the professional athletes and what they select to make use of at large occasions. At SBT GRVL, for instance, the aforementioned big-tyre followers McElveen and Swenson (who received the race) paired the Maxxis Aspen ST tyres with reasonably deep rims. Nonetheless, McElveen, who’s a Zipp-sponsored athlete, selected to run a 303 Firecrest as an alternative of the brand new XPLR wheels.
After some consideration, I opted to spec my U.S. gravel construct with the pretty impartial Shimano GRX WH-RX880 carbon rim. The Shimano choices are affordably priced for a carbon set, with a reasonable outer rim width of 30.7mm, inside width of 25mm, a depth of 32mm, and a complete weight of 1,397 grams for the wheelset. If price range weren’t a difficulty, I would go for a distinct wheelset with a 30-40mm depth, nonetheless, these dimensions provide the most effective steadiness of really feel and efficiency when paired with the big Aspen ST tyres.
Geometry variations
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
Saddles are one bike part that individuals hardly ever change. Even when the kind or mannequin of saddle could change occasionally, the place that saddle sits is often pretty locked in. However ought to it’s?
One of many much less apparent adjustments I made on my two bike builds was swapping the seat and seatpost. For the UCI construct, the seatpost is a Imaginative and prescient carbon publish with 25mm of setback paired with a Fi’z’i:okay Terra Argo saddle. For the U.S. construct, the seat publish is a Imaginative and prescient mannequin with 0 mm of setback paired with an Ergon SR Tri Males Mid Titanium saddle.
I selected the Fi’z’i:okay saddle and setback publish mixture for the UCI gravel construct since it’s the extra conventional match that distributes the rider’s weight neutrally between the entrance and rear wheels of the bike. This match is greatest for using on drop bars on technical programs because it places extra weight on the rear wheel to realize traction round slick turns. In a pack surroundings, it additionally all the time faster shifts in weight to supply extra agile dealing with. It’s a place that may be closest to what a highway racer would need for a brief, punchy highway race.
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
The Ergon saddle and straight seatpost had been an effort to have a place that’s constructed round a progressive, aerodynamic place borrowed from triathlon racing. The Ergon saddle, specifically, is constructed round triathletes making an attempt to take a seat on the entrance of their saddles for prolonged intervals of time. The identical calls for are widespread in U.S. gravel racing because of the lengthy length of the races, paired with the tendency for the packs to blow to smithereens within the first hour, which implies you would possibly end up alone and not using a peloton to draft from.
Naturally, there are bodily limitations to what using place you could possibly undertake, nevertheless it’s value contemplating completely different saddle and seatpost choices for various kinds of efforts. Similar to tyre decisions and equipment ratios depend upon the course, your weight distribution and ergonomic preferences can have an identical affect in your trip.
Recognising the ingredient of uncertainty
Chainrings are simple to swap and if you’re set to race a slate of various gravel races throughout a season, having choices is essential.
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
The ultimate large variable that adjustments the setup between UCI gravel and U.S. gravel is how the 2 sides of the game work together with uncertainty or unpredictability. This, once more, pertains to large point-to-point races within the U.S. versus the tamer circuit races the UCI places on. Merely put: the extra you recognize, the larger swings you’ll be able to take.
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
The primary space the place uncertainty performs a job is in gear selection. In UCI racing, punchiness and velocity are key. On road-heavy programs, having large gears and small jumps between the cogs is useful within the effort to carry the wheels, keep within the pack and preserve power for all of the micro-efforts that go right into a race. That’s why the UCI construct sports activities a 50t chainring from Garbaruck (I’ve it on an older Quarq five-bolt spider as it’s nonetheless the only 1x energy system for swapping chainrings) and a 10-45 Shimano cassette to pair with the Shimano 1x mechanical groupset I’ve been testing this summer time.
Whereas 50t would possibly look like an enormous gear for gravel, the dimensions of the chainring provides an enormous profit to the general drive-chain effectivity. Extra enamel imply watts are saved by way of the gained leverage and effectivity of the system – simply check out the WorldTour time trial setups, and you will note the pivot towards large rings throughout the board. The identical science applies to gravel.
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
The most important barrier to working an enormous chainring is the concern that you could be run out of simpler gears someplace alongside the course on an essential pinch level. Typically, the rule of thumb is to pick a gear that may put your chain in direction of the center of the cassette for almost all of the time.
In U.S. gravel, that sort of certainty is much less simple to search out. Programs aren’t all the time out there to preview, and even when they’re, most individuals do not have time to go scout a 200-mile course. The floor kind and situation may change the gear wants as does the tyre selection. Smaller chainrings are sometimes used with bigger tyres as a result of the rise in tyre diameter covers extra floor per pedal rotation. By utilizing smaller chainrings, you’ll be able to keep a manageable gear ratio, making it simpler to pedal regardless of the bigger general wheel diameter.
When the course is tame sufficient, I’ve been having fun with the Fi’zi;okay Vento Powerstrap Aeroweave for blended terrain adventures because it checks all of these containers.
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
Different dangers that may be taken when a course is well-known are shoe and pedal decisions. In a vacuum, highway pedals and footwear are objectively sooner. The footwear are extra aerodynamic, the contact level between the cleat and the pedal is extra strong, which provides a extra environment friendly energy switch, and they’re typically extra breathable, which will increase consolation.
For the gnarlier stuff, I’ve loved the RX8 Shimano gravel providing.
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
However in gravel, there may be all the time a trade-off. As quickly as it’s important to step off the bike, whether or not it’s for mud, avoiding a crash, or strolling a very technical part, these effectivity features of highway cleats are rapidly negated. A great pair of mountain bike or gravel-specific footwear will nonetheless have a stiff however walkable sole and traction pads and are, due to this fact, a greater wager if there may be any likelihood of getting to dismount.
The common items of equipment
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
Even with the separate traits of the races, there are a number of widespread items of equipment used for gravel races on either side of the Atlantic. In the beginning: aerodynamic handlebars.
From the surface, this would possibly look like an arbitrary place to start out, however strip away the whole lot else, and the aerodynamic features from swapping out commonplace spherical bars for a extra aerodynamic choice will all the time be a profit. It is among the few objects the place there are undisputed features no matter rider place, tyre width and body. The entrance of the handlebars and the way they work together with the wind all the time matter. Moreover, a well-constructed one-piece bar-stem mixture can even enhance the trip really feel as the form and cohesive building may also help dampen the highway vibrations and provide a small however tangible profit to the system’s compliance.
The tendency for gravel races to make use of quantity plates on the entrance of the bike does make bars aerodynamics much less essential, nonetheless, there are methods to mitigate that. And I do consider it is improve value contemplating.
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
The second common piece of equipment is bottle cages. Bottle cages appear pretty insignificant, however ask any rider who has been at it lengthy sufficient and they’ll inform you a horror story about shedding a bottle or two on account of failing cages. In endurance races the place self-sufficiency and diet are paramount, cages ought to by no means be an afterthought.
The chance of bottle ejection apart, cages can even offer you extra flexibility for bottle sizes and place. For instance, the King Cage metal cages pictured above decrease the bottle place, leaving room for a body bag whereas nonetheless holding tall bottles for warm races.
(Picture credit score: Logan Jones-Wilkins)
The third and closing common piece of equipment is a saddlebag. No matter the place you might be on this planet, in case you flat your tyre, you need to repair your tyre. Built-in downtube storage covers a number of the gear, however to be absolutely ready (with issues like a tube, derailleur hanger, fast hyperlink, and alternative valve core — all issues that I’ve used this yr in races), a trusty seat bag is a should. Many of those are mild and pretty aerodynamic, as you’ll be able to see from this Orucase choice, which is my private favorite gravel saddlebag.
* Logan Jones-Wilkins is a contract journalist and gravel racer who’s a long-standing contributor with Rodeo Journey Labs. The Path Donkey 4.0 pictured right here is Logan’s private bike and is merely the car for the remainder of the story.
