E Pluribus Unum
In these modern times, where everything is at the touch of your fingertips, buying a bicycle should be easier than ever before. And it is, once you decide which one is right for you. All you have to do is click that button and make the magic happen- it comes right to your doorstep within a few days or weeks.
This newsletter covers how to choose the right bicycle for you out of the multitude of options. Grab a beverage, lean in, and let’s go shopping!
The question I’m asked more than any other lately, when it comes to bikes, is some variation of “which should I get, a gravel bike or a road bike?” So let’s start there and direct this exercise towards that answer because the nuance of how it plays out is a source of never ending entertainment.
The first question to ask yourself is, “do I need a new bike?” That first questions should not be “do I want a new bike?” or “should I get a new bike?” It is crucial to find out if there is a need and which niche you are looking to fill. Simply put, if you have a gravel bike, get a road bike- if you have a road bike, get a gravel bike. There are enough differences between the two (which we shall discover) to warrant one of each, if your goal is to be a well rounded cyclist.
Gravel bikes are divided into two general categories: race and adventure. Gravel race bikes are very similar to road bikes- they are sleek, built to be fast, and do not have much in the way of expandability; they are purpose built to help you win bike races like Unbound and SBTGRVL. Adventure gravel bikes are a much broader category encompassing everything from something that looks like a mountain bike, with suspension on both ends, to a rigid bike that has lots of tire clearance and frame mounts. While virtually all road and gravel bikes have 700c wheels, race gravel frames typically have a tire clearance that maxes out at 45mm (+/- 4mm on each side between tire and frame). An adventure rig now comes with 2.25-2.4” (57-61mm) capabilities. Weights are relative to purpose- with a race bike usually coming in under 20lbs. (closer to 16lbs. in many cases), and the rowdy bike (capable of bike packing and light mountain biking) weighs 22-25lbs. Gearing is almost always a 1x on gravel bikes with a couple of variations being 2x, but options like gear range differentiate the two- a wider range (10-51) is standard on adventure bikes whereas racers typically like a tighter cassette (10-44 or 10-46). Varying the front chainring to optimize either speed or climbing capabilities are aftermarket decisions anyone can make on either bike.
Road bikes provide three categories to swim in: aero, race, and allroad, with a small subset designed around extremely light weight (11-14lbs.). Starting with tires, almost all road bikes, in any category, are now optimized for tires in the 28-32mm range with factors like rim width and road conditions coming into play for final tire width decisions. Aero and race bikes come with 2x drivetrains exclusively, allowing a wide range of options to maximize the conditions you live in, be it mountains, hills or flat lands. Allroad bikes can come with 1x gearing but usually opt for 2x to both expand gearing options while also keeping the gear changes as small as possible.
The categories of road bikes are fairly self explanatory with each used to maximize the conditions that you ride in. When you Watch the Tour de France you will see riders riding each of the three bikes, to suit the conditions of each stage- the aero bikes are for flat, fast stages, the race bikes for the general and climbing stages, and the allroad frames being pulled out when the race organizers decide to send them on the cobblestones. Aero bikes sacrifice weight for speed and are usually the heaviest of the bunch, but not by much at 17lbs. Race bikes are stiffer, to put more power into forward motion, while trying to hit 15lbs. (the legal limit for bikes raced at the highest levels) dead on the nose. Allroad bikes try to make versatility their niche with wider tires and more relaxed geometries, and usually fall in between the two other bikes at 16lbs.
Time for an admission- so far, all of these details have involved only one frame material, carbon fiber. There are, of course, several materials available to build a bike frame, all of the parts involved can be mounted on any capable frame. The most environmentally friendly frame material is bamboo, the cheapest is aluminum, and steel is right in there, heavier than aluminum but it comes with the added bonus of being able to be bent back into shape if you crash. Titanium is the top shelf, premium metal that can be (hand)made by one person in a small shop. It is the most expensive metal to build with, but, it is light and springy, darn near impossible to bend, and capable of returning to its original shape after years of abuse. In other words, titanium is well known as the highest standard for someone wanting to make a bike once and keep it for the rest of their life.
Experimental frame materials have been explored for years but if you haven’t heard of them, it is because they aren’t commercially viable. Beryllium is perhaps the most exotic element ever used but its huge expense and toxicity kept it from coming out of the 90’s. Someone is always trying to make a wooden frame but none of them last very long, breaking when wet or flexed too hard as you might expect. Don’t think the same thing about bamboo, it’s an awesomely resilient material that really should be more prevalent.
So, back to the original question- do you need a bike and what niche do you need to fill? How about one bike to do both road and gravel? Let’s take a closer look at an allroad bike and a gravel race bike, nearly identical in purpose but from either side of the coin. Each one would be a perfect bike to own in our valley where the climbs are stout, the dirt is manicured, and the miles are endless.
The Enve Fray is an allroad bike, the Cervelo Aspero is a race gravel bike. The Fray is the more expensive frame ($4800) with a more refined ride. The Aspero is made to go fast on rough roads and cost less so you can buy a complete bike for the price of a Fray frame. Tire clearance is 40mm for the Fray and 45 for the Aspero, wheelbase (for a 54cm) is 1006mm on the Fray, 1010mm for the Aspero, 17lbs. for Fray, 19 for the Aspero. Fray is a 2x, Aspero is a 1x or 2x. The differences come down to frame design and are purpose specific- the Fray has 10mm shorter chain stays but the same head tube angle as the Aspero, while the Aspero has a shorter head tube and standover by 20mm, keeping the rider almost 1” closer to the ground.
Lost in the numbers yet? Apologies. That was kind of the point. There are lots of tiny variables to work with and each bike is slightly different from its competitor. The differences between the two bikes (and most allraod vs race gravel bikes) are essentially 4 and 5mm- 4mm of steering capability dictated by the wheelbase and 5mm of tire clearance. Want the slightly quicker bike because you ride mostly pavement with some dirt? Go with the Fray. Need something with occasional rougher gravel capabilities, but nothing too radical because you still ride up Indy pass once a month? The Aspero will do you great. Want a bigger spread and more coverage to ride rough desert roads and throw down in the sprint each week in the Wednesday night worlds? Now we are talking two bikes purpose built for the job at hand: the newly re-designed Cannondale Super-six evo is a very useful road bike paring nicely with the Specialized Diverge. Both lead all contenders for 2026 bike of the year in their respective categories.
Oh, and by the way, if you want to switch the numbers game for road and gravel bikes, I can happily point you in the opposite direction for a cheaper road bike worthy of owning, or an outrageously expensive gravel bike that will reward every ride and make you forget just how much it cost.
It is a wonderful time to be a bike geek, as long as you remember that it’s only money, so prioritize it any way you like.
Cheers
