Differences Between Gravel Bikes And Road Bikes
We have all spent a fraction of our childhood learning to ride bikes. It was one of the greatest joys of our lives to ride a bike without anyone’s assistance. However, as you grow fond of these bikes, you start choosing a bike of your own liking.
Bikes are used for different purposes; hence there are endless options for bikes these days. The most popular one’s today are gravel and road bikes. Bikes are made with different properties for a very good reason. Therefore, there are several distinguishing features of both of these bikes which make them stand out for different needs.
Can you spot the differences between gravel and road bikes? Let’s find out!
What Are The Differences Between Gravel And Road Bikes?
What do you think is the difference between gravel and a road bike? Let’s start with the basics.
First know that they are similar in a lot of ways. If you are going on a ride on covered roads, a road that is surfaced or paved then you would definitely want to travel on a road bike.
On the other hand, a gravel bike can handle all types of roads. Adventure of gravel bike is known for its comfort and its flexibility of riding in all sorts of ground.
However, some of the slight differences in these two bikes make them different. These differences are noticeable in their features such as the brakes, bike optimization, tires and frame design.
Now, what do you think you should choose? What is perfect for your smooth rides? Well, as mentioned, it clearly depends upon the path and riding conditions.
Do you think it is possible to change a road bike into a gravel bike? Definitely, with the right methods, but that is a discussion for another day. Let us get into the minor details of the features!
Bike Frame:
A gravel bike will allow you to choose from a wide variety of tires. The flexible frame and also forks make it possible for various tires to be set up to the gravel bike in comparison to a road bike.
You can understand that having the option to choose from different tires to your bike is a huge advantage. In addition to it, if your bike frame can hold larger tires, then it will give you greater benefits. These benefits include greater stability and safety while travelling.
Gravel bikes also come with much taller head tubes which are designed with efficient head angles. This head angle helps in smoother steering when travelling on difficult road conditions.
Another thing to distinguish the bike is the fact that there are major differences in the wheelbase sizes. Gravel bikes having a longer wheelbase will give the bike the much-needed stability during the ride. Further, it adds greater comfort to your long journeys when travelling to distant locations.
Brakes:
Everyone knows that one of the most important features of any ride is the brakes. Without good brakes, you cannot ensure a safe ride for yourself. A bike is no different. One of its most valuable properties is its brakes. There are two types of brakes prominently which are disc brakes and rim brakes.
Discs brakes are popularly known for its amazing characteristics of stoppage in difficult biking conditions. This makes them far more superior than rim brakes. When you ride your bike, you will face many types of difficult conditions which include bad weather, rough grounds and many more. This is why brakes are so important for greater stopping power.
Disc brakes also allow you to set up bigger tires on your bike. Disc brakes provide additional benefits by putting off much weight from the rims on the wheels of your bike. Disc brakes are known for its benefits of providing safety and efficiency in today’s times.
Gravel bikes make sure you can ride your bike all along with the different kinds of weather conditions and terrain. For this reason, they consist of the much popular and useful disc brakes.
You read that, right! Gravel bikes today are built to need your safety needs at best. Even though many of the road bikes too are nicely equipped with disc brakes but most comes with the traditional rim brakes.
However, this should pose no problem since road bikes are not made for rough and tough conditions.
Tires:
Earlier while talking about the great frame designs of a gravel bike, it was mentioned that they allow you to set up larger tires. You can mount a tire up to the size of 55mm when it comes to a gravel bike. On the contrary, a road bike won’t allow you this much flexibility.
A road bike cannot mount a tire which is wider than 32mm. However keep in mind that when you tire on normal roads, you really do not need such wide tires. You can ride just fine with your normal width tires.
A gravel bike is mainly made for adventurous trips on tough terrains. This is why they offer such bigger tires to help you provide a better grip on the ground. Bigger tires also provide great comfort when you travel long distance on rough roads. Better not to take risks when you are in complete adventurous mood.
Bike Optimization:
Above we have mentioned features of a gravel bike that helps travelling on difficult terrains. This is a good way to say that they can be optimized greatly compared to road bikes.
Furthermore, there are many additional features of a gravel bike which gives it an edge over road bikes. The additional feature includes the extra eyelets. These eyelets are the extra space that allows you to keep your necessary accessories. Road bikes are usually not equipped with such additional features.
Conclusion:
We have talked about all the important features that will help you distinguish the two important bikes of today’s times. Now we hope that you can spot the differences between gravel bikes and road bike bikes.
It is important to note that whatever bike you choose will always depend upon the fact that what you need and prioritize more. If you are an adventurous person, you will most probably go for a gravel bike. If you are someone who just travels on a bike on paved roads, then you would go for a road bike. Pick according to your need and optimize your choice fully!
