I sold my TT bike because I stopped doing triathlons years ago. I'm thinking of getting a bike to go on group rides with friends. Riding on chip seal and crappy east Texas roads (potholes). Can gravel bikes keep up with friends who have road bikes? I've never ridden one of these.

Gravel bikes have exploded in variety.

My Addict Gravel is just an Addict with 2mm more stack and a hella longer chain stay. Aero Gravel is a very real category now.

I still have a climby boi bike, but when I'm on a trip I run the Addict with two wheel sets: 45mm (or whatever for gravel) and a 35mm set for road. It's easier than brining two bikes (well 3, typically have the XC as well).

But you'll need to run tires for what you're riding.

You can also go road with more clearance. Envee Melee can squeeze a 35mm tire. I've ridden Forest Park (Cat 1-2) 100s of times an 35 road slicks and it's fine. Not fun, but works just fine.

Again, tires (size and RR) > bike. Aero starts to matter over 15mph. Then its position > bike.

Look at something in the endurance category like a Giant Defy or Trek Domane. Road bikes but with less aggressive geometry and 32mm tires so a better ride. Bought a Defy 4+ years ago and love it.

I ride a Specialized Diverge gravel bike. I did lose a few mph but I love the bike. I ride a lot of bumpy asphalt and some gravel roads.

Dumb question… do gravel tires get flats less often?

If it were me, I'd be running tubeless so you'd rarely have a flat.

easttexasaggie04 said:

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Dumb question… do gravel tires get flats less often?

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There is probably some nuance to it, but wider tires can mean lower pressures and more tread so more resistance to pinch flats and puncture flats. That being said, I ride tubeless on my gravel bike and a standard tube tire on the road bike. There's probably data on that somewhere out ther.

Sounds like I may be one of the few still riding 23s. Can someone explain the reasoning for wider tires? I guess I missed this while yelling at clouds or something.

jejdag said:

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Sounds like I may be one of the few still riding 23s. Can someone explain the reasoning for wider tires? I guess I missed this while yelling at clouds or something.

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i ride 23s on my road bike. gravel would be different.

Wider on gravel makes sense. I know lots of folks are going wider on road bikes too, though.

Lol, where to even start.

Yes, gravel tires puncture less in general due to lower pressure (as Kool said, better deformation and lower impedance for the entire system). Top headline: the more your tire bounces around (even microscopically), it's not going to transfer the power from your pedal stroke to the ground efficiently.

But also, contact patch is increased, more oval than circle, and you expose less sidewall.

All that said, we're in a gravel tire shake-up right now. XC MTB tires (Dubs, Burts, Ralphs, etc.) are faster than any gravel tire. A 2.1 Thunder Burt is 12w more efficient than a 45mm Pathfinder. The wider you go, the lower the pressure, the more the tread patch interacts with the ground, the less your sidewall is exposed. XC tires have always had super light/thin sidewalls for this reason. Turns out that makes the tire fast.

jejdag said:

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Sounds like I may be one of the few still riding 23s. Can someone explain the reasoning for wider tires? I guess I missed this while yelling at clouds or something.

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I used to ride 23s before getting my Defy. For me it came down to comfort on long rides. I'm 55 and not really worried about fast anymore. I'm doing Hotter N Hell next week and the goal is to finish the 100 but I'm not worried about time. My Defy has 32s and it's just a more forgiving ride on rough surfaces like chip seal. I don't ride on gravel because they're still road tires but over a 6-8 hour ride I feel less beaten up when I'm done.

Interesting. I only ride road, but I'm 64 and the part about feeling less beat up after a long ride is damned appealing. Thanks for the info, all.

I have moved to tubeless tires and the wider tires are easier to manage either tubeless. The wider tire also gives a chance to lower tire pressures which rides equal or better on rougher chip seal. I was the last one in my group to switch and im happy with it currently riding 30's.

I only have a gravel bike, but I also have a second set of wheels with 30mm road tires on it that I will break out for the fast group rides. I had both a road and gravel for a while, and never used the road bike. I have no issues keeping up with road bikes, but it depends on who your friends are and what ride you are doing

How hard is it to go to a tubeless setup on a road bike?

i'm sure someone can speak specifically to road, but tubeless on my mountain bike is super easy. Just add some sealant every few months. I haven't flatted ever on it.

You can't just tape a clincher and throw some sealant in there, though.

Tubeless does require the right rim profile to hold the beads. You'll see "tubeless compatible/ready" if they are designed for tubeless.

Then it's pretty easy: tape if you need; slice and 'X' or hot poke a valve hole (buy a million cores to swap in all the time when the valve gums up with sealant), mount a tubeless tire; rapid inflate to set both beads. Give it sealant (I syringe through the valve). Bounce, swirl and ride to disperse sealant. Prepare to inflate a few times the next few days while it seals everything. Then top off as needed (something gets sealed / 2oz every 3 months). Re-do the job once a year/as you swap tires.

You'll want some plugs (bacon strips or Dynaplug). Inserts will require a special valve.

I still keep a TPU tube in the bag for training rides for a nuclear scenario. But I've never had to use it in my 9 years of tubeless. Did have to boot a sidewall cut that ate a bunch of plugs once. Beyond that, man, feel squish, listen for air, some water/spit to isolate, shove a plug and pump. 1-2 minutes and I'm back in the saddle.

The good news is, you don't necessarily have to give up speed to gain more comfort with the wider tires, and in fact, the increased comfort and handling may technically contribute to riding faster for longer. That's why even the pros have moved to wider sizes.

Myths Debunked: Wide Tires Are NOT Slower

In order to go tubeless, you need tubeless ready wheels. I have gone tubeless twice. The first time was a failure for me. I didn't have any friends that had it and putting the tires on was very difficult, plus I felt like I had issues with things like tape. So I quit for a few years, during which all my friends got new bikes with tubeless.

So I decided to switch back and give it another shot. Thr bike shop suggested in go a minimum of 28 mm and 30 was even better. I learned how to tape my wheels better, and maintain the sealant. The tires seem to go on easier as well. So far, I've been tubeless for about 18 months and im happy with it.