# Gravel ride newbie



## fuzzwardo (Sep 16, 2014)

I am wanting to get into gravel rides more this year and need to find a happy medium between my road bike and mountain bike. I have a 80 mile ride coming up in a couple of months so would like to find something soon. At first I thought about trying to "cobble" an old Trek 7500 hybrid together for that purpose but in the long run would cost more money than it's worth to have a bike that isn't suited for gravel.

My wants and likes are the following: 
I would like a little more relaxed riding position than my Madone.

Next would be disk brakes. I would prefer hydraulic since that is what I am used to on my mountain bikes but that's not a huge deal.

I would like to run a 700cx38mm tire or just a bit bigger.

I would like the bike to have rack mounts on it.

Price range of between $1000 and $2000.

For what it's worth, I am a Clyde, 6'1" and 260lbs so I don't need a wimpy ride. My LBS is Trek, the next closest dealer is 45+miles away so I would tend to lean towards Trek as they have taken care of me very well in the past.

What bike suggestions do you have for me?

Thanks


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

fuzzwardo said:


> I am wanting to get into gravel rides more this year and need to find a happy medium between my road bike and mountain bike. I have a 80 mile ride coming up in a couple of months so would like to find something soon. At first I thought about *trying to "cobble" an old Trek 7500 hybrid together *for that purpose but in the long run would cost more money than it's worth to have a bike that isn't suited for gravel.
> 
> My wants and likes are the following:
> I would like a little more relaxed riding position than my Madone.
> ...


Not knowing what the bolded statement would entail, you may well be right that it isn't practical (financially), but I wouldn't call the 7500 unsuitable for gravel. That said, I wouldn't want to ride most any flat bar bike 80 miles, so given your criteria, there are better choices... like a CX bike.

If you stay with Trek, given your price range, the Crockett 5 Disc is probably your best bet. However, while I'm not a Trek hater, I do think there are better (CX) choices. 

Two that come to mind are the Giant Grade and Specialized Diverge, but there are others, like the Kona Jake. C' Dale, Soma and Surly have a couple of CX offerings as well, so I think branching out a bit to check out other makes/ models might be worthwhile. Most any in this market segment will met your prerequisites.


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## fuzzwardo (Sep 16, 2014)

I was looking at the Trek Boone and Crockett as well as the Crossrip series. How does the Crossrip measure up?

I did forget that I have a Jamis dealer in town. Does Jamis make a decent bike for what I am looking for?


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## brady1 (Aug 18, 2011)

fuzzwardo said:


> I was looking at the Trek Boone and Crockett as well as the Crossrip series. How does the Crossrip measure up?
> 
> I did forget that I have a Jamis dealer in town. Does Jamis make a decent bike for what I am looking for?


Yeah. Their new Renegade model. It might be a bit expensive for what you are looking for. It's a carbon frame, and looks similar to the Giant Revolt.


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## fuzzwardo (Sep 16, 2014)

Just looked at the Renegade online and it doesn't look too bad. I always seem to set a spending limit and always end up going over anyways. I guess I will have to make a trip by the store to take a look at it.


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## slacker190 (Jul 13, 2011)

As an owner (biased), look into the Raleigh Tamland series bikes. The 105 model is relatively affordable based on your price point.

Otherwise, look into the Kona Rove, Salsa Warbird, Trek Crossrip, Specialized AWOL, for the 'racing' style rides. Several other manufacturers have comparable rides, I can only speak for those I've ridden. The cross-check is reasonable for this purpose as well, and I've heard great things about the Jamis, which makes it worth a test-ride.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

fuzzwardo said:


> I was looking at the Trek Boone and Crockett as well as the Crossrip series. How does the Crossrip measure up?
> 
> I did forget that I have a Jamis dealer in town. Does Jamis make a decent bike for what I am looking for?


While I don't think the Crossrip line is necessarily a *bad* choice, I think (on paper) there are better packages out there for less $$. 

Speaking of which, I think the Jamis Nova (Race as one example) offers a better overall package for under $1200, so I would definitely check out your local dealer. 

Someone above mentioned the Spec AWOL, another very versatile bike, among others.

My best advice? Ride (a bunch), then decide.


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## fuzzwardo (Sep 16, 2014)

Has the Jamis Renegade even been released yet? The local dealer was having trouble finding it. 

Has anyone seen it in person yet? If so, what did you think?


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

fuzzwardo said:


> Has the Jamis Renegade even been released yet? The local dealer was having trouble finding it.
> 
> Has anyone seen it in person yet? If so, what did you think?


The website states "coming 2015". Jamis is not known to roll out their new products quite as quickly as some others, so my guess (and it is a guess) is you'll be looking at a springtime release. Could contact Jamis for more info, but your LBS is probably the best bet.


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

I have one coming up in a month. Last time I rode my Secteur with 28s. It was overkill. If the weather is good this year, I will ride my Tarmac with 25s. 

Road bikes can handle gravel.


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## slacker190 (Jul 13, 2011)

Not sure where you're from, but in WI/IL/MN/IA, 25 road tires would seem as a handicap. Any of the gravel races I've done would be possible with 25's slick tires, but quite sketchy. I prefer a minimum of a 32c cyclocross tread, or more recently found the Clement MSO to be more responsive and more efficient than the CX tires (provided there's not a ton of mud).


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## fuzzwardo (Sep 16, 2014)

I am from Northern Illinois and the event I am speaking of is in April so mud and slop. I have 28 s on my Madone so I really don't feel like ride with that. That's why I am looking towards a cyclocross/ adventure bike. A little bigger tire is the appeal for me.


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## RRRoubaix (Aug 27, 2008)

NJBiker72 said:


> I have one coming up in a month. Last time I rode my Secteur with 28s. It was overkill. If the weather is good this year, I will ride my Tarmac with 25s.
> 
> Road bikes can handle gravel.


That depends on the gravel in question...


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

RRRoubaix said:


> That depends on the gravel in question...


Sure you could create a course where you need a fat bike 0 but you do not need to.


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## Bee-an-key (May 5, 2007)

Don't believe the hype. 1. ride as much as you can to be in the best shape possible. 80 miles with a lot of gravel will feel like 100 miles 2. Put the largest tire that will fit your frame/brake clearance and let some air out.
I ride dirt and gravel on a regular race bike (carbon or steel). Changed all my tires over to 25's years ago, just go with a more durable Conti than what I normally ride. 
Do you really need to buy a new bike just for gravel? Disk brakes are an advantage for stopping on fast down hills and cross some cross conditions. If you are riding 16 mph on gravel a regular brake will work fine. Your fitness and handling skills are more important than the bike. Your weight is an issue on any type of road (no offense) you might be better off just looking at a bomb proof wheel and tyre for half the money and call it a day. Lace up a nice 36 hole clincher from a reputable wheel builder. If you can ride 80 miles on the Madone geometry, you would be fine. Beware of the bike company marketing machine that tells us we need a fat bike for the snow, a cross bike for mud, a gravel bike for dirt roads, a road comfort bike for non racing, a lightweight climbing bike for hilly days, a crit bike, a grand tour bike.... they are trying to sell bikes period. Sales are down and creating niche markets for people with deep pockets is the goal. My 2 cents.


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## fuzzwardo (Sep 16, 2014)

To be realistic, I don't need a road bike, a cross bike and a mountain bike. My Madone isn't necessarily my cut of tea, so I was thinking about something a little less "road". If I found the right bike, the Madone may get sold. 

Bee-an-key, I take no offense about the weight. I know I am chunky, lol. I am working towards fixing that. I have never had a problem with wheels so far but I do understand what you are saying.

As for the Jamis Renegade, I emailed Jamis and they said late March will be the release time.


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## HEMIjer (Oct 18, 2008)

if you know your trek dealer will take care of you there is merit in just going that direction. I haven't owned a trek but Crockett 5 Disc - Trek Bicycle seems to meet your specs near perfectly. With Discs and Tubeless Ready hard to pass at the $ point.


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