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Why are long rides on gravel bikes tiring? How to avoid fatigue
Gravel bikes are said to be "unsuitable for long rides." Why do long rides on gravel bikes become tiring? We have summarized what you can do to avoid fatigue.
Modified at: 2023.7.6Posted at: 2022.8.26
Table Of Contents
Why gravel bikes are tiring?
Tire shape and weight differences
Gravel bikes are often equipped with gravel tires or MTB tires that are designed for rough road riding.
Tires designed for rough terrain are designed with knobs on the surface of the tire so that they can catch the road surface even on slippery roads such as muddy or gravel roads. The image is that of scraping through mud and gravel.
! Tire knobs serve to scrape sand
The tire knobs make the bike more resistant to rough roads, but the knobs simply make the tires heavier. In bicycles, heavier wheels lead to a “heavier ride”. Also, if the tire pressure is lowered to improve cushioning, the rolling resistance will increase and the bicycle will feel even heavier.
On the other hand, compared to road tires, which are designed for riding on paved roads, road tires are lighter and have lower rolling resistance due to the high pressure inside the tire. This is the reason why road bikes feel lighter to ride.
! Road tires have lower rolling resistance because they are slick and high pressure
Gravel and MTB tires are more about road catching performance than rolling tires, so that’s a trade-off.
Bike weight is heavy.
Most road bikes are lightweight, in the 8kg range for middle grade, under 8kg for top grade, and in the low 7kg range for professional bikes.
On the other hand, gravel bikes have aluminum frames and wide rim width (i.e., heavy) wheels to accommodate larger tires.
The frame and wheels (including tires) each account for about 30% of the bike’s overall weight, or 60% in total, so the heavier these two parts are, the heavier the bike will be. Gravel bikes tend to use heavier parts for those two to increase safety.
Therefore, a complete gravel bike weighs about 1 kg more than a road bike of the same price, with an entry-level grade bike weighing in the 11 kg range without pedals and maintenance parts, a mid-grade bike weighing around 10 kg, and a higher grade bike weighing in the 9 kg range.
For a road bike weighing around 8 kg, this is a nearly 13% increase in weight, so naturally the ride will be heavier as well.
How to enjoy long rides on a gravel bike
Reduce the weight of the undercarriage.
When riding gravel bikes on long rides, most of the roads are paved, so reducing the weight of the undercarriage directly affects the lightness of the ride. The undercarriage consists of wheels and tires.
The larger the gravel tire, the heavier it is, and a 700-40C tire is twice as heavy as a standard 700-25C tire for road use. Conversely, if you reduce the weight here, you can cut the tire weight in half.
When replacing gravel tires with lighter ones, you should
- use a higher grade
- make them thinner
There are two options. Choose the one you prefer based on your driving style and taste.
Replacing tires is the first upgrade you should make if you enjoy long rides, as it can dramatically affect your ride for about 10,000 yen.
Another point of undercarriage replacement is the wheels. Since bicycles move forward by spinning wheels, the lighter the rotating body is, the lighter the ride will be.
For gravel bikes, you want to avoid carbon-rimmed wheels as much as possible, considering that you may fall down on rough roads, so look for lightweight aluminum-rimmed wheels.
For example, Mavic’s Ksyrium SL DISC weighs 1,575g front and rear, while Fulcrum’s Racing 5 DB weighs 1,660g front and rear.
Since most standard equipment wheels for complete bikes are around 2 kg, simply replacing the wheels with these can reduce the weight by up to 400 g, or 600 g when tires are also replaced.
Although this is a more expensive customization compared to tires, it is a standard upgrade for road bikes as well, as it is said that “if you want to dramatically change your ride, the first step is wheels”.
Be creative with the luggage you carry.
Gravel bikes have more dowel holes for loading luggage than road bikes, so you can load a variety of items on them, and it is tempting to load as many items as possible for a long ride. However, the weight of your luggage will be reduced as much as possible.
While emergency tools, lights, bells, and other security parts cannot be removed, check again to see if there is anything in your bag that you do not need. Surprisingly, there should be things that you may not need, if you think about it. You may be surprised to find something you don’t need.
Depending on how much luggage you have been carrying for long rides, you should be able to reduce the weight by about 200g just by making some adjustments to your luggage.
Combined with the suspension mentioned earlier, you can save up to 800g, which is close to the light weight of a road bike.
Although it is often said that gravel bikes are not suitable for long rides, they are actually all-around sports bikes that can be customized to ride similar to a road bike, and can also be used for gravel riding by changing parts.
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