I’ve been thinking about doing an impromptu century just for fun in the next week or two. Fitness-wise, I feel like I should be okay. I was on a low volume plan over the winter, finished an 84 mile gravel race a few weeks ago without much problem, and am sitting around 3.5 w/kg. Trying to decide on route and equipment.
My road bike is a Cannondale CAAD8 from the mid 00s. Rim brakes, 25mm tires, etc. Seems like the best choice for a mostly road ride, of course, but it’s probably less comfortable, needs a once-over, and likely has a greater chance of a mechanical overall due to age.
I got a new gravel bike in the fall. Giant Revolt with 2x GRX and semi-slick 45s. It’s a fast bike for sure and I have been really stoked on riding the new toy lately. I’ve been on some long rides with it and feel very comfortable on the setup.
On a 100 mile rolling ride that is mostly road, with maybe a little light gravel, how much slower is the new bike likely to be? Not sure how to factor in aero, gearing, comfort, etc.
The way I read it is that you are doing this ride for fun and you won’t worry too much if your average speed is a tad lower. Plus, comfort on such a long ride is paramount. So I’d take the new bike.
Plus, you want your bike to be dependable on such a long ride and if you haven’t kept up with maintenance on the CAAD8, some gremlins might have crawled into the bearings, cables and all. Other parts like tires and brake pads certainly would need replacing.
If you like tinkering, I’d think about restoring the CAAD8, perhaps using used parts (e. g. 11-speed rim brake groupsets should be quite affordable) and replacing the “consumables” (tires, cables, bottom bracket, brake pads). I’d basically take it down to a bare frame and start from scratch.
Or it might be a good bike for your trainer: I’d then convert it to 1x, get a new rear derailleur and shifters (11 speeds should be fine) and replace bar tape, BB, etc.
Correct, this is just for fun (though I still want to keep average speed up where I can). Leaning toward the gravel bike.
I should be clear the Cannondale is my regular road bike (and trainer bike) so has had some care. I did new BB, chainrings, cassette, and chain last year, new cables and housings in the past two years, etc. I have a power meter on it. The wheels are near the end of their time, though, and I would hate to break a spoke.
After I got my gravel bike 2 years ago, I basically hung up my road bike. The ride comfort, much better immunity to road imperfections and debris, and the ability to venture off pavement at will just make it much more pleasant and fun to ride. For me, the tradeoff a some speed on pavment is more than worth it.
You’ll be plenty fast on the gravel bike IMO and far more comfortable. I put 40mm gravelking slicks on my old gravel bike and took it on a road ride recently as I just wanted a nice cushy easy ride. It was great. I think the main slowness I found compared to my road bike was just getting up to speed.
I would hate to ride my gravel bike for 100 miles on the road but I have knobbiy tires. If you had slicks or semi-slicks the gravel bike would be fine for a smell the roses ride.
For me, the longer it is, the more likely it would be on the gravel bike (or MTB). These days, all I ever ride on the road is my gravel bike with cushy tires. My road race bike sits on the rollers and has probably been out 3 times in the last 2 years. But most of my racing is gravel/MTB, so it’s also just the bike I want to be training on. If I was racing/training for road races, I’d probably be choosing a road bike for a ride like that.
The braking surface of the rim is pretty worn down and concave. There is some play in the hubs as well. Probably most significantly, there are some hairline cracks around the nipple on the rear wheel. Probably not a great idea to ride on, honestly.
The good news is that rim brake wheels sell for pennies on the dollar now. Go find a nice set of used wheels in like new condition and restore your bike. if the wheels are that bad, I’m guessing you might new some new brake cables, cogs, a chain, and maybe a chainring or two.
Gravel bike but consider putting a nice set of slicks on it, like the Pirelli 40’s. You will forget all about your road bike as you ride smooth and fast…
Like @AJS914 wrote, are you sure it’s a big purchase? We are talking used wheelsets, of course. Otherwise (i. e. if you don’t or can’t buy new wheels) I’d just keep it on the trainer and never put it on the road again.
New endurance road bikes would have been called gravel bikes a few years ago. The new Canondale Synapse has clearance for 48 mm tires in the front and 42 mm in the rear. Likewise BMC’s Roadmachine and others have oodles of clearance, blurring the line. So your gravel bike is very close to modern endurance bikes. Both also come in 1x configurations, which statistically people who want a gravel bike prefer.
So if you happen to ride more on the road, just get tires that are more optimized for the road. Pirelli makes 40 mm slicks. For certain situations they should be good off-road as well. Or get tires with some tread (Vittoria Terrenos, tires from Schwalbe’s G-One family or Conti Hardpacks that I ride now).
