Another Cervelo Aspero owner here…
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Your ideal gravel set up depends on what kind of gravel you will ride. Light gravel and rail trail can be done on road or all-road wheels and this will make the bike faster. A lot of the gravel bikes are coming with +/- 40 mm tires and wheel sets that will handle tougher gravel and easy single track. These set ups are noticeably slower on the road and make the bike harder to accelerate. The long term solution is a second wheel set.
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I love the flared drop bars as it makes riding in the drops more comfortable. I end up riding in the drops more on gravel rides than road rides.
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I agree SPD is a must for true gravel adventures and makes the off bike parts of the day much more enjoyable.
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Gravel bike gearing is great for short steep gravel climbs and rolling gravel terrain but can be limited once you hit faster road pace. I like the idea of using a 50/34 and 11/34 rather than a 46 or 47/32 and 11/32, especially if you are a lighter rider (I am not).
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I am slowing coming to the realization that my gravel set up is much more comfortable than my road bike set up.