Totally agree. It’s weird too, because it’s an incredibly light gravel bike. It’s definitely more upright than my Tarmac, but the difference is greater than the geometry and weight would have you believe.
I wonder if it really was slower, or just felt slower?
I have a Checkpoint gravel bike and NatureBoy CX bike. The Checkpoint feels slower on spirited group rides (with same whee/tire combo) because of the longer WB and CS. But, I doubt it’s actually any slower if I’m just riding along.
Regardless, I prefer a two bike solution - even with a 2x setup, the Checkpoint will spin out on a fast paved descent. And the snappier handling CX bike is just more fun on group rides.
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I actually see slower times on mine and @AlexMartins said he did too
I have a Revolt as well, and while I would it expect it be slower than my road bike, I always wonder why. How much is the aero-ness of the frame, how much is the stack/reach setup. And how much slower, in watts?
Gravel:
Road:
Same wheels in both bikes.
I’m a bit surprised that 5 min isn’t aligned with the feeling that the Revolt is slower.
I’d add the wind always plays a significant role in this rip, and I can’t remember how it was for each day, although I vaguely recall it was quite similar.
Edited: Shame I don’t have a PM on the Revolt, but the HR was 133 avg with the Revolt and 134 with the TCR. 
Edited two: I’m lying! The Gravel ride was with the gravel tires, so… OMG it isn’t as slow as I thought.
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I was going to ask you about PM, but from what I see a .6 kmph (.3-.4 mph) difference is not unreasonable between the two bikes. I have no idea what that is in watts.
Gravel tires vs road tires, I might see 1mph difference on the same loop (TerraSpeed 40 vs Turbo 28mm). Same tires and that difference should go away. I wouldn’t be surprised if my gravel bike was actually faster in a TT because of the tube shaping (carbon vs round steel).
The perceived slowness for me was more one of frame suppleness/flex and a lack of responsiveness. The group I ride with often on my road bike attacked up a small hill and I was quickly distanced in a way that does not usually happen. Standing and climbing to catch back I could perceive much more flex in the frame than on my Tarmac, which feels noticeably stiff and responsive. Of course this is all subjective and I could have been having a bad day, but I was actually using the wheels and tires directly from my tarmac and the sensation of the bike was noticeably different with them on the Revolt.
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Subjectively for me its more about the more relaxed position on my Checkpoint or previous Domane. That absolutely makes me slower over 30 or 60 or 120 minutes, versus riding on my Tarmac SL7.
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If one bike is slower than another with same wheelset, the biggest difference is typically going to be body position (ie aerodynamics). You can eliminate that difference by setting the bikes up with identical fits, but it may not be possible trying to replicate between a gravel/endurance geometry vs. aggressive road bike). Sure, the aerodynamics of the frame/bars and even drivetrain efficiencies can be different, but those aren’t typically going to be that great. Aero frame vs. non-aero is typically around 15w at ~25mph. That’s about .5mph difference at same power at around that speed, so it’s significant but not earth shaking. Obviously the difference is narrower at lower speeds. But as others have mentioned, a longer bike with less aggressive geometry is going to feel slower even when it’s not. In many situations, what feels slower can actually be measurably faster (like low pressure tires and less stiff frame riding over rough pavement).
I’ve got a madone aero race bike and I’ve got my checkpoint gravel bike. Sure, the madone feels faster and it is (mainly because of body position). But with clip on aerobars on my checkpoint, It’s faster even running gravel tires on 303’s compared to my madone running 28’s on 404’s (no aero bars). Aerobars are just next level cheating. My Madone generally sits on the trainer because I don’t race road much anymore. The checkpoint is my primary road bike, including fast group rides. The difference from the checkpoint to the madone isn’t going to get anyone dropped unless they were on the verge of getting dropped on any bike. And if getting into the aerobars, you may just be the one doing the dropping. Nothing more fun the riding a bunch of aero road bikes off your wheel on a 1x gravel bike rolling 42’s.
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did you change the stem on the Checkpoint? Stock stem on 58cm frame is too short for me. And yeah, my body position isn’t as aero but I’m not getting dropped on group rides because of it. With my 42c S-Works Pathfinders that measure out to 47mm.
58 frame also and kept stock 80mm stem length. But swapped stock “gravel” bars for some carbon aero road bars with about 20mm more reach.
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Which bars and do you like them off road?
Why not put the aero bars and aero handlebar on the Madone and be even faster? Is it the comfort of one bike over the other?
In the shorter term, being underbiked can be great fun, as is repurposing old stuff for new tasks. So for now, I’d be using that tourer with the best tyres it could accommodate, see how I got on over the months ahead, then take stock in the new year.
Being in the Peak District when lockdown began I took my allroad bike out on bridleways and singletrack, on 32 then 35mm tyres, with my experienced pal who’d done loads of this before, riding his steel tourer, roughstuff-stylee. Pushed/carried in places, fell off a bit, learnt better handling skills, overtook MTBs occasionally, saw places and had a laugh. Toyed with getting another bike better suited to the job, but once the nice dry paths and trails became really wet and cr@ppy again, realised I’d scratched the itch for the time being🤷.
It depends where you live, how busy the roads are vs. what off-road routes are available, and whether you’re a minimalist who wants one bike for everything or prefer a fleet of specialist tools. Buying new stuff in haste is not usually a great plan though vs waiting for a while and letting the by-then-obvious decision come to you.
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They are Bontranger bars that they don’t make anymore. They are fine off road.
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The madone already has an integrated stem/bar combo that is designed to be aero. That setup doesn’t support adding aero/TT bars and they wouldn’t be legal for road racing even if I could add them (so basically pointless unless I wanted to use it as a TT bike, but I already have a TT bike).
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Might well happen to me, I explored some other paths today and found a whole bunch of No Happy signs (No Cycling) won’t be long before someone has a go at me I’m sure. Nice to feel like a kid on a bike again 
Roots are the biggest issue for a tourer in our woods. Not really thinking MTB yet though. Even a dedicated gravel bike seems a bit lavish at the moment.
The nice fast bit today:
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Just remember - every bike is a gravel bike. Just gonna be a question of where the limiters are for it. 
I’ve literally taken every bike I own on the gravel…including my tri bike.
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