Electric Mountain Bike Vs Gravel Bike | Which Is Faster? | EMBN Vs GCN

[@embn]

Have you ridden a gravel bike? What did you think?

[@uneulvedal2571]

I am riding an e-mtb, a gravel bike and a hardtail, did some >100km rides with each. Btw I had my gravel bike adjusted so I actually can climb on gravel. In real life, there is no terrain where one of these makes most sense/ would be "best" or fastest. Especially on longer rides there is mixed terrain to deal with. Even on a given gravel road the surface changes over time, can be fast one day with a gravel bike and just horrid some weeks later. I actually enjoy riding totally different bikes, makes the same ride more interesting

[@MilatovichFamily]

Mountain bike>cx/gravel bike. Pure science and logic.

[@skev303uk]

I love my Diverge, it just comes alive in the loose stuff. It now wears road slicks as my 2nd bike, with my Levo for forest fun :)

[@Metal-Possum]

Gravel bikes are just a bunch of marketing nonsense, and bikes capable of the same things have existed for many decades now. Touring/trekking/randoneurring/hybrid and cyclocross bikes were all capable of those tasks long before somebody "invented" the gravel bike and pushed it as the new hot thing. As for gravel specific components, it's just an excuse to sell you poorly-performing mountain bike parts, pretending to look like road bike components. With the likes of Niner and their full suspension gravel bike, I"m officially done on the subject. We've been riding bikes on gravel since before somebody figured out what asphalt was, and they weren't gravel-specific bikes, we just called them "bicycles". At the end of the day though, It's such a boring and horrible surface to ride on that I don't understand why people would go out of their way and spend such big money to ride on it.

[@racepnd]

No but now I really want to, man does that gravel bike ever look good.

[@nickcoulter973]

70k an hour on gravel is insane. Respect

[@julen2380]

More like e-mtb vs Chris Opie's legs and descending madness on a gravel bike. LOL! Fun video, great banter!

[@serhiidrashpul8172]

yeap, the riders were far from being a match to each other.

[@afthefragile]

That's the point, you can be fat and middle aged and still beat Chris opie on an emtb!

[@shenava]

I recently ordered a gravel bike only to cancel and switch to an EMTB. Just got it today. Can still do gravel but now I can commute to work by bike without feeling shattered and no longer taking my car. Win for my health, fitness and the environment.

[@dezoksiribon]

nobody noticed, that the result table shows wrong end results? if you calculate the times, the gravel bike wins with 1:05:41 to 1:06:28!

[@lukasz.m]

Exactly: Seconds: 11+40+4+46+30+30 = 161 => 2 min 41 sec; then add the minutes: 12+4+18+9+11+9 = 63 => 1h 3mins. So in total: 1h 5m 41 seconds. You should email this to EMBN and GCN ;) (or I will ;) It was a great effort and it definitely deserves the win.

[@dezoksiribon]

@@lukasz.m Do it:)

[@ABritInNY]

"Wrong end results," that's your complaint? How about... not racing the same route? Forgetting the ridiculous 15mph speed limit, with downhill momentum able to propel the gravel bike to 70kmh, how fast do you think the Emtb will fly down the same fire road it was designed to easily handle, even with the system off/unpowered, 50-55kmh with great control isn't a stretch and with the extra weight providing rolling momentum downhill, perhaps faster? The point is there would be perhaps a 30 second victory at 70kmh on the gravel bike, meaning in the final tabulation the margin would so heavily favour the Emtb that it wouldn't even be close enough to warrant close inspection. Perhaps that's why this was allowed, the "secret" was a "cheat" that was allowed to stand so we sadly never saw a full direct race. A small other point is this, when comparing machines against each other, do that! Compare the machines with equal (external) rider input, so if one rider can put out 1600w for sprint bursts, don't match him with a rider capable of max 400w input, it's highly disingenuous to do so and then expect the results not to be skewed.

[@MaYbYl8eR]

@@ABritInNYdumb reply

[@Dak3y]

@@ABritInNY You're both missing the point. It's entertainment > accuracy and they do a great job of it.

[@DN4AGDX]

I was hoping Chris's secret weapon was a E-powered gravel bike. To see what a pro rider could do with an ebike would be awesome.

[@vibe2light]

Agree !

[@austinshoupe1506]

I would assume the motor would just get in the way by adding extra weight.

[@emptyscience]

@@austinshoupe1506 the battery and the motor and the frame , i have mtb ebike for few days and i find the only advantage is less burned knees especially uphill , i pass sport cyclists uphill easy

[@alankoslowski9473]

Exactly. This was fucking stupid. Of course an *electric* mtb will be faster on rough terrain than an analog gravel bike. Why didn't they use an electric gravel bike as well?

[@apageproductions]

@@alankoslowski9473 it have no sense. Main advantage of gravel and road bikes is weight. Battery + motor it near ~10 kilo overweight. In this case gravel e-bike will be the same as mtb ebike, but because gravel using lightweight materials it can just broke the frame with additional unbalanced weight on it.

[@janmatthias903]

the title should be more like: legs vs. no legs + motor

[@user-fw5yb1ne5u]

And old vs Young And light vs heavy And dope vs invalid And ...

[@chewingthehandlebars]

@5:04 1600W was too many Watts for Chris' shorts! Seriously though, great video. Wales looks spectacular, even in the rain!

[@johntoolan2011]

Great video, very entertaining. But stage 5 was a little bit of a cop-out. Would love to see an e-road bike vs e-mtn bike over same track. SAME TRACK please!

[@nycLPplayer]

Easy...mtb wins by a bigger margin as he wouldnt be able to do 70kph. Also if the gravel wasnt piloted by a pro sprinter then the margin gets even bigger. Just depends on the experience you prefer but emtb will be faster.

[@CarkeekW]

Just a laugh, both bikes are fun , just no speed limiter and instantly solved. Why is it ok to do 70 on a gravel bike but not a shocking 32 on an emtb, oh dear europe.

[@okimy3668]

Wayne Carkeek On that gravel road you would have done 70 kph on an emtb aswell.

[@austinshoupe1506]

Stage 5 more showed what each was best at.

[@tylerfallon5774]

But you'll never get a truly equivalent track. Make it more technical and the bike with suspension and big tires wins by a mile. Less technical and it's swapped. They're different bikes for different purposes where one cannot beat the other in their respective elements

[@gmbn]

Nice one guys! Go Team MTB!

[@anandmishra-hi4rp]

GMBN LOVE UR VIDEOS DUDES

[@DrBreezeAir]

Chris is superhuman but that gravel bike has a major advantage. It's WAY cheaper.

[@embn]

Still a very posh bike with the eTAP AXS wireless shifting on it! Both riding superbikes for sure! 👍

[@maxb7281]

Yeah a £4000 bike with a £800 wheelset vs £7000 bike both big hitters

[@k4ndLberT]

@@maxb7281 The Specialized S-Works Turbo Levo FSR is 11.299,00 €

[@rrobotman]

Now swap bikes and do it again 😎

[@LOTPOR0402]

Thats what i thought

[@patrick6931]

Bull shit, Chris Opie is a former pro... what do you think will be the result? :D

[@KandiKlover]

@@patrick6931 also no hate but the host is a little chubby. Could do with a bit less e-biking.

[@julz19]

It was a jokr but okay guys 👌

[@tamasvarga67]

So an overweight old guy (no disrespect Steve, I’m the same) on a 25kph ebike can beat a very fit, great rider on a gravel bike. I don’t get the complaining in the comments about the 25kph assist limit, get fitter or ride a moto... or just enjoy the unrestricted trail access on the 25kph ebike. Entertaining video, great job guys!

[@William-Bill-Munny]

lol freedom or limited freedom is in the eye of the beholder.

[@rage8kage]

Anything to get the fat old dudes out off the A38

[@donaldbartholomew209]

Or buy an ebike with no speed restriction

[@tamasvarga67]

@@donaldbartholomew209 Yeah, that’s an e-moped... or get a KTM 300EXC that’s even better.

[@kamucho]

Great work lads. The dynamic between you two was great, top banter 😁

[@Deuteross]

Fantastic video. Chris' riding skills are truly insane.

[@bradsanders6954]

THAT is what made the gravel bike go, not the bike. A gravel bike is a tarted up roadbike with fatter tires. The rider makes it work on rough ground.

[@Tiss17979]

Great videos guys. Really entertaining and two super sympathetic riders. Please more of that crossover style.

[@SergioCristancho]

I am a MTB born cyclist now a days a more gravel grinder/roadie but as my years keep adding up am sure I will put an EMTB on my stable and ride it a lot, because looks tons of fun... great work and kudos to the GCN work horse mr Opie.

[@HankSchut]

Love your video, beautiful countryside... nice commentary. Really shows that an E-Bike is a lot more fun than a gravel bike, less bouncing around, less stress and more relaxed ride. For me, I believe that riding a bike is to have fun, not an ordeal. Wonderful video... well done.

[@embn]

Thanks Hank! 👍

[@TAZMON20]

Could you not find a gravel e-bike, otherwise, what is the point?

[@jamsxr]

For a bit of fun...

[@MrBJPitt]

I'd say Chris's power is probably the equivalent of Steve + e-gravel bike 😉

[@antonpeterson1245]

Gavin you make a good point. I was going the other way and thinking why not bring Neil from GMBN to join the challenge on an enduro bike?

[@KenGoddard1723]

Not exactly a gravel bike, but www.orbea.com/gb-en/ebikes/road/gain-all-road/cat/gain-d31-19

[@MrJadiin]

Well it's the electric mountain bike network so....

[@stepanfojticek2069]

Just remove the limiter. If you have a drivers license its perfectly legal and it goes like 40 km per hour without pedaling which makes it extra fun.

[@camahueto_AON]

Yeah, they are called electric motorcycles

[@A.Spivey]

Grat video! My hat is off to the Gravel bike rider. Serious athlete.

[@McStoolio]

Ah, miss seeing Chris on GCN, he’s incredible.

[@MercuryCircuit]

Great vid guys. Very interesting to see how completely different bikes perform on various terrains and looks like you had massive fun doing it too. Keep em coming :)

[@Metal-Possum]

"Either way, I was after you, and the sheep..." Those words are coming from a true Welshman.

[@rogerhuston8287]

Gravel bikes are very technical. They're not for the inexperienced.

[@ryansara3398]

GGBN - Global gravel biking network😂😂

[@svelobikes9049]

Ryan29xm it totally should be a thing!

[@JSB1729]

Zvelo no it shouldn’t

[@markwys]

Your videos are entertaining and educational. I only with the music was not so darn loud. I have to constantly adjust the volume. Love it!

[@swites]

Oppie got some acceleration in those legs! Surprised how little time he lost on some of those descents on those skinny tyres. Obviously he got some off-road skills.

[@RichardMaguire110]

A great video one of the best I have seen. This brought back a lot of memories of the first time I went cycle touring in the Black Mountains in 1980.

[@mikechivy]

An e-bike in the US would roast the gravel bike. It allows up to 32 kph assisted or 20 MPH instead of 15. Massive difference

[@stepanfojticek2069]

I mean if you have have a drivers license you can buy one without the limiter and that goes like 40 kph without pedaling

[@ajfamily206]

these two guys are awesome. I have enjoyed watching this video.

[@SoundSpeeding]

"sheep as far as the eye can see, and as long as the ear can hear" haha! They should come on over to New Zealand to film the next one ;-)

[@michaelwillis4528]

Great collaboration video! Chris has the best one liners!

[@cliffsangelsphotography]

Nice to see Chris Opie on EMBN. But we still need proof he can ride a MTB. So, how hard can Chris Opie shred?

[@cornishalps9870]

Well he rides cardinham woods and poldice regularly in cornwall

[@scottrobinson3745]

Chris Opie is also very fast on a MTB. But knowing Chris he would love to ride the Emtb as well.

[@chrisopie87]

Only because I spent the last 20 years chasing you around Cornwall on an MTB

[@scottrobinson3745]

@@chrisopie87 you will have to join the fun revolution and come play with us on a Emtb when you are back home.

[@chrisopie87]

Scott Robinson sounds good to me!

[@jasonjayalap]

I know the title is “which is faster?”, but too many comments are pointless “not scientific/fair!” despite it obviously being a discussion and showcase, and not an olympic competition or evidence for whose tribe is better.

[@michaelpirrone]

They stage these videos in a way that spurs furious commenter battles, but the subtext for the rest of us is that the choice of bike is mostly down to individual preference and riding style. Any bike is the right bike if you enjoy riding it.

[@AmericanGunWorx]

Fun vid to watch! I was riding cross bikes before gravel bikes became a thing. Two cross bikes and two gravel with a few really old mountain bikes. One a downhill race bike.

[@TomEnduro]

My mate bought his wife a Ribble eGravel bike and she joined us on a gravel trail along the Isar river with a 2 year old on the back and she kept up with us for 40km..... It was brilliant!

[@omalinsky]

2:04 how can you let the bike fall on the rear derailleur side like that??? OMG...

[@raphaeltiziani7476]

They dont care, they dont need to pay for it or when its broken.

[@schmitty8225]

Derailleur never touched the ground and besides its grass and dirt. If anything broke from that its a cheap POS component.

[@steveoshea1923]

Chris was fantastic alas I’m sold on the EMTB. Just about to check out which is the best for me and my pocket. Thanks so much Steve. Steve.

[@cwsmith17]

Great showing of what both bikes can do!

[@pipappleyard3982]

What’s fastest? ... both are a lot faster than waiting for a bus!

[@vibe2light]

Excellent Conclusion .

[@lenahygiena]

@man0z "and if it's quicker, draft behind it lol" you, sir, have reached biker zen mode

[@knightdv8097]

Have both and would not like to pick between them. They are both brilliant at what they are made for. Must admit I think the ebike has more smiles per mile ! Chris Opie going downhill on the gravel bike was pure mad.

[@masonrice2896]

Yes a little over my head but very necessary to plan for my future purchase.

[@davemacleod9623]

Had my first e bike (me ), versus gravel bike (my mate) ride tonite....he could eat me on the downhill and some of the undulating terrain but on the uphill i could pully away easily...overall the ride was a little too quick for me but damn good fun still.

[@carlsmtb3171]

Thank you so much, I’ve oredered an Orbea h30 but I started to think I made the wrong decision until I saw this video and now it’s starting to make sense, only thing is I don’t have any ebike friends yet......

[@imthelastone]

The Marketing department is strong with this one ... literally, the only 2 categories that show any growth in the industry

[@lenahygiena]

2:07 into the vid and i'm screaming xDD Chris THREW his bike. Threw it.

[@paulmurden7621]

Another great video boys. The ones with presenters from the other "channels" seem to work really well I reckon. I will say this though: 70K, daaaaam that's fast!

[@embn]

Thanks Paul 👍 Yea that's pretty fast!

[@klausschneider9462]

Great video and great riders. Just because you've split the timings in 6 sections everyone could feel the fun.

[@Richard27001]

Title is not right, it's the SL levo which is a lightweight compared to usual Embt. Results would have been probably worse with a heavier bike since the direction changes are more difficult to handle on a 22,5- 25 kg machine, right?

[@benoitsigwald6383]

What about e MTB Vs e Gravel like the Cannondale topstone Neo lefty 1 and equivalent riders?

[@wardie007]

Are you able to do some of your tests with the Trek Police eMTN bike. It has a pedal assist limit of 28 MPH. This may push the US ebikes ahead of the traditional gravel bike. If you can't get the Police version can you get some with US speed restrictions (20 mph).

[@paulwoods9822]

Hi there EMBN I would love to know what hydration pack Steve is using

[@erwindegier7797]

Would love to see this with an electric gravelbike like the Orbea Gain D31 or the Boardman ADV 8.9. They are. Bit heavier (13 kg), but benefit from the assist like the E-MTB.

[@richardthomas3382]

im fortunate to hav a 29er Scot FS Xcross bike, a 3T enduro gravel bike that i love, and a Ebike levo 2017 thats amazing. If I could only keep one???? the Gravel bike...... only based on where i live......... reality, have all three!!!

[@ka81alex]

Name of the Steve's bikepack, please??

[@JS-di9qg]

Fun video. It shows that a group of people with different fitness levels can bike together and have a great day out. Emtb stimulates physical social networks, get togethers and physical activity. Something greatly needed in our screen oriented society! Kudo’s for the demo.

[@lejake]

Really entertaining video! Thanks guys, you're great!

[@stevenrees6015]

I've seen a few riders on gravel bikes up on the hills lately and they all have the "I bought the wrong bike" look of regret on their faces as they crawl up and down the hills.

[@paulwilliams4038]

Done that loop many times in both directions. The ride from Pen y Gadair Fawr down Crug Mawr must be one of the longest downhills in Wales. Great video guys but the gravel bike going via the Grwyne Fawr forest road really ruined the comparison but made the more entertaining video. Good work chaps.

[@bennybossboom]

ADEBISI ADEBISI no need to be an arsehole

[@michaelwillis4528]

Can you do an extension of this to another area where both these bikes are becoming fairly commonly used although a bit beyond their original design window. Commuting... but for balance I think someone with less than 1600W in their legs should be riding a gravel bike, is Dan Lloyd available?

[@knordberg]

That was a fun video. I just got an eBike and love it. You can just ride all over the place.

[@leahlokan2105]

You two guys make it all look fun. Speed or bumps. thanks

[@DimitrisRakopoulos]

Great video. Great battle. Loved it!

[@darcos7535]

Amazing content and love the channel

[@LaughingSaint66]

Came here for Chris this was fun to watch and of course Steve is so cool 🤙🏼

[@GhillieFrog]

Great video!! You guys definitely need to do more of these race videos. Compare ebikes, chain stays, travel and etc in a race format. 👍

[@nozerp]

That was a great video - very entertaining!

[@MikeKay1978]

is that a cracked frame at 1:26?

[@59trevski]

I do have a Levo and a Specilized Crux and they are both awesome bikes to ride

[@nathanielmah3914]

Great vid, but I feel like gravel bike vs XC MTB would make more sense? GCN vs GMBN, Same kinda deal!

[@gavinhassett479]

At the end of the day who has the most fun? E mtn bike looks like a hoot. Delimit and you could cover a lot of miles in a day

[@racepnd]

Gotta say I’ve toyed with the idea of buying a gravel bike since getting back into riding with my Levo, now more than ever. Maybe Steve would of faired better with a North America Levo with its 32kph limit.

[@vibe2light]

Thank goodness = New Zealand 32kph limit also.

[@tamasvarga67]

racepnd In that case, he could have ridden only on motorized trails... 25kph in Europe considered as regular bicycle so they can be ridden anywhere. The channel is too big to promote riding illegally.

[@racepnd]

Tamas Varga we ride everywhere here with our emtb only an issue with bikes with a throttle. Legal speed here for pedal assist is 32kph.

[@tamasvarga67]

racepnd As far as I know, the 32kph is federal limit but the trail access is regulated by the states and in many (or most) of them the ebikes are limited to motorized trails only. In the EU, you can ride them anywhere with the same conditions as regular bikes. If it’s not enough there is an s-pedelec category with 45kph assist limit they are considered as mopeds. I’m riding my 25kph ebike for two years and it doesn’t hold me back from anything.

[@racepnd]

Tamas Varga I don’t live in the US

[@sitonka303]

i recreated this last wednesday in the new forest. my mate had his la pierrre full sus emtb and I was on gravel bike. the main thing that slowed me down was the mega vibes on the rough terrain with no suspension on the downhills. bone shaking, then the climbs he tore me a new one. Still great fun. we had an emtb, gravel and normal full susser mtb. would like to try it with the future shock maybe like the new diverge. or a salsa with 100mm travel fork? top vid though fellas. keep the content coming.

[@brannmacfinnchad9056]

Chris's expression at 7:20! Perfect.

[@pizsamavonflanel]

I’ve just started to use a gravel bike, but it does not mean I totally quit using my ‘old’ mtb. Maybe I will try an e-mtb (or an e-gravel) in the future, but now I am pleased with the bikes I have. Why cannot one person own and use multiply variants of bikes, and love all of them?!

[@fatfat6389]

Give me a BBSHD add-on kit in any mtb you like, and take whatever bike you want, I get to choose the battery only.

[@cromwellg60]

Is it not possible to remove the speed restriction?

[@stanleyg.4063]

And the Emtb battery usage?

[@lomex_1417]

highly recommend this purchase!

[@NoGattsuNoGlory]

Should have done e gravel vs emtb...

[@jonburnell532]

70kph down gravel....someone pass me the loo roll 😱

[@sdevaul8511]

You guys should do tournment to find out what is the best bike genre. Like gravel bikes vs enduro bikes, and with the tournament you can find out what bike genre is the best

[@TheKanigou]

I've got both and I love them both! Not the same sport but what a fun!

[@smoothmicra]

Great fun chaps, a fix of competitive sport during the lock down. My itch has been scratched!

[@embn]

Glad to be of service!

[@ianthompson9800]

I'm about to go out with a near pro on a $9k MTB with my entry-level off the rack turbo Levo after just doing the same circuit on my acoustic Stumpjumper Competition. He left me for dead. Trust me... we will be equal and I'll keep up for twice the distance on my e-bike. Enjoy riding uphill AND downhill AND across country: get an ebike!

[@brucemckenzie4167]

Enjoyed the video, fantastic camera work.

[@becmango]

Holy beautiful scenery

[@natsu0012]

5:00 Chris shorts has a hole, I guess it's from 1600w of power

[@davidrichards2234]

Great video guys 😁🙏🏻

[@5492sparky]

The challenge vids are always quality.

[@pnblondon1087]

Very interesting, but you should have told us how much battery/range was left in the e-MTB!

[@jonsg2011]

Great video guys!!!!

[@FancyaBevMate]

Guys what is with the kmh? Until we're under EU completely we use mph....is it to make it sound like pedal assists are faster than they really are? Ps use a dongle as you're off road, if it's a bosch performance motor and then you can quote 28 miles per hour. Cheers

[@jazzechos1372]

Was this UCI sanctioned? Can we add in a 750 Kawasaki Enduro and see which comes out on top? I bet the 750 would be a ton of fun,

[@Coal-Creek-Rider]

Very cooll video but Ebikes are restricted on a lot of trails here in the southeast USA.

[@spikeykiwi01]

could you please tell me what power setting your ebike was on?

[@nicholashooper9935]

Wold love to see this again but with the specialized creo gravel bike

[@stevedawe8835]

Kinda funny, I had zero interests in watching this video! So glad I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wouldn't even dream of attempting to take a gravel bike on this ride. Great work, keep the amazing vids coming, Cheers.