GRAVEL BIKE RANT - WHY DO BIKE COMPANIES DO THIS?!

[@alantaylor6691]

I'm glad someone said it, I've been raving about gearing being too large on bikes for a while now too. I got an endurance road bike, the Giant Contend, a couple of years back which has a compact double, and I ended up putting a 46/30 sub-compact on the front and 11/42 on the back with the aid of a roadlink. And even then I wanted smaller, as even with 30 front/42 back I was having to push hard to keep a healthy cadence going up steep tarmac hills. I think you almost can't go low enough for useable gearing, why do we think we should be grinding up hills, even the GC contenders of the Tour de France in the modern era have discovered that if they keep a healthy cadence up hills they end up climbing better, no grinding. So in the modern era there have been GC contenders using gearing that is often judged negatively by the peleton for being too low for racing, but they are the ones winning the climbs as when they get to the mountain climbs they aren't grinding. I was talking to a chap a while back that has a gravel bike and he converted it so that his low front ring was a 20 and his low back cog was a 42. You may be thinking 20 front, isn't 22 the normal lowest for the front? Well if you search on ebay you will see you can buy 20-T front rings. Anyway his small gear was 20 front/42 back and at the time I spoke to him he was planning on extending it to 46 back. It's silly how the bikes are geared with all this top range that is unusable, and you run out of low range on hills and have to grind. Just makes no sense and I'm a huge advocate of sub-compact gearing. In fact I think that for the road, most riders don't really warrant front ring over 40, I think if most people use 40 - 24 front / 11 - 34 back they would enjoy their riding a lot more and be in better condition because of not gaving to grind up the hills. And 40/11 is not too small a top gear for most riders unless you are racing or you are training in the faster group rides. I was riding with a chap on a slower road group ride that was rocking 30 single on the front and 11 on the back, 30/11 was his big gear. He said it was plenty big enough and he didn't run out of gears trying to keep up with the group. I think for most people, 46/30 on the road is still overgeared, how often are most casuals going to NEEDING 46/11? Very few. I was listening to a video from a road National Champion of a Eastern European country, I forget which country, and he was also raving about overgearing on bikes. He did an experiment using his compact double where he got on the flat with a huge tailwind and rapped it out as hard as he could, and he still didn't get to the end of his 50/11 big gear. And this is National Champion road legs. Unusable gear at the top, running out at the bottom, that's nonsensical and every bike I get I'm wanting to perform major gearing conversions on them lowering the gearing signficantly. And this coming from a former road racer of the 80s and 90s.

[@profesam8457]

You are my nominee for “Best darn bike rant of the year!!!” Keep it up!

[@DaveCM]

In 2021, bike companies finally started listening to you. It only took three years.

[@siffoine]

I got a used 3x10, was about to upgrade, but luckily lived with it long enough to understand 3x10 covers all the possible uses I can think of. And it's really not too much work to make it work, it's really only the rear derailleaur that needs occasional adjustment.

[@raymondhoward1297]

Agree. I run ultegra Di2 with 11-34 in the back and FSA carbon 46-30 up front. For me it is perfect for gravel. The range is large and I am able to climb steep pitches sitting down which is important on gravel. Even in my lowest gears, I push 300 watts at a 85 cadence up steeper gravel climbs. Do not understand why Shimano has not got the message and are so behind on releasing cranks for the cyclist like me!

[@bostonbybike]

Completely agree. I went with a conscious choice to build my custom "gravel" bike with 42/26T crankset and a 11-speed 11-32T cassette. Works like a charm. I finally use the full range of my cassette all the time.

[@Henrywildeberry]

Totally agree! I love sub-compact gearing, doubles and triples alike. All the cranksets you mentioned are suburb! Don't forget, for the ultra budget conscientious repurposeur, there are lots of 80's era used triples by Sugino to be had for super cheap. They can be "modernized" with new bottom brackets, bearings, and chainrings. I think big bike companies would offer more sub-compact cranks on complete bikes, but they are limited by what the big component manufacturers have to offer. Plus with the large volume they deal in, they are limited in who and how they can build-out complete bikes. I'm sure there are contracts between bike brands and and the component makers which requires a certain amount of time before they can switch stuff around? Any way, I'm just guessing here. Us the consumers will eventually get what we want.

[@adhunt1]

I have two vintage Sugino triples waiting for bikes!

[@LarsWessman]

What gearing are you planning to use on your new bike, Henry? I agree that 46-30 is a better option for most riders - I've been riding a Compass crank for a full biking season now, and I love being able to ride with a closely geared 11-25 and getting killed on hills when I'm not touring.

[@Henrywildeberry]

@@LarsWessman Hi Lars! Thanks for asking. I'm still looking at both options; the triple with a 48x40x28, or a double with a 46x30. I'm glad to hear the Compass crank is working out, it's definitely high on my list too. The double would be lighter and use a shorter bottom bracket spindle. I was just looking around at the latest Sugino, IRD, and SunXCD sub-compact offerings. There is also White Industries with the variable bolt circle configuration. The hills in my area are very steep, so I'm leaning towards a 11-32 or 11-34 cassette. The extra gearing will help in climbing steep dirt trails.

[@medvjek]

I think you're right about contracts and volume deals. It's the first thing that came to mind. The only good thing I've seen is the overall road groupset turn slowly towards more realistic gearing. Shimano now often ships OEM with 11-34 and 50/34 setups. Compared to the old 11-25 and 52/39 combo, it's a serious improvement! And I just hope they go further and offer 46/30 as a gravel/road option some day.

[@alantaylor6691]

@@medvjek My father is now getting a bike with Shimano gravel bike gearing 46/30. Forget what it's called, but Shimano now has a dedicated sub-compact gravel groupset.

[@charliew830]

Wider tires, lower gearing and higher handlebars. Makes life better.

[@SnootchieBootchies27]

Soooo.... basically a mountain bike?

[@p_e_t_e]

@@SnootchieBootchies27 with drop bars. lol!

[@rizpista]

Yup. If bigger chainring , you need your leg power if you can. 46t single crank more fast on road but climbing hill more painful

[@davyhaynes6716]

Absolutely gosh darn right! The old wide-range randonnuering doubles, like 46x30 is the right tool for the job. And by the way, the front mech could also use some mods to better fit with such a crankset. I will also rant on the silly 11t cogs (and I've heard a 10t is now out). When chain articulation gets this high, friction starts going through the roof; and chain engagement has so few links carrying the load that chain slip becomes much more likely as the chain starts to wear. Put the additional cog on the other side of the cassette!

[@alantaylor6691]

Yep yep and yep!

[@JarodThurley]

Well said Russ. I love a good rant.

[@GruveToob]

My gravel rig has Tiagra ST-4703 triple shifters, Deore M610 treking crank 48-36-26, and 11-34 HG500. So far I have all the gears I need.

[@albertopineda7788]

My mtb bike that I use for gravel has a triple. My steel surly road bike has a triple. No complaints here!

[@ks2567]

The clap at 1:16 is priceless. Thanks for this, as always.

[@scottlynch5804]

Couldn't agree more! Over a decade ago, before "gravel" bikes even existed, I built my Surly Trucker up with a compact mountain double. I've used it for commuting, touring, gravel/light trail and bikepacking. Couldn't be happier with that gear combo! Thanks for this message Russ. Here's to hoping the message gets heard by the right folks with the bike companies!

[@eriktabor6478]

100%. When I got into cycling I was on a hybrid with 28,38,48 and 32-11 in the rear. As I got quicker and quicker, i still could never use the 48 for any amount of time. Downhills I’d be happy to save some energy, so i basically had a 28,38, and it was almost fine. Your thought of a 40,28 is probably spot on. If i could put something like that on my current new drop bar bike I would.

[@alantaylor6691]

My thoughts too, even 48 big ring is not optimal range for most riders, even 46.

[@geoffreyhenderson4774]

Noob on component compatibility here. I would like to convert my gearing to a 40-28 or something similar. Why can't you convert your drop bar bike to this kind of gearing?

[@eriktabor6478]

@@geoffreyhenderson4774 you probably could but you would likely have to replace your cranks and obviously your chainrings, maybe your bottom bracket too for the swap. That gets pricey quick. Oh, chain also. The other thing is there are very few options for swaps to that gearing. That makes it difficult to do too.

[@normanzielke6108]

Really depends where you live and what you want to do with the bike. 50-34 paired with a 11-32 or 11-34 cassette is pretty much perfect for mixed road/gravel riding. Not that I need 50-11 that often, but 34:32/34 is definitely a low enough gear for almost everything I would tackle with a gravel bike. My fatbike has a 28 ring with 10-42 cassette and this setup climbs up almost everything. However, don't think that it is a lot of fun to tackle such terrain with a gravel bike...

[@ParrishJamesTV]

Agree. I run a 40t or 42t on the rear cassette on my gravel/adventure/touring rigs. New 11speed shimano mechs take 42t cassettes, sram I can fit 46t sunrace cassettes even on short cage mech with. 42 front ring. Otherwise you can put on a wolf tooth road link on older rear mechs to increase rear cassette adaptability. Changing rear mech is the cheapest option. I rate the new ultegra rx mech with the clutch. I run that with a 40t cassette and 30/46 absolute black chain rings on shimano cranks. Perfect gearing for every type of riding.

[@KyriaxWitch]

i use a zee freeride rear mech which is much cheaper and sturdier than ultegra rx and with some b- tension adj works with 40t cassette

[@AJMacDonaldJr]

When I gravel/dirt ride in the mountains where I live I ride my 29er hardtail. It has a 30 tooth chainring and an 11x42 tooth cassette. I mostly use the lowest gears and never the highest ones. That gearing works well when I load it up with bags and gear, too.

[@tjrioux3059]

Russ, OMG thank you for the powerful and necessary rant! I'm tearing my already-thin hair out trying to get a reasonably-priced gravel/road bike that's geared for an average human being with a high sense of adventure and average pedaling strength.

[@panhndl]

remotbikes.com/collections/gravel Comes with 48/32 & 11-34, carbon fiber frame at $2400. There are certainly less expensive options but that looks like a pretty well set up bike from the start

[@ShanCantSpell]

So Salty! I loved it! Just ordered my first gravel bike and spent a good bit of time trying to find gearing that would work for the climbing I do in Guatemala.

[@simonunwin3966]

Don’t forget crank length. 165 is often a better option for lots of people. Great videos - keep it up!

[@talesfromtheworkbench2788]

LOVE the slow clap and deadpan expression at 1:14! I truly laughed out loud! I think bike companies do this because of two things - laziness, and simply because it's what they have a bunch of in their supply chain. It's like all the companies sending out bikes with 1x drivetrains and short chainstays. Sticking a mega-huge cassette on the back isn't going to make your 1x drivetrain suck any less, especially when the short chainstays means the chain rubs and makes noise in half the gear combos.

[@chrislowe3060]

Low end is never the problem. The issue is the top end. 11t cogs are pretty useless save for long, paved downhills. I would love to see an off the shelf 13-36 or 14-36 cassette paired with the increasingly common 46x30 cranks. Tighter jumps between gears and a more usable range of gears. Right now if you want a 13- or 14- cassette you need to by two cassettes and cobble them together which isn't the cheapest route.

[@adventurearkansas9926]

Totally agree. Why have 2 or more gears that are going to wear out incredibly quickly and shift terribly when 9 or more usable gears can be had by using a double instead of a 1x? I have my MTB touring setup with a 32:22 double and the last three on the top end are incredibly hard to use since the gears are that much more spaced out. The newer widerange cassettes used with racing doubles allow for a lot tighter spacing in the functional gears while still offering a ton of sprint top end, but the simple fact is that gravel riders most often aren't going to be sprinting like mad all the time. Having 11 completely evenly spaced cassette sprockets on a bike with a touring double would be absolute heaven.

[@joskoevoet9569]

Exactly. I have 48/32 and 11-34 which I thought would be plenty light as it's much lighter than on my road bike. However, the fire/mountain/gravel roads are steeper n bumpier. And I just realized that since the tires are bigger, the same gear combination (e . g. 34/28) leads to more gear inches and thus a heavier gear. I'd love to have a 12-40!

[@KyriaxWitch]

@@joskoevoet9569 i have a modded 11s 12-40 on my touring i pick an cheap sunrace 8s,9s cassettes and build an 12-13-14-15-17-21-24-26-32-36-40

[@joskoevoet9569]

@@KyriaxWitch that's a good idea!

[@tracywilkins9599]

Agree with you 100%. I'm currently running a very inexpensive FSA crankset with a 46/32 combination on my TI Vaya. Paired with a 36 tooth cassette, I can generally climb just about anything, but if I was going to do a lot of loaded touring on it, I would probably try to find something with a 30 or 28 small chainring. The bike originally shipped with a 48/32 SRAM X0 crankset, but that isn't available in the 172.5 mm crank arm length that I prefer. Back when I had my Surly Straggler, which shipped with a 46/34, I swapped it for an Ultegra compact double. All that accomplished was to wear me out trying to spin that stinking 50 tooth large ring!

[@junkandcrapamen]

Had an X9 2x groupset for years. My favorite ever. Why gravel and adventure bikes don't have similar gearing as mountain bikes is crazy.

[@MikeAutomaton1980]

Good video. I recently built a Surly and used a SRAM APEX 1x11. It's perfect for 95% of environments. It's also quiet, fast (have had it up to 43 kph on the flat), and has a lot less maintenance.

[@mikesecrest2887]

Best rant I've heard in a long time.

[@benpm2568]

Giant gravel bikes have 32/48 in the front and 11/34 in the back so it's definitely a bit better than some other brands.

[@towtowstrailtalk6853]

This is needed said for a long time, thank you for standing up for the bike nerds

[@nicolaslevesque4089]

I ride a specialized sequoia, the gearing that came with the bike is 48-32 crank with a 11-36 cassette and its great! even in 20 mm of snow! I've just upgraded to studded tires :) 2.0 X 29 :)

[@rogerheatwole4103]

I have a Trek Domane with 2 wheel sets that I use as a road and gravel bike. On my gravel wheel set I have a 36-32-28-25-22-20-19-18-17-16-14 cassette I created by combining gears from a 36-11 cassette and a 28-14 cassette. The bike still has the 50-34 compact crank. This is good for the relative flat gravel roads of Iowa.

[@smalerider1727]

Simple, if shimano doesn’t make it, it’s not going on a bike. They own 90% of all road market, gravel is an extension of this market. Shimano’s answer for gravel was to make 11-34 and clutched rear mech, not make smaller chain rings. BB’s also dictate what cranks we get, too many of pf86 pf90 bikes, and all the aftermarket cranks don’t play nice with it.

[@derosa1989]

there are all new gravel specific grouppo from shimano coming soon

[@arminhess1512]

Another important point: if possible use uneven teeth numbers. TA makes 41 for the big chainring (110 mm) or 33 (110 mm) for the inner ring (ok, for roadies). With such a combination your chain, cassette, chainrings, spokes and nipples will last longer because of a better circulation of forces.

[@larshalstrom3223]

I completely agree with you. I got a Felt VR5 with a 48/32 chainring and 11-32 cassette. The higher grade models were 46/30 chain rings. I'm old and for climbing hills in Seattle I need low gearing. I don't need to go fast downhill anymore. Glad Shimano came out with an 11-34 cassette. Lower gearing saves your drivetrain longer because you aren't using as much torque to climb. Plus it helps your joints last longer too.

[@gregbreault8921]

Both Giant and Cannondale have new bikes with smaller doubles. Giant uses the Praxis cranks at 48/32 and you can get them for just over $200 with the required BB.

[@timquinlan7009]

I do both road racing on a dedicated road bike and gravel/easy mountain biking on an old CX bike. The Velo Orange 46/30 is a nice crankset. I had one on my CX bike, and i love it. I had been using a 50/34 on my road bike, and upping the cassette to 29 or 32 tooth for mountainous races. This year I tried the VO 46-30 with a 12-27 cassette on the road bike, and well, i just ordered a 2nd one to replace the one I stole off my CX bike.

[@rustyshackleford9498]

Specialized AWOL Comp is stock with a SRAM Rival 1x. 38t chainring and an 11 speed 10-42t cassette. I’m about to go up to a 40t up front. Plenty of range for bikepacking, commuting, grocery hauling, etc.

[@galootlovestools]

I live in an area with steep, medium height hills. I have triple 110/74 bcd cranksets on all of my bikes (with bar end shifters), most of them have steel 24t granny gears. I use 11-30 or 11-32 cassettes. I’d much rather sit and spin up a hill than stress my knees by mashing.

[@hiro111]

I agree. I have a 1x setup on my adventure bike with a 40t chainring and 11-42 cassette. This is great for most situations, even here in the flat Midwest. I've been in a paceline at 28 mph on gravel on that bike and not been spun out. I will say for flat, fast farm road racing here, a road compact double does indeed work great, but that's not what most people are using these bikes for. I also agree that essentially everyone should be using a compact (or smaller) crank on the road, even if you race. 53t chainrings are unnecessary unless you're a crit racer who routinely sprints at over 35 mph... which is basically no one.

[@mister_ray]

Yes that is what I run on my CX bike which I use as a gravel adventure bike. Works great for my 85 - 95 cadence.

[@normanzielke6108]

Well, Shimano produces a 11-34 cassette and at 90 rpm 34:34 results in a speed of 12km/h, while 40:42 results in a speed of 11 km/h. This isn't a dramatic difference....

[@NeilWaudby]

Coming from the mountain bike world I'm patiently waiting for Sram eagle to make it's way to drop bars. Maybe not appropriate for all gravel situations but you can't beat that range and simplicity.

[@miahj6621]

agreed. SRAM Rival or Force Eagle 1 x 12! Please hurry up, and please...no ETAP crap.

[@haiironezumi]

The only exception / distinction worth noting (because of course we need more bike sub-categories) is between gravel as an off road / touring discipline, and gravel racing like Dirty Kanza. The 1x or compact double setup may be well suited to a gravel racing bike, but not a bikepacking bike.

[@mikeflanigan4896]

Great post. This has been my rant for 40 years...but back then it was way bigger. I was excited when we finally got the 110mm doubles, but now have moved on to 1X. If you already own a compact road 34/50 gravel bike, then I suggest a Wolftooth 34 ring and derailleur extension and then a cheap cassette that has a 40T. You can get them for 8,9,10 and 11 speeds.

[@GMoneyLove]

Preach! Even on my road bike I sometimes feel over geared for the hilly terrain around here. I have nothing to prove... I just want to enjoy riding. As I build up my gravel frame I'll be coming back to this video again! Thanks, Russ.

[@qj7205]

Gravel bikes are evolving more and more into classic MTB hardtails... ;-)

[@bradsanders6954]

Yup. Now they are going towards suspension,and bigger and bigger tires. The whole idea is a gravel bike is light and does road and gravel both, But they gotta keep coming up with stuff "you gotta have".....

[@joshuabrown9398]

@@bradsanders6954 while I see your point and partially agree, doesn't having more options benefit everyone? If you want a light drop bar bike with suspension rather than a hardtail, you can get one

[@williammacqueen1418]

I could not agree with you more! I toured in Europe this summer on a bike with a 1X set up. It had a 12 speed cassette but I rarely used the six “faster” gears. What a waste. Not only are you cheated out of using half the available ratios, you prematurely wear out your cassette by not spreading the wear on to all the available gears. When you’re touring with a bike and gear that weigh between 50 and 70 lbs over potentially months of riding, it can turn a pleasurable vacation into an dreaded unnecessarily arduous ride. I was unable to find a bike shop that could attain an appropriate chainring, so ended up buying almost a complete replacement mechanical set up at a very high expense. Its still a compromised set up that will have to remedied at more expense!

[@NZWozza]

Spot on with your Sequoia review previously calling this out. I love mine, but the ONE change I have made is to put a MTB double up front. I do live in a very hilly area though.

[@nathanbruns7053]

My Jamis Renegade has a 50/34 and there are most defo times I wish I could drop lower in climbs to help. Good call!

[@ericmartin8859]

I ordered FSA 46/30 for my Renegade so it will work with stock bottom bracket. Bike should have come with it.

[@SteveFullerBikes]

Spot on Russ. For any bikes that are shipping with SRAM groupsets, there really is no excuse to for using a compact Road Double. One frame that I've put thousands of gravel miles on, I geared as either a 48/34 or a 46/34 with an Ultegra front derailleur and a 10 speed mountain cassette. It worked well for just about everything I rode it on. For loaded touring on my Fargo, I used a 42/28 starting out and then dropped to a 39/26 for the GDMBR. If I were to do GDMBR again, I'd probably go to a 38/24 as it would let me spin a bit more and take better care of my knees.

[@DouglasRosser]

OMG THIS! My Cannondale Topstone 105 came with a 46/30 FSA Crankset and 11-34 rear cassette. I still might swap the crankset with something 42/28, but they're hard to find.

[@litchips]

New Shimano long cage road RDs can handle an 11-40, so this is not an issue anymore. 34Fx40R is equivalent to 26Fx30R you'd get on old touring bikes, but you get 50Fx11R for paved downhills.

[@jimmythefish]

I commute on my bike most of the time. An old bike I had came with a compact double and I HATED it. 34 too small, 50 too big. Compact road seems to me to be very mountainous terrain, road racing gearing - niche rather than mainstream. I went to a 46/36 and 11-28 and preferred it, 36 is much nicer to spin in and 46 was plenty big for me. I’ve since gone to 1x42 on the front and 11-32 on the back and love it. If I were to get a more hill-oriented setup I’d go 1x40 and 10-42. I won’t go back to 2x. I have a triple on our Big Dummy and live in the bottom when hauling the kids. Love the triple for that.

[@philschaefer4651]

Same problem on my road bike. I'm almost always cross chaining because the 50 is a bit too big, but the 34 is a bit too small unless I'm climbing. I'm trying to solve that by getting stronger.

[@jimmythefish]

@@philschaefer4651 in my experience it's easier and nicer to just get the gearing that suits your riding. I love the 1x because I live in the middle, but have both ends should I need them.

[@wmlarch]

2 guys riding down the road...they see a tree in the distance...each glance at each other...it's on!!! Every ride is a race...ok just kidding...but it happens! What I'm really saying is that most people buying a bike is hauling kids or going on a loaded tour...even folks that are...not every ride is with a bike loaded down. And yes, if that's what you're going to do, you will need to outfit the bike for the job... that's just the way it's been and that's the way it's gonna be. But there are options, go on the internet and order stuff to make it the way you want. Manufacturers will build bikes for what the broad market wants.

[@JorgeAlvarez-ex3vs]

I am using a 26/36/48 on a 26 inch hardtail for commuting and MTB and the range is awesome. 1X drivetrains are good, but too expensive in order to get the necessary range, but if you have to have a front derailleur, why not have 3X instead of 2X.

[@alanjohnson8396]

Thanks Russ for my morning chuckle. Great rant! Your explanation as to why is right on. Of course it’s the money but your #3 reason is why the do it. They realize that most consumers buying this bike style is probably new, knows no better, and even if they did doesn’t see any other convenient option.

[@carlpower5884]

I put a Shimano MTB hollowtech crank in a CX bike with a hollowtech BB (68mm?), all I needed was to add the 2x 2.5mm spacers inside the BB cups to make the MTB crank fit right - this small change in thought now opens me up to use any Shimano MTB hollowtech double crank while retaining Shimano road bike shifters, without any adapters. This little change allows me to run an over the counter Shimano MTB crank, and I see the SLX cranks are sitting at about USD $110 for me at present.

[@whirving]

You are totally right about this. I think it's because of what the manufacturer decides is the gear range and that ends up being the spec. for most bike companies. I've geared down on all my bikes, except my road bike, and hardly miss the high end at all.

[@sharibrodersen704]

Absolutely right. I've often wished I had a lower gear available but how often have you wished you had a higher gear? A 30x46 is so much more practical than a 34x50 for the average rider, even on pavement.

[@freddavidson73]

I agree 100 percent. What about hub-geared bikes? With a nice wide-range rear hub gear, you then have a lot of options to change just one sprocket and/or chainring.

[@TrailFeatures]

It's very annoying. I've built up a 2016 salsa Vaya frame with all MTB components for the drivetrain and cross country 29 and 650b wheels. It's more than enough to take on most green trails and maybe light blues. If I had to wager a guess, they have a huge stockpile of rode components and it's cheaper to use those instead of stocking proper adventure/mountain bike components.

[@agentsmith1266]

I like my 26-36 mountain double on my gravel bike. Great cruising speed, ultra low climbing with a load, no sweat. The 2x10 105 drivetrain works well with no mods, didnt even lower front der. in case I go back to compact road.

[@andresmoreno7947]

Why stop at a double crank set? I really like my hybrid triple: 46/38/26. You can find a similar concept on the Kona Sutra and other off-road touring bikes (not marketed as gravel bikes). This makes the most sense of all: you get the slightly bigger gear for big descents and the small ring for your steep climbs. The middle ring is great for everyday riding!

[@Wa61105]

Thanks for this video and the recommendations you provided! I'll be replacing the cranksets on at least 4 of our bikes. They have triples cranksets on them now, but really don't use the large chainring while touring and adventure riding..

[@fademasterfade227]

Well said Russ. When I bought my 'adventure' bike last year there were many bikes that were appealing but looking ahead I knew I would have to change the gears. I ultimately bought a Diamondback Haanjo EXP which has a triple with bar-end shifters. I've used it bikepacking and fully loaded touring and so happy I have this wide gear ratio. You should consider reviewing one; I think it ticks all the boxes for supple life. You shouldn't have to spend money after buying a new bike to put new cassette/chain rings on it.

[@lelca]

Two options I'd like to see OEMs include on complete builds are the low/mid tier Praxis and FSA 48/32 chainsets. Hopefully this wouldn't be a huge cost increase over the 3rd party compact cranks already seen in stock builds? I'm not a fan of mountain bike cranks for gravel, as the larger Q-factor is not a fair tradeoff for the lower gearing, personally. Just as some people feel strongly about handlebar width, Q-factor can be a big component in one's riding comfort. A whole other can of worms: 1x gearing. OEMs also love to over-gear bikes with 1x drivetrains as well, and I think this is heavily driven by cost. To achieve nice gear ranges, you would (read: I would) want 11-40, 11-46, or 10-42 cassettes, which don't really exist at low pricepoints. Smaller 1x chainrings are much more available than with 2x, but paired with the commonplace 11-32/4/6 "cyclocross" gearing, don't provide a very usable range.

[@hl5bxw]

You are absolutely right. My old touring bike has MTB chainring and cassette.

[@ScooterPDX]

I like my 1X. 34 in front with a E*Thirteen 11 Speed Cassette 9-44T. I have hit 47 mph on a steep downhill and it has a great granny gear. Sram allows you to go as small as you want on the front. No need for a 2X.

[@donnyo65]

Absolutely - going to experiment with a 2 x 11 on my Shimano equipped 1x11. Everyone says you can't use all the gears but if you ride correctly you (Or I do at least) don't use big overlaps). I am an unfit middle aged man so at the moment I want the range rather than the bragging rights of big gears! Another good video.

[@ronmatthews1738]

This is great advice. Road gearing is used by elite athletes and that definitely isn't me. I put away my 52 ring in favour of a 48 on my road bike and upped my tire sizes twenty years ago. It made a lot of sense and a few people followed my lead. While the rest of the world is going 1x, my latest build is 48-38-28 with a 9 speed cassette and it's pure joy. Don't follow your fashion, think about how you actually ride.

[@steveb1972]

Well said Sir! Russ thanks to your wisdom I’m now running 32 at the front with 11-42 at the back on my Marin Gestalt. It shipped with a 42 at the front, which isn’t bad, but still too big for adventure/packing.

[@zbigniewandruszkiewicz7703]

Russ, you're absolutely right with your rant! Most of gravel bikes come with too heavy gearing for loaded touring. That's why I still build my own monstercross bikes. What's wrong with road 3x and mtb 3x cranks? I know, they're not trendy. But practically speaking? However, q-factor is in favor of road cranksets.

[@lekobiashvili945]

Yeah, I love my 52-42-30 old road triple. Super convenient!

[@RideAlongside]

This.

[@fmoise99]

Yah this.. Why not just use a triple? Best of both worlds!

[@NeilHodges]

@Spitch Grizwald My solution is to use a double front derailleur with them. I'd rather move my hand when shifting the front than deal with the terrible implementations of triple front brifters.

[@franta5832]

they certainly don't

[@charliewhiskey8440]

@Spitch Grizwald My Sora FC-3503 / FD-3503 running custom 50-39-24 works great. Never miss, never dropped the chain.

[@davidlewington1674]

Hi Russ, first I want to thank-you for all your videos I really enjoy them and find them very informative. You make a good point about gearing on gravel bikes but I have found if I go on group rides I don't have enough gears at 42 x 11 (11-42 cassette) on mixed road surfaces in Ontario, Canada. Gravel riding on my own no problem. This year I converted a Cannondale Synapse triple to a double with 50/34 X 11-34 while riding on 30 mm Schwalbe tires and find its the perfect go anywhere bike. I would buy the Kona Rove you reviewed, sounds perfect, even without fork racks. I find that Kona does offer a choice in gearing, as you pointed out, in their range of bikes. Manufacturers should offer choice for the rider to select their gearing option.

[@033biketrips]

Well that sounds strange! On 38/11 with 650b wheels you gonna roll 40 km/h ... do you really go that fast on flats on the gravel?

[@litchips]

New Ultegra (105 too probably) fits an 11-40T cassette, so even with 50-34, it's a pretty good granny gear and tall descending gear. I do recommend running the RX800 RD though, because 11-40 has a lot of inertia and likes to yank on chain if you stop pedaling, and the clutch helps that problem.

[@tico78742]

I’ve never wished for a 50 crankset. The first thing I usually do is change the cranks to something smaller. 28/38 double on my Surly disc trucker and 11-42 cassette. Can climb anything. Yeah I’m slow but don’t care! Just ride.

[@alantaylor6691]

That's the kind of gearing I like to hear about, why people accept grinding on the hills when they don't need their top range is beyond me. When I got my Giant Contend endurance road bike I changed the gearing to almost the same. It came with compact cranks but I ended up putting sub-compact 46 - 30 on the front and 11 - 42 on the back and still wished for lower. And no way do most people even need 46 /11 big gear.

[@hirokiide7750]

I'm just about to build my gravel bike and ordered Ultegra 46/36 cross crankset, but I've decided to forgo the double and run 1x with 36T front and use Tanpan to run XT shadow+ rear derailleur with 11-46T 11speed cassette. When you run a close range double or triple front it seems there are quite bit of overlaps. I agree that probably more than 95% of gravel riders are recreational like myself and don't need mach speed gear. Infact if I'm spun out, I take it as a good time to coast and rest.

[@no_Ray_bang]

Living in Korea, we have small mountains everywhere and well developed river paths everywhere. The solution for my touring bike was a road triple (Tiagra 50-39-30) on multi-day rides I find myself using pretty much the whole range. I know it's not in vogue but I love me some triple cranks, I just think that for touring and varied terrain the upsides outweigh the down. Good rant though, and I am on board with your main point.

[@davehoover8853]

Love it! What don’t you get - the big bike makers can buy the compacts for nothing. It is all about the margins = profit! Great video! I ride very steep mountain bike trails in Utah. Changing the front single to get even more climbing capability.

[@thegoats3487]

Nice job calling this out. Sure the big companies are slow to move to correct gearing (frame builders and then smaller brands generally lead the way). Bike industry has matured so much in last two decades but yeah we concur it can be excruciatingly slow. The future looks good! Optimistic Goats

[@brianritter9379]

Most bikes that come with doubles don't have clutched rdrs so I stay away from them. Get yourself a 1x system with an 11-42 or 11-50 rear. Then pair that with a chainring up front that will cover most of your riding. For more extreme grades, you can always swap out a ring for something 4 to 6 teeth smaller. A lot of people freak out over pulling a crank to swap rings, but it takes less time than a proper drivetrain cleaning. I have a separate chain for each ring, but its not necessary if you setup your chain length to handle both sizes to begin with.

[@teratism143]

Ugh, seriously - thank you! My Masi CXGR came with 48/32t which was a revelation. I even replaced that with 46/30t and riding is so much more fun.

[@johnnyloco11]

For anyone in the UK. SJScycles offer loads of options for whatever your crankset needs.

[@deanherde805]

Don’t apologise for your rant. Well said! Really enjoying your videos.

[@NeilHodges]

This is why I still love a 24-26t granny ring on my triples.

[@jackj3917]

I have a Giant Revolt Advanced 2 that is marketed as a gravel bike. It has a 48/32 crank. Thus far I've been very pleased with the gearing, but that comes with a caveat. The gravel I ride is fairly flat (Katy Trail) and the real work-horse hills are on pavement.

[@my4cars528]

Jamis(at least) musta listened; my 2023 Renegade S3 is 46/30. Your guff with roadies is endearing. :)

[@dsego84]

IMO Specialized got it right with the 2017 steel Sequoia, 48/32T crank and 9spd 12-36t cassette.

[@korup7ion951]

i personally prefer a 1x with a wide range cassette, plenty of gear range, saves a little bit of weight, no chain slap and it cuts out 4 points of potential mechanical failure the only issue is the jumps between gears a little bigger but i got used to that pretty quickly, now i wouldn't even consider a gravel or cross bike that doesn't have a 1x setup

[@thebiglimey]

I totally agree with your rant - Pretty much all the Penhale bicycle Co. Gypsy bikes I build up for customers have at least (or at most) a 30 tooth front ring normally coupled with a low sprocket of 36T. It's a pain to get that combo to work, without some tweaking to the shifting setup. Currently, we use the FSA cranks or even a Shimano MTB double as was mentioned in the video. just have to be careful on the front derailleur setup if our customers want to use Brifters. My personal Gypsy has a (gasp) triple on it. From what I've seen at the big brands, the product guy (because usually, it is a guy who makes a moronic spec choice) are either fast fit dudes who think everything should be a race bike, or they're lazy and just pick whats easiest out of the Shimano/Sram spec book.

[@brianbechtol7329]

Totally agree. My Trek Crossrip came with a 50/34. I swapped out the 50 for a 46 I picked up off eBay. It was the cheapest solution at the time and I actually use the 46 much more often.

[@atropineman3541]

Thank You. I've thought this forever, being new to the sport and living in a hilly area, I need that low gear.

[@gregh7387]

My big gripe is manufacturers that put cyclocross cranks on gravel bikes. I think the 46-30 option is good. I have compacts on both of my gravel bikes w/ 32 cassettes. If I need something lower, then it's probably terrain meant for my hardtail plus bike.

[@LeDore38]

My 2018 Fuji Jari 1.3 that I bought second hand is 46/30 and 11/13/15/17/19/21/23/25/27/30/34 and I'm really happy with it, I never really felt like I needed a smaller ratio than 30/34=0,883 and the only time I felt that I was limited by my 11/46 was when I mounted slick tires and went riding in the draft of two friends who are in way better shape than me. If I get to their level and intend to ride on roads and not mixed terrain/ tourring/gravel/alpine terrain regularily, I'll save up and get a decent road bike.

[@pandaballsocial9828]

Seriously! I want to buy one of these dope gravel bikes. Really a $1500-$3000 gravel bike and it doesn't have the gears needed now you have to buy $200 cranks and have that put on, another $200 like seriously!!! Why can't I just buy the thing in it's optimal setting?

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

It’s the “roadie tax”.

[@rangers1919]

Almost every one of the big brand stock cranksets can have smaller chainrings installed cheaply. If it's new the bike shop will oftentimes give you credit for the ones on there and keep them (although this varies widely of course). Also, I love this type of bike, this kind of biking, and this channel but I don't think most who buy these actually bikepack often. Most stick to roads and want fat tires for comfort or to help with bad roads.

[@stanpun4134]

One way to go semi-custom, so you are building your optimal bike, instead of replacing crap to get there. It costs more (the "custom tax"?), but it is more fun and you (hopefully) get a bike with a saddle you like, a cockpit that is not set too low or with uncomfortable bars, ideal gearing, ideal width tires, etc,

[@richardantony523]

Planning on getting a gravel, this is super good info. Thanks

[@LindyLooo99]

My Raleigh Tamland 2 has SRAM Rival 1x with 11-42T cassette is SWEET.... since we ride both road and gravel with it, it's incredible.......

[@jamesbruce7555]

Do you find that you would really love to have a 10-46 if it was available. I have the same setup and once would love to have the 46. There are some options but you give up the 42t cog.

[@LindyLooo99]

@@jamesbruce7555 not sure how that would ride... would have to test ride it....will ask around.

[@co7013]

Agree. I run a triple chainring set on my cross/winter/touring bike. It has 30-42-52. I actually did use that 52 when I used is a a winter road bike on flat terrain, but only because the wide range cassette that was on it had me looking for the right gear at times. But i am sure when touring i will never use it. Except when going down mountains (but they are nowhere near). I actually put on a 49. But that outer chainring gets very little use. Actually i would like a smaller inner. I once ran 26-36-46. Now that was a useful set.. I have always felt the same about road bikes. Most people will never use an 11 or 12 sprocket. Compacts are an improvement though.

[@JonRoth_MusicSourceProDJ]

The 2013 Specialized Crux Carbon Pro cyclocross that I recently bought to convert to a gravel race bike came with a traditional 46/36 double chain ring. I had the smaller chain ring changed out to a 34 as the largest cog on the rear cassette is a 30, the max that the rear derailleur could handle. Off road I'm 'almost' always in the smaller chain ring, but getting to and from some of those gravel roads, off road bike paths almost always involves some pavement, so the larger chain ring is nice to have.

[@invishand3]

My 2018 SpecDiverge is 48/32 x 32/11 so i think they heard you. What is your suggested/favorite LOW gear? 32frontx42 rear? or is 32x32 ok? i use mine to do supple life tours AND to PR on a 30mile levee loop (in Flat FL) so i do need the 48x11 gear with the wind so the 1x drivetrains dont work for me... but i havent got to big mountains yet, just tennessee and wisconsin (plus flat flat FL) so would like to know your suggested low for touring.

[@alextray5356]

I've been thinking about this vid for a while and I do think Russ has a point. Also from a bike fitting perspective: why not include gear size? Bike have so many options, why not allow choice of cranks other than crank length? I have a body that doesn't fit the stock sizing so I need to get a bike fit and to consult a physical therapist each time. If it's part of the conversation, I think there will be a lot more happy people.

[@ericpmoss]

I totally agree, esp with your observation at the end about us eventually converging on French style randonneurs that we call 'gravel bikes'. Back to gearing... I prefer large chainrings with large cogs -- they run smoother and last longer. The 11-14 range is basically useless to me -- if I'm going downhill, coasting in a tuck is better than pedaling, anyway. All this emphasis on the last 200m of a road race is like saying all cars should drive like an F1 car.

[@peterbee8892]

Totally agree. I have a 50 34 on the front but have a 11 40 on the back of my road bike. I fitted a roadlink to the rear mech which pushes the rear mech about half an inch away from the frame. Spin to win on the hills.

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

That is definitely a viable solution. Haven't tried the road link personally, but looks interesting.