10 Reasons Why A Gravel Bike Is The ULTIMATE Winter Bike

Winter road cycling is hard on any bike so many bike riders choose to save their best road bike for drier sunnier conditions to save wearing out expensive components. For the past few years, we’ve been riding dedicated winter road bikes with mudguard mounts and cheap bike parts. However, with the growing popularity of gravel bikes in the UK is there still a place for them? We think that gravel bikes make excellent winter bikes and here’s why!

https://road.cc/content/feature/gravel-bike-ultimate-winter-bike-why-you-should-switch-305353

Do you think disc brakes, wide tyres and mudguard mounts make gravel bikes great for more than just gravel cycling? Let us know in the comments section below…

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Gravel bikes – Do we even need them?
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BEST Gravel Bikes UNDER £2000! | 6 TOP Picks For 2023
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WTF Is An All-Road Bike & Are They Really N+1 Killers?
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Road Bike VS Gravel Bike Speed Tested! How Slow Is A Gravel Bike On The Road?
🎦 https://youtu.be/26cR93LcMl4

⚫️ In this video

0:00 Introduction
1:00 Gravel bikes are great year round
1:49 1X reduces maintenance
2:55 Wide clearances
3:45 You can mix up your rides
4:20 Mudguard mounts
4:39 Gravel components are robust
5:20 Winter rides are slower anyway
5:46 They have disc brakes
6:17 Gravel cycling is warmer
6:40 Gravel bikes don’t need to cost a fortune
7:24 Outro

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Even on a dry day here in the uk, the road conditions are still absolutely grim. However, whether through necessity or choice, many of us do still want to get outside. Uh, after years of spending the colder months on my dedicated winter road bike this season, it’s been left gathering dust in my garage

As I think my gravel bike can do everything my winter bike can and more. If you can budget for it, then a second bike to handle harsh conditions is preferable to beating up your best bike year round. My summer bike is a specialized tarmac SL seven,

And even though it has disc brakes, I’m hesitant to expose it to the salted winter roads. I want to keep the spinny drive train parts lasting longer, yet I’m not keen on spending the whole winter locked up on the turbo. I’ve been on the lookout for a suitable alternative bike

That can handle the winter conditions. Many people invest in a cheap bike that they don’t mind abusing over the winter months, but for my rides, I’ve been choosing this a gravel bike and here’s why. Unlike buying a cheap winter bike that you may only use

For a few months before being unable to resist the urge to pull your summer of steed back out, I’m pretty confident that I’ll actually want to ride a gravel bike during the summer too. Gravel bikes are great for more than just riding on actual gravel, proving

To be capable on almost all surfaces except very technical mountain bike trails. If you haven’t watched it already, then you can see how much slower a gravel bike is on the road using the link up there, and the results might surprise you if you can budget for it.

Opting for two wheel sets will give you even more versatility as you’ll have the flexibility to have one with road tires and one with gravel tires on. For example, I have a pair of wheels with an 1132 cassette for drive fast rides

And another with a 10 44 cassette on for slower solo rides and of course, gravel. As mentioned, this gravel bike is set up with tram force A XS, and I like that the one bike gives me enough gears to get up steep technical climbs as well as reducing dry train maintenance.

Gravel bikes typically have lower gearing than road bikes, which is achieved through the use of wider range cassettes. Just look at the size of this 1 44 teeth. By the way, to save the counting gearing on a gravel bike is very rarely limiting for most people. It’ll get you up just about everything,

Especially on the road with only a bit of sacrifice at the top end on fast sense one by drive. Trains also contribute to simplifying maintenance with fewer moving parts. This means they are less prone to issues caused by winter weather, such as debris buildup and snapped cables.

The bike that I used at uni, the front me would always seize. That was always the first thing to go, and I lived up the top of a very steep hill constitution hill in Swansea, and uh, every day I’d sort of have to kick it to get into a little ring

And uh, yeah, it it obviously bent and then then broke. So no front neck is just easier. Gravel bikes, even cheap ones have generous tire clearance, meaning there’s Room for fatter knobbly tires as well as slicks. While it varies a lot, most gravel bikes will take at least a 40 mil tire

And then the Lao Seigler, for example, can take a whopping 57 mil tire. However, many cheap road bikes, especially on the second hand market, still have rim brakes, meaning they’re limited to around 28 mil tires at the most. Personally, I prefer to train with wider tires

And have the flexibility to use even wider ones with mudguards as well. You can experience the best of both worlds by equipping your gravel bike with a slick 30 mil tire. For a road like field, say, alternatively, switching to wider nobly tires means you’ll still be able

To ride even when it’s a bit snowy and there’s all that leaves and crap on the roads. Repeating the same routes on your road bike can become monotonous, especially when trying to stay motivated during the winter months when all your mates have disappeared off the face of the earth. That’s where the versatility

Of a growl bike makes it a great option as it opens up a lot of new places that you can ride and explore. Instead, you can plot more interesting routes, incorporating road and off-road sections, which helps to keep things interesting by providing a refreshing change in scenery.

The adaptability of a growl bike also means that you can change your plans mid ride to adjust to changing weather or light conditions. With simple adjustments, you can make a gravel bike the perfect winter bike. For example. Many gravel bikes have mud guard mounts, which are useful for protecting you

And your bike from the inevitable slush and road spray that accompany the colder months. Some gravel bikes can also be fitted with panas, making them handy for multi-day adventures too, or commuting Gravel components are made with an emphasis on robustness and durability, distinguishing them from their road

Counterparts as they need to survive the realities of off-road riding. Gravel bike frames are designed to withstand vibrations and impacts from varied terrain, and usually a gravel bike will have a bit more frame material to ward off any lively rocks and particularly bumpy bits. Gravel wheel sets often have sturdier rims

And additional spoke counts to their equivalent road wheels. However, the trade-off in this durability is a slight increase in weight compared to components designed for road cycling during the winter. That doesn’t matter to me. Winter riding tends to be at a slower pace,

So long steady rides on the gravel bike can still be good training sessions to boost your cardiovascular fitness. The geometry of growl bikes also leans towards a more relaxed riding position, which is advantageous for remaining comfortable on longer rides. Rides aren’t as much about intervals in the winter

And there’s less expectation on performance. This means you can go out and enjoy riding your bike, which is what cycling’s about. After all, there are numerous positives to disc brakes, and winter is the time of year when they are particularly useful. The vast, vast majority of growl bikes have disc brakes nowadays, which

Provides better stopping power in the wet and muddy conditions. They also won’t wear out your wheel rims because there’s no brake caliper biting against the rim. And another reason why growl bikes are equipped with disc brakes is because they don’t limit tire size, allowing you to tailor your setup to different terrains.

Motivating yourself to brave the cold and wind to ride outdoors can be difficult in winter, so gravel riding can be a warmer and more inviting alternative despite the temperature being the same. Whether you head out on the road or a gravel ride, riding off road is often more sheltered,

Minimizing wind exposure and reducing wind windchill. As a result, you’re also likely to be traveling slower, which again helps reduce that windchill. Growl. Bikes don’t need to be expensive. You can find some pretty good deals on secondhand ones online. Alternatively, you can check out some

Of the best growl bikes under a thousand pounds. If you can budget for buying new on the road TC website. Cheap road bikes are often limited in both tire clearance and modern tech. And because wide tires and tubeless technology have been much more widely accepted for longer in the world of gravel,

You can generally pick up this tech for less than it would set you back on the road. For example, even growl bikes from six years ago or so came with wheels that are tubeless ready. Just add sealant, pump the tires up, and you’re away with some extra puncture protection.

Compared to most inner tubed options. If you are looking to buy a new bike to ride on gravel, it’s worth buying one with a frame that you can upgrade over time as it’s far easier to upgrade components than it is a frame. Tire choice is also more important than bike choice.

Getting the right tread pattern and volume for the type of riding you’ll be doing will make a huge difference to your speed handling and riding enjoyment. What’s your perfect winter bike setup? Let us know in the comment section below. If you like this content, then please give it a thumbs up

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