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    Which bike is right for me

    Would it be silly to get a gravel bike?


    Hi all,

    I am currently riding around on a 2020 Santa Cruz Chameleon which I primarily bought for riding single track trails that don't really justify a full squish since I'm in the midwest. My neighborhood also connects directly to a forest preserve that has around 20+ miles of mostly packed gravel trails with some tarmac in between stretches.

    Given my schedule I've started riding a bit more on the forest preserve trails and am getting a bit of an itch/wonder if I should perhaps buy a gravel bike for this riding. It would be something to add to my garage and not replace the Chameleon. My wonder though is if it will really make that big of a deal compared to the Chameleon? I have my eyes on something used or budget friendly like a Poseidon X or Diverge (open to suggestions as well).

    I'm looking for someone who maybe has experience between the 2 types of bikes, or that could talk me down from an unnecessary purchase lol. My other thought was to just put faster MTB tires on the chameleon.

    Thanks!

    by vanilla__thunder

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    4 Comments

    2. 219MTB on

      You can never go wrong with a gravel bike. Being in the midwest I’m also guessing there are lots and lots of time the trails are closed because of being too muddy. The gravel bike gives you more fun on gravel and stone, is fast on tarmac, and I even enjoy single tracking my gravel bike on some trails. The grin I get on my face when I pass some dude fully kitted out on a 10k mountain bike is a blast on my Diverge.

      I’m a mountain biker at heart but my gravel bike gets more hours and miles just due to the convenience of being able to ride from my door.

    3. MadAss5 on

      I’d check the weight on whichever you are looking at. Maybe also look at used cyclocross bikes. Much easier to find used and may be lighter for less money. I don’t really think you need a gravel bike for most forest preserve trails. If you can find a road bike with slightly wide (28ish) tires you would be fine and those are pretty easy to find used. It might be nice to have a bit more difference between the road and mountain bike?

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