Gravel(ish) bike for beginner?

BluesDawg wrote:The less experience you have, the more you will benefit by taking these questions to a bike shop and working with them to get your friend on a good bike for him and get it set up so that it fits him right.

It does sound like you are thinking along the right lines as for what type of bike will work for him.

Kalashnikirby wrote:

Well, easier said than done, as the LBS here don't really have nice gravel bikes, let alone one and the same model in both L and XL, so he won't have the opportunity to compare them on his own. However, from my own experience, as I also have somewhat longer arms and legs, I suppose XL is actually the better choice for many bikes, as he might feel more "cramped" on L ones - I'll talk with him on monday, he's already sat on a few.

I haven't considered Planet X so far, however the Full Monty looks awesome. Will have to consider that too!

Kalashnikirby wrote:I've tried the Canyon bike fit calculator, but wasn't too convinced, as changing the arm and leg length didn't affect the outcome as much as it should. Alpkit looks promising, too, but due to the brexit I wouldn't order from GB (one of the very first negative consequences....), who knows how warranty and after sales service will work in 2 years? I'm ging to suggest my friend to try out a roadbike with a similiar endurance geometry and have me judge which one looks like the better fit. Maybe after a few years in MTB and Roadbikes I might have an idea - though it is fascinating how some people manage on far too large or small rides for sure

Kalashnikirby wrote:Hi there and greetings from Germany,

most cyclocross bikes with their low positioning are too much of a pain for his back (I

NoCoGreg wrote:One man's opinion regarding fit and a method of fitting...

I setup my CX and gravel bikes to be very similar to my road bike.  
The seat-to-bottombracket position on all my road/gravel/CX bikes is identical.  I want the same pedal motion and same muscle extension etc...
Seat to bar length is very similar between road and gravel - typically 1 to 1.5 shorter on the gravel bike.
Handlebar drop relative to seat is typically 2 to 2.5 cm less (ie bars are higher on the gravel and CX bikes.
My gravel/CX bars have slightly less drop and reach than my road bikes - I'm guessing about another cm or so. 

Since you cannot find any gravel bikes to demo or get fitted on, my suggestion on finding the right frame size would be to get a proper fitting on a road bike and use these dimensions to guide the gravel bike selection.  There is no reason a shop cannot provide a more upright and relaxed fit on a road bike.  Once you are confident in the road bike fit, now find a gravel bike of similar proportion.   The additional fork offset (rake) and longer chain stays will change the ride and handling of the bike, but really have no affect on the fit.

BTW - I'm also quite impressed with the On One. It provides a lot of bike for (IMO) a very good price.  Unfortunately for me the clearance for the rear tire (38mm I believe) is too little.  I'm actually thinking of moving to 42 or 45 mm for a bit more float in the soft gravel I occasionally encounter.

Happy shopping,
Greg

phinphin wrote:Just added Pic of my new gravel ride. Merckx strasbourg 71 carbon. fast acceleration on the road and the clement MSO 36 seem more than adequate off road. Took it on the aqueduct trails today and it handled like a champ. A real quiver killer indeed!!! A little surprised I haven't seen any other user reviews on this forum. I guess the Merckx is a real sleeper?

BluesDawg wrote:The less experience you have, the more you will benefit by taking these questions to a bike shop and working with them to get your friend on a good bike for him and get it set up so that it fits him right.

It does sound like you are thinking along the right lines as for what type of bike will work for him.

Zurichman wrote:
-snip-

You stated that the seat to bar length was 1.5 and I guess you still  mean cm and since 2.54 cm equals one inch we are taking less than a 1/2" right. Do you have this closer so you can be more responsive in sketchy stuff gravel riding than you wouldn't necessarily have when road riding. 

I am not sure what you mean on the handle bar drop. I guess the best way for me to explain what I think it is that the Ram Horn handlebars are turned up more. I thought you would always want the top of the hoods kind of level so you didn't have as much pressure on your hands while riding in the hoods.

At my end I was diagnosed with Shingles this morning and am in major pain. I am a little bit pissed to say the least because.

1. I asked the Doc for the shot last check up and he wouldn't give it to me.

2. I am now not able to go to the Farmer's Daughter ride this weekend in Chatham NY which was going to be my 1st ride/race.

It started out with some pain in both side of my neck and then moved down into my right collar bone overnight. To say I was in major pain would be an understatement. Earlier today I had trouble even moving my right arm.

Zman