Your first road bike should be a gravel bike with disc brakes

The typical progression for a new cyclist is as follows:

Stage 1 - he starts out thinking that he needs a mountain bike, because, you know, suspension, disc brakes, they look bad ass.    So he buys one, and rides it for a bit before realizing that it is utter rubbish, that the suspension does nothing more than absorb energy, the cheap disc brakes dont have a lot of stopping power and the entire bike is a pig and rides like one, too.

And thus enlightened, he moves on to to the next phase.   Or maybe he was warned off by a friend who knows bikes and avoided the entire mess that is Stage 1.    Or maybe he looks at road bikes, get scared off by the prices and decides to compromise.    Regardless, he is now in Stage 2 of his cycling journey:  he increases his budget and buys a hybrid.    This one is a bit better.    A higher budget means quality parts, the brakes actually work and while the bike may have suspension, it also works (hallelujah!).    The cyclist finally starts to understand the meaning of the phrase "you get what you pay for".   

For many cyclists, Phase 2 is sufficient.   If they just want to ride 15-20 min a day for exercise, or use the bike to run errands, or whatever, a hybrid is all the bike they need - and also the ideal bike for their requirements.    But other cyclists get hooked to the sport.    They actually enjoy the act of riding (as opposed to merely posting cycling memes online), and want to ride more - longer distances and faster.    And now they are ready to move on to Stage 3 - getting a road bike.

But stage 3 comes with some problems.   One is price.   Not much that can be done about that (see:  "you get what you pay for").   I suggest selling drugs or perhaps a kidney.     

The other is concern about  usability.  Maybe you have really broken roads where you are and are concerned about comfort.   Or maybe you want a bike you can ride on tarmac, and perhaps also take onto some light trails, or go exploring some country roads where you don't know what you might encounter.   And that has held you back.

Well, gravel bikes are the answer to all of that - read on to learn why.

DISC BRAKES SHALL SET YOU FREE

In the old days (read:  as late as 5 years ago), road bikes came with rim brakes.    They were fine as far as stopping power went, but they did limit the maximum rim and tire width that could fit in them.  Then carbon wheels started becoming popular - and it only took one ride in the rain on carbon wheels and rim brakes to realize that this was a really, really crappy idea:  braking was only notional at best.    And on long descents, the carbon rims would overhead, causing tubes to blow out.       Not fun.    But carbon was cool and carbon wheels were not going anywhere....  and thus were born disc brake road bikes.   

While rim brakes offer more than enough stopping power (under most circumstances - see exceptions above), disc brakes do a better job with modulating the power, allowing for precise braking.   And they work better in the rain and on long descents, especially with carbon rims.   This alone makes them a significant upgrade over rim brakes.

But perhaps even more importantly, by getting rid of a brake caliper, disc brakes allow a lot more flexibility in terms of rim widths and shapes.   And this is where things start to get interesting (more on this in a bit).

Most top-end bikes these days - be it from Specialized, Trek, Cervelo or Cannondale - are disc-only.   In the rare cases a rim-brake version is available, it is typically sold as "frameset only"

Yes, disc brakes are a little heavier (on average, about 200-300gm more) and a little more finicky to set up and maintain - especially hydraulics - but it is indicative of their benefits that the market has moved over almost overwhelmingly to disc brakes now.   Virtually all bikes being sold these days are disc brake models - and that is not just because the manufacturers are trying to shove them down our throats (contrary to popular opinion, marketing doesn't work that way).   Disc brake bikes are becoming more popular because most people who ride them realize how much nicer they are.

Now, to head off the inevitable - for those of you who already have rim brake bikes, this doesnt mean that your rim brake bike is going to assplode or that you have to go out and upgrade.   Of course not.   Or maybe you are a climber and prefer the lightest bike possible - in which case you still might want to look for rim brake bikes.   But for the vast majority of people looking for a new road bike, especially first-time buyers, disc brakes should definitely be on your radar. 

Note:  this holds true for any bike model from one of the reputed international brands, which will typically be fitted with Tiagra or higher and cost Rs 70,000 or more.   If you are getting an absolute budget model, with parts that are below Sora-level, then you might be better off with rim brakes because at that price range, you are not going to get decent disc brakes.

WIDE TIRES ARE BETTER EVERYWHERE (EXCEPT AROUND YOUR WAIST)

Not having the brake calipers limit the rim/tire size has freed up manufacturers to make the wheel rims wider, which in turn means that tires have a wider profile on the wheels,     Without getting into the physics of this too much, this results in a tire shape that allows for lower rolling resistance, greater comfort and also improved aerodynamics at yaw.     In other words, an improvement in every single area.

In those same "old days" of yore, roadies rode 23mm tires - or 25mm, if they felt like a comfort ride - filled to 90-110psi of pressure.    This was the generally accepted formula for speed.   But these tires were absolute nightmares on broken roads.   I remember doing the Tour of Nilgiris in 2010 and 2011, and each year, there would be one stage with a lot of broken, potholed roads and all of us on road bikes with 23mm or 25mm tires would be cursing the entire ride.

These days, that has changed.   28-30mm tire widths are the new standard for going fast - most modern wheels are optimized with such tires in mind.    Add in tubeless technology and these tires can be run at lower pressures - 65-75psi is common - without the risk of pinch flats.    That results in greater comfort (the tire acts as a shock absorber), lower rolling resistance and indeed, greater speed (the tire deforms around imperfections in the road, as opposed to bouncing up and down over it, reducing vibration loss).    

So there is no longer a compromise between speed and comfort - you get more speed AND more comfort when you go to wider tires.

And it does not stop at 28-30mm widths.   While this is the current sweet spot for maximum aerodynamic efficiency and speed on smooth roads, studies and empirical ride reports have shown that  going even wider with tires - 32mm width or larger - and running them tubeless at low pressures of 50-60 psi can have a massive improvement in comfort.       

And the interesting thing is:  while this increase in comfort comes with a tradeoff of reduced speed, that reduction is very, very minor.     You are looking at a few minutes over the course of a 2-3 hour ride only - insignificant unless you are racing.   In fact, on rough roads, the wider tires may be even faster.   Not only that, the increased comfort reduces fatigue, which can make you even faster.  

Yes, you read that correctly - 32mm wide tires at low pressures may actually be faster on rough surfaces like chipseal or rough concrete,     The bike ends up floating over road imperfections, road buzz is muted and your ride becomes super plush and comfortable.   

In fact, the most recent wheels released by  Zipp and Enve, at the time of writing this article, are optimized for use with 32mm tires!

  

So I will repeat it again - wider slick tires (30-32mm) give you much greater comfort and have a minimal effect on your speed.   If you are not racing, there is no reason for you to be riding anything narrower than a 30-32mm tire these days.     And if you are racing and are on smooth tarmac, you still shouldn't be on anything lower than 28mm.   

ENTER THE GRAVEL BIKE

By moving to wider tires at lower pressures - 30-32mm at 60-70psi, let's say - you have pretty much solved the question of comfort on tarmac and have gotten a plush, comfortable magic carpet ride.  Virtually all modern road bikes these days (ie, disc brake bikes) allow you to fit a 30mm tire.   A lot of endurance bikes and even some race bikes, like the above-mentioned Venge and R5, will actually fit up to 32mm tires.

So far so good.    But let's go back to my original question - what if you wanted to ride your bike on more than just tarmac, but also on trails, dirt roads and gravel paths?    Until recently, you had to pick one - the nature of the bicycle mean that you could either get a bike that was good on tarmac (rigid, fast, skinny tires) or you could get a bike that was good on trail (fat tires, suspension).   But now, that is no longer the case.

Imagine, if you will, a road bike that has the clearance to let you put on tires that go all the way to a massive 40-42mm (or even 2.1" MTB tires, in some cases) with a choice of treads - slick, semi-slick, light treads or heavy treads.       This could be that mythical single bike that lets you do EVERYTHING.

And the good news, freed from the restraints of rim brakes on road bikes, manufacturers have created such a bike - it is called a gravel bike.   

Gravel bikes are basically endurance bikes (as described in my Race vs Endurance bikes article) with clearance for very large tires and the geometry tweaked some more for off-road riding.     Some versions are tweaked very heavily, to be more off-road oriented.   Others are tweaked a little less, and are designed to mostly road bikes with some off-road capabilities.   It's a pretty wide spectrum and no matter how you prefer to split your priorities, there is a bike for you.

But regardless of which flavor you get, you get an immensely versatile machine.    Put on a pair of wheels with 30mm slicks and go out for a fast group ride with some friends.   Swap in wheels with 35-38mm light treads and go ride a mix of tarmac and forest trails.     Or put on 42mm knobbies and go entirely off-road.   The choice is yours.   And the bikes often come with more storage capabilities to support those epic rides.   And you get all of this without the weight, speed or riding position compromises of a hybrid or MTB.

Are there compromises over a pure road bike?   Of course there are.   Gravel bikes are designed to be a bit more robust - and so are a little heavier.    The greater stability for off-road use results in a bike that is not as agile as preferred by road racers.   Similarly, if your goal is to ride really technical off-road stuff, you would still be better off with a MTB with a good amount of suspension.    Special interests require specialized bikes.

But for the vast majority of people who just want to ride for fun, still care about going fast on tarmac without necessarily becoming hard-core racers, and who also want to go off the road a little without getting into super-technical stuff, the gravel bike is the perfect solution with very little in the way of compromises.

It truly is the "One Bike To Rule Them All".    

Questions?   Feel free to ask on BikesZone Reborn.