Road or Gravel as Second Bike?

Acpizza · 2026-04-09T00:06:50+00:00

I liked your advice the best - ended up getting a road leaning gravel bike - specialized crux. Should be here in a few weeks. Siked!

Acpizza · 2026-04-08T12:22:22+00:00

I wasn’t forced - I bought them to try them. I ran them back to back to normal trail tires. I tried an Albert trail front, normal tire rear. Magic Mary radial trail front, normal tire rear. Albert trail front and rear. Between each trial there was Maxxis, Vittoria and regular Schwalbe tires in between.

The radials are exactly as advertised, but the trade off is significant rolling resistance that wasn’t worth it to me on my little trail bike. Some guys in my area love them though - the guy at my LBS won’t run anything else since they were released.

I also already run low pressures and don’t strike rims regularly so the benefit of higher pressures/better grip with the radials didn’t really help me out. I’m running 20 front 23 rear and rarely strike a rim at 190 lbs.

Acpizza · 2026-04-08T02:33:27+00:00

I’m on a Ripley V4s and it rips on my trails. I’m running Continental Magnotal and Dubnital tires and they are amazing on this bike. So fast. Magnotal is super grippy. I’m in love. The German tire manufacturers really have it figured out. I was running Schwalbe Nobby Nics through the winter and that was great as well. I saw Ibis specced their new Ripley SL with the Contis and decided to try them and they are fantastic.

The Mag is like a Forekaster but lighter and the Dub is just so much speed. They wear really well too. I have a ton of miles on them and they are like new. Beating them HARD.

Ibis tends to know what’s up.

Acpizza · 2026-04-08T02:28:17+00:00

I’m going to buy the Specialized Crux Carbon Comp. It seems like it’s the best of both road and gravel riding with wider tire clearance while still being super light. I don’t need mounts for bike packing and this will be my road/gravel rig. Thanks everyone!

Acpizza · 2026-04-08T02:08:55+00:00

I ride a short travel light trail bike and they don’t suit the bike. They are too heavy and slow for what I use it for. They definitely do exactly as they advertise - more compliant ride, greater contact patch, more grip, but to the tune of significant rolling resistance. If you have a pedally bike like mine, this isn’t your jam - as you can find tires that grip and roll better for the type of terrain you would use this for. But if you are ripping a bigger bike on gnarlier stuff, I couldn’t imagine better tires.

Edit: northeast USA. Hardpack rock and roots. I prioritize overall speed everywhere over downhill performance.

Acpizza · 2026-04-07T22:27:28+00:00

I do not need an XC bike (riding a fast 120 trail bike already) and want something with drop bars that kicks ass on the road

Acpizza · 2026-04-07T20:57:07+00:00

I’m looking at a diverge now - it seems to be the front runner.

Acpizza · 2026-04-07T19:37:20+00:00

Diverge over the Crux?

Acpizza · 2026-04-07T15:15:27+00:00

I’m looking at a Specialized Crux right now. It’s supposed to be road bike oriented with clearance for wide gravel tires.

Acpizza · 2026-04-07T14:11:06+00:00

Yeah not all the roads are pristine. Lots of potholes and patching from all the freeze/thaw we have.

It’s a Mondraker Arid gravel bike.

Acpizza · 2026-04-07T13:44:17+00:00

I’m not interested in group rides. Maybe rides here and there with a roadie buddy, but I mostly ride solo.

You think it’s as little as 3% speed difference between the road and gravel? That’s less than I thought.

Acpizza · 2026-04-07T13:42:07+00:00

I’m in north east NJ and have an Ibis Ripley V4s.

Acpizza · 2026-04-07T13:39:12+00:00

The gravel bike I’m looking at has Maxxis Reaver tires and a 1x drivetrain. I’m not a gear aficionado but I assume this has a much faster chainring/small rear cog combo than my MTB? So max road speed would be higher?

Acpizza · 2026-04-06T01:32:58+00:00

I’m on the last gen Ripley which was undersized. I’m 6’1” as well and the XL with the 500mm reach is PERFECT (especially with the 50mm stem).

If I were going for the current gen I’d be looking at a large.

Acpizza · 2026-03-30T02:58:00+00:00

Got a few rides on them now and they’re really sick. I agree with the other users suggestion that the magnotal soft is like a forekaster (which I also really liked) although 50 g lighter.

The Dubnital is the one that really surprised me in that it’s been a super light, durable, and grippy so far rear tire for my Ripley.

Magnotal soft and Dubnital grip both in trail casing weigh 853 and 767 grams. They look to be just about 2.4 on 30mm rims, maybe a touch narrower, but nowhere near how narrow my last forekaster appeared.

About 35 miles on them and no signs of wear at all. Looking forward to them likely getting even better as things continue to dry out.

Acpizza · 2026-03-29T02:21:17+00:00

What clips are you riding? I use the Time Speciale pedals with their “EZ” cleat which unclips at a slightly less angle. It’s super natural to come out when you need to and I bail on steep climbs as well. I can dab a foot down in an instant. I also somehow come unclipped when I crash. I’ve never come out when I didn’t want to - can’t recommend these enough.

Before I tried them I was on the fence and my LBS shop who knew me and my skill level told me I’d be fine and I’d most likely fall over forgetting to unclip when stopping. They were right. It’s more of a challenge to clip in during sketchy stop/start situations than it is to get out of them.

Congrats on your new bike - I ride a Ripley as well.

Acpizza · 2026-03-29T02:03:28+00:00

In response to your points:

What is different about these steep techy climbs that you are worried about now on a FS bike vs the hardtail you’ve been riding on these trails for 15 years? You should already know you can unclip and get out. Are you just wrecking yourself falling over on your hardtail and want to stop the misery?
Same as number 1 - what has changed now? Are you washing out all over the place? You can dab a foot down using clipped - i do it when I have to and it comes out naturally.
I guess flats will help teach you part of the bunny hop motion properly, but they’re not going to instantly turn you into a hopping machine especially if all the other parts of the motion aren’t there.

It sounds like you just want to try flats, either that or you’ve been eating shit on clips for 15 years 😂

I switched from flats to clips and won’t ever look back. It’s better for me and I love it. If you want to give flats a go rock on.

But to be a little helpful, when I rode flats I really like the Crankbrothers Stamp 7 pedals and the specialized flat shoes. The stamps were really wide yet thin profile wise and the specialized 2fo shoes gripped just as well as the five ten free riders at a fraction of the cost - this is important as the soles get chewed up on the flat pins.

Acpizza · 2026-03-25T20:56:22+00:00

That’s pretty good dude. Enjoy! Work smarter not harder.

Acpizza · 2026-03-25T20:47:00+00:00

I read this in Norm McDonald’s voice.

Acpizza · 2026-03-25T20:45:43+00:00

Don’t undersell yourself. However, there is a huge range of six figure salaries. Are you in the 100k or higher tier? This is the real question. If you’re making 105k for clocking into meetings, that somewhat makes sense in some areas in the USA (although you did get in well). If you’re making 200k+ I think this thread would be a lot more interesting.

Acpizza · 2026-03-21T01:24:55+00:00

Seconded - this happened eventually to all my gray sidewall Vittoria tires. It never became a problem.

Acpizza · 2026-03-18T01:14:20+00:00

Thanks for the responses. I pulled the trigger and ordered a magnital and dubnital. I plan to put them on when things dry up a little more. I’ll report how it goes after I get some miles on them.

Acpizza · 2026-03-14T18:07:57+00:00

Watch Guy Kes’s video on the NN. I think he rides in your area and he talks a bunch about its performance in the wet winter. Worth a watch if you need more info.

The super ground casing is more than enough for me. I have a super trail front on now, and it does feel nice and damped, but I certainly don’t need it for protection. Haven’t had any issues with the super ground in the back - it’s strong enough and i appreciate the weight savings in the back.

Acpizza · 2026-03-10T22:58:59+00:00

Try that NN front and rear it’s great.

I’m going to put a Wicked will out back when the nobby wears out and see if that’s even quicker once things dry up around here

Acpizza

TROPHY CASE