Before I buy gravel bike...

[jj2908]

... I have two questions:

IS it possible - and what would you recommend to have a second set of wheels and tyres to fit a 2016 Specialized Allez for a bit of gravel'tow path work - just to see if I enjoy the off road stuff

The second question .... what gravel bike for sub / around £750 would you recommend

Cheers

[bakerstreet]

jj2908 said:

... I have two questions:

IS it possible - and what would you recommend to have a second set of wheels and tyres to fit a 2016 Specialized Allez for a bit of gravel'tow path work - just to see if I enjoy the off road stuff

The second question .... what gravel bike for sub / around £750 would you recommend

Cheers

You could probably get a used Boardman CX bike for around £50-600 on ebay. I would go with that. £600-700 will also get you a Planet X SLX. I have one. Not the lightest frame and the finishing kit ios a bit meh, but still a decent bike.

Tyre clearance will be your issue if you want to go off road on your Allez. Best guess is 28mm will be the limit for your current bike. I'm unsure what nobblies you can get in 28mm, but on a search on Wiggle or CRC will give you some answers.

If you can get 28s to fit, see what sort of tyres you can buy, chuck them on the rims and head off to the nearest canal path. Just drop the tyre pressure right down.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Ive got a steel road bike I use for a bit of gravel work, tbh I just used stock wheels and stuck some 28 commuter tyres on

Biggest issue with most road bikes is clearance for tyres and then if clearance is close any mud will catch in there and be a complete pain

ALso all the gravel near me is only gravel in spring and summer, its mainly mud through winter which will highlight the above

Worth giving it a go but as soon as you ride on it lots you highlight the issues of a roak bike on rough surfaces

The Planetx bikes look dirt cheap!!! Im so tempted

[anonymous-user]

You could probably fit 30s on the allez on its std wheels without much fuss, I'd try that before looking at new bikes. 30s would cope with a fair bit of loose surfaces

[The_Jackal]

28 is your max I think.

[Progressive]

Just an observation, from experience... Although often mentioned as if they're interchangeable, tow path riding and gravel riding are quite different things. I can do the former on my road bike with 28c tires without any issue. Gravel (proper gravel roads) on the other is completely different. You really do need 30c or higher volume tires to enjoy it in my opinion.

I would have a think about what you'll likely be riding and make the decision based on that. The odd tow path with some sketchy parts, a roadie with the right rubber will be fine. Road bikes can take some stick; look at Paris-Roubaix!

[Barchettaman]

If you just want to romp around on towpaths and the like, get a used CX bike off Scumtree or similar.

Something like a Carrera CX bike would be ideal.

[jj2908]

Thanks everyone.. Im checking out the cycletowork scheme..