I sold two bikes to be able to afford my Roker Comp and love the bike. Opinion needed on the following: I have a beater 29er (Breezer) with a small dent in the down tube. Use it during rainy days and errands.
Considering a 650b wheelset with 2.1 tires to go in the roker and then a new chainring and possibly a new cassette. This gives me one bike that could almost do it all...... At least I think? I like trails better than road.
Since I don't go over jumps, drops, and downhill even if I had a good Mt bike, I was wondering if this 650b wheelset with big tires gives me enough to do some fairly rough stuff... I think the suspension is really for the jumps and drops more than going over rocks etc....
Your opinions greatly appreciated on how much a gravel bike can do off road with large tires and strong wheels.
IMHO suspension is as much about about keeping the tires in contact with the ground as it is for comfort. I've got several drop bar Frankenbike conversions of fully rigid 26'ers. I'm typically on 26x2.25 tires - and on true singletrack I quickly finding myself missing suspension. Several friends who are far better mountain bikers than me enjoy "playing" on fully rigid 29'ers (most are singlespeed). I've also seen riders on CX bikes with much skinnier tires than the 2.1" you're planning. So yes it definitely "can" be done. If you enjoy rigid mtn bikes then a 2.1" 650b will be plenty of tire but it'll be very different than having suspension.
I have a full suspension 26er (2.1 in. tires), a hard tail 27.5+ (3 in. tires), and a rigid 26 inch fat bike (4.5 in. tires). The full suspension, which is fairly short travel, has the feeling of most suspension followed by the fat bike. I'm still working out what pressures to run on the plus bike, but my 60 y/o body feels more bumps whilst riding it. I really enjoy riding that fat bike on single track with the traction plus suspension effect. It's just not a fast bike. The full suspension is great fun in tight turns and is a good little climber. I suppose that says something about it's ability to stay in contact with the trail. Hmmm...maybe a full suspension 27.5+ is called for.
Similar to Doc, I have a 26 full-sus, 27.5+ HT, and a rigid fattie. I ended up adding a Thudbuster to my 27.5+ HT because my 45 y/o back would be sore after about an hour of riding trail. I would not consider riding technical trail on a rigid. Especially where I am in New England. If I had a ton of flowy trail without roots and rocks, maybe.
I have run 650b x 2.35/2.25 tires front/rear on my GR250. I could just about ride anything except crazy rock gardens with it. But I was A LOT slower than on my FS mountain bike, but that's to be expected. It also depends a lot on your bike handling skills. Riding a modern 29er FS bike can cause you to get lazy with line choice, but on a rigid drop bar bike you have to pick good lines.
I also sold 2 bikes in order to buy a Roker Comp. In my case, I got rid of a road bike and a cx bike with the idea that the Roker would be my one bike for gravel and road riding. I still have 2 mountain bikes (160mm full suspension and a hardtail single speed that I alternate between running with a rigid fork and a 100mm fork). I'm fortunate to live near some really amazing mountain bike trails and the Roker isn't really suitable (no matter the wheel/tire size) for anything more challenging than "green" (per the trailforks rating system). That said, I regularly ride my Roker on green mountain bike trails and really enjoy it. Most rides on the Roker end up being equal parts road, gravel and green single track. Riding the Roker on single track is fun in an "underbiking" kind of way, but if I'm going to ride 100% trails I opt for a proper mountain bike.
Well.... The reason I asked the question is the fact that I'm not doing a lot of super technical stuff and am pretty conservative when riding. A good hardtail would be a lot more expensive then just getting the extra 650b wheels with the bigger tires. Basically gathered that green trails mean more than just dirt as I looked up the definition. They don't label trails where I live. Even with a Mountain bike I don't think I would enjoy riding super difficult trails. So from what you are saying the roker comp with the extra wheel set up would probably be more economical and a good decision when riding trails?
ljsmith wrote:I have run 650b x 2.35/2.25 tires front/rear on my GR250. I could just about ride anything except crazy rock gardens with it. But I was A LOT slower than on my FS mountain bike, but that's to be expected. It also depends a lot on your bike handling skills. Riding a modern 29er FS bike can cause you to get lazy with line choice, but on a rigid drop bar bike you have to pick good lines.
Hello,
Curious what a GR 250 is? Well..... I have decent skills and am a very conservative rider at 55. From what you are saying it may be better to just get the 650b wheels with bigger tires as I won't be riding extraordinary rough stuff. Will save money over getting a Hardtail or other bike.
NoCoGreg wrote:IMHO suspension is as much about about keeping the tires in contact with the ground as it is for comfort. I've got several drop bar Frankenbike conversions of fully rigid 26'ers. I'm typically on 26x2.25 tires - and on true singletrack I quickly finding myself missing suspension. Several friends who are far better mountain bikers than me enjoy "playing" on fully rigid 29'ers (most are singlespeed). I've also seen riders on CX bikes with much skinnier tires than the 2.1" you're planning. So yes it definitely "can" be done. If you enjoy rigid mtn bikes then a 2.1" 650b will be plenty of tire but it'll be very different than having suspension.
Thanks for the response..... Yep I agree and live in Nor cal as well. The only trails I will not ride are rock gardens and extreme ruts and roots. I don't go off jumps anyway so seems like the 650b tires would be more economical instead of buying a new mountain bike.
Curious what a GR 250 is? Well..... I have decent skills and am a very conservative rider at 55. From what you are saying it may be better to just get the 650b wheels with bigger tires as I won't be riding extraordinary rough stuff. Will save money over getting a Hardtail or other bike.
I'd think it would be possible to assemble a great hardtail for not too much money, really. I've done it. I'll probably take my "gravel" bike on some single track at some point because I enjoy a challenge, but I'd never want to restrict myself to doing all my single track riding on it.
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\nA decent hardtail is a blast, and plenty capable on all but the rowdiest of trails. I've had a Kona Honzo, and I'm selling a Chromag Rootdown frame to build up a Canfield EPO carbon hardtail.
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\nPinkbike is your friend--that's where I source most of my "new" used stuff.
I have a Willard same geo as Roker. I can do a lot with The Willard and I found myself keeping up with 29ers on some trails but when things got rough I wanted my mtb bike back. On mild terrain with roots, washboards, twistys, switchbacks rollers and the like, You know the fun stuff. What I have found is I simply avoid it with the Willard, why? The low bottom bracket, the longish chain stays and wheelbase all come into play. I high sided once at slow speed almost endoed, didn’t see it coming on a mild trail I rode many times on my 29er. Pedal strikes, and trying to whip that frame around are much harder to do. Plus it’s really not made for the abuse mtb trails imo.
\nI suppose it comes down to your skill level and knowing your limits.
\nWhat would the 650 wheels do to the B.B. height?
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Curious what a GR 250 is? Well..... I have decent skills and am a very conservative rider at 55. From what you are saying it may be better to just get the 650b wheels with bigger tires as I won't be riding extraordinary rough stuff. Will save money over getting a Hardtail or other bike.
It is a Lynskey GR250 gravel bike, it has a lot of room for big tires. Based on everything you are saying, I think you would do well with a gravel bike with 650b tires for offroad. It doesn't sound like you are riding anything too technical/rocky.
Well.... The reason I asked the question is the fact that I'm not doing a lot of super technical stuff and am pretty conservative when riding. A good hardtail would be a lot more expensive then just getting the extra 650b wheels with the bigger tires. Basically gathered that green trails mean more than just dirt as I looked up the definition. They don't label trails where I live. Even with a Mountain bike I don't think I would enjoy riding super difficult trails. So from what you are saying the roker comp with the extra wheel set up would probably be more economical and a good decision when riding trails?
Let me know.
If you're a conservative rider who only rides easy trails I think the benefits of slightly wider tires on a 650b wheelset will be nominal and not worth the expense/hassle. Save your money and just run the widest 700c tires you can fit on the Roker. Something like the WTB Riddler 45c would be great on mellow singletrack. If you really want to use the Roker as a gravel/mountain bike you'd probably get more benefit from adding a dropper seatpost.
Well.... I am not riding switchbacks with roots etc.... I'm not even into that type of trail riding with a mountain bike. I have a feeling the 650b tires will be just fine on the roker for trails and not lower the bottom bracket that much in the 2.1 range
I think 650b wheels will be a bit stronger than 700 and I won't have to change tires everytime and I'm thinking the feel of the ride will be different with larger tires and 650b wheels. That way you have one dedicated set of wheels for road and gravel and one for trails. But, know what you mean by saving money.
My thoughts. I run both 650 and 700 on my current bike. I have found, interestingly enough, that 650 is better for hardpack gravel and road, and 700 better for single-track. Reasons why...
- My 700c tires are wide (45mm). They actually roll over larger hits like rocks and roots with less impact.
- The biggest reason is BB hight. With 650b wheels/tires on single track, pedal strikes were a constant issue for me due to the lowered BB.
So my current setup is - WTB Byway (650b) for general gravel/road commuting - Bruce Gordon R&R for single-track and nasty weather gravel.
Works better for me and I find the comfort in each situation is better.
My $.02 -- First, I'm a roadie and ride mostly on town maintained dirt and gravel roads in southern NH. So I'm speaking from the point of view of a mtb novice. None the less, I live in an area where mountain biking is king, and have discussed this topic ad-nauseum with the experts in my trail association. The general opinion is the best bike where tires meet single track, is a fully suspended 29r. After considering many fat and semi-fat alternatives, I've decided to buy a fully suspended 29r when I return to NH from my SC winter residence. "Horses for courses".
jmcgukin wrote:My thoughts. I run both 650 and 700 on my current bike. I have found, interestingly enough, that 650 is better for hardpack gravel and road, and 700 better for single-track. Reasons why...
- My 700c tires are wide (45mm). They actually roll over larger hits like rocks and roots with less impact.
- The biggest reason is BB hight. With 650b wheels/tires on single track, pedal strikes were a constant issue for me due to the lowered BB.
So my current setup is - WTB Byway (650b) for general gravel/road commuting - Bruce Gordon R&R for single-track and nasty weather gravel.
Works better for me and I find the comfort in each situation is better.
I have a very similar set up, but my 700c tires are the Specialized Sawtooth's and they're not great on loose/gravel, I'll have to look into getting a set of the Bruce Gordon's, they look nice.
I can confirm tons of pedal strikes, I have the 650b Byway's and it seemed to be almost every rock garden caused a strike...
One question for you, what was the reason for moving to the 650's for commuting? I commute 4-5 days a week, and have stopped using my 23mm commuter for this, as my Moots rides so much smoother. But, I've been using 700c x 40-44mm tires for this, and I'm wondering if you noticed faster rolling with the 650's? Most of my commute is on pavement (85-95%), so I don't need a crazy aggressive tread for this duty.
