Wheel Sizes for Gravel Bikes – pedalnorth https://pedalnorth.com The best independent cycling website Wed, 31 Dec 2025 21:00:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://pedalnorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/cropped-Pedal-North-600-pixel-32x32.jpg Wheel Sizes for Gravel Bikes – pedalnorth https://pedalnorth.com 32 32 Using a gravel bike as a winter road bike https://pedalnorth.com/using-a-gravel-bike-as-a-winter-road-bike/ Tue, 18 Nov 2025 14:19:31 +0000 https://pedalnorth.com/?p=46269

Using a gravel bike as a winter road bike

Buying a bike for multiple uses

Choosing a gravel bike as a winter road bike can be a sensible solution to an annual problem for keen cyclists. Winter cycling brings on a whole spectrum of challenges and problems to overcome – especially for road cyclists. Wherever you ride, at some time in the year the weather will change and become either cold, wet or icy… or all three in one day! Cycling on winter roads can be a challenge; especially for high end and technically delicate carbon road bikes with expensive groupsets and gears, and with narrow wheels and semi-slick cycling tyres. Winter cycling roads here in the Yorkshire Dales are often covered with field debris, mud, deep water – and then, the ice and snow comes!

Add to this, road surfaces with grit and salt scattered across them, and this then attacking your bike gears – the chain and the cassette – and your wheel hubs and bottom brackets, and every bolt on your very expensive new carbon bike also being attacked by the dreaded and damaging road salt! Did I mention the risk of slipping on the ice and cracking your carbon frame! And yet, as cyclists in winter, we wrap ourselves up in Klimatik clothing by brands such as Ale, and we add mudguards to the bike and use lights even for day time riding… and we hope and pray!

Justifying N+1

As cyclists, we often meet confusion in our families and with our partner, when we try to convince them that each of our bikes is for a different purpose or use. Ultimately, they all have 2 wheels, a saddle and handlebars – so, what makes them different! Where did N+1 originate, and why don’t non-cyclists fully understand that the need to ride in comfort on all surfaces, is only solvable by the addition of yet another bike to your stable!

Thankfully, due to the ascendency of gravel biking, there is a kind of a solution to your winter road bike requirements. Yes, there’s a drop handlebar bike that has a more relaxed geometry, a stronger frame and wider wheels and tyres for you. And, if you buy the right choice of gravel bike, you even get to spec it up yourself and maybe add a double chainset to give you a wider range of gears, helping you to utilise your awesome all-terrain gravel bike as a tarmac munching winter road bike. Yes, making the right choice now in buying your gravel bike, will also give you a great option, as your gravel bike will make a great choice for winter road cycling… and here’s why!

The advantages of using a gravel bike as a winter road bike

The ideal bike for multiple surfaces

Gravel bikes are designed and built in a way that makes them a great option as a winter road bike. Ultimately, these versatile bikes are designed for multiple surfaces – especially road use – allowing you to ride on roads, gravel paths, and even light trails, providing the ultimate in cycling flexibility. Gravel bikes typically have several accessory mounting points, allowing you to easily affix mudguards and racks, keeping that winter cycling road debris at bay, and protecting you and your gear from road spray and debris. Yes, that age-old problem of fixing mudguards that will remain stable on your winter bike, is now easily resolved by using your robust and well engineered gravel bike as your winter road bike option.

Traction and Grip

Traction and grip is all-important in winter, and yes – you can use winter road tyres and ride with lower tyre pressures. However, your tyre size will always be limited on your winter road bike, whilst a gravel bike is designed with the ability to take on several wheel and tyre options. Wider tyres with a deeper and more defined tread pattern will provide better grip on wet, icy, or debris-covered roads, increasing your confidence and assisting with your cycling safety. Running these wider tyres in lower pressures will also add some much need comfort on pot-hole filled and cracked road surfaces.

Bikes such as the TIME ADHX 45 can take a 650B wheel, or a 700C wheel with a 45mm tyre width – now, whilst that’s maybe overkill, using a 35mm gravel tyre with lower pressures will provide you with better grip – and, your winter bike buying is now unnecessary, thanks to your 3-season gravel bike becoming a 4-season road option. And, thanks to the wider gear ranges on your gravel bike, you’ll still be able to comfortably tackle the long and steep hills of the Dales, Lake District, or Italian countryside!

A frame built for strength and versatility

You can of course simply swap your road wheels onto your gravel frame and use winter road tyres, which will ride faster than a gravel bike – if speed is truly important to you. Thankfully, gravel bike frames are more rugged and robust though,  and they’re  better equipped to take on the rigorous work of a winter road bike, and the dangers that lie around every corner, due to the weather and road conditions.

Looking at the iconic TIME brand – and other high-end gravel bike options – these brands give you the opportunity to spec the frame yourself, with your own choice of gearing and groupset, finishing kit and wheels. TIME also build their ADHX frameset for speed on gravel, leaving the hardcore bikepacking options to other brands such as Surly or 3T. It means that their gravel bikes are perfectly suited for dual usage on roads, and a perfect choice of gravel bike for use as a winter road bike. All that you need to do is to make sure that the gearing is relatable to the roads you generally ride.

Personally, I like a 2×12 gear option on a gravel bike, as the hills around here are steep and unrelenting. I want my gravel bike to be able to ride up with ease, and to allow me the opportunity to speed downhill as fast as possible! When it comes to using a gravel bike as a winter road bike, the 2×12 gravel gearing setup will also perform well as a winter road bike gear choice, giving you that road type feel for gear choice.

Hydraulic disc brakes are more and more common on road bikes. However, if you have to buy a winter bike, this can be an added expense for a bike that you’re likely to use for only a few weeks each year. Thankfully, gravel bikes such as the TIME ADHX 45 come with disc brakes, meaning that when you use this gravel bike as a multi-purpose winter road bike, you’ll still have the very best stopping power to keep you safe. Make sure that you keep the callipers and discs clean though, and help to maximise their performance by maintaining them after every winter ride.

And so, there you have it: taking time to think in detail about your next gravel bike and how it can save you money when it comes to a winter road bike option, will serve you well financially and on the road. Whilst an ‘off-the-peg’ gravel bike always seems tempting – saving you from making too many decisions – by getting a professional bike fit and then building up your own ideal gravel bike, you’ll ensure that you have a gravel bike that fits you perfectly and which will serve you as  more than capable winter road bike option. Focusing again on our friends at TIME, the iconic bike brand; they’ve been creating world-leading road bikes for generations and have unrivalled expertise in carbon frame production for road bikes. They’ve used this to pause and think in depth when developing their range of gravel bikes, which are equally as impressive. For all the right reasons, they’re a good starting point in providing you with a dual usage cycling solution.

Technology has made the wide tapestry of cycles even more colourful and varied. However, when finances start to impact – as they do with such modern frequency – spending more on one great bike will often be a more sensible solution that buying two mediocre bikes that will spend months tucked away and unused. Yes, if it sounds as though I’m encouraging you to choose a gravel bike as your next winter road bike, then you’re right on the mark – and you’ll be able to ride off into the summer sunset on too.

It’s Time to Ride – with Time Bikes!

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]]> Is this the best gravel bike brand in the world https://pedalnorth.com/is-this-the-best-gravel-bike-brand-in-the-world/ Wed, 22 Oct 2025 16:09:37 +0000 https://pedalnorth.com/?p=40097

Is this the world’s best gravel bike brand

Ride into adventure

Over recent years, the gravel biking scene has exploded all over Europe and North America… and beyond! Some of the most popular races are now gravel bike events, with former pro peloton riders such as Nico Roche participating and winning UCI World titles in the Masters racing. There’s even been pro peloton UCI gravel bike world championships, with Kasia Niewiadoma becoming the first ever women’s UCI World Gravel Bike Champion. This year, Mathieu van der Poel took the men’s title, whilst all over the world, the number of mass participation gravel bike races has literally exploded: Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Italy, South Africa.

Cyclists no longer want to simply explore off-road tracks and trails and fascinating places; no, there’s a thirst for going fast too, with a professional gravel biking scene in its infancy and growing yearly. Here in the U.K., former British Cycling Education Lead, Neil Atkinson and team at Focal Events are creating epic weekend gravel bike festivals such as Dirty Reiver in Northumberland, that are already becoming legendary ‘must ride’ gravel races for all-comers.

Gravel biking is changing, innovating and evolving, in the same manner that mountian biking did some 30+ years ago, when the separation between XC and downhill became so pronounced, and more recently when Enduro entered the scene. Yes, there are already defined sub-cultures evolving within gravel biking, with trail riding, bike packing, technical gravel bikes and fast or aero gravel bikes. The gravel bike space is ripe for development for those brands that identify the direction that they want to head in, and brands such as 3T in Italy, and TIME Bikes based in Slovakia are both leading the way in frame technologies and designs – in different areas of this developing tapestry of cycle sport. TIME in particular, are renowned for their innovative engineering and quality of their carbon framesets. Using their innovative ‘Braided Carbon Structures’, their frames are industry leading – and, whilst equal to any brand in the world, their area of concentration is for the growing number of gravel leisure riders rather than the 3T orientated gravel adventure focus.

What is the best gravel bike in the world

All of this then brings us to the question: ‘what is the best gravel bike brand in the world?’ Yes, we know about Kasia and Matthieu and Nico and all those top riders. However, in terms of the mass participation gravel bike races, and the already iconic gravel bike races such as Unbound Gravel XL in America, the Grinduro Race Series for gravel bikes in Europe and North America, Dirty Reiver and of course, Badlands unsupported gravel bike race, taking in 800km of European desert in the Sierra Nevada of Spain, there’s one particular bike that frequently finds itself on the podium – and it isn’t one of the larger brand names. It’s a brand that has a deep understanding and focus on the hardcore gravel scene of adventure seekers, and which has innovation and excellence built into its fabric and dna.

3T have set out their stall as the go to brand in this adventure sector, whilst the gravel race and ‘road to gravel’ sub-culture is still developing, with brands such as Orbea and iconic TIME Bikes making waves and catching the eyes of the speed orientated gravel grinding adventure seekers. This new sub-culture within cycling is seemingly looking for something different, and these iconic brands have found the recipe for success – alongside their renowned engineering excellence.

Ultimately though, as the varying subcultures develop further, it’s interesting to see who will come out top. For now though, the geography is owned by 3T – but the likes of TIME are closing in with their innovative designs and technology, alongside a heritage that brings them worthy recognition.

These images by Ben Thorpe, EuroBike 2024

Yes, 3T Bikes from the north of Italy in particular – that artisan led, specialist bike brand since 1962 – are the most prominent brand that keeps producing some of the very best gravel adventure bikes in the world, as riders excel in these events when riding a 3T gravel bike. Interestingly too, this small but high-quality, highly engineered and beautifully designed bike brand from Italy, were also the first gravel bike brand in the world  to look at how a specialist gravel bike could be made more aero for racing. The 3T Exploro was the original fast and furious gravel bike and is still one of the very best choices in the world for off-road racing snakes. The Exploro model pioneered aerodynamics for gravel bikes, including even mud-covered knobby tire wind tunnel testing (much to the chagrin of the wind tunnel staff). The race-proven 3T Exploro range gives you the speed you’re used to on asphalt and an additional advantage on wind-swept gravel tracks.

Others are of course beginning to catch them up and indeed, to overtake them with innovative ways of weaving carbon, and mixing their frames with the best components available. The gravel biking scene is developing fast, at some point, yes, 3T will be caught and maybe left with the gravel adventure sector, whilst brands such as TIME take the lead in gravel leisure. For now though, the 3T products are continuing to catch the eye of the growing community of gravel bike riders. Will this still be the same in 2 years time – who knows. Time will tell 😉

Freedom for all – fast freedom

The 3T philosophy is built on innovation and excellence, and the spirit of adventure for all cyclists who seek freedom in the great outdoors. It’s in the Italian blood; remember the white roads of Strade Bianche – modern day cycling classic. Long before gravel riding became popular, 3T decided that they wanted to ride faster and farther on any terrain than anyone else. The resulting 3T Exploro was the first gravel bike in the cycling world to combine road speed and mountain toughness, so that you, the ordinary adventure loving gravel bike rider, can race through the smooth sections and crush the rough and technical stuff. Total freedom had arrived at last, and some of the very best gravel bikes in the world had arrived on the trails, wrapped in the Italian flag!

The latest 3T PRIMO gravel bikes maintains their badge of exquisitely engineered excellence, and rightly continues the growing status of 3t gravel bikes. The current 3T PRIMO gravel bikes all use the latest generation of the original Exploro gravel bike frame. It’s a great choice for a high-end, highly-versatile gravel bike at an affordable price, and it’s a gravel bike that is suitable for riders at all levels, and for all adventures – weekend trips or epic multi-day gravel bike adventures.

3T Race Max and Race Max Italia

The 3T RACEMAX and RACEMAX ITALIA are renowned across the cycling world as being some of the fastest gravel bikes possible, with an aero optimized frame for 35-42mm WAM (Width as Measured) tires, ready to take on the most technical and toughest of rides, or long trips, as the frame even fits up to 61mm tires. The 3T ULTRA and the EXTREMA ITALIA are designed to go fast on the worst possible terrain, aero optimized for 55-61mm tires (but of course you can spec a narrower tire too). These technical tubes of Italian engineering excellence also combine an aero seat-tube with a round seat-post, so you can use any 27.2 round, dropper or suspension post and add to rider comfort.

Engineering excellence and innovation

Ultimately then and considering the support that 3T put into gravel biking, with their already renowned, annual Jeroboam gravel bike event, 3T are towards the top in the gravel bike league table. The Jeroboam Gravel Series is a gravel cycling event series organized by 3T, and includes a variety of routes and locations, with the original edition taking place in Franciacorta, Italy. Gravel bike riders attend from all over the world, and 3T are always showing the strength of their own bikes as riders cross the line, as they continue to engage with the grassroots  cycling community at numerous locations across the globe.

Above images from TIME Bicycles, Europe

TIME for change

However – and it is a very big ‘however’ – as we mentioned earlier in this piece, the landscape of gravel is changing rapidly. Clear sub-cultures are evolving and they’ll be difficult for the smaller brands to keep pace with, unless they define which route they want to take: adventure or high-performance. For me there are 3 clear areas for the future:

  • Gravel adventure
  • Gravel leisure
  • Gravel race

The road to gravel is key for every brand aiming to capture something from the growing community – especially as that growth is beginning to slow with cyclists pausing to reflect and think about their own direction. Brands such as TIME have some success with their TIME ADHX 45 ‘full on’ gravel bike, which kind of slotted between the gravel adventure and gravel leisure categories, whilst wanting to reach out to the grabel race category too. TIME are a brand that has never stood still – pardon the pun – and they’ll no doubt be looking to develop further in one of these categories, making it their own and giving 3T some interesting competion in the gravel race arena as the colors evolve on the gravel biking tapestry.

What does this mean for you as a gravel biker; well, you now need to take that pause and ask youself ‘which of the new gravel sub-cultures do I wnat to fit into?’ N+1 has a whole new meaning these dyas, and consumers want more from each bike. The Road to Gravel is an interesting concept, and this small phrase may well fit most people’s ideal ride. Who takes it on will be interesting.

And so, as the global cycling community heads back onto the rocky and dust-strewn and technical trails, seeking their own new challenges on gravel bikes, the answer to the question: ‘which is the best gravel bike brand in the world’ has a dual answer.

As it stands, entering 2026, 3T will likely still be leading the global off-road gravel adventure peloton, by continuing to design and to create some of the best technical and tough gravel bikes in the world – at the home of gravel biking, along the dusty white roads of Tuscany and Italy… whilst TIME and others focus elsewhere and aim their sights on capturing the  evolving gravel leisure area – where comfort, companionship and responsiveness is key, and where speed is your friend.

Ultimately I guess, only TIME will tell – so, let’s wait and see 😉

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