Are Endurance Road Bikes JUST Gravel bikes now?

Is there really much difference between an endurance road bike and a gravel bike in 2024? In this video I examine the differences using the Enve Fray and Cervelo Aspero to find out which is the best option for the riding you do, and the best value bike offering.

Content
00:00 Intro
00:30 Wide tyre trend
1:09 Tyre clearance differences
2:39 Geometry differences
4:53 Squarespace sponsor
6:02 Features
6:50 Weight of the bikes
7:40 Using gravel bike as road bike?
11:30 Which is best
13:23 One Bike Can do it all?

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[swazi]

I've got a hard tail mtb, full sus, road bike, gravel bike, and custom ebike. If i was gonna keep 1 it would be the gravel. Love the videos David.

[DanRhysHill]

I ride a gravel bike with two wheelsets: 40mm tyres on aluminium rims, and 30mm on a set of deep carbon aero rims.
2x GRX is the perfect groupset for an N+1 Killer--all the range needed for offroad riding, but still small steps between gears for when on the road. Plus, the derailleur clutch is great at killing chain slap when the going gets rough.

[PaulJennings]

Ride two gravel bikes on the road with road tyres. One bike with progressive gravel geometry like a Merida Silex and one bike with more race gravel geometry like Cervelo Aspero or BMC Kaius and see if is much difference between them on the road.

[nateisright]

To my mind, the greatest part of modern bikes is tire clearance. Maybe bike choice is something like: If I know what tire/wheel works best for my riding start there and work backwards to riding position.

[ericdano]

What about between a Giant Defy and a Giant Revolt?

[andras.]

a true relaxed geometry Endurance with 45mm tyre clearance, mudguard and packing options.

[LukeRichardson]

I personally have one of each - a steel gravel bike and a titanium road bike. I love them both. Different use cases, and they really complement one another well.

[elliottso]

unpopular opinion, most bikes are the same, over and over again its going over the same thing, weight, aero, stiffness and tyre clearance, most bikes are extreamly simular, just all the money spent on marketing make them look special

[triggamusician]

The gravel bike is the best entry level drug to cycling. Period. It's the one that you can recommend to anyone who doesn't want a traditional bike. It ticks all the boxes, some of them half but it can do everything. N+1? Who says you're allowed to only have one bike? Gravel bikes are great but in every regard just a compromise. Comfort? Not the best. Speed? Not the best. Offroad? Not the best. On-road? Not the best. If you find yourself wanting more in any of these subjects you will have to get a second bike. I did. I got me an endurance road bike with a max tire clearance of 33mm. That way a 30mm tire sits snug and tight in the frame. My bike scores higher in comfort, speed and on-road which is perfect because 95% of my riding is on paved roads and I am a little bit of a speed junkie.
Are endurance bikes going more gravel now? 100% they do. Most manufacturers have released their latest models with 40mm clearance and the "all-road" bike (former 33mm to 37mm tire clearance) that was inbetween road and gravel seems to be replaced by endurance bikes which in return try to be more gravel while gravel by itself is being interpreted by manufacturers more towards mtb or road anyway. That is confusing to everyone who is not willing to put in hours, weeks or months into research for their next bike.
Everyone who is undecided needs to go to a big dealer with lots of choice and a test track. Try out as many bikes as they allow you to ride until you find what fits you. Do not buy online if you don't know exactly what you need! My brother is now stuck with a €3.5k bike that makes him unhappy but it looks cool.

[benconnor]

I have an Open UP with 2 sets of wheels and it’s a joy in fast group rides and gravel races. My favorite bike

[biking]

Hi David, an interesting topic of which you will get 500 different opinions, personally now I am an old git I started cycling before mountain bikes and bought one a couple of years later and then did the same with gravel bikes a few decades later. I own a gravel bike a Giant Defy and various other road bikes, I don't shy away from off roading on any of them although the bike does choose what terrain I ride them on however from bike paths to light gravel (with regards to the road bikes) to quite gnarly single track. Run what you brung is my motto I do see a lot of people 'overbiked' however. Anyway I have not been to the top of Chosen Hill for a long time and a great view from the church (in the background of your clip with the Cervelo)

[DanaBlack]

Gearing is the biggest reason I keep a road race bike in addition to my gravel bike, I tried the 2 wheelset thing.

Sometimes you just want to go ride fast for fun and I cant scratch that itch with gravel/endurance geometry and the same gearing I require on gravel around me.

[abcdefghijk]

Well, like David states, it depends on what you use it for. IMO if you are doing 80%-100% off-road riding, then you'd have to go the Gravel bike route or perhaps buy a Mountain Bike if you like that setup. I personally don't like MTBs, so I'd go for the Gravel if I was always in the mud, gravel or doing cross country. However, I don't. I'm 100% on-road. I may go over minor gravel paths but that is totally different to true gravel/off road riding. So, for me, an endurance bike is what I'd buy and that is exactly what I intend to buy in the next 12-24 months. The price is the only issue. I may buy a Chinese make that have been on this channel but who knows. Anyway, gotta get back to work and then go for a ride late this afternoon. 😀🚴.

[DN]

There is no difference other than more tyre clearance between gravel and endurance. Geometry can be all over the place depending on brand. Chose a Gravel bike because there was a good sale offer that gave me a better specced future proof bike when I got a gravel bike for the money. It rides like a dream.

[nerigarcia]

I have a Cervelo Aspero 5 and I use it for road and gravel by changing wheelsets. The geometry is close to my road race bikes but more comfy. I got rid of a couple of road bikes and a gravel bike and use this bike in most instances. I can go just about as fast on the road as I can on my road bikes but I'm not as fast as I used to be anyway.

[stevesnailfish]

I rode 45 miles earlier today on my 2023 Synapse Carbon 4 endurance bike with 35c Gravelking SS tyres on it (they come up at 37mm when measured....digital calipers kinda thing)....I did around 40% off-road (mostly gravel sections), and it copes very well indeed on this surface with a Redshift stem on the bike and, looking at the tyre clearance it has, you could easily fit a 40c in there for more has similar clearance to my old 2017 gravel bike...I do believe that bikes are shifting to a one bike fits all seems logical....
Saying that, I just have a few bikes to cope with everything around my area from MTB's to a retro rim brake road bike with 28c

[briankloft]

Thanks for this comparison. I am currently debating between a Cervelo Aspero and a Trek Domane (ENVY Fray would be in there but they are even more pricey than the Trek). I will do mostly road riding with it, including long distance 100mile + events, but I want to use the bike for smoother gravel rides as well. I have a Niner MCR full suspension gravel bike for the chunky gravel rides, but it is overkill for the smoother gravel. This kind of comparison of a racey gravel bike vs an endurance bike is what I was wanting to see. Sounds like while the endurance bike might be a little better on the road, we are not talking by enough to really make a difference.

[gypana]

I'm still road riding my 2010 Scott Scale 50 MTB and still love but time has come to buy a road bike and I'm definitely leaning towards endurance bikes as gravel makes no sense to me.

[tvolkmeier]

I think the Trek Domane is the endurance bike that can do both road and gravel. Now that they got rid of the front isospeed vibration dampener unit.

[miguelsuarez]

Great review! just what I needed to make my decision. Thanks.