I’m looking to buy an Allied Able for gravel and road riding. Given that it is only built for 1x drivetrain, will this limit me when riding on the road? I will be doing quite a bit of road riding…I’m guessing most of you will say to go with the Allied Allroad instead but I want to be able to fit up to 44mm tires and the Allroad only fits up to 38’s. If the Able ain’t the way to go, who has a “one bike quiver” bike option that can fit up to 44mm tires?
3T?
Cannondale?
OPEN?
Given that it is only built for 1x drivetrain, will this limit me when riding on the road?
Depends on you and the roads you want to ride. And to some degree on how willing you are to swap out chainrings and/or cassettes on a regular basis.
If you’re unsure, definitely get a bike with some way of mounting an FD. It’s far better to have an FD mount and not need it than need and FD mount and not have it.
It’s pretty typical for current major-brand gravel bikes to fit 44mm or wider tires and take an FD, while having chainstays that are only slightly longer than those on the Able. The Specialized Diverge and Giant Revolt are both good examples.
It’s far better to have an FD mount and not need it than need and FD mount and not have it.
x10
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I’m looking to buy an Allied Able for gravel and road riding. Given that it is only built for 1x drivetrain, will this limit me when riding on the road? I will be doing quite a bit of road riding…I’m guessing most of you will say to go with the Allied Allroad instead but I want to be able to fit up to 44mm tires and the Allroad only fits up to 38’s. If the Able ain’t the way to go, who has a “one bike quiver” bike option that can fit up to 44mm tires?
3T?
Cannondale?
OPEN?
I have a OPEN U.P. that I run 2X and probably do half road, half gravel on it. Currently I have some Rene Herse Snoqualmie tires on the gravel wheels, so 44s. So happy it is a 2X.
Friend of mine has the 3T, also 2X and neither of us feel like we are losing anything on the road and it is nice just switching wheels and off we go.
I’ve never ridden 1X on anything, but everyone was saying if you’re going to do gravel and road then get the 2X and I agree.
I have a 1x on my MTB, this is also my gravel bike and I definitely run out of gears on longer/steeper downhills. It’s fine for me cause I’m not racing and don’t do group rides where I may need some more speed to keep up. If I were to get a dedicated gravel bike, I’d likely go with a 1x. FWIW, I live in an area with rolling hills and small mountains.
it is nice just switching wheels and off we go.
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This.
I’m looking to buy an Allied Able for gravel and road riding. Given that it is only built for 1x drivetrain, will this limit me when riding on the road? I will be doing quite a bit of road riding…I’m guessing most of you will say to go with the Allied Allroad instead but I want to be able to fit up to 44mm tires and the Allroad only fits up to 38’s. If the Able ain’t the way to go, who has a “one bike quiver” bike option that can fit up to 44mm tires?
3T?
Cannondale?
OPEN?
I have a OPEN U.P. that I run 2X and probably do half road, half gravel on it. Currently I have some Rene Herse Snoqualmie tires on the gravel wheels, so 44s. So happy it is a 2X.
Friend of mine has the 3T, also 2X and neither of us feel like we are losing anything on the road and it is nice just switching wheels and off we go.
I’ve never ridden 1X on anything, but everyone was saying if you’re going to do gravel and road then get the 2X and I agree.
Your friend with the 3T, is it a strada? I didn’t think they made the exploro with a front derailleur option? If he is using a strada, how wide of tires/wheels can he use on it for gravel?
Thx!
Just looked on the 3T Site. There appears to be two 2x options on the Exploro.
Yup I’ve been looking a those. Anyone know much about the BMW edition of the exploro? I know they come as 1x build when buying them stock and have an FD mount. Might be a good option.
That Able looks like a drop bar mountain bike to me. Like the Salsa Cutty.
You have to ask yourself, do you want a road bike that can run bigger tires to ride on gravel. Or, do you want a fully ridged mountain bike with drop bars. …Or a cyclocross bike that will have more aggressive geometry than a gravel bike. Each one will excel in different respects and the feel/ride/geometry will be different.
I suffer from N+1, so I started off with a Trek Domane that is an “endurance road bike” that can run 38mm tires. That’s a gravel bike if you want it to be, and slap some 25mm tires on it and it’s its a perfectly serviceable road bike. I have a Salsa Cuttthroat that is a drop bar mountain bike for slaying gravel in the extremely flared drops of the Cowchipper bars, but it’s slow af. on the road because it has 2.2in tires and looks ridiculous if you aren’t bikepacking and loaded up with 3 bags.
Personally, I would not take a rigid, drop bar mountain bike with skinny tires on a group ride with roadies. The bike is just slower than a road bike and the 1x drive train, while great on the dirt/gravel, is just shitty on the road when you’re used to finer cadence adjustments.
I’ve got an Allied Allroad, which I love, but it won’t fit anything bigger than 35’s, maybe a narrow 38. I rented an Open U.P. on vacation last summer and loved it as much as my Allroad, even if it wasn’t quite as pretty. The U.P. and Allroad ride very similarly – capable off-road, and fast and confident on pavement. If the U.P. can take 44’s, then get that. Really great bike.
Just Googled. Their site says the UP takes up to a 47mm on a 650 wheel, and a 40mm on a 700c. The Open WIDE takes up to a 46mm on 700’s, 2.1 inches on a 650. But I’ve never ridden that one, and it may not have a FD mount.