Gravel or CGR? Our in-depth guide helps you decide which bike suits your riding style and needs, making your choice more straightforward than ever.
Since the launch of our dedicated range of gravel bikes, an often-asked question is 'what is the difference between the CGR and Gravel bikes?'. If you find yourself torn between the two, our in-depth guide should provide the necessary answers to help you decide whether a CGR or Gravel bike suits your riding style and needs best.
What's The Bike's Intended Use?
More specifically, what type of terrain do you expect to ride on? Will your rides mainly feature paved or unpaved surfaces? The terrain you expect to encounter most regularly should be the definitive factor in deciding whether a CGR bike or Gravel bike best suits your needs. In this blog, we explore the key differences between the two different bike types. Read on for the full lowdown on CGR bikes vs Gravel bikes.
Let's Talk Geometry
The first, and perhaps most definitive difference between the CGR and Gravel bikes is the geometry*. A CGR frame features a road-focused endurance geometry that places the rider in a more relaxed, upright riding position. This all-rounder geometry provides long-distance comfort over varied terrain, keeping you fresh for longer.
*Excludes the Gravel SL, which shares the same gravel racing geometry as the CGR SL.
**Above Image: **A side-by-side comparison of the CGR and Gravel titanium frames highlights the long and low gravel geometry vs the more upright 'endurance' geometry of the CGR.
Gravel bikes are designed specifically for off-road riding and racing. The gravel-optimised geometry allows for a long and riding position, offering a more planted feel when tackling the most challenging terrain. The long top tube combines with a short head tube and handlebar stem, delivering a stable ride with more direct and responsive steering. This provides the agility to navigate trail hazards like tree roots, carve through corners with surgical precision, and confidently navigate technical descents.
Ribble CGR Bike
Versatility Guaranteed
The CGR family of bikes has often been described as the "Swiss" army knife of bikes, indicating the level of versatility this platform offers. CGR bikes fall under the 'one-bike-to-do-it-all category, a jack of all trades rather than a master of one. They are designed to excel across a variety of terrains and in mixed-weather conditions. Yet despite their multi-terrain prowess, CGR bikes are still plenty fast enough to keep pace on rapid road rides or when dropping the hammer whilst out with the chain gang.
Luggage
Discreet frame mounts enable a rear-mounted pannier rack to be fitted for luggage-carrying duties. Perfect for stowing your essentials for a casual day trip or a change of clothes, laptop, lunch for the daily commute. The CGR 725 steel bike pictured also features an additional top-tube mount, allowing a bolt-on top-tube bag to be fitted.
Bottle Cage Mounts
Like most traditional 'road' bikes, each CGR bike features a bottle cage mount located on the seat and down tubes.
Handlebars
As standard, each CGR bike is equipped with road-specific drop handlebars that are ergonomically shaped to provide all-day comfort. With further options available in the configurator, you can stick with the choose alloy handlebars or upgrade to carbon for a weight saving while bringing a touch of bling to your dream bike.
Gearing
Road double groupsets offer a closer gear progression with fewer gaps between shifts. This means that when shifting between gears, your pedalling rhythm remains more consistent, as the step between each gear is smaller, especially compared to a 1x (single chainring) system. Road-optimised gearing improves pedalling efficiency when riding on the flat, climbing, and descending.
Multiple Wheel Compatibility
The larger the wheel diameter, the better the rolling efficiency offered. This proves particularly beneficial when riding on paved surfaces, where big wheels roll faster and maintain speed better than a smaller wheel. If ridden off-road, they will actually roll over obstacles better than a 650b wheel, thanks in no small part to their larger wheel diameter. However, they lack the agility and vibration-absorbing characteristics of the smaller diameter wheels. Tyre widths up to 45mm can be accommodated with 700c wheels and 50 mm with 650b.
Gravel Bikes
Born To Shred
A gravel bike is a specialist vehicle engineered for one sole purpose: to maximise off-road performance and enhance rider enjoyment while tackling the most challenging terrain imaginable. Gravel bikes deliver a fast, light, and agile ride, exploding into life when tearing up singletrack, navigating techy descents or embarking on cross continent backpacking expeditions on the worlds remotest trails.
Luggage
Each model in the gravel range is equipped with numerous luggage mounting options, transforming them into the ultimate adventure bike for bike-packers worldwide. At the rear, there are mounts for a rear pannier rack (excludes Gravel AL). Upfront, fork mounts allow oversized cages to be fitted, making it easy to carry rollable luggage items such as ground mats, sleeping bags, and other camping essentials. Combined with handlebar bags and under-saddle seat packs, the Gravel bike range can accommodate a vast amount of luggage, ensuring you never need to leave home without those bikepacking essentials.
Bottle Cages
Whether you intend to grind some gravel or embark upon the bikepacking trip of a lifetime, staying hydrated is essential. Our gravel bikes (except the electric AL e) are fully equipped with no less than four 'bottle cage' mounts. These are situated on the seat tube, down tube, underneath the down tube, and on the top tube. Whilst the extra mounts may not be bottle cage mounts in the conventional sense, they do allow you to fit a bolt-on top tube bag and tool tube or spare bottle in the case of the underside of the downtube mount.
Handlebars
Developed specifically for Ribble gravel bikes, our range of alloy riser handlebars feature gravel-specific ergonomics for enhanced comfort and control over even the most boulder-strewn of surfaces. Flared drops provide a wider, more stable stance for improved handling at speed, multiple hand positions for long-ride comfort, and a riser shape that ensures plenty of room for bar-mounted bags and additional accessories. The Gravel SL carbon model also offers compatibility with the new gravel-optimised iteration of the LEVEL 5 carbon integrated handlebar system for fully cable-free aesthetics.
Multi-Wheel Size Compatibley
All of our gravel frames are designed to accept 700c or 650b diameter wheels. Once the premier choice for all gravel bikes, the 650b wheel diameter is rapidly falling out of favour in gravel racing circles, with the larger-diameter 700c wheels now proving the more popular choice. Their superior rollover and rolling resistance make them faster than the smaller 650b wheel/tyre combination. However, the latter still holds a significant advantage in terms of ride-cushioning and agility for anyone seeking comfort and nimbleness over all-out performance.
Gearing
For a bike range dedicated to gravel, there were some standout choices when it came to the drivetrain. SRAM have long been the pioneers of the 1x groupsets favoured by gravel and MTB riders worldwide. Their latest gravel-optimised groupsets deliver enhanced ergonomics, rugged reliability, and tailored gearing. With no front mech to worry about and a clutch on the rear mech, unshipping the chain on bumpy terrain is a thing of the past. Similarly with the launch of GRX, Shimano made their long anticipated entry into the gravel bike scene.
Differences at a Glance
The Table below features a simplified comparison of our recommended usage for each bike type, in addition to what component options are available for each within our bike configurator.
In summary
So, to summarise, the bottom line of whether to choose a CGR or Gravel bike comes down to where you ride. Furthermore, how you wish to ride. If you require a bike that performs like a road bike on the tarmac and offers enough versatility to tackle mixed terrain adventures, then the CGR is the clear winner.
On the other hand, if you require an incredibly fast and agile gravel grinder for off-road fun and shenanigans, then a Gravel bike is the one for you. They are designed to be ridden faster, smoother, and excel over the most demanding terrain. The Gravel series' extra luggage capacity also makes it supremely suited to epic bikepacking expeditions into the back of beyond.
How do you ensure your Ribble e-bike battery maintains peak performance throughout it's lifetime? Check out our caring for your electric bike guide to discover our top tips for maximising your e-bike enjoyment.
