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Pondering a new commuter bike for my road/cycle path/ Fosse Way commute.
Was wondering if a Synapse Disc would be up to some mild gravel duties ?
Officially they will take a 28mm tyre but they might take bigger.
Anyone got one and using it like this?
Alternatives for about £1000 and interest free finance?
Occasional maybe. Regular gravel duties I'd be looking at something more suitable
London Road? £800 with SRAM Rival.
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Diverge is what I would go for £900(sora) or £1100(tiagra).
Arkose 3 fits the description and has a great spec
[url= http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/arkose-three-2015-adventure-road-bike-ec071307 ]here[/url]
I rode a Synapse carbon with Ultegra discs and 28mm tyres in Majorca a couple of weeks back
It was a superb road bike, but I don't know if I'd feel all that comfortable riding on gravel for extended periods. I guess it does still feel like a proper road bike rather than a more CX thing?
2014 Alu Synapse here, 32mm tyres fit fine, bike rides a treat, was going to change the cheap dusc brakes fir some TRPs but never got round to it as they work fine
only thing I changed is the seatpin for a thompson as the original one creaked like hell
bike has been used and abused on and off road with no issues
Arkrose 3 works for my gravelly commute.
I've also done it on a Spesh Roubaix and Giant Defy though. Bikes are often tougher than you expect
Edit - also for commuting, mudguards and rack mounts might be worth a thought? See Arkrose per above.
Nothing with SRAM or from Planet X I should have added.
@ stevemakin can I email you with a few questions?
Arkose Pete - mine is superb - and loads of clearance as well
yup steve AT singletrackworld DOT com
I've got 28mm GP4000s on my Synapse carbon, definitely wouldn't be going bigger, especially if I was expecting to pick up any mud/grit along the way.
That said I wouldn't be scared of occasional tow path duties if it came to it.
I've taken a road bike on canal towpaths before now, and cobbles too are much more harsh on a bike than towpaths or gravel.
Its horrid riding a rigid skinny tyre'd bike on rough lumpy surfaces, so I'd suggest you'll lose patience with it before you get anywhere near close to breaking a road bike on gravel.
I perhaps wouldn't want to subject a super light mega bucks carbon race bike to regular gravel outings but for the money you're looking at anything that fits a 28mm tyre will be absolutely fine.
Hmm, just as a wee update, gave the bike a clean today and the sidewall of the rear 28mm tyre is a little scuffed. No real damage but a bit alarming! The frame is also a bit scored on the left hand side.
Basically I think I'll be leaving the 28mm tyres to the touring bike and going back to 25s!