Do I want a Road, Gravel, or CX bike?

Might be able to put ultegra brake calipers on your road bike, which will let you go to 28mm (if the frame is wide enough).

Then get a better saddle and some nice tyres and run them at 80psi or thereabouts.

I love my rim braked road bike because there's so little to go wrong, it just always works and I don't have to think about it.

Gravel bike with two sets of wheels. 28mm or 32mm road orientated rims and then something much chunkier, maybe on 650b rims if that helps to go 47mm or even 2.1".

Mrs BS has just done this and sold her old Road bike and HT Mtb and bought a Trek Check Point SL with 2 pairs of wheels, 1 is 700c x 32mm the other 650b 47mm. She’s loving it!

There's plenty of clearance at the brake calipers but the frame won't take larger tyres.

One of my road bike has 25c tires one has 30c, the "gravel" bike has 50c.

Based on that I'd get some 50c tyres/ wheels for your rigid hardtail, maybe a bigger chainring, maybe some thing to give more hand positions like bar ends

are you actually going to ride on gravel?  I had no intention of it so went with a road bike.  That being said a gravel bike will be more relaxed so depending on your geo of choice.

are you actually going to ride on gravel?  I had no intention of it so went with a road bike.

Maybe but not very often. I'd use the XC bike for that.

Maybe but not very often. I’d use the XC bike for that.

You say that but on longer road-based rides, it becomes easy and fun to just take that bit of trail, just nip along that bridleway and so on. They're trails that you wouldn't ride out to on an MTB, certainly wouldn't drive to but the flexibility and freedom to ride them on a "road" bike / "road" ride almost leads to seeking out more tracks, trails, minor roads etc.

But if you're going along that line of thought, try an "all-road" bike - one of the more endurance focussed bikes like a Specialized Roubaix, Canyon Endurace, Trek Domane etc.

Just note they won't take 650b wheels, you'll be restricted to 700c (if that matters to you at all...)

If you really enjoyed it because it was a road bike then get a road bike.  A CX bike or a Gravel bike is not as good as it is not intended just for road and just doesn't feel as good.

The all road idea is a good one as much closer to an actual road bike although you can go off road on a pure road bike as it is really just down to the tyres that you would put on the all road bike.  I spent years riding on gravel roads on 25c tyres but I am not really bothered about comfort but they are okay technically.

I like long rides so comfort is a priority

If the existing CX bike does this, why change?

From scratch I'd start with tyre size and then geometry. On that basis you get greater comfort on a gravel bike, but on longer rides it might be harder work, too big gaps between gears, etc

From scratch I’d start with tyre size and then geometry.

Agree, and seeing that quite a few modern road bikes take 32mm I would hope that would be big enough.  Any bigger and the feeling of the road bike starts to dwindle.

<p style="text-align: left;">I’ve been going through this dilemma too - and have recently ditched the road bike and gone with the gravel bike instead (Cinelli Nemo Tig Gravel) - I’m running 35mm GOne Allarounds tubeless - having no trouble keeping up with my roadie riding buddies and a quick adjustment of tyre pressure and I can head home on bridleways - the road bike is on its way out the door!</p>

What kind of riding do you do on the rigid XC?

I use my gravel bike about 60 or 70% off-road - on bridleways, towpaths, singletrack and around the local country parks.

I love how it can do that, and then be almost as quick as a road bike on tarmac.

are you actually going to ride on gravel?

Come to Cheshire. The roads are more poorly surfaced than the gravel tracks in Delamere forest!

Unless you're actually racing, a road bike is daft with the way road conditions are these days. I sold my road bike, (which was very much an endurance focused one and not 100% speed) and got a gravel bike. I can't see myself going back.

The only downside of my gravel bike for road riding is the low gearing at the top end, other than that it's ideal for both offroad and the rough local back 'roads'.

The XC bike gets used for local forest rides with some roads. I know I can use it on the road but it's much slower than the road bike for that.

Based on that I’d get some 50c tyres/ wheels for your rigid hardtail, maybe a bigger chainring, maybe some thing to give more hand positions like bar ends

Thought about that for a while but don't want to be changing the chainring all the time.

Spa Cycles Elan..?

Road focussed, steel frame but will take larger tyres when required.  You can specify gearing options to suit your  tastes and intentions.

 A CX bike or a Gravel bike is not as good as it is not intended just for road and just doesn’t feel as good.

A proper Cx bike won’t be that far off the geometry of a road bike to be noticeable for most riders. The major issue could possibly be lower gearing (I have two Cx bikes and several road bikes). Gravel geometry will be different.

The XC bike gets used for local forest rides with some roads.

I was kind-of suggesting you might find a gravel bike more satisfying for the riding you do on that.

🙂

+1 for gravel bike with two sets of wheels. My 'road' wheels are 700x35 and 'MTB' wheels are 650x47.

A proper Cx bike won’t be that far off the geometry of a road bike to be noticeable for most riders.

Okay I guess I am not most riders.  I very much notice a 10mm higher BB and the difference in position that enforces.  I also notice the different steering.  If you like the feel of a fast road bike (I do) then that is what you need.

Ive a gravel bike and its 1x thats my only complaint is it spins out. But tbh most of the time its ok.

But its comfortable and  versatile

You can cross off the CX bike I reckon, unless you want to race - market segmentation means most manufacturers now offer just one carbon CX race bike. Al do-anything CX bikes are now subsumed into gravel.

AFAIK

CX bike is more intended for racing, sacrificing all out comfort

As above, endurance road bike if you want to do series road riding and end up in different countries...

But in all honesty, gravel bike and ride where ever takes your fancy from your door, without considering the surface. My Nukeproof Digger RS is faster on the road than my  Boardman HYB 8.9E (both stock tyres) and the Nukeproof is a beast off road as far as it goes. complaints about both are the lack of top end, although the boardman is tough to keep at speed anyway. So i think if i had one bike it would be a light tough gravel bike, with 2x drive train for the gear range, and 2x sets of wheels

If you've no real interest in 'gravel' then I'd get a road bike, there's plenty of 'comfortable' ones out there now, even race bikes will take a 32c tyre.

Locally I've got lots of non-technical bridleways so my gravel bike get's used a lot because it's actually the quickest and most fun way to ride for a couple of hours without riding the same roads all the time. Similarly there's the Ridgeway which 50/50 is probably better suited to an XC bike and has little/no road sections. Before that I used to have a singular Swift which I did the same rides on, swings and roundabouts, the gravel bike is faster until it's not. and it tends to only be a short technical section/feature that the gravel bike struggles on then it's back upto speed. TBH this is the sort of area, and a lot of the UK where Gravel bikes really excel, in a National Park you might have hour long sections across mountains, for the other 95% of the country it's mostly alternating 500m sections of road and bridleways, depending on how rough those bridleways are will determine what bike you want. Round here we've the Romans to thank for them being mostly straight doubletrack linking the hills and high ground.

Personally I've never felt the desire to go out for a "road" ride and dive off onto a bridleway, if I want to ride something tech-ish then I'll jump on the big bike and accept that it's a 90min spin to get to Swinely. I don't see the value in riding Swinley on a gravel bike just to make that link 15 minutes quicker. Although I have ridden it on a gravel bike just for (terrifying) fun.

Definitely want carbon or aluminium. I've ridden a couple of steel bikes and all I notice is their weight.

As for gearing, my road bike is 2x10. 36/50 and a 12-28 cassette. Never run out of gears on the flat and find I'm constantly shifting at the front end. A 1x with a 42 front would work for me. Or a 2x with a different setup.

71/73 Grav bike and make sure it has mudguard mounts. They really are the ideal 'all road' and all season bike - lanes, towpaths, winter. touring etc. Tinker with the tyres for the seasons, maybe get some deep section rim wheels with fast tyres for summer. Fine for racing a CX race too if you fancy regurgitating your lungs.

Don't ever use it for anything close to 'proper' off road though - none of that 650B nonsense, although I do admit I have some old XC 650B wheels that I'll be selling off to a grav biker hopefully. That's what an XC bike is for.

My Trek Crockett CX bike is my most fun bike for local riding. I've also ridden 100+ mile days on it and been fine. It's pretty quick on the road too.

So I'd say get/build a lightweight CX bike with GRX 2x11 groupset.