Is a gravel bike good on asphalt? Let's find out at Stelvio!

How does tire swapping actually work on a gravel bike? Can you ride it with smooth tires, just like a road bike?"

My girlfriend had been toying with the idea of a road or gravel bike for a while. Surprisingly, I was the one "holding her back," arguing that she should try it out first before buying a new bike, as she only had experience with a classic mountain bike. So, when an opportunity arose to test a gravel bike, we went for it.


After this experience, we started looking for a gravel bike; she was sure she'd enjoy it. Poor MTB, it sat unused the whole time during testing. The problem, however, was bike availability; everything was sold out. We couldn't find such a good price/performance ratio as CTM anywhere else. The Koyuk would have been ideal also because she had already tried out its geometry and size.

Moreover, we were also pressed for time for a joint trip to Bormio; I wanted to show her my favorite spots.

Preparing the gravel bike before the trip

In the end, I managed to get the same bike she had tested. We didn't even initially want to change the tires; she rode well on the original gravel tires, even on asphalt.

However, I still thought it better to buy road tires and swapped them out for her. 🙂

Test ride on the embankment and then straight into the hills

The good performance of the bike remained unchanged, even when the climb stretched to 20 km.

Lately, I've had the most experience with Pirelli tires, so I didn't overthink it and bought a P Zero road tire in 28 mm for the Koyuk and a Cinturato gravel tire in 40 mm width. I ride the same, slightly wider one myself. We used classic inner tubes; since the tires would be swapped more frequently, tubeless would have been more cumbersome.


I used a rental Multivan, and we went for a ride to test it all. Everything worked to our satisfaction; on the flats, the gravel bike was like a rocket. Upon arriving in Italy, we chose a smaller climb to Lake Cancano to start with. "Smaller" in the context of the Bormio area means 8 km long with an average gradient of 7 %.

Pros and cons of a gravel bike on the road

The Koyuk 3 only has a single chainring and 11 cogs at the back. It was clear at a glance that her easiest gear was more than sufficient for this climb. We, on our road bikes, had slightly harder easy gears (I had 39/34). The local climbs didn't require frequent shifting; mostly, you're in the easiest gear, so the larger jumps between cogs weren't an issue. In this scenario, it's 1:0 for gravel.


As I mentioned above, this CTM has a very comfortable riding position, which suits her. In fact, her MTB has a more aggressive riding position. If she had a classic road bike, she definitely wouldn't be as comfortable, so in this regard, the gravel bike wins too.

Regarding climbs, I can also mention the weight. An aluminium gravel bike is only slightly heavier than a similarly priced road bike. The difference would be in details like wider rims, but it certainly wasn't a critical factor she felt or mentioned on the climb. In this comparison, it's a draw.

What about descents?

Going downhill, in our case, wasn't about pedalling. Steep descents required maximum attention from the less experienced cyclist, so the single chainring with easy gears wasn't an issue because she wasn't really pedalling downhill.

This would be a limitation for more experienced and stronger cyclists who, if riding with "roadies," would miss having harder gears. In such a case, a partial solution would be to have a double chainring, like the Koyuk 2 model.

GRX brakes are excellent

Earlier, when modifying the Koyuk's stock setup, I forgot to mention that I also changed the brake rotors. I knew where we were going and what awaited us there.

Even the original, cheaper ones weren't bad for local riding, but for 20 km descents, I wanted to give the brakes some extra help. The 160 mm Ultegra rotors worked flawlessly. The levers can also be adjusted for smaller hands, and Shimano GRX sets provide excellent braking.

Design

And since I've been keeping score here for gravel vs. road bike, to be fair, I'll give one point to the road bike for design. The narrow tires in a gravel frame look like a temporary spare wheel on an SUV. 🙂 How much space there was around the road tire in the frame can be seen in the photos in the gallery.

Gavia and Stelvio

After these shared rides and a little training, the female half of the group set off for the top climbs, successfully conquering the legendary ascents at their own pace. The good performance of the gravel bike remained unchanged, even when the climb stretched to 20 km. Only passers-by occasionally looked admiringly at such a bike, probably unable to imagine swapping their carbon road bikes for such a hybrid, especially since even for them, those climbs were about survival.

Back to reality

Upon returning, Cinturato gravel tires were put on the CTM. A higher-end tire in a larger size, compared to the original ones, they performed better off-road according to the owner.

At this point, I think that after a while the MTB will leave the house, untouched

For objectivity, I should also mention that swapping tires isn't a completely simple task. I can't imagine anyone wanting to change tires several times a week. For us, it will likely be periods where one type of tire is on the bike for a longer time, and then the other. Or, extra wheels might be bought later; only the future and the cyclist's desire to switch surfaces will tell.

Gravel is the most versatile bike

It was good that we experienced everything firsthand. I don't know if I would have believed anyone who said a gravel bike could be used this way. In our situation, it's an ideal solution, although I'll add that where one lives and how dedicated they are to cycling also plays a role. At this point, I think that after a while the MTB will leave the house, untouched.