Rather than “all the gear…” I prefer “start as you mean to go on” when buying stuff for a new hobby 😊 Enjoy whatever you ride folks 👍🏼

@steva_nolimits

Жыл бұрын

Hi Mark, what's ur name on Strava?

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

@@steva_nolimits I don’t use strava 👍🏼

@mcgeeconor

Жыл бұрын

@@MarkLewisfitness Any chance you have a link for the mudguards on your Specialized?

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

@@mcgeeconor www.amazon.co.uk/SKS-Unisexs-Speedrocker-Mudguard-Colour/dp/B07P93NMHL

@Southerncyclist

Жыл бұрын

​@@MarkLewisfitness how are you not on Strava. KOMs are the best motivation

I know you know this, but the question isn't if a £7000 bike is better/faster than a £300 bike. Of course it is. However, there is a sweetspot for most riders that is less than half of the £7000 you spent. At that range you get everything that makes a big difference, good carbon frame, good groupset, nice wheels and tires etc. The difference between a bike half the cost and the one you bought is hard to really notice and won't make a difference in any meaningful way unless you plan to race on a high level.

@jimjamthebananaman1

Жыл бұрын

Even a bike at quarter the price would be all you’d ever need with the best components etc

@garthcox4

Жыл бұрын

Agreed, do the comparison with a 1,000 to 1,500 bike and I suspect that there would be very little in it

@neilfox9540

Жыл бұрын

​@@garthcox4 unlikely as you will get a significantly worse groupset, no electronic shifting, no carbon wheels, no suspension system, perhaps no hydraulic brakes, at least 2kg heavier. I do think however you can get a great gravel bike for around £4-5k.

@NoName-ql1wk

Жыл бұрын

I paid £1000 for mine and it's more bike than I am rider.

@AlanJames

Жыл бұрын

You're not entirely wrong here, but you missed that this video was clearly an attempt to justify the expense to his wife!

Define too much. The Specialised is a great bike without doubt, however, £2500 will get you a bike that’ll be indistinguishable in terms of performance. The law of diminishing returns applies here. That said, I’m pleased you’re enjoying it. I built a gravel bike, Genesis Croix de Fer, hand built wheels, 105 hydraulic brakes Grx mechs and 42/26 Spa chainset. 42/11 plenty tall enough. Indestructible bike and total cost around £2000.

@glennoc8585

Жыл бұрын

I agree with you as there's definitely a place where more money doesn't correlate to better performance. One thing I will say is for some people it becomes a psychological benefit if they spend more money but it's not just easy money. I think they appreciate the hard yards to get that superbike then you train more and maybe harder to justify your investment. I've seen this first hand, guy finally upgrades and two weeks later there up front of the group going harder than before.

A cycle helmet is designed to absorb and disperse the energy of the impact across the helmet's surface. They tend to crush. A Go-Pro mount concentrates the impact into one very small area and can pierce like a spear. I read after Schumacher's accident that he had a GP mount on his helmet. Sooner or later helmet manufacturers will have to do some research on this and guide us on the safety of this practice. it's either safe or unsafe and they should let us know PS: You really need road tires if you are going to cycle coast to coast. The rolling resistance will be an energy sapper on gravel tires.

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

yep - I'll be switching the tires for the road ride. Also, the gopro is mounted in such a way that it breaks away with zero force - also only used for stuff like this. Not risk free.....but not high risk (I gave it some thought after the MS ski stuff - also caught it on tree branches on my motorbike offroading and nearly snapped my neck! So I take care!)

@RidingBikes07

Жыл бұрын

@@MarkLewisfitness This is so cool! I started following your channel for the cycling (I’m an avid cyclist and really enjoy that sort of content) and this bike is incredible. One thing I will mention is that the Continental GP 5000 tires are my favourite of all time, so they’re a great tire to look out for if you want to set up road. I’m really excited to keep watching this channel (and maybe a little extra gravel and road content!). Awesome vid 😎

@eyeninja3043

Жыл бұрын

Schumacher apparently modified his helmet by screwing the mount into it rather than sticking it on (not sure they had the same mounts available for helmets then).

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

@@Cycling-God pretty quite round here on the roads

@marick791

Жыл бұрын

@@RidingBikes07 I had Continetal's on my road bike but got a lot of punctures on gravel, went to schalbe one and not had a puncture since

I’m a cycle mechanic and that £300 bike is what in the trade is called a BSO (bicycle shaped object) and will most likely start to fail quite quickly. But you don’t need to go as far as £7000 for a gravel bike. £2000+ would get you good bike with components that will last & a frame that would worth upgrading components on. Or get a nearly new used bike from a decent bike brand.

@perolito83

Жыл бұрын

Do you really need to spend 2k to get a decent gravel bike?

@AnonymousAndy2

Жыл бұрын

@@perolito83, depends what you are going to be using for, but for me yes you do. Personal choice.

@thelmaviaduct

10 ай бұрын

Spend £200 - £300 on a 1993 Kona MTB and put some 26" Gravelkings on it. Job jobbed.

I freaking love this channel. It's simultaneously hilarious (love the dry sense of humour) and surprisingly informative. Infotainment at its best.

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

Thanks!!

I thought my brother was insane when he spent £4000 on a bike about 5 years ago. Since then, I've realised the error of my ways. I have a £3000 road bike, a £4000 gravel bike (both Specialized) and a £6000 titanium Enigma. My 'good' bikes feel like they're worth every penny. Quality components make such a difference to the feel. Edited to add: importantly, I do spend quite a worryingly large amount of time just staring at my bikes. They're so beauuuuuutiful!

I own a Specialized 2020 Diverge E5. I have a 2009 Haro hard tail that still works great. I love both bikes but mostly ride the Diverge now. My advice to anyone just starting in any sport is to buy what you can afford and if you really start to enjoy it save up for better equipment ONLY if you are going to do that sport for a long time. Thanks for another great video Mark.

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

Great advice - and also look at secondhand. The number of people not taking this advice and selling on something expensive is through the roof.

@chrisplatten2293

Жыл бұрын

A 'second' to the second hand option. I have a 2015 Diverge DSW bought second hand in 2019. It was £800 to me and I think would have been £1800 new 5 years before. I have ridden 2700 miles (road and light trail) on it and really enjoyed it. It's still going strong.

@kegalormoon

Жыл бұрын

Yes exactly people who play guitars drums what ever as the progress the get better instruments it the same thing if your serious about your hobby and can get it then more power to you

Great to see some cycling content again. I think that GCN have done lots of comparisons of that Eurobike. Compared with some of the dodgy bikes I had when I rode to school it will be a great gift for a kid.

When I started cycling, I bought a cheap Schwinn and always felt I was going to rip the cranks off and I had to index the gears after every ride. I finally saved up and bought a Trek Checkpoint and the difference is huge in my opinion. Feels very sturdy and I love it

I love gravel bikes too, I think they enable people to cover most terrain well. Last year I rode mine 6,500km across the US from San Francisco to Maine. I’m sure there’s a significant difference between the Amazon bike and a top-end carbon Specialized, but I bet the gap could be much less at even half the price of your top end gravel bike with some smart purchases. Contrary to conventional wisdom, I prefer steel frames to carbon ones. Carbon is a wonderful race material where you really care about optimizing every efficiency, but it’s also a single use item. There’s no effective recycling for them, it eventually ends up in landfill, whereas steel bikes can more easily be repaired, repurposed and recycled. Steel is heavier, but it’s also much more resilient to damage, has a nice ride quality, and is more budget friendly. A steel frame, some nice wheels, with a decent drivetrain, and you’re well on your way to a great bike for not very much $$.

Great video Mark, loved the videography and angles!

Mark, great stuff! always love your content! keep getting after it!

It's worth spending the money on bikes (although maybe not as much as you did), as the components are far better, as is the build quality. I remember when I got my first road bike, a Scott which cost me around £500, I thought it was the bees knees. When I became a bit more competent at riding I treated myself to a full carbon bike at a cost of £2000. The difference was like stepping out of a Ford fiesta mk1 into a Ferrari (or so I imagine, as I've never actually driven a Ferrari).

@rollinrat4850

Жыл бұрын

I'm a mechanic in a high end bike store. I'm also a retired mechanical inspector/ machinist. Nobody's fooling me. I've built highest quality hardware on earth. Some still orbits the earth. The build quality of modern bikes is a joke. I can prove it any day I'm working. Price doesn't matter. Only those suckers born every minute. New bike junk is job security! This is no joke. QC in the larger bike industry is overpriced, overhyped nonsense. They sure don't make 'em like they used to. Almost all my decades old bikes are still rolling! QC these days consists of placing stickers on junk. It's obvious. You could train a monkey to do that. Haha, I sure didn't need to train my daughter when she was a toddler!!

Fantastic video, very well done. I almost spit out my coffee when you said you wouldn't have to postpone that trip to the Maldives. Excellent work

its been a complete pleasure to watch your channel grow, and extremely entertaining to watch the journey. Thanks for all the hard work, tangentially, you inspired me to get out of the saddle and trade a few weekly rides for a few runs. Cheers!

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

🙏

I love a gravel bike so much. I think one of the often forgotten benefits of carbon is the variability of stiffness. Super soft and comfy seat stays and a very stiff for where all the power goes makes a big difference to feel.

Thanks Mark I am sure we all knew what the result would be but just the fact you are giving it away to a charity deserves a Sub from me. Many years ago I had to transfer to another office which meant I could no longer cycle to work because it was too far and I needed to catch a train instead. The station was about 3 mile from the office so I decided to buy a cheap bike to leave at the station. I think it lasted a week before I started taking it on the train to and from home. That's how quickly I get attached to a bike and to be honest it was good enough for what I brought it for. Whenever any one asks me what bike to buy I always tell them to get as light as possible for the minimum cost because if you get one made from gas pipes your never want to ride again.

I bought a £2.5k gravel with an additional set of lighter wheels with skinny tyres. It has replaced two bikes and I would suggest given the amount of TTs and off-road riding you do, you could possibly replace FOUR bikes with a similar approach (with some clip on tri-bars) Imagine the room in your garage, Mark and a holiday in the sun as well. 😊

Been racing tris competitively for a very very long time and recently bought a Giant grave bike and there’s no going back now. They are so fun and no road or path is off limits

I enjoy my 2019 diverge. I got it mid- pandemic lockdown second hand and it’s great. I’m not a roadie and a set of slicks for the road is good enough for me

One of your best videos. Awesome stuff

Really enjoyed this video. Keep up the good work

Best purchase you could have made ML! The diverge is bomb 🔥 Happy riding

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

Super happy with it

I'm at college so I don't have a load of money to be buy different bikes, I won't say my bike (Forme Moneyash 1) was cheap and that I haven't spent a lot on upgrading it but it was the best investment I've ever made. I use it to train on out on the road, do social Graveling with my gravel wheelset, I've raced a triathlon on it and used it on my indoor trainer as well and I even plan on taking on the King Alfred's Way soon and it does all I asked of it.

This shows how long I have been out of cycling. I never even heard about a gravel bike until today. Interesting video Mark

Bought my first gravel bike three years ago and stopped riding all my other bikes - it did everything I needed and was a lot of fun to ride.

Welcome to Sunny Weston...when you ride. PJ's IceCream Parlour opposite the pier is the best pace for some cold refreshment after you have done 🙂

Great video as always Mark!

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

Thanks 🙏

Nice video! Good luck on that chase the sun ride I’ll look out to cheer for you when you go through Devizes

i love my motobecane titanium cyclocross bike, it has mountain hydraulic brakes but a road group on it. I got it roughly 10 years ago gravel bikes were not really around at that time. or i wasn't aware of gravel bikes at that time. Road bikes were not available with disc but cyclocross were which is why i got it. Love disc brakes though for wet conditions and braking later on steep descents.

I liked the comparison and like many others pointed out: the truth is in the middle. There is a certain sweetspot after which there is only deminishing returns for all the money. It would be a lot better if such comparisons would be made between a 1.5-2k bike and a 7k bike. I'm certain everyone would pick the cheaper one in the end since the additional cost doesn't bring the same improvements or benefits. On the other hand all cheap biked can handle most of the stuff you would think of. Sam Pilgrim took a 200€ Walmart bike backflipping down whistler mountain and it was still perfect. :D

@vento2175

Жыл бұрын

@@Codzilla71 i get your point but that wasn't really what i was talking about. Even the people with the money to burn would make the rational choice based on the comparison and buy something else with the rest. It's a question of value for money. If you are a millionaire you are not caring for any of this. Specialized makes this bikes on certain premisses. There will always be people who have to much money and people who are not informed and think they need /want the best and price is an indicator for this. But it's not and let's be honest main sales for companies in general are not made in the top 1 % percentile of their pricerange and except for certain business who solely rely on their marketing to beeing a luxury product it's not feasible :)

@iiii2903

Жыл бұрын

@@Codzilla71 it's, for most, certain....😁

I brought a Specialized Crux in October love the shape love no proprietary components and simplicity with 1x and Wireless, clocked in over 5000km in 3 months just wanted too ride all the time its so much fun. Is fast on all terrain I ride seems to fly up hills and down. Yes expensive but I ride it as much as I can so to me worth the cost.

The future shock feature sounds amazing. I bike just for fun, and being an amateur I tend to tighten my shoulders up more than I should and after a while of the bumps it causes a lot of shoulder discomfort.

The gravel bike appears! Good stuff and glad you're enjoying it

I have the Expert with the same mudguards. Something you need to do that I did with the rear guard is trim those rear rods… you’ll get rid of that bowing you have on yours :) Such a great bike. Enjoy

Love this angle on what defines a better bike. All the stuff about being x seconds faster over n kms doesn't really mean much to annoyone not racing at an elite level. Fun is the reason, if you enjoy your bike more you'll ride it more, which will most likely have the bonus side effect of getting fitter. I agree, if you can afford it why not invest in something that will make you happier and healther.

@Pohlmaster

Жыл бұрын

Yes! My first bike tour (450 km) was with my grandma’s city-bike. 3 gears. Perfect bike, still miss it (it got stolen a few years ago). Time and distance doesn’t matter that much. If you have fun exercising than an old bike should be enough. If you would like to do long distances really fast, then get a better bike. The amount of exercise will be the same.

Thanks Mark for the entertaining video. Love to see you getting into cycling and looking forward to seeing how your longer rides go! These comparisons to the Eurobike never tell me what I want to know. I don't want to know how the Eurobike handles on one ride the £7000 question is how does it handle on repeated rides over multiple years. I have a 2021 Checkpoint SL5 that has almost 9500km on it. Regardless of how the Eurobike handles on a single ride I doubt it's going to hold up to that sort of usage. What I want to know is if I had gotten the Checkpoint Al5 would it be just as good (aluminum frame vs carbon for £1000 less - that's a lot of burgers!). You could then upgrade my bike and get the electronic shifting and carbon wheels to match what Mark has here - is that worth double the cost? Unless your racing and actually care about those 3min I don't think so. In terms of the 2023 Diverge range currently advertised on Specialized UK you have a range from: - Diverge Comp E5 for £2550 (Aluminum frame, mechanical disk breaks, Shimano Claris 8 speed drive train) - Diverge Carbon Sport for £3300 (FACT 8r carbon frame, hydraulic breaks, SRAM Apex 1x) - Diverge Pro Carbon for £8000 (Mark's bike but in 2023 prices) (Fact 9r carbon frame, SRAM Force eTap ) - S-Works Diverge STR for £13000 (Fact 11r carbon frame, SRAM Red eTap) Your only going to notice the £4700 between the Carbon Sport and Pro Carbon if you are racing or doing lots of racing. Maybe electronic shifting is worth it, but in terms of ride quality going with tubeless tires is going to be a bigger (and cheaper) upgrade. All that said, the problem with the Eurobike isn't that its slightly harder to go through mud and heavier on the up hills. The issue is that the components are all low quality and upgrading them is going to be hard. Your going to spend more than the bike cost on parts and then in a year when you've decided you really like biking but want a better drive train you're spending £1500 to put it on a subpar bike. But if the Eurobike gets you outside and moving then that's great - the best bike for you is the bike you have.

I spent a ton on my first bike too, but I went the Crux Pro route instead of the Diverge route. Cheers mate.

I have the same gravel bike and also a pair of Zipp 404 Firecrests too to make it even more versatile for when I ride predominantly road. Lovely bike and well worth the cost. It is my Winter/wet weather bike. I have a Pinarello Dogma F for road only. I’ve also got bikes far cheaper and while good and I do agree re diminishing returns with increasing cost, superbikes and high-end bikes that combine lighter weight with electronic gearing etc really do save watts and need to be raced to be appreciated. Saving watts is all relative of course, I race, chase Strava KOM’s etc and the difference between winning and losing can be very marginal - justifying the bikes I now own for me. If I didn’t race road and MTB and wanted just one bike though, this Specialized Diverge Pro with 2 sets of wheels is ideal for all the reasons mentioned.

The thing with a cheap bike is that in few miles some accessories are prone to fall apart. For example saddle rails could separate from saddle, rims could bend easily, chainring bending too if pushing really hard.

Great video. There’s a concept with tools that says - buy the cheapest one in the shop, if you wear it out, buy the expensive one. Kinda fits here too. I wouldn’t recommend a £7k bike as a starter. :-) Love what you do.

@olivercowan

Жыл бұрын

I like that!

Confidence is the biggest performance upgrade on a bike. If you love it who cares what other people think about the price? Great comparison video and useful ammo when I need to skip a holiday to replace my mountain bike 😂

this video is just what i needed today 😁

Great Vid as always

I bought a Kona Jake the Snake cyclo-cross bike 15 years ago. It was expensive for me at the time. But I love it and I'm still riding it. The cost of your bike comes down, if you use it and it lasts. Oh and if you enjoy it.

I have a gravel, road, and mountain bike and like you my favorite hands down is my gravel bike. My mountain bike is extremely heavy and I am my 50s I am not doing anything crazy on the trails. The road bike is great, but in Colorado our city trail switch from paved to gravel so my gravel bike works perfectly for me. I am surprised the Amazon bike did well on your test. I just knew it would get destroyed.

For context, I'm 45, 10km pb 56:00 (2015). Started running again this year (in Jan 2023). Started MAF in Feb, (very reluctantly and very skeptically) 7km same route every time , twice a week as well as a fast 5/7km and a longer slow run on a Sunday (10km). I keep below 148bpm. First MAF run I could only run/walk , mostly walking.. very frustrating! @9:12/km.. on my 9th MAF run @8:12/km , need to walk a few times still on the uphills. my 5km fast run is down to 6:17/km. My vo2max is up 2 points to 40. I'm enjoying my runs more and able to go further on the subday long run. So I am sticking to it but I make sure I get my fast run in as well. So far so so good 👍

I bought a planet X whippet 2 years ago cost £999, carbon frame, over the last 2 years I've converted it to a 12spd dropbar graveler, it's rapid, though I see your point regarding you bike, there's a lot to be said for cheaper bikes

I love my gravel bike and gravel races are a great time, but I also found it was the perfect gateway drug to road bikes. It’s a slippery slope!

Ive only got one thing to say about “ wireless electronic shifting” -pyrenhees, weather turns, on your own , gears stop working…… My mate had to update the firmware on his shimano last week. I would never take this sort of kit on a trip, it could easily ruin it.

I had a Scott straight bar hybrid bike in high school, $300. It lasted me the entire time over sidewalks and potholes, and the only bad thing was the teeth on the 8th gear on the back of the cassette rounded over. All around, it just depends on what someone is using it for

Great video and great comparison, I know a lot will say why not compare a bike half the price etc, but your goal was to compare the absolute cheapest to the top tier bike and as such was a brilliant example and comparison. Keep them coming and great to see a Garmin back on your wrist 😅

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

Indeed - and anyone is welcome to send me a £3k bike to test 😂 And the garmin comes out now and then to keep peeps happy 😂

It's so worth spending money on premium bikes if you can afford it (even more so if you are C2W and get it essentially half price). Better, lighter frames, better quality materials, better groupsets with way better feel, lighter wheels etc. I have a relatively low end gravel bike (CGR AL) with a low end groupset (Sram Apex), it's probably closer to the bike people said you should buy than the euro. However all my other bikes are more premium in terms of frame material and groupset, and I notice so much, I enjoy riding the gravel bike the least, and I think you'd likely feel the same when you have a high end road bike in the garage.

Definitely keep both bikes - use the cheap heavy one for training and the expensive lighter one for racing / sportivs ......exactly what I do with my 4.5k slick racer and my extremely heavy Eurobike 😃

I recently bought a gravel bike after months and months of research, and I built it up so much in my head that I was half expecting it to replace my road bike. I do like it, but it definitely does NOT replace my road bike. When people ask me what type of bike they should get, my answer is 'road' without a seconds hesitation...it's not just a hobby, it's a replacement for a car in most circumstances. I just don't find the gravel bike the same with the extra drag and weight.

Need to do the specialised verses my £600 Gravel bike as its a good deal closer and had done everything from Triathlons, duathlons, CX, time trials, gravel epics from coast to coast, its even done a 24hr MTB race..... solo!

Enjoyed your video Mark, as always. Just Ride Bikes channel reviewed some decent gravel bikes just under £2k recently and would have been (possibly more) interesting to see how close these bikes were to your £7k Specialized. Missing out on quite a few BK's to purchase that though so can see why Eurobike was your first choice! I have a Specialized Roubaix Endurance bike and do wonder if I would have been better off getting a gravel bike as, like you, mainly UK's pot holed road use with the odd bit of off road. I think I would find the 1x drivetrain on a gravel bike at the front quite frustrating for getting up speed on the road though 🤔

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

Interestingly, I think the really cool things I like about mine wouldn’t be found on a 2k bike. Now having ridden mine, if I was replacing it, my priorities would be the electronic shifting and crazy light weight. Neither of which is commonly found until you get higher up the price points. I think if I spend 2k and wasn’t 100% delighted, I would be more annoyed 😂

@ColinSmith2001

Жыл бұрын

@@MarkLewisfitness You could go the other way, get the £12k S-Works Crux, and compare that to the "cheap" Diverge? ;-)

@thegreatgadsby4233

Жыл бұрын

@@MarkLewisfitness Regular cable shifters are also capable of changing gears while breaking and a 2k bike will have the shifters on the hoods so no taking your hands off either. As for weight, a carbon frame on a 2k bike is feasible so finding one within 1-2kg of the diverge should be doable. Hydraulic brakes are also feasible at this price point. It just wont have things like the handlebar suspension and integrated tool kit.

You're actually very funny. I love your channel.

i bought a specialized road bike for $1100 that has new 105 components and mavic kysrium elite wheelset , i typically rode 58cm and 60 this specialized is 56cm and i love it.

In the 70's we had one type of bike. A standard... bike... ! A bike. I did have three internal gears (must have been a LUX version). We all had those, exept the rich kid that had a Chopper. We admired it a lot, but whenever away from has fathers driveway or the schoolyard, it was quite hopeles. The rest of us used our bikes in dirt, gravel, sand, twisting through the woods long before any MTB tracks where invented, and build jumps to try and fly as long as possible on the bike. Even used them for seeing who could jump the longest in to the ocean (harbor) (Just remember to tie a rope to the bike...) And to and from school every day. The bikes worked fine for that and actually had very few problems from it. My father told me that the bike was my own responsability and I had to take care of it and repair it myself. So I was about 8 years old when I could handle a 70's bike. Trust me, ball bearings on a 70's bike are noting like the easy ones you find on modern bikes! That you need a specific bike, whenever the surface/weather/time of the year/the sound of birds change, is a new invention to drain you for money. If what you want is just have fun and get some excersice, take a step back and use common sense.

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

Jumping a bike into a harbour with it tied to a piece of rope for later retrieval. Sounds like you invented a Red Bull competition way too soon 😂

I personally prefer the underdog mentality. Same as overtaking a supercar on track 😂 Gonna get myself a gravel bike soon I think (though it will be second hand and sub 1k)

It was a fun comparison, for me the best value bikes are between 1000 and 1500, they get most of the benefits of more expensive bikes without the added cost. Even better if you buy 2nd hand. Gravel is a good option for an all-around bike, jack of all trades master of none. If I didn't already have a touring bike and road bike that style of bike would be my bike of choice. Have you thought of doing a multi day bike camping tour? Love the channel.

Happy with a 1500 alu sonder Camino, does everything and the difference is my fitness

If you can afford it and you like it then it’s a good choice. That said, there are diminishing returns as you go up in price with bikes and arguably you could have bought a bike you would have been just as happy with for less….if money was a concern. You’ll notice massive differences between a $500 bike and a $2000 bike. But likely won’t notice much difference between a $5000 bike and an $8000 bike. But, like I said, it really comes down to what you feel you can afford and if you enjoy it.

I love all your videos, but as others have stated, a more apt comparison, especially on a channel that does such a great job of getting people into fitness, would be between this top of the line carbon bike and a 2k gravel bike. Aluminum frame, mechanical shifting, and sans suspension. I can almost guarantee your times would be very similar. This bike would certainly feel better, because it is, but a 2k bike would give an even experienced rider all the tools they would need.

for me, it's hard to switch away from what i know works, that's why i stick with the shimano (except their chains). I rode the hell out of a tiagra groupset with no issues and of course the 105 is good and the ultegra.

Love the race sticker still on the helmet. I once did a race and went to put my race sticker on my tt helmet. The sticker from the last race still on it. I just put the new one over top

I have to believe that that Cervelo P3X cost a touch more than 7,000 GBP. Good for you for getting a bike that you love!

Finally! A little gravel content! Will we be seeing you at Unbound???

Cool video, I think you most likely knew the answer before starting Mark😅! I think most people are spot on with their comments, the truth is it the middle. A comparison with the Diverge Sport Carbon or Diverge Comp Carbon. 3K and 4K difference in price and not sure the difference would be as evident or felt at all and cherry on the cake you would still have enough for a week in Sardegna or Spain 😂. Remember happy wife, happy life 😂.Shame you are not keeping the Eurobike as I would have loved to see you do a triathlon with it😅…..in the video you stated a few times the price would have been harder to justify with a more expensive road bike….I’m sure you would felt the difference with your Cervelo on a triathlon ride 😊.

I just bought a diverge elite, would love to see the difference between the lower end I have and the top end you have.

I'm sure you will enjoy chase the ☀️, I did it last year. It was fun but never again.

Those straps on the frame will eventually mess up the frame clear coat after a few hundred miles. Put some black electric tape sticky side out (this means the sticky part not touching the frame) and then put the straps on the tape. If you have a second set of wheels for your hardtail you could go even faster than the gravel bike. If you can swap the wheels to the mountain bike and do the same loop for science? That would be a cool video.

Is that a Quadlock an adapter for the Garmin varía UT mount?, or a separate mount altogether. I’m trying to find a secure way to put my phone on my Garmin light mount. Currently I’ve been using a standard bike phone mount.

Did you purchase from specialized Newbury? I got my diverge expert from there and very happy with it. I ride on same trails as you and along jubilee river etc and realised I had a massive smile on my face. It’s a really capable bike and very fun to ride. I’ve seen the 2023 model is available but I find the rear shock kinda ginmicky. I hope you got a good deal on the 2022.

Back in 2018 I was in the market for a bike that could be ridden on Texas back roads. I'm a former football/rugby player that is 265 lbs. Because of my size, a bike shop suggested a gravel bike which I never heard of at the time. I was actually insulted believing it was a handicap because of my size. Boy was I wrong! I bought 2017 Specialized Diverge Carbon bike ($5k USD) and have never regretted it. I still have it after all these years and it's in perfect condition. Other than adding 42 tires (vs 38), the bike is perfect. I even throw it on Zwift in addition to taking out for fun rides. I'm entering my first gravel bike race this year, too. I see a gravel race in your near future. :)

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

Ha, that story reminds me of when I wanted a BMX in the early 80s, and my local bike shop told my mother to get me something called a mountain bike that I have never heard of. I thought it looked like the thing that my dad has been riding to work for the last 50 years. 😂. And definitely going to do some gravel bike races

I don’t bike but I like your videos a lot. Good job. 🇨🇦

Would to see a comparison between the Decathlon triban 120 gravel and your expensive gravel bike

Great comparison! Out of interest what tyres is the Diverge running? Is that a 45m Pirelli?

Superb videos and channel. Having only recently found you on KZread, I'm enjoying binge watching all the content. I have since lost half a stone, loving the protein version of Angel Delight and am going to convert my dusty old outbuilding into a pain cave, with painted walls no less! I have a question, slightly off piste from this video. I have been logging calories on the 'My Fitness Pal' app giving myself a 500 calorie deficit and it's going well. However, occasionally, as in the case today, i have a 800 calorie deficit along with my 500 I have dialed into the app. I feel I have eaten as much as I can by the time it comes to the end of the day. I could have eaten more earlier but chose not to as I wasn't sure how the day would pan out. In this instance, do you take the win and celebrate the extra calorie deficit *)) in my case) or try to better gage the day to hit the target?

I bought a carbon Trek Checkpoint (2022 SL6 eTap) early last year to replace my late 90s mountain bike that was pretty similar to the eurobike technologically. The Trek is SO much better and gets me out there riding almost every day. I did more miles last year than in the entire rest of my life. I'm about the same weight as you (210 lbs) so I appreciate a strong frame with good brakes and a tough drivetrain that can shift under load. I've wore out one chain so far and after replacement, I had to adjust the derailleur... just two clicks of a button and it's perfect again. Loaded up with bags, tools, lights, etc. it's still only 25 pounds. Same weight as my old steel bike with no accessories at all.

@LR6092

Жыл бұрын

He should have got a checkpoint sl6, such an amazing bike.

@MiketheBassMan

Жыл бұрын

@@LR6092 yeah, and basically half the price. No way the specialized is twice as good.

@LR6092

Жыл бұрын

@Krak in my opinion the checkpoint sl6 is the best gravel bike there is. Hard to beat

Another huge fan of AXS here, on my Specialized Epic Pro Carbon HT MTB.

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

As somebody who grew up on bikes in the 70s and 80s, it was like playing a computer game to ride this thing.

@roilev

Жыл бұрын

@@MarkLewisfitness And the robo sound effects it makes!

Well you got the Prizm Road lenses, that spells pro in my book

Whose been watching GCN then! Great video though thanks as always

If you love Gravel Mark enter the Dirty Reiver in Kielder forest usually in April bit late this year as tickets sell out in a day. 200k is a great challenge. 👍keep up the good work.

I mean if money isn't a big concern for you sure buy what you like, if you are price conscious but still appreciate a nice bike, one might consider going with a "mid range" bike say 1500 - 3000 ish. but yeah if you are aiming for the best value I find that's usually between 1500-800, go too low and you often lose quality and comfort, and if you go low enough, you also lose speed.

16kg bike. Wow didn't think that was still possible :) SOLID!

I have a Schwinn Axios cyclocross bike I bought on Amazon for < 300 us. It is admittedly a POS. But it is a great urban explore because it can handle a wide variety of terrain and I can leave it in the sketchiest of areas without fear. Everyone should have one Frankenbike you don't care about. Although truth be told, I would miss it if it got nicked.

Yes, if you like it and it gets you out riding. And riding safely. Then yes, its a good buy, especially if you ride it to work cause..... no gas!

Nice gesture with the giveaway bike, good on you!

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

Hope it helps someone out 👍

It does not even matter how much better something is if you enjoy it more.

are those aftermarket mud guards mark? can you give us the details for those please ? great video

Those people were right in you spending too much, peak bike performance is these days around the £2K-3K level. Someone has got to pay the R+D department however, so thanks for buying one of those products and it will save you 20 seconds over an hour...if you set it up optimally, which I think anyone would struggle to do! Fun content though!

The specialized looks sick 👍👍🔥🔥

Mark . Welcome to the cool side of cycling.

This is the most positive review I've seen of a eurobike, even if the positives were "it works". I all ways feel you could get more bike for your buck buyin 2nd hand, than buying this type of cheap bike (or even something from decathlon).

Great bike ; the specialized that is. Would be more interesting to do a comparison to a decathlon budget gravel - no where near as expensive as the specialized but leagues better than that iron Chinese death camp horror

I don’t know what tires your bike has now, but as a person that works at a shop that sells Specialized, I really recommend using the Specialized pathfinder for your style of riding. Also the coast to coast trip would be perfect for these. Look them up and you will see. Only positive reviews from them.

@MarkLewisfitness

Жыл бұрын

Googling them now - many thanks!

Can't wait to get my Diverge E5. The extra charge for carbon was not really worth it to me. Almost double the price. I still have to wait 2 months ;/