Well, we upgraded my gravel bike “Candy” to be a MUCH better climbing bike (really we turned it from a “cyclocross” bike to a super-light gravel bike). After upgrading the tires, we upgraded the rear cassette (and derailleur) and front chainring.
Stock:
Hunter figured out Shimano GRX, with a longer GRX derailleur, could take a much bigger rear cassette, all the way from 34 tooth biggest gear to 46T:
We also made the front chainring smaller, from 40T stock to 36T:
Candy now has the same “gain ratio” in its easiest setup:
- 46T (rear) + 36T front – which climbs the same as:
- 51T (rear) + 40T front :)
And, wow she can climb now.
| upgrades | 11-46T (rear) x 36T front |
| stock | 11-34T (rear) x 40T front |
| Cost | Part |
|---|---|
| $142 | Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M Bike Tire (700x40c) (2x) |
| $121 | Cassette Shimano M8000 XT 11 speed 11-46T |
| $112 | Shimano rear derailuer RD-RX812 GRX |
| $85 | Wolf Tooth 36T chainring |
| $34 | tubeless valves |
| $50 | LEZYNE Pocket Drive Pro Mini pump |
| $544 | TOTAL |
Weight Weenie
| Weight | Timeline |
|---|---|
| 18.7 lbs | rolled off floor (but no: pedals, bottle cages) (and as typical, no: bike bag, pump) |
| 19.9 lbs | .. plus pedals, bottle cages & upgraded 28c tubed to 40c tubeless tires |
| 20.3 lbs | .. and new longer derailleur + bigger rear cassette |
| 20.1 lbs | .. and new smaller 36T chainring |
I’m so delighted now with this bike!
(After my 62 mile gravel race 9 days ago):
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