Ride1Up CF Racer1 road vs. gravel eBike – what’s the difference?
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The question of the difference between the Ride1Up CF Racer1 road vs. gravel bike will definitely come up when looking to buy this capable and affordable eBike.
At first glance, the tires are the most obvious difference. The gravel version come with 700x40c Continental Terra Trail while the road version is equipped with 700x32c Schwalbe E-One tires. The larger diameter and more aggressive tread of the Terra Trail tires offers greater puncture resistance and increased traction when riding off road.
Most gravel bike handlebars these days have more flare (the outward angle of the drops) than road bikes. The CF Racer1 gravel edition is no exception as its bars are wider and have more flare than the road bike version. In the large size the gravel bars are 487mm compared to 420mm on the road version. Likewise, the flare comes in at 15 degrees vs. 5 degrees on the road.
There’s a slight difference in gearing between the two bikes as well. While both bikes come with a 42-tooth chainring, the road CF Racer1 is equipped with an 11-36 tooth cassette, while the gravel version comes with an 11-42.
The last difference between the CF Racer1 road vs. gravel bike comes down to the wheels. The rims on the road version are 40mm deep (the distance from the top of the rim wall to the bottom of the rim where the spokes exit) and have a 17mm internal width. The gravel bike rims are just 16.5mm deep and have an internal width of 17.5mm.
If you can’t decide between the two, one nice thing about the CF Racer 1 is that you can buy an extra wheelset and swap it out for the conditions. If most of your riding is on pavement, buy the road version, add gravel tires like the Panaracer GravelKing SKs and swap the wheels when you’re gravel riding. Ride1Up sells the CF Racer1 wheels separately at its replacement part page (select the “Compatible with Road and Gravel” option in the “Model” Dropdown).
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If you swapping wheels is too much, another popular option is to buy tires like the Panaracer Gravelking SS, which work well on light gravel as well pavement.
If you’re looking for an affordable road eBike, you really can’t go wrong with the Ride1Up CF Racer1 road vs. gravel bike. Each bike is available at ride1up.com for a bit more than $2,000.