Gravel guides
How to choose a carbon gravel frameset
Choose a carbon gravel frameset by geometry first, then tyre clearance, then carbon and weight. A reach you can hold for five hours matters more than 100 grams; 50 mm or more of tyre clearance keeps the bike useful on rough roads; and a frameset that includes bar, seatpost and headset is often cheaper than one that looks cheaper on paper.
1. Geometry: reach, stack and bottom-bracket drop
Reach is the horizontal distance from the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube; stack is the vertical. Together they decide how stretched and how low you sit. Race-derived gravel frames typically have a long reach and a low stack, which is fast for a professional and exhausting for most of us after three hours. Look at the reach in your size and compare it with a bike you know you can ride all day — if the new frame is 10–15 mm longer, you will feel it.
Bottom-bracket drop is how far the crank axle sits below the wheel axles. A deep drop (75–80 mm) feels stable on smooth roads but clips rocks and roots on technical descents and makes the bike slow to lift over obstacles. For mountain gravel a shallower drop (65–72 mm) gives more pedal clearance without making the bike nervous.
Tinden Eryx is drawn with a shorter reach and a shallower drop than typical race geometry for exactly this reason: most riders ride faster, for longer, in a position they can actually hold.
2. Tyre clearance
Clearance decides where you can ride. 40–42 mm is enough for fast, groomed gravel; 45–50 mm covers most Norwegian forest roads; 50 mm and up lets you run 2.1–2.3-inch mountain-bike tyres for washed-out mountain tracks and winter riding. Check the stated clearance for the front and the rear separately — the rear is usually the limit — and remember that mud needs 4–6 mm on each side.
Eryx has 58 mm of clearance front and rear on 700c wheels.
3. Carbon grade and weight
Carbon frames are built from several grades of fibre. Toray T700 is the workhorse; T800 is stiffer and lighter; T1000 has a higher tensile strength and is used where loads concentrate. What matters is not the headline grade but the layup — where each fibre is used and how much. A good frame uses high-modulus fibre around the bottom bracket, head tube and chainstays, and a more compliant layup in the seat stays and top tube so the ride is not harsh.
A gravel frame of 950–1 100 g painted (size M) is light; 1 100–1 300 g is normal; above that you are carrying weight that a better layup would have removed. Compare painted weights — raw-frame figures flatter the number by 60–100 g.
4. Mounts, storage and routing
Count the mounts you actually use: two bottle cages inside the triangle, a top tube mount, and fork or down tube mounts if you tour. Down tube storage — a compartment inside the frame for tube, tool and CO2 — is the single most useful addition of the last few years, because it empties your pockets on every ride. Fully internal cable routing is cleaner and quieter but makes the bike harder to service; make sure the frameset ships with the headset and spacers it needs.
5. What is included
A frameset can mean frame and fork, or frame, fork, seatpost, headset, axles and integrated handlebar. The difference is 4 000–8 000 NOK of parts, so compare what is in the box, not the price tag. Eryx ships with frame, fork, integrated carbon bar, seatpost, thru-axles, headset and the Tinden frame bag set.
6. Try the geometry before you buy
If you cannot test ride, put your current bike's reach and stack next to the candidate frame's numbers in the same size. A geometry calculator will show you the difference in stem length you would need to match the position. If the candidate needs a stem shorter than 70 mm to fit you, the frame is too long.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important number on a gravel frame geometry chart?
Reach. It decides how stretched you sit, and a reach that is 10–15 mm too long is the most common reason a gravel bike feels fast for an hour and exhausting after three.
How much tyre clearance does a gravel bike need?
40–42 mm for fast gravel, 45–50 mm for most forest roads, 50 mm or more if you ride rough mountain tracks or in winter. More clearance never hurts; less limits where you can ride.
Is T1000 carbon better than T800?
T1000 has a higher tensile strength and is used where loads concentrate. A good frame mixes grades in a layup designed for the frame; the layup matters more than the headline grade.
What should a carbon gravel frameset weigh?
950–1 100 g painted in size M is light, 1 100–1 300 g is normal. Compare painted weights, not raw-frame figures.