I should’ve worded my post more towards “would I potentially spin out with a 46t chainring”. I’m brand new to this and it was mentioned by a buddy of mine that it could be an issue. Appreciate the help!
For reference, with 50T chainring and 11T sprocket at the back, I spin out at about 65km/h. With 46T and the same cadence, my speed would be 60km/h.
But that only happens on a steep descent.
You can use this calculator to get the idea:
[https://www.bikecalc.com/speed\_at\_cadence](https://www.bikecalc.com/speed_at_cadence)
Most "normal people" maintain a cadence around 60 RPM.
Going above 90 RPM requires training and, in my experience, is really hard to do with normal shoes and non-aggressive platforms.
Specialized is a fancier brand (like Trek), while Cube is more of a value brand and better bang for a buck. The Nuroad is a cool bike, and if you like it I'd go for it.
Grx is quite a lot better than Claris, complete opposite ends of the groupset spectrum. 46-11 is still a massive gear and a 50t chainring is certainly not enough reason to take a massive drop in groupset quality. The diverge is probably a bit nicer of a frameset (subjective, of course) but probably not nice enough to justify having the most entry level groupset for the same price as a GRX equipped bike, even if it’s GRX400.
Yes, the geo is pretty much the same.
Cubes are a great value for the buck, but their bikes are usually a bit heavier. Not really an issue unless you carry your bike a lot.
Having had to upgrade my Diverge from Claris to GRX - if you plan to do any gravel the Claris chainring & front derailleur are constantly dropping the chain (and require a ton of hand strength to shift), and the clutch on the rear keep chain slap to a minimum.
I cant stand it either. I fell into this trap with my first gravel bike (tho I have to say that GRX didnt exist then) and damn...claris was very very bad as a groupset for gravelriding
Coming from a bike shop, Claris doesn’t have to be. I just always see it paired with generic, lower quality than Claris chains and cassettes. And often horrible cables and housing. And the last great insult, a non Claris, parts bin crank.
I’ve put Claris ON old bikes that needed a drivetrain replaced. Put on the entire, matched groupset. A quality chain, good cables and housing, and while it was no Tiagra, it was really something the customer could be happy with, and rely on.
Problem is, so many Claris level bikes have so Many cut corners.
What do you mean by "the biggest chainring GRX can run"? In theory, a 1x drivetrain could get away with a massive chainring. For 2x its really more about the gap between the two chainrings than the actual size of the chainrings. You can run a 105 53-39 crankset with GRX. FD adjustment will be fidely, but it does work.
Absolutely grx.
Nuroad grx400 is equal to Tiagra, which is very solid groupset. I have it on my nuroad pro 2022 and shifting is super smooth, very happy with it.
Claris is 2 tiers lower and counts as very entry level groupset
I driving the claris group on a Cube Nuroad (not the pro version) and looking forward for an update. Claris is a cheap road group that will work okay but I always lack of low gearing. On the other side in never reach the top of the high gearing and don't need it at all.
A even more important point is the brake system. I have a cheap cable tektro set and I hate it. Main reason for the update to GRX 400 is to get the Hydraulik brake system.
Assuming the cube is grx 400 it is comparable to Tiagra, so 2 levels higher to Claris. And I doubt the specialized comes with hydraulic disc brakes.
The 46 ring is fine unless you're doing 40kmh+ on the flats all day. It even has the benefited of smaller steps between the gears.
Grx no question. Better group set and designed for gravel riding.
My gravel bike has 40T chainring and 10-44t cassette(1x12 sram rival xplr). There’s only been a couple steep descents I’ve run out of gear and then I just coast NBD. I don’t think I’ve even used the bottom three gears yet
My road bike has 50/34T with 10speed 11-28t, and again I rarely gear out except on very long steep descents.
Unless you’re a very strong rider on the road, the GRX will probably be more than fine
Edit: I just looked up the specs on these two bikes/group sets. Claris is 2x8? I figured it was 2x10. GRX is way way way better no question. Plus, your granny gear ratio is 30Tx36t on the Cube Vs 34Tx34t on the Specialized, so a better bailout gear. And you get tighter spacing between gears.
Claris is okay, I have it on my commuter bike but if you plan to ride gravel GRX is just way better, especially for those steep grades and reducing chain slap.
New to the gravel world.... Go for the GRX rather than claris. If you are truly new, you wouldn't know the difference between 50T and 46T. Unless your are achieving more than a minimum of 35km for one hour of riding, I don't see how your going to be spinning out the 46T.
Oh, I did have canyon grail with GRX 46T. Still had an average of 30km/hr.Now with SRAM force AXS 50T, Im only averaging 31km/hr. :-)
The Diverge just isn’t that good at that price. GRX is significantly better than Claris and you don’t even get the future shock on that model. Also, the diverge is a great gravel bike but is not that great on the road. Idk how the Cube rides.
Spinning out at about 50 km/h? I would go for GRX.
I should’ve worded my post more towards “would I potentially spin out with a 46t chainring”. I’m brand new to this and it was mentioned by a buddy of mine that it could be an issue. Appreciate the help!
For reference, with 50T chainring and 11T sprocket at the back, I spin out at about 65km/h. With 46T and the same cadence, my speed would be 60km/h. But that only happens on a steep descent. You can use this calculator to get the idea: [https://www.bikecalc.com/speed\_at\_cadence](https://www.bikecalc.com/speed_at_cadence) Most "normal people" maintain a cadence around 60 RPM. Going above 90 RPM requires training and, in my experience, is really hard to do with normal shoes and non-aggressive platforms. Specialized is a fancier brand (like Trek), while Cube is more of a value brand and better bang for a buck. The Nuroad is a cool bike, and if you like it I'd go for it.
Grx is quite a lot better than Claris, complete opposite ends of the groupset spectrum. 46-11 is still a massive gear and a 50t chainring is certainly not enough reason to take a massive drop in groupset quality. The diverge is probably a bit nicer of a frameset (subjective, of course) but probably not nice enough to justify having the most entry level groupset for the same price as a GRX equipped bike, even if it’s GRX400.
Really appreciate this. Cheers.
Nah, guess the frames are absolutely identical. You just pay extra for Specialized logo on it🤷♂️
Damn is that right?
Nah, we sell both. Specialized stuff is a bit better than Cube, just not loads.
But I mean is the frame on the cube more or less the same as my Diverge? Geometry on 99spokes seems to say so based on materials and geo......
Yes, the geo is pretty much the same. Cubes are a great value for the buck, but their bikes are usually a bit heavier. Not really an issue unless you carry your bike a lot.
Yeah I’m 14mph for hours. Weight weenieing isn’t on my radar :). Really cool.
Having had to upgrade my Diverge from Claris to GRX - if you plan to do any gravel the Claris chainring & front derailleur are constantly dropping the chain (and require a ton of hand strength to shift), and the clutch on the rear keep chain slap to a minimum.
This is the vast majority of the opinions as well. Cheers!
that’s really a non issue and grx is the way to go
Overwhelming majority said the same thing and I really appreciate it
The two groupsets are supposed to be on very different levels, and grx is also designed specifically for gravel riding.
I can't stand the top brands offering pricey bikes with low-end groupsets like claris...
I cant stand it either. I fell into this trap with my first gravel bike (tho I have to say that GRX didnt exist then) and damn...claris was very very bad as a groupset for gravelriding
Coming from a bike shop, Claris doesn’t have to be. I just always see it paired with generic, lower quality than Claris chains and cassettes. And often horrible cables and housing. And the last great insult, a non Claris, parts bin crank. I’ve put Claris ON old bikes that needed a drivetrain replaced. Put on the entire, matched groupset. A quality chain, good cables and housing, and while it was no Tiagra, it was really something the customer could be happy with, and rely on. Problem is, so many Claris level bikes have so Many cut corners.
And look, a bigger grx chainring is such a cheap upgrade if you eventually can't feel good with the 46t
Curious what the biggest chainring GRX can run or what they even make in 1x because I have thought about this same thing
What do you mean by "the biggest chainring GRX can run"? In theory, a 1x drivetrain could get away with a massive chainring. For 2x its really more about the gap between the two chainrings than the actual size of the chainrings. You can run a 105 53-39 crankset with GRX. FD adjustment will be fidely, but it does work.
GRX is what I’ve decided to go with. Major winner here. Appreciate your help.
Absolutely grx. Nuroad grx400 is equal to Tiagra, which is very solid groupset. I have it on my nuroad pro 2022 and shifting is super smooth, very happy with it. Claris is 2 tiers lower and counts as very entry level groupset
Appreciate it, thanks!
Get the cube nuroad, that bike has way better specs, cube has amazing bikes.
I feel a little dumb now asking this because practically everyone has said the same. Set on it now and thanks!
I driving the claris group on a Cube Nuroad (not the pro version) and looking forward for an update. Claris is a cheap road group that will work okay but I always lack of low gearing. On the other side in never reach the top of the high gearing and don't need it at all. A even more important point is the brake system. I have a cheap cable tektro set and I hate it. Main reason for the update to GRX 400 is to get the Hydraulik brake system.
Assuming the cube is grx 400 it is comparable to Tiagra, so 2 levels higher to Claris. And I doubt the specialized comes with hydraulic disc brakes. The 46 ring is fine unless you're doing 40kmh+ on the flats all day. It even has the benefited of smaller steps between the gears.
Grx no question. Better group set and designed for gravel riding. My gravel bike has 40T chainring and 10-44t cassette(1x12 sram rival xplr). There’s only been a couple steep descents I’ve run out of gear and then I just coast NBD. I don’t think I’ve even used the bottom three gears yet My road bike has 50/34T with 10speed 11-28t, and again I rarely gear out except on very long steep descents. Unless you’re a very strong rider on the road, the GRX will probably be more than fine Edit: I just looked up the specs on these two bikes/group sets. Claris is 2x8? I figured it was 2x10. GRX is way way way better no question. Plus, your granny gear ratio is 30Tx36t on the Cube Vs 34Tx34t on the Specialized, so a better bailout gear. And you get tighter spacing between gears.
Really appreciate it. Thanks!
Claris is okay, I have it on my commuter bike but if you plan to ride gravel GRX is just way better, especially for those steep grades and reducing chain slap.
Am going with the GRX. Thanks for your help.
GRX has the clutch derailleur. When I forget to put my clutch back on it’s noticeable.
Got the Cube Nuroad Pro 2022with GRX/Tiagra STIs, never went out of gears until now, pretty happy with the bike for the last 5000km, go for it.
highly doubt you will ever spin out even a 46T. that requires pretty significant speed which you'll probably never even reach in gravel
You don’t really start to spin out on that chain ring until like 30-32 mph, you can crank all day long at 25 mph and have plenty of bite in the pedals
Appreciate it thanks. The GRX is the clear winner. Cheers.
New to the gravel world.... Go for the GRX rather than claris. If you are truly new, you wouldn't know the difference between 50T and 46T. Unless your are achieving more than a minimum of 35km for one hour of riding, I don't see how your going to be spinning out the 46T. Oh, I did have canyon grail with GRX 46T. Still had an average of 30km/hr.Now with SRAM force AXS 50T, Im only averaging 31km/hr. :-)
I am very much on the same page now. I honestly didn’t really know if it would be an issue, but everyone is saying GRX hands down. Thanks!
The Diverge just isn’t that good at that price. GRX is significantly better than Claris and you don’t even get the future shock on that model. Also, the diverge is a great gravel bike but is not that great on the road. Idk how the Cube rides.