What is a MonsterCross?

Since the revolution began GravelWe have started to hear about the monster cross o monster gravel. And if you still don't know what they are, today I'm going to tell you about the differences with MTB, Gravel bikes and their advantages and disadvantages.

Gravel biking is in fashion

Everyone these days wants or has been interested in a gravel bike. Their rolling and load-carrying capacity lends this type of bike an adventurous spirit. However, it's true that this "new modality" has set off alarm bells for a large segment. anti-scam for being too similar to a simple MTB from the 90's without suspension. This has led some brave people who already had old MTB bikes to rescue them from their storage rooms or garages and get to work to convert them into monster gravel.

Are Gravel MonsterCross just converted hardtail MTBs?

The idea and nomenclature of MonsterCross stem from that foundation. Taking a rigid MTB bike and modifying or changing some of its components to make it more "gravel." (I don't even say XC, because in the early days of mountain biking, there was only one modality. That was rigid bikes with 26" knobby wheels.)

What components do I have to change to my bike to convert it to Monster Gravel?

It will always depend on the base bike you have. But normally you would have to change the handlebar straight for one of highway or Gravel. This will force you to change brake levers of mtb for some road. which will be accompanied by the shift buttons of the road ones.

If your bike is old, probably the brakes and gears go by cable, so you only have to make sure that the gear levers are compatible with the number of changes have your bike That is, if you have 9 sprockets, the road brake/shift lever will have to have 9 pulsations.

The last "major" change would be to put tires on it. more wheelers, with little central tacking or that is at least shallow and allows us to go faster on dirt or road tracks.

The rest of the elements that you can add as saddlebags, fenders, travel bags, etc, are rather optional depending on the use you are going to give your Monstercross.

What advantages does a Monster Gravel have over a Gravel Bike?

The most striking advantage is that if you already have an old MTB bike, recycling it will make spend less money in converting it. just as it is more environmentally sustainable don't buy anything to put one more bike in the house…Since Chela Clo We like to promote responsible consumption, and the reality is that with a bicycle that works correctly, we can enjoy the trails and natural landscapes of our surroundings in the same way, without having to spend thousands of euros for it.

It is also very likely that being a MTB, we have a larger wheel arch. So we can use wider tires or with more studs. which will give us greater comfort if we use them with lower pressures.

What disadvantages do MonsterCross have?

The main and most common will be wheel size. In the event that our bike comes from an old MTB frame, they will surely be 26″ wheels. So the absorption of these wheels having a smaller diameter will be less. In the same way that will roll less for having less inertia once the bike starts to move.

On the other hand, if our Monster Cross comes from an old bike, surely there are parts that cannot be replaced because they are difficult to find. Or that if we could replace them, they are low-end because the component brands of those parts have not been updated for old measurements.

Are new Monster Gravels for sale?

Derived from the original trend of converting bikes into Gravel, we are seeing new bikes come on the market that many people call Gravel. They are usually Gravel bikes with frames usually made of Steel or Titanium, derived directly from MTB frames. With a lot of wheel clearance to accommodate wide MTB rims and tires. In this case, they do have a 700c or 29″ diameter, so they are much more comfortable and are updated with current brakes and gears.

In this case we have an updated gravel style bike that can fit MTB tires. Having this greater comfort and grip. Although it is true, that this type of Monster Gravel does not run as much as the current Gravel that mounts thin tires.

And you? Do you like MonsterCross?