Gravel bike section

[ChewbaccaDefense]

I know this will meet with stinging criticism and derision of the term, but it would be nice to have a Gravel section under the Offroad section of the forum. I mean, CN has this week as "Gravel Week," so a forum section to discuss races, etc, would be cool. I live in the Sierras in California, and gravel biking is much safer than road riding here, and also much more fun in many ways. We have a labyrinth of old mining roads, fire roads, irrigation ditches, and plain old gravel roads to ride. You'd be riding a lot of gravel rides if you lived here, because you'd be crazy not to.

I love the racing atmosphere of gravel events (I participate in many). I also loved watching Ivar Slik get dropped like a sack of potatoes last weekend, after he commented about him being a wheelsucker and winning races, because Americans are stupid enough to pull through (I need a place to talk smack).


Let the flames begin

 

[Scott CentralCal]

If you ride in Cali, and you enjoy your life, you generally only cross paved roads. It’s really great to see the volume and quality of gravel events nowadays. Years ago, after riding my first BWR, I was hooked. I don't even own a road bike anymore.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

If you ride in Cali, and you enjoy your life, you generally only cross paved roads. It’s really great to see the volume and quality of gravel events nowadays. Years ago, after riding my first BWR, I was hooked. I don't even own a road bike anymore.

I have road wheels for my gravel bike

 

[Hugh Januss]

If you ride in Cali, and you enjoy your life, you generally only cross paved roads. It’s really great to see the volume and quality of gravel events nowadays. Years ago, after riding my first BWR, I was hooked. I don't even own a road bike anymore.

Are you The Artist Formerly Known As Scott Socal, by any chance?

 

[Scott CentralCal]

I have road wheels for my gravel bike

Yep. Even then, it’s 32’s. The days of 23’s and 120psi, Crit Practice, and Tuesday Night Worlds are long gone.

 

[Scott CentralCal]

Are you The Artist Formerly Known As Scott Socal, by any chance?

Who’s askin’, Huge?

 

[Hugh Januss]

I have road wheels for my gravel bike

A gravel bike is just a cross bike with clearance for illegal width tires.

 

[Scott CentralCal]

A gravel bike is just a cross bike with clearance for illegal width tires.

Uh, I think it’s different. Did you read all the whining from some of the Unbound racers after having to (gasp) run/walk through the mud? Prolly don’t hear much of that in ‘cross.

Definitely a different sport.

On the other hand, Unbound would be something else with if everyone was on 33’s.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Uh, I think it’s different. Did you read all the whining from some of the Unbound racers after having to (gasp) run/walk through the mud? Prolly don’t hear much of that in ‘cross.

Definitely a different sport.

On the other hand, Unbound would be something else with if everyone was on 33’s.

Oh it's definitely different as a sport. One offers hours of self sufficient often solitary plodding along, while the other requires split second agility while holding a pace at threshold for 40 minute to 1 hour while being heckled by a few 100 to few 1000 of your closest friends. I was only talking about the bikes though, and the way the bike industry has jumped on this new opportunity to sell yet another n+1. Now they're even putting suspension on gravel bikes. Agh don't even get me started. I've raced in road races with dirt sections since the mid 70's, and I bet there was nothing in Unbound that was as knarly as some Belgian cross courses. But it's a new sport so let the technofloodgates open.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

A gravel bike is just a cross bike with clearance for illegal width tires.

True story

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Oh it's definitely different as a sport. One offers hours of self sufficient often solitary plodding along, while the other requires split second agility while holding a pace at threshold for 40 minute to 1 hour while being heckled by a few 100 to few 1000 of your closest friends. I was only talking about the bikes though, and the way the bike industry has jumped on this new opportunity to sell yet another n+1. Now they're even putting suspension on gravel bikes. Agh don't even get me started. I've raced in road races with dirt sections since the mid 70's, and I bet there was nothing in Unbound that was as knarly as some Belgian cross courses. But it's a new sport so let the technofloodgates open.

I have a custom gravel bike, with a bit slacker geometry, space for tires up to 44, and it rides like a freaking dream. I'm faster on it in many instances, than I am on any of my other bikes, and that includes some singletrack sectons of some downhill stuff. If I stand up on it, and shift my weight back just a little, I can scream down some pretty gnarly sh!t. For me, it isn't marketing, it's a bike fit that lets me ride some things that a road bike just won't do well, and a mountain bike will be overkill on. I love the gravel stuff up here. We have hundreds of miles of things that would eat you alive if you rode all day on a 33 mil tire. Why ride a more uncomfortable bike than is necessary...I mean, underbiking is fun, but not for too long. 33 mil versus 44 mil tubless is a significant difference in comfort over 6 or so hours, not to mention stability that my twitchy a$$ road bike just cannot provide on chunkyish dirt and rocks.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Oh it's definitely different as a sport. One offers hours of self sufficient often solitary plodding along, while the other requires split second agility while holding a pace at threshold for 40 minute to 1 hour while being heckled by a few 100 to few 1000 of your closest friends. I was only talking about the bikes though, and the way the bike industry has jumped on this new opportunity to sell yet another n+1. Now they're even putting suspension on gravel bikes. Agh don't even get me started. I've raced in road races with dirt sections since the mid 70's, and I bet there was nothing in Unbound that was as knarly as some Belgian cross courses. But it's a new sport so let the technofloodgates open.

The big issue with Unbound (I rode Lost and Found up here last weekend, which was a freaking amazing ride...we had what looked like lakes of wildflowers we rode thorugh, and mountains and sh!t...everyone should ditch Unbound and do that instead, but I digress), was that 11 miles in, and a lot of people destroyed their drivetrain to the point of having to DNF, when there was a work-around that they could have employed. Then, the director basically called anyone who complained about having their ride and bike destroyed, little b!tches for not being happy about spending significant money to have to call it quits after an hour. I think his attitude was what rolled everything into a snowball of hate toward what happened. Of course, these are also the same people who told the organizers from Lost and Found, several years ago, that they purposefully scheduled their event one year to conflict with L&F, and literally told them "f**k you if you don't like it." Maybe Kansas is filled with a$$holes?

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Are you The Artist Formerly Known As Scott Socal, by any chance?

We're getting the band back together. Maybe we can make the Gravel section our stage?

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Who’s askin’, Huge?

You move to Fresno or somthing?

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Yep. Even then, it’s 32’s. The days of 23’s and 120psi, Crit Practice, and Tuesday Night Worlds are long gone.

35mm Ritchey Alpine JB tubeless tires are the best tires known to mankind.

 

[King Boonen]

I seem to remember asking about this when the new forum software was being sorted and I was told they wanted less sections, not more. I'd be all for it.

Oh, gravel bikes are 90s MTBs with drop bars.

 

[Scott CentralCal]

You move to Fresno or somthing?

It was tempting, but naw. I’m back and forth between Socal and Central Coast. You know, Rat Race & Tranquility.

 

[Scott CentralCal]

The big issue with Unbound (I rode Lost and Found up here last weekend, which was a freaking amazing ride...we had what looked like lakes of wildflowers we rode thorugh, and mountains and sh!t...everyone should ditch Unbound and do that instead, but I digress), was that 11 miles in, and a lot of people destroyed their drivetrain to the point of having to DNF, when there was a work-around that they could have employed. Then, the director basically called anyone who complained about having their ride and bike destroyed, little b!tches for not being happy about spending significant money to have to call it quits after an hour. I think his attitude was what rolled everything into a snowball of hate toward what happened. Of course, these are also the same people who told the organizers from Lost and Found, several years ago, that they purposefully scheduled their event one year to conflict with L&F, and literally told them "f**k you if you don't like it." Maybe Kansas is filled with a$$holes?

It would appear so. I think Michael Marckx has the right idea with his BWR series.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

I seem to remember asking about this when the new forum software was being sorted and I was told they wanted less sections, not more. I'd be all for it.

Oh, gravel bikes are 90s MTBs with drop bars

Fair enough...and I was just looking at taking my old Ibis Alibi and converting it to drop bar and 27.5 wheels...thank you Paul Components!

 

[Hugh Januss]

Maybe Kansas is filled with a$$holes?

I'm not sure that's even debatable. It's hard making an event that's only been around for 16 years iconic. There is no room for niceties when it comes to the competition. One of the women racers was quoted as saying something like "this race brings together the best racers in the world from all disciplines" and I thought to myself who are all those folks in Europe at the Dauphine and Tour de Swiss preparing for the TDF, and what about those on their way to Lenzerheide for the MTB World Cup this weekend.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

I'm not sure that's even debatable. It's hard making an event that's only been around for 16 years iconic. There is no room for niceties when it comes to the competition. One of the women racers was quoted as saying something like "this race brings together the best racers in the world from all disciplines" and I thought to myself who are all those folks in Europe at the Dauphine and Tour de Swiss preparing for the TDF, and what about those on their way to Lenzerheide for the MTB World Cup this weekend.

I think the guys from L&F were trying to let them know they didn't want to compete, they wanted to see if they could work some races into a series.

Anyway, you and Scott should come north next year, and ride it. It's a freaking awesome race, and it's stunningly beautiful. My father's family is from central Kansas...once you've seen the first mile, you've seen the next 199.

 

[jmdirt]

I seem to remember asking about this when the new forum software was being sorted and I was told they wanted less sections, not more. I'd be all for it.

Oh, gravel bikes are 90s MTBs with drop bars.

This ^^^

Mountain bikes evolved, and now gravel bikes are filling that gap. They make it easier for people to explore while staying away from the metal boxes that want to kill us. I don't ever see owning one, but I am all for them!

 

[King Boonen]

This ^^^

Mountain bikes evolved, and now gravel bikes are filling that gap. They make it easier for people to explore while staying away from the metal boxes that want to kill us. I don't ever see owning one, but I am all for them!

I just find it funny when I see gravel bikes with flat bars and short travel suspension systems that look just like my brothers old Hardrock!
If I was replacing my road bike I'd get a gravel bike these days. Would be more than enough for my road riding and would give me the option of gears off-road as I currently do all that riding on my fixed gear. I do have an old MTB frame built up with a rigid fork and big tyres for silly singletrack fun, but it's left at my folks place.

 

[King Boonen]

Fair enough...and I was just looking at taking my old Ibis Alibi and converting it to drop bar and 27.5 wheels...thank you Paul Components!

I still think they should do it, maybe combined with ultra-races like the TCR, TAW etc. I'm far more interested in that stuff than road these days to be honest.

I've done this with an old MTB frame. Rigid fork, 26" wheels with either MTB tyres or big slicks and a bar end shifter for a 1x system. Only issue is the bar end won't get all ten sprockets so I have to run a big ring at the front. Apparently Microshift levers have enough throw to get all the sprockets, but I had the DA one already.

 

[ManicJack]

As someone that is new to the forum as a "contributing member" but having read the forum for years, I would love to see a Gravel section added. The majority of my riding these days is on dirt and the only racing that I participate in anymore is mtb or gravel. Cheers.