Spot the retrogrouch bike
 

Yesterday I rode the Susquehanna Unpaved ride in Lewisburg, PA. This is a fun event with 54,90, 120 mile options on mostly gravel roads in Central PA. I knew that gravel bikes were the big thing now but I was astonished at the almost total saturation of these bikes at this event. It's been a few years since I've done a gravel specific event and then it was all kinds of bikes with mountain bikes, cross bikes, road bikes. This was 95+ percent gravel specific bikes with disc brakes and 40+ mm tires. I saw lady - high fived her - with a repainted, unlabelled lugged steel bike (with frame pump) and another gent with a Rivendellish looking bike with hammered fenders, but I didn't get a chance to look closer. I saw a tiny handful of bikes with cantilever brakes. I rode the 90 miler with my Ciöcc with Campy Centaur 10 and Open Pros with Challenge Paris Roubaix 27 (but really 28.5) mm tires. I'm pleased to say the bike was outstanding, even if the legs weren't so much. I wore my "touring knickers" and one guy, while riding by asked "Bicycle Quarterly?"

Good times and a nice ride if any East Coasters want an Eroica test ride.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b8a4ae9b70.jpg

Yeah, gravel bikes have become a "thing." When gravel bikes started out, they were sort of like the early days of mountain bike. Enthusiasts cobbled together bikes that could handle the paths and roads. Then the bike companies figured out that mountain biking was a thing and revolutionized the bike industry. Something similar happened with gravel bikes. Gravel bikes are having an impact on bike design as well.

There is one important difference though. There are good technical reasons why you want a new MTB over a vintage bike for single track. Vintage bikes can handle gravel pretty well. The difference between a new gravel specific bike and a vintage gravel "mutt" is not as great.

Looks like a fun ride; and yeah an old racing bike can also handle gravel pretty well. This is one area where tubulars can be helpful too.

Wow! Those two guys with red/orange gravel bikes must have felt like rebels in that sea of matte black.

What has the world come to when having a front derailleur marks you as a retrogrouch?

+1
I recently was discussing this at a shop. The owner of the shop where I purchased a ---29er (700c) --- carbon hardtail ask how I liked it. Replied that one doesn't need anything else. Most versatile and all around bike, no need for any other bike or the marketed hype 'gravel grinder'. I should have bought one years ago. He agreed. Lol

One could easily swap bars to road drop type or simple yet, install drop bar ends.

The best is to invest in a few sets of tires for whatever expected ride- narrow to super wide 700c and all tread patterns, tubeless. The 1 by gear changers are superior and dependable- super ratio range. Taking a 29er hardtail off-road is more than capable. Awesome hyd. disc for any conditions.

The suspension fork has lockout and a lockout dropper post completes the rig. The dropper post is a new experience for me and I love it. At a quick setting, the saddle is mostly out of the way and your legs are properly suspending the upper body. Also, I wouldn't go sans suspension fork. Bash through any cobbles or rocks and on the smooth, flick the switch to lock.

Could splurge a bit by shedding wheel weight and get it into the 21-22 lbs class but even that really isn't needed. It climbs anything, and descents are fearless. Super stability.

The carbon ATB hardtail frame is TOUGH, unlike the road counterparts that weigh approx 8 lbs less (built).

The 29er hardtail is the ticket.

(If you want to 'wow' the modern junkies with a throwback to the 80s-90s a la Paul Components, take a look at the new Ingrid components and derailleur from Italy. )

Yeah I was recently reflecting that replace the disc brake with cantis, drop bars with flat and your modern day gravel bike isn’t too far off a 1987 mountain bike. Full circle I guess. The only downside, to me, of using a a modern MTB for a do everything bike is, despite lockout, the suspension fork and I would think handling would be different for most of the road riding I do. If I had to have one bike for all the riding I do, a modern gravel bike is a very good argument for meeting that need. Glad I don’t have to make that choice though.

😲 One bike?! Go wash your mouth out with soap young man!

Riding a Ciocc on Sunday. Would that be considered a religious experience? If not, at least the ride was heavenly. :roflmao2:

I know, I know. I shouldn't quit my day job.

Ha ha yes I was at "Ciöcc". Heavenly not the word though. More of an ascetic hair shirt experience I would say.

You should really stop thinking such morbid thoughts.

What's with all the carbon bikes? This is not the Tour de France. I always thought steel to be the much better, even logical choice for gravel, but it appears that I (and the OP) are in the minority.

If you're not concerned with seconds, what's the point of carbon? :foo:

I've ridden my 1979 Peter Mooney at several gravel events now. (Fits huge tires in front, 35s in back.) My 1973 Raleigh Competition has not seen an "event" but has done a fair share of gravel and will take the same wheels. (That Competition has tubing and geometry that was "old" when it was made. Designed for the roads 40 years previous when "gravel" was just a road.

Sadly, I have stopped riding the gravel. Washboard and the like is too hard on my loose brain. (Yeah, I could get a full suspension yada yada but I won't.) (Loose brain - long term consequence of a very serious head injury. Those NFL guys are my cousins.)

Ben

If you ride steel, you've done more work and you can go up and get those seconds (helpings of food). :)

Also a built in excuse for when the youngsters pass you on their fancy rigs. That being said I did pass more than one modern bike on the downhills. Here’s a pic from the ride:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b9556bbb7.jpeg

I've seen people claim that a well-designed carbon frame has better damping, etc., and so delays fatigue. It's a variation of the laterally stiff, vertically compliant claim, I think. Personally, I feel like once your tires are 700x32 or bigger and not overinflated, it's a princess-and-the-pea situation with regard to frame material. But I've never ridden gravel on a carbon frame, so what do I know?

That's a good pic. You should frame it and put it out for display.

I have ridden several gravel bikes and they ride eerily similar to a good old fashion touring bike, if not exactly the same as one. They handle the same, accelerate the same, climb the same. Carbon frames do offer a different sensation than metal frames, and it feels like damping, but is it damping high, mid, or low frequency vibrations? Dunno, but they do feel different, yet I still have an affinity for steel. Likely because I am old and like it, or I am old and don't want to change, or I am unable to ride any faster or longer on carbon vs. metal frame. Dunno.

Reminds me of one of the classic "Pineapple Bob" ads that Bridgestone did back in the 90's.

Get a room.

Aha, so I'm finally ahead of the curve, with my '88 Bianchi MTB. 😁 All I need now, is some of those fancy discus brakes, to upgrade my rear U-Brake. 🤔😉

Nice! You rode unPAved. How was it?

I used to think the same. Until I rode the new Warbird. Dude, the built in flex in the rear end is noticable. Couple that with 40mm tubeless tires at 35 psi and there's nothing short of dedicated suspension to rival it.

Lotta fun. They had bacon at one of the stops! Climbs were much harder than I expected and gravel was easier than I expected. I did the 90 mile route. The 120, I hear, had a fairly technical loop and the 120 riders all had mud on their backs although it was dry everywhere else.

Some thoughts-

- To the comments that an 80s MTB is basically a modern gravel bike- I havent ridden an 80s MTB that is even close in feeling/handling to the gravel bikes Ive owned. An 80s MTB is as similar as a tandem to the gravel bikes Ive owned.
- I cant imagine going away from disc brakes and thru axles now that I have them on a gravel bike. I cant say I was really missing either with my old gravel bike, but there is just no downside to them.
- To the comment that a modern gravel bike is a touring bike- funny enough, I coverted my old gravel frame into a commute/touring bike. But that is only because the geometry and design happened to work well for what I want. There are many gravel bikes where the geometry is nothing like a touring bike.
- I have never understood the appeal of murdered out bikes and I am happy to see some more color coming into the brand lineups.
- What constitutes gravel is different from region to region, but I have never wanted to go for a gravel ride on 28mm tires and appreciate the 40-43mm tires I use. One of my road bikes has 28s that measure 31mm and they are OK to use for a couple miles of gravel from time to time, but not what I want for a metric century. More surface area and lower pressures make for a much better ride for me.
- It seems like more and more gravel races and rides have this couch/chair 'instagrammable moment' that is neat and all, but is clearly no longer original. Someone needs to change it up a bit and drop the Victorian chaise lounge and instead rock a large plastic tiger statue for people to sit on or something absurd like that.



That ride looks like some incredible scenery.

That's the Salsa chaise....it's a thing.

https://salsacycles.com/chasethechaise/

Oh, so its actually even more instagrammable than what I first thought. What Ive seen as copying is actually a goal. Huh.

Interesting- thanks for the clarification.

...still think a lifesize plastic tiger would be cool. #ridethestripes