View Poll Results: Drive to the ride, or ride from doorstep?
Drive to ride
16
31.37%
Ride from doorstep
35
68.63%
Voters: 51. You may not vote on this poll
Do you ride or drive to your gravel ride?
#26
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Hey, yep DPRT. I'm in Vernon Hills, so no gravel roads around. I really like DPR because the terrain is so varied. The Lake County sections are better groomed and a mix of hard pack limestone and some sandy areas, but can get pretty washboarded in some areas. The Cook County sections are not at all groomed, some areas are like singletrack, some areas large gravel. And all different types of surroundings, some wide open, some heavily wooded, some along the river, some by large lakes. It's a really wonderful trail.
#27
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Hey, yep DPRT. I'm in Vernon Hills, so no gravel roads around. I really like DPR because the terrain is so varied. The Lake County sections are better groomed and a mix of hard pack limestone and some sandy areas, but can get pretty washboarded in some areas. The Cook County sections are not at all groomed, some areas are like singletrack, some areas large gravel. And all different types of surroundings, some wide open, some heavily wooded, some along the river, some by large lakes. It's a really wonderful trail.
I grew up in the north burbs and mainly Arlington Heights. While having been to the trail a handful of times growning up, itll be neat to see it a couple decades later and for more distance.
#28
Senior Member
I'm sure where you live and what's around you may actually influence what bikes you buy. To me if I lived an hours drive from any sort of off road I'd probably have a far greater interest in road bikes especially as it's often easy to grab a quick hour to get out but not so easy to find 4 hours to make 2 hours of driving even worth considering.
I'm lucky there are some tracks on my doorstep.
I'm lucky there are some tracks on my doorstep.
#29
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Living in San Antonio, I have tons of gravel in the surrounding Hill Country. Unfortunately, I live IN San Antonio, so to ride to the Hill Country would take a couple hours in each direction minimum. Because of this, I mostly use my gravel bike in its commute/touring mode to commute and do long comfortable rides here in town. I will take off all the commute stuff and switch to my tubeless gravel wheelset every once in a while to do an all day gravel ride with friends and co-workers, and for those rides I drive to the start point.
For me I am fine with this. I bought my gravel bike to replace a commuter bike that was destroyed when a car hit me while riding to school. I didn't have much intention of riding "epic" gravel at that time, but I did ride my bike to the local single-track here in town sometimes back when I still commuted on gravel/cx tires.
For me I am fine with this. I bought my gravel bike to replace a commuter bike that was destroyed when a car hit me while riding to school. I didn't have much intention of riding "epic" gravel at that time, but I did ride my bike to the local single-track here in town sometimes back when I still commuted on gravel/cx tires.
#30
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The entire point of buying a gravel bike is that I don't ever have to drive somewhere to use it. I have a pretty good network of backroads, gravel roads, and railtrail that I can get on right from my front door.
#31
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The whole 'gravel bike' thing is kind of silly to me... 25 years ago we rode our 'mountain bikes' everywhere. And we LIKED it.
Joke aside, I ride everywhere, but when I do CX, I drive there and make a day of it. if it pisses off a car hater, all the better. Closed course riding is quite different and all your energy is needed there.
Joke aside, I ride everywhere, but when I do CX, I drive there and make a day of it. if it pisses off a car hater, all the better. Closed course riding is quite different and all your energy is needed there.
#32
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#33
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I've built a gravel bike so I can ride more places compared to my road bike. Smooth paved roads, rough paved roads, dirt roads, gravel, singletrack etc. The bike is fun everywhere.
Driving to a gravel road and only riding there seems kind of silly to me. Of course everyone can do what they want, but getting a bike that you can't use "properly" near where you live... Personally I don't see the point.
Driving to a gravel road and only riding there seems kind of silly to me. Of course everyone can do what they want, but getting a bike that you can't use "properly" near where you live... Personally I don't see the point.
Then I thought about when I used to mountain bike. I would take my bike all over to ride. I didn’t own a road bike back then. Now I won’t/don’t ride a mountain bike anymore. I just prefer the roads. But, in my opinion a ride is a ride. I ride for a bunch of different reasons and one of them is the peace I feel when I ride. So if I have to drive to get that feeling of peace it’s worth it.
#34
Full Member
I had to think about this comment. At first I felt the same way but then I remembered some comments people made to me when I told them I ride. Some people refuse to ride in traffic. It scares them. I don’t blame them. I’ve been hit by a car.
Then I thought about when I used to mountain bike. I would take my bike all over to ride. I didn’t own a road bike back then. Now I won’t/don’t ride a mountain bike anymore. I just prefer the roads. But, in my opinion a ride is a ride. I ride for a bunch of different reasons and one of them is the peace I feel when I ride. So if I have to drive to get that feeling of peace it’s worth it.
Then I thought about when I used to mountain bike. I would take my bike all over to ride. I didn’t own a road bike back then. Now I won’t/don’t ride a mountain bike anymore. I just prefer the roads. But, in my opinion a ride is a ride. I ride for a bunch of different reasons and one of them is the peace I feel when I ride. So if I have to drive to get that feeling of peace it’s worth it.
I've been hit by a car too and I absolutely hate riding in traffic too. I ride offroad to get aways from cars, or to skip busy sections so I can get to quiet paved roads.
I also look at gravel bikes more as do everything bikes.
So yeah, just have fun on your bike, and if that means a bit of driving then so be it.
(I don't hate cars or driving at all btw, sharing the road with something that moves at half or quarter of your speed is simply just a flawed concept)
Last edited by Facanh; 02-25-18 at 08:29 AM.
#35
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I probably drive to 10% of my gravel rides.... places farther afield that I want to explore.
#37
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If I want to ride more gravel than my 150 foot driveway, I have to go at least 30 miles from home. If I travel about 50 miles, there are a lot of nice gravel roads in the Irish Hills area of Michigan.
#38
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When you ride your bike on asphalt and then a dirt/gravel road, that is called Cross Country riding.
You will need to buy a special bike for that. Then you will have your XC bike, Road Bike, Gravel Bike, Hybrid, Commuter bike, Wet Bike. .... and the CX bike too. More bikes to buy.
I forgot Mountain bike, Trail Bike, All Mountain, Enduro, and Downhill.
You will need to buy a special bike for that. Then you will have your XC bike, Road Bike, Gravel Bike, Hybrid, Commuter bike, Wet Bike. .... and the CX bike too. More bikes to buy.
I forgot Mountain bike, Trail Bike, All Mountain, Enduro, and Downhill.
#39
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Thou I live in a city with population of 700000 inhabitants, I'm 200 meters from El Camino de Santiago, so miles and miles of every kind of dusty trails.
#40
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I can ride about 15 miles to get to a rail trail with gravel sections. Other than that, I'd have to drive about 40 minutes to get to decent gravel. Other than that, I usually just go out my door and take to the pavement..
#41
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I typically drive to most of my rides (road or gravel) since I live in an area that isn't well engineered for pedestrian/bike traffic.
I hear it all the time though.. "You bought a bike to put it on the back of you car? why not just ride it?" ummm... because people drive like a-holes.
I hear it all the time though.. "You bought a bike to put it on the back of you car? why not just ride it?" ummm... because people drive like a-holes.
#42
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The only place I can truly ride from the house is road riding, and road riding sucks so I generally drive to someplace that offers better riding. The mtb trails from me are 20 minutes by car, so that gets driven too. I can ride a lot of good multi surface routes from work, so a lot of times I will take the bike with me to work and then leave from there.
Not everybody can live within riding distance from good riding.
Not everybody can live within riding distance from good riding.
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