Please help me understand gravel riding?
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Another reason I have a gravel bike: The county, in their infinite "wisdom," decided to chip seal one of the paved roads on my regular road biking route recently. Just discovered that this morning, they must have started yesterday. For those who have never ridden a road bike on fresh chip seal, don't. It's rough for a skinny tire bike, and pretty hairy riding it early in the morning with just a small headlight to navigate by. Trying to do it fast in the dark is suicidal. My gravel bike ought to be able to handle it OK, though. From my past experience, it will take about 6 months to a year before this fresh chip seal has compacted down enough to make rough pavement.
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Another reason I have a gravel bike: The county, in their infinite "wisdom," decided to chip seal one of the paved roads on my regular road biking route recently. Just discovered that this morning, they must have started yesterday. For those who have never ridden a road bike on fresh chip seal, don't. It's rough for a skinny tire bike, and pretty hairy riding it early in the morning with just a small headlight to navigate by. Trying to do it fast in the dark is suicidal. My gravel bike ought to be able to handle it OK, though. From my past experience, it will take about 6 months to a year before this fresh chip seal has compacted down enough to make rough pavement.
These were the same folks who looked at my like I have a third eye when I suggest they ride tires larger than 28s.
”But my bike does not take anything bigger!”
Well, you got suckered into buying the wrong bike.
That was a few years ago where I used to live. Happens here a little bit, but I think as more folks start switching to larger tires bikes, the complaints are simmering down.
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I understand gravel riding. From the 3rd grade to the 10th grade I had to ride on gravel to school. I have had enough for a life time. I know it is all the rage right now, and if you like it, go for it.
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I used to get a kick out of reading the comments on the local road riding listserv crying and complaining about the conditions of the roads and the unridable chipseal.
These were the same folks who looked at my like I have a third eye when I suggest they ride tires larger than 28s.
”But my bike does not take anything bigger!”
Well, you got suckered into buying the wrong bike.
That was a few years ago where I used to live. Happens here a little bit, but I think as more folks start switching to larger tires bikes, the complaints are simmering down.
These were the same folks who looked at my like I have a third eye when I suggest they ride tires larger than 28s.
”But my bike does not take anything bigger!”
Well, you got suckered into buying the wrong bike.
That was a few years ago where I used to live. Happens here a little bit, but I think as more folks start switching to larger tires bikes, the complaints are simmering down.
The thing that irritates me about the chip seal is that I normally ride about a mile of that road as part of my daily morning exercise ride on my road bike, so I'm going to have to do something different.
#155
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I grew up in a small town with gravel streets. Aside from Main Street and the highway running through town, every street was (and still is) covered with river gravel. When I had a paper route, I rode miles of gravel every day.
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Since my newest gravel bike is also my newest and nicest bike, I ride it in most conditions. Even on a pavement ride, the 43mm tires, at about 38-40 psi, give a nice plush ride - and the whole rig is not noticeably slower than my cf-framed road bike...And even if it were slower, it woundn't matter as I mostly ride solo and am not trying to keep up with anyone.
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Yeah, I've been planning on doing some gravel rides in that direction, so I think that's going to be on the agenda for me. I usually go that direction and ride up to a few small towns & back, making about a 40 mile ride out of it. I wanted to do that in the near future to try out my road bike, but I guess that's going to have to be on the back burner for now in favor of gravel riding. My gravel bike will handle the chip seal with ease.
The thing that irritates me about the chip seal is that I normally ride about a mile of that road as part of my daily morning exercise ride on my road bike, so I'm going to have to do something different.
The thing that irritates me about the chip seal is that I normally ride about a mile of that road as part of my daily morning exercise ride on my road bike, so I'm going to have to do something different.
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No, on my morning rides, I ride 10 miles on my road bike. Since they chip sealed a 1 mile stretch of that (which I ride three times making three laps around town), I'm going to have to take an alternate route. I will take my gravel bike out on weekends when I want to do longer rides. Riding 10 miles in this small town means a lot of back & forth on the same streets and therefore lots of route boredom.
#159
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Since this thread is already out of hand.. My observations.
There are a lot of people that want the absolute fastest most efficient bike ride possible. Take everything outside of the power plant and make it the best it can be based on their budget. Considering weight, clothes, shaving leg hairs, tires, pressure, not having stuff hanging from the bike and so on. Comfort and exploring are far secondary to speed and efficiency. Even the routes taken use this idea. I've seen many riders riding down the relatively wide side beyond the white line of a 4 lane road instead of taking the MUP right next to the road. I'm not taking about crowded MUPS with dogs on leashes and families near an apartment complex, I'm talking MUPS that there is almost no one on that is 5+ miles long. The MUP is not as consistent as the road edge and therefore takes away the perceived efficiency of ones planned ride. I live in a rural area with a lot of gravel and pavement country roads are are straight and long. On Strava heat maps, the paved ones are bright wide red, the gravel ones might have a thin blue line. There is no way the average person that rode 20 miles to get to the country to enjoy those roads is going to take any of those gravel roads. It is not efficient and fast and if the bike was tuned for ultimate road performance, the gravel would be far less than ideal. In no way are the gravel routes short, slow and relaxed, they can be just as demanding if not more demanding, they just are not as efficient for raw speed. It is a different goal and a different mindset of why you are riding. Neither right or wrong.
There are a lot of people that want the absolute fastest most efficient bike ride possible. Take everything outside of the power plant and make it the best it can be based on their budget. Considering weight, clothes, shaving leg hairs, tires, pressure, not having stuff hanging from the bike and so on. Comfort and exploring are far secondary to speed and efficiency. Even the routes taken use this idea. I've seen many riders riding down the relatively wide side beyond the white line of a 4 lane road instead of taking the MUP right next to the road. I'm not taking about crowded MUPS with dogs on leashes and families near an apartment complex, I'm talking MUPS that there is almost no one on that is 5+ miles long. The MUP is not as consistent as the road edge and therefore takes away the perceived efficiency of ones planned ride. I live in a rural area with a lot of gravel and pavement country roads are are straight and long. On Strava heat maps, the paved ones are bright wide red, the gravel ones might have a thin blue line. There is no way the average person that rode 20 miles to get to the country to enjoy those roads is going to take any of those gravel roads. It is not efficient and fast and if the bike was tuned for ultimate road performance, the gravel would be far less than ideal. In no way are the gravel routes short, slow and relaxed, they can be just as demanding if not more demanding, they just are not as efficient for raw speed. It is a different goal and a different mindset of why you are riding. Neither right or wrong.
Last edited by u235; 09-16-20 at 03:55 PM.
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My 31 year old daughter and I took a ride yesterday. She has 25mm tires on her road bike. It might fit 28mm tires. We turned into a tourist site with a gravel driveway, and she said her bike couldn't handle it, so she walked it. I would be able to ride it on 25mm tires, but clearly not everyone can.
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Since this thread is already out of hand.. My observations.
There are a lot of people that want the absolute fastest most efficient bike ride possible. Take everything outside of the power plant and make it the best it can be based on their budget. Considering weight, clothes, shaving leg hairs, tires, pressure, not having stuff hanging from the bike and so on. Comfort and exploring are far secondary to speed and efficiency. Even the routes taken use this idea. I've seen many riders riding down the relatively wide side beyond the white line of a 4 lane road instead of taking the MUP right next to the road. I'm not taking about crowded MUPS with dogs on leashes and families near an apartment complex, I'm talking MUPS that there is almost no one on that is 5+ miles long. The MUP is not as consistent as the road edge and therefore takes away the perceived efficiency of ones planned ride. I live in a rural area with a lot of gravel and pavement country roads are are straight and long. On Strava heat maps, the paved ones are bright wide red, the gravel ones might have a thin blue line. There is no way the average person that rode 20 miles to get to the country to enjoy those roads is going to take any of those gravel roads. It is not efficient and fast and if the bike was tuned for ultimate road performance, the gravel would be far less than ideal. In no way are the gravel routes short, slow and relaxed, they can be just as demanding if not more demanding, they just are not as efficient for raw speed. It is a different goal and a different mindset of why you are riding. Neither right or wrong.
There are a lot of people that want the absolute fastest most efficient bike ride possible. Take everything outside of the power plant and make it the best it can be based on their budget. Considering weight, clothes, shaving leg hairs, tires, pressure, not having stuff hanging from the bike and so on. Comfort and exploring are far secondary to speed and efficiency. Even the routes taken use this idea. I've seen many riders riding down the relatively wide side beyond the white line of a 4 lane road instead of taking the MUP right next to the road. I'm not taking about crowded MUPS with dogs on leashes and families near an apartment complex, I'm talking MUPS that there is almost no one on that is 5+ miles long. The MUP is not as consistent as the road edge and therefore takes away the perceived efficiency of ones planned ride. I live in a rural area with a lot of gravel and pavement country roads are are straight and long. On Strava heat maps, the paved ones are bright wide red, the gravel ones might have a thin blue line. There is no way the average person that rode 20 miles to get to the country to enjoy those roads is going to take any of those gravel roads. It is not efficient and fast and if the bike was tuned for ultimate road performance, the gravel would be far less than ideal. In no way are the gravel routes short, slow and relaxed, they can be just as demanding if not more demanding, they just are not as efficient for raw speed. It is a different goal and a different mindset of why you are riding. Neither right or wrong.
#162
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Boy, people are really snippy here.
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I don't fully understand the intricacies of cyclocross bikes and gravel bikes, but I do recognize their awesomeness.
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#165
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Since one person started it with a bad premise we should all pile onto each other to finish it.
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#166
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The rest of it? The wrath and acrimony? Welcome to the internet.
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I get what gravel bikes are and what their purpose is (I think). And I get that some people live in areas (and driveways) where gravel is used for paving over dirt so they ride on gravel. What I'm confused about is that there appear to be people who ride specifically on gravel for enjoyment??? Is that correct? And if so, why?
#168
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Maybe, people starting with a "bad premise" should have some awareness that it's a bad premise.
In other words, why are you complaining about the consequence but not about the cause?
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#169
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Are you new here? The most innocent of threads run to dozens of acrimonious responses!
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#170
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If he had asked the question like you phrased it, this thread would not have been as "acrimonious".
Either this "newbie" learns that or we get another rydeabent.
In any case, we are talking about this thread. Not others you are thinking about but you aren't showing (and can't see whether they are really "acrimonious" or not).
#171
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The OP is new here.
If he had asked the question like you phrased it, this thread would not have been as "acrimonious".
Either this "newbie" learns that or we get another rydeabent.
In any case, we are talking about this thread. Not others you are thinking about but you aren't showing (and can't see whether they are really "acrimonious" or not).
If he had asked the question like you phrased it, this thread would not have been as "acrimonious".
Either this "newbie" learns that or we get another rydeabent.
In any case, we are talking about this thread. Not others you are thinking about but you aren't showing (and can't see whether they are really "acrimonious" or not).
And regarding acrimony on innocent threads, I direct your attention to this thread, which pokes fun at the phenomenon. I mean, here we are on the verge of becoming acrimonious over whether threads on BF routinely become acrimonious, fer cripes sake!
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#172
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It's the same sort of arrogant, ignorant trolling. If it's not intentional, the OP is not going to have a good time if he continues it.
Not saying it doesn't happen. But no one can comment on the vague threads you are thinking about.
And a satire thread doesn't establish that it is "routine" (you'd need much more than that one satire thread to establish that).
The OP could have (likely) reduced possiblity of the "acrimonious" outcome if he phrased the question differently.
In other words, why are you complaining about the consequence but not about the cause?
And regarding acrimony on innocent threads, I direct your attention to this thread, which pokes fun at the phenomenon. I mean, here we are on the verge of becoming acrimonious over whether threads on BF routinely become acrimonious, fer cripes sake!
And a satire thread doesn't establish that it is "routine" (you'd need much more than that one satire thread to establish that).
The OP could have (likely) reduced possiblity of the "acrimonious" outcome if he phrased the question differently.
In other words, why are you complaining about the consequence but not about the cause?
Last edited by njkayaker; 09-16-20 at 09:40 PM.
#173
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This grows tiresome.
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#175
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This thread has been circling the bowl for a while.
/closed
/closed
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