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Gravel grinding

Old 07-20-18, 09:12 AM
  #26  
pdlamb
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I can see the allure of fairly well maintained gravel or dirt roads. (Forget the washed-out fire roads that are tough to backpack on, please!) There just aren't that many near where I live.

So for me, the question becomes something like, do I ride roads like that enough to make it worthwhile for n+1 to handle them? @indyfabz posted gorgeous pictures, but I'd bet a Compass tire they weren't shot near his home. I know of a few roads I'd like to explore, but do I want to drive 2, 3, or 5 hours to explore for one afternoon? Er, no, not particularly, not me! For the price of another bike I can go on a (paved road) tour for a week or more.
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Old 07-20-18, 09:22 AM
  #27  
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I ordered a custom bike in 2013, which was a road bike with disc brakes, Di2, and wide tires so I could ride it on and off road with confidence (I was recovering from a broken ankle and still on crutches at the time, so these were possibly exaggerated concerns). So I got what came to be known as a gravel bike.

The main advantage is I can ride on paved roads as well as trails (or rough fire roads) all in the same ride without a significant performance hit in either scenario.

My commute, in the Santa Cruz mountains, is about 1/4 off-road, so this is a major advantage.

With a mountain bike, I either have to drive it to a trail, or slog on road for 10 or 15 miles. With a conventional narrow-tire road bike, I cannot ride on our trails and fire roads.

The other advantage is that it turns a fairly boring mountain bike ride on a rough fire road into an entertaining challenge.
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Old 07-20-18, 10:46 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
The worst part about unpaved roads is the scenery.
Love those photos! It's more forested where I live. We don't get the wide-open, expansive views like you have.
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Old 07-20-18, 10:48 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by pdlamb
but I'd bet a Compass tire they weren't shot near his home.
All but one are in MT, which is nowhere near where I live. The other is in SD. Also not near me. However, there is a nice section of gravel riding I can ride to from my house in Philly. There are also legit MTB trails there as well, although I don't mountain bike. Hunterdon County, NJ is about a 1 hr. drive. Some nice (and hilly) gravel riding up that way.
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Old 07-20-18, 11:00 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by JonathanGennick
We don't get the wide-open, expansive views like you have.
They were taken during tours in MT and SD. Far from my home on the east coast. I have some taken on forested dirt roads. Rock Creek Rd. in MT. Blue ribbon trout stream follows you the entire way. Five campgrounds to choose from along the way.



And gravel trails can produce some nice surprises:

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Old 07-20-18, 11:13 AM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by TiHabanero
Or, is it mountain bikers that have had enough of the same old trails and need to expand their horizons?
Speaking only for myself. That is close to my situation. I like most people ride for some challenge and accomplishment, not just the challenge of how fast I can go on a relatively stable consistent surface on any given day. I want something with more variables. For me, it is can I make this whatever this is. How fast can I make it across this surface, wow this washboard is terrible but is that thick gravel over there any better, this is a lot different since last time, it's wet today, can I make this hill, maybe its just a break from the road on a relatively easy off road trail etc..

Originally Posted by TiHabanero
Why are there "special" dedicated bikes for this? How about a mountain bike with narrower tires, or is that just too logical? Or, a touring bike with 37mm tires? Or, just a good ol' mountain bike?
Why do people have a special dedicated road bike or a dedicated DH bike? Can't you just use a touring bike or a hybrid? Same logic applies. I know why, I am not against specific bikes, it is a rhetorical question. A gravel bike is only "special purpose" for someone who already has a "special purpose" road bike. I use my marketing/industry coined "gravel bike" for everything except for when I use my XC MTB. It is not special purpose to me. A dedicated pure road bike would be special purpose to me. Most of my rides are split about 80% road and 20% off road. On a road bike, no doubt my average speed would be higher on that 80% road but I'd probably never take that 20% off road or at least struggle enough that it wouldn't be too much fun. 28c tires may be enough for some people, not for me.

Last edited by u235; 07-20-18 at 12:35 PM.
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Old 07-20-18, 11:55 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
I rode half a mile of like this with 28c tire...and I swore I never want anything to do with gravel again.
I was on vacation last month in rural FL. I ran across a stretch like this on my adventure bike. It was like the workers just dumped all the gravel in one spot and drove off. Fortunately, it was only for about 1/2 mile.
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Old 07-20-18, 11:56 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by TiHabanero
I just don't get the gravel grinding mindset. Is it roadies that want to go faster than off-roading allows so they ride faster on gravel roads? Or, is it mountain bikers that have had enough of the same old trails and need to expand their horizons? Perhaps it is the hipsters wanting to get back to the roots of cycling and deep down want to ride the sensible bikes of their ancestors.
I think it's the appeal of getting out on roads with zero traffic that are slightly more interesting to ride than paved roads. Here in the Midwest we have tons of farm roads that are perfect for this purpose. Also, I agree that today's "gravel bike" is more sensible than a dedicated race bike for some people.

Why are there "special" dedicated bikes for this? How about a mountain bike with narrower tires, or is that just too logical? Or, a touring bike with 37mm tires? Or, just a good ol' mountain bike?
It's just like anything else. Yes, you can use an upright hardtail XC bike on downhill trails but it's not really the perfect tool for the job. Yes, you can race a crit on a cross bike but it's not the perfect tool for the job. Yes you can use anything from a road bike with 25s to a touring bike to a 29er on a "gravel ride" but the perfect tool might be a more relaxed roadish bike with room for 45mm tires, e.g. a "gravel bike". I don't know why "gravel bikes" (an admittedly meaningless term) seems to bother people so much. Bike companies have created micro-niches for years. After all the gradations between an "endurance" road bike vs an "aero" road bike are pretty blurry as are the distinctions between an "enduro" MTB vs. a "trail" MTB. Etc.

Last edited by Hiro11; 07-20-18 at 12:17 PM.
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Old 07-20-18, 12:06 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by bikecrate
I was on vacation last month in rural FL. I ran across a stretch like this on my adventure bike. It was like the workers just dumped all the gravel in one spot and drove off. Fortunately, it was only for about 1/2 mile.
Funny. I encountered the very same thing touring in rural VT last month. Funny thing was that the driver of a dump truck coming the other way felt compelled to point out that there was fresh gravel had just been put down. Gee. Thanks. I never would have noticed. I did have to walk a short stretch when the road tilted up.

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Old 07-20-18, 12:44 PM
  #35  
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Those are some great pictures! Thanks for taking them so I don't have to ride on all that crap to see it!

I think this is really a "horses for courses" thing, where we're the horses. We all have our strengths as riders, stuff we might not be good at but still enjoy, and other stuff we suck at and have no interest in learning to do it better. I didn't grow up riding on much of anything but pavement, so I just got good at that.

I might also be a bit more enthusiastic about gravel if we didn't have to share the trails with hunters in my state. It's bad enough having to worry about getting hit by cars.
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Old 07-20-18, 02:19 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
I might also be a bit more enthusiastic about gravel if we didn't have to share the trails with hunters in my state. It's bad enough having to worry about getting hit by cars.
Are a lot of cyclist getting shot?
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Old 07-20-18, 02:31 PM
  #37  
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When I became old enough to ride in the '50s (I got my brother's hand-me-down bikes) the only bikes anybody had were heavy cruisers, but we rode 'em everywhere--and there were a lot more unpaved roads then than now.

The driveway from civilization to my house was 8/10 of a mile long and only half paved--the other half was that polished quartz river gravel. Not too bad when the cars had pushed tire tracks into it, but then a couple times a year Dad would run the road grader over it and it became treacherous, like a two-inch layer of ball bearings. The crushed limestone is brutal all right, but at least it stays put a lot better.

These days it's hard to find an unpaved road, but it's real easy to find ones that are cracked and cratered, and it seems they get worse the closer you get to the center of town. If someone wants a challenge, maybe they should try that.
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Old 07-20-18, 02:49 PM
  #38  
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Perhaps I am a happy idiot. Growing up we road gravel roads on 27x1-1/4 tires. Never had any issues with it. I ride gravel roads on my road bike with 28mm tires. Only sandy spots are iffy. My touring bike has 37mm tires and fenders and I use this on two track all the time. It is good to be a happy idiot.

Back in the day we just called them sport bikes, now they are labeled gravel bikes. I get it. A new generation gets to name them as they please.
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Old 07-20-18, 03:04 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by TiHabanero
How about a mountain bike with narrower tires, or is that just too logical?
A mountain bike with skinny tires is still a mountain bike. The posture and handling are designed for technical riding, not for putting out power while aero. Replacing beefy knobbies with performance-oriented road tires* can make a big difference, but a big difference will still remain.

*To handle rough gravel and preserve the bike's handling, it can make sense to keep those performance road tires quite wide rather than going narrow. Tires like the Schwalbe G-One Speed or Compass Antelope Hill can be good for this purpose.

Or, a touring bike with 37mm tires?
Now you're getting into the realm of genre overlap. What's a "touring" bike? What sort of "gravel" bike?

Major reasons to pick a road-attitude gravel bike (like an Open UP) versus a traditional heavy-loaded road tourer (like an LHT) are that the gravel bike will often have some combination of wider clearances, less trail, a shorter rear-center, and less weight; which is to say, it's likely to be livelier in spirited unloaded riding, and may manage somewhat rougher surfaces. A touring bike is often a perfectly good gravel bike, though.

I mean, the answer to your question "why are there specialized bikes for this" is that there sort of aren't. Gravel bikes as they exist right now are non-specialized road bikes.
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Old 07-20-18, 03:19 PM
  #40  
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Several years ago I came across an article from some cycling publication from the 80s right when MTBs were exploding in popularity. The columnist was some lifelong roadie and insisted that you didn't need a mountain bike for trails and that his road bike was just as capable off road. Article was accompanied by pictures of this guy sending it in his drop bar skinny tire bike.*

I wish I would've saved that article, can't find it now. It's what these "ZOMG the evil marketing devils are making this up to FORCE us to buy bikes!" hysterical threads always remind me of.

*The article was also the 80s version of click bait, the next month the same author wrote an "I love mountain bikes" article.
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Old 07-20-18, 03:28 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by HTupolev
I mean, the answer to your question "why are there specialized bikes for this" is that there sort of aren't. Gravel bikes as they exist right now are non-specialized road bikes.
This is the correct take.
Gravel bikes are more general-purpose-friendly than dedicated road bikes. They can be used for asphalt, touring, even single track mountain bike trails. But they're not as good at any one of these things as a bike specialized for one purpose would be.
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Old 07-20-18, 03:52 PM
  #42  
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To each his own. I’m guilty of owning a gravel bike. I love that dirt roads take you to out-of-way places paved roads don’t. Since we have more miles of dirt than paved roads in these parts, having a gravel bike opens up many more options. Most of my rides are a mix of paved and gravel, and I live on a dirt road, so I gotta have something that works for both.
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Old 07-20-18, 03:59 PM
  #43  
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How many of you guys actually own and ride gravel bikes?

I know a few of you guys do.

The rest are telling everyone what they are and how it is to ride them and what they are good for and why they should be ridden.


-Tim-

Last edited by TimothyH; 07-20-18 at 04:03 PM.
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Old 07-20-18, 04:16 PM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by ksryder
Several years ago I came across an article from some cycling publication from the 80s right when MTBs were exploding in popularity. The columnist was some lifelong roadie and insisted that you didn't need a mountain bike for trails and that his road bike was just as capable off road. Article was accompanied by pictures of this guy sending it in his drop bar skinny tire bike.*

I wish I would've saved that article, can't find it now. It's what these "ZOMG the evil marketing devils are making this up to FORCE us to buy bikes!" hysterical threads always remind me of.

*The article was also the 80s version of click bait, the next month the same author wrote an "I love mountain bikes" article.
There have been a couple of Tom Ritchey articles over the years where he spoke of his love for riding road bikes on dirt roads and buff trails.

Here's Tom and his posse rollin skinny tires on some primo gravel in 1984.


There was also a Gary Fisher one in around 1990 IIRC, basically explaining that the reason he made the short, elevated chainstay Montare was because he loved to ride trails on road bikes, so why not have MTBs that were more like road bikes.

Last edited by LesterOfPuppets; 07-20-18 at 04:19 PM.
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Old 07-20-18, 04:27 PM
  #45  
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Drop bar MTBs also had a number of advocates over the years.








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Old 07-20-18, 04:28 PM
  #46  
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Pennsylvania seems to take care of most gravel roads too well to use a skinny tired road bike on them. Had some bad experiences waiting for people fixing flats. Nothing worse than a well-maintained gravel road with fresh gravel. Give me one that hasn't seen any maintenance for 10 years, much better. One trick they seem to have started using a lot is taking a road grader along a road to uncover the gravel they put down in the past. It can be like riding on ice.
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Old 07-20-18, 04:29 PM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
I vote to have the industry change the name to all-purpose road bikes.
Gets my vote.
I call mine a "whatever bike."

Last edited by bobwysiwyg; 07-20-18 at 04:32 PM.
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Old 07-20-18, 04:31 PM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
I vote to have the industry change the name to all-purpose road bikes.
Allroad is a category that a handful of companies have begun to use.
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Old 07-20-18, 04:54 PM
  #49  
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I use my 29 lbs Miyata touring bike, bar-cons, triple ring, 36mm cross tires.....

What I lust after is a Domane Carbon, disc, Di2, 38mm tires,
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Old 07-20-18, 07:02 PM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by ddub
Are a lot of cyclist getting shot?
To be honest, none that I know of. I just found it unnerving to be riding along and noticing guys with guns pointed in my general direction. I'm really not sure how much I might resemble a deer to a hunter who might have had a few beers.

​​​​​​
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