Koyote

Wishful thinking...?

big john

100 miles on a fat bike? Dayum.

Jughed

I wish!!!!

But that looked like nice gravel to me, very well groomed compared to some of the stuff I ride.

badger1

... said Koyote, bumping it to page 14.
We all see what you did there.

Eric F 

That was my thought, too. However, that's why they can get away with racing road bikes on it.

CAT7RDR

I don't have a whole lot of gravel around me and even dirt is now wet adobe clay in SoCal foothills.
When will Big Bike be coming out with Clay Bikes?

Eric F 

The full brand name is Wilier Triestina. The Italian clue is in the second part

Eric F 

More than you might think. The hills of your immediate area are definitely gravel bike terrain.

I'm excited for the release of Decomposed Granite Bikes.

CAT7RDR

Yeah, I was reading about tire choices in wet clay and there are gravel tires with spikes much like ones would use for ice.
Who knew?

Eric F 

If it's that wet, it's best to stay out of it. Tire ruts lead to rain ruts and trail damage. Besides, now you're on a tire that penalizes you severely on other surfaces.

staehpj1

It varies with the surface. Where I used to live in Maryland lots of trails were a complete mess from riding on them after a rain. Some were off limits to ride after a rain. Most of the trails I ride on here in Tallahassee stand up to wet weather riding really well. I ride in standing water sometimes and and even then see no impact. There are a few places where there is mud, and I do stay away from those when it is wet, but mostly it seems o be a non issue here.

I've never heard of tires with spikes for clay. Ice and snow, yes.

CAT7RDR

My bad. Checked my Hx on another site and it is "short stubs" that was mentioned to use on wet clay.

Eric F 

It has mostly to do with soil composition. In my closest local area, the dirt is primarily decomposed granite, which gets rid of water really well. Most roads and trails can be ridden without issue, even if it's raining. Some other areas in the larger area around me have a higher clay content, which is sticky, messy, holds water, and holds tire tracks.

ClydeClydeson

For people who were already doing long rides on drop-bar bikes, gravel bikes open up the world a bit more. Yes a mountain bike can roll more easily over rougher terrain, but if the rough terrain is only a small part of the ride, then a gravel bike can be carefully ridden through all but the gnarliest sections, and then roll more quickly than a mountain bike through the rest.

I did a kinda stupid ride last summer - approx 300 km over three days, ~160 or which was on dirt/gravel roads with some very rough sections and some sand. I did the ride on my fat bike, but I figure I could have easily ridden 90% on a gravel bike (or hardtail mtb with 2" tires), ridden slowly and carefully through 8%, and walked the remaining 2%. As it was, I rode 98% and still walked 2% because I was so damn tired from riding a fat bike for 300km. The 90% that I think would have been easily ridable on a gravel bike would have gone so much faster and easier than on a fat bike that I probably would have had the energy to tackle some of the medium-rough sections where I had to get off my fat bike and walk because I was so exhausted.

Part of the problem might have been that I didn't put any thought into tire pressure before we set off so I think I had my 3.8" tires at ~7/8 psi f/r, so even on the hard pack and paved sections I was working pretty hard. But there were a few quite gnarly downhills where my buddy went super slow but I felt comfortable enough to let 'er rip at top speed. This advantage was not enough, though, to make up for the soft fat tire disadvantage on the easier sections that make up most of the route.

t2p

another good video / ride

after early pavement - some challenging off-road stuff including great single track

BWR - North Carolina 2022

https://youtu.be/HnGGdUG7MHI


.

Eric F 

That's a good example of why the typical features of modern gravel bikes matter for riders interested in performing their best at organized events. The ideal bike is going to be excellent at some things, good-to-decent at most things, and not awful at anything that you might encounter during the event.

prj71

Yeah. Was a little rough but I did it. Took me 7:26

livedarklions

I did my first century on a comfort bike. Think it took me a little longer.

Anything can be ridden for distance, it's just a matter of how miserable you want to make yourself at the end.

Lombard

Isn't everything bikes are described as decided by marketing teams? Do mountain bikes primarily go up mountains? Shouldn't it be called a woods bike or a trail bike as that's what most people use them for? Marketers thought mountain bike sounded better.

Silly argument.

terrymorse 

Mountain bikes got their name because old balloon tire clunkers were used to rip downhill on mountain trails. They were terrible uphill, btw, as a road bike was much faster uphill.

If anyone doesn’t know about the Repack races down Mt. Tam in the 1970s, this article by Joe Breeze is worth a read.

Maelochs

Why call them "gravel" bikes when .... most people mostly ride them on stuff called "gravel."

And why call it "gravel"? Big Small Stone has us all fooled.

Trakhak

livedarklions

That's the origin of the name, but no new label was adopted as they were adapted for a broader category of uses.BTW, doesn't that story suggest the term "road bike" is too narrow?

Point is that every. one word label is somewhat arbitrary as no single word can convey all uses.

PeteHski

I agree the term "gravel bike" is as good a description of what they are as any. Perhaps that's why the name stuck. I've heard the term "Groad bike" banded around, but "gravel bike" is more clear. People can figure out for themselves that if you can ride it on gravel, then riding it on the road is not going to be a big issue.

Maelochs

"Is that Pavement bike or a Tarmac bike?" "No, it is an Asphalt bike."