Anyone Successfully Ride Their Gravel Bike on Single-Track?
11-28-20, 07:43 PM
#76
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11-29-20, 07:47 AM
#77
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11-29-20, 11:13 PM
#78
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Went out today on my "gravel" bike. <...> A little insane but really fun. Cyclocross tubulars at low psi dampened the roots and rocks. Kettle Moraine, southern Wisconsin.
Note that the wheels are Campy Tipo with Mavic tubular rims. These wheels are almost 50 years old. Just slightly out of true after 12 miles of brutal singletrack.
Note that the wheels are Campy Tipo with Mavic tubular rims. These wheels are almost 50 years old. Just slightly out of true after 12 miles of brutal singletrack.
04-11-22, 06:29 PM
#79
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First Experience W/ Opus 650b Gravel Bike on Singletrack..
I took the bike on a thorough 1.5h thrash on some singletrack near my house. Mostly tight, winding, flowing hard packed sand, ridden with rocks, roots and short but steep elevation changes.
- the 40t front ring didn't place me at any significant disadvantage, as the bike is quick .
- the bike performed admirably over everything, including moderately challenging bits of terrain where even my carbon 29er would have broken a bit of a sweat.
- The bike was very fast, agile, planted and supremely balanced.
- To put the singletrack I ride into perspective, something like a 26x2.4 tire seems to be the most ideal tire diameter for these tight turns while offering ideal cushioning. The 650b x 45 still felt a tad clumsy and under cushioned around some bits.
- II was surprised that bottom bracket clearance wasnt too much of an issue here. My XC bike has an extra 25mm of clearance, yet it didn't make much of a difference.
- I was chasing after a highly experienced rider on a Trek full suspension 29er, which really helped me gauge the pros and cons of each bike. Sometimes I struggled and lost time on sections with short, steep climbs ridden with tree roots, sometimes we were more or less even, other times, I was easily able to gain on him. (Mostly because he let me)
I enjoyed the experience tremendously, although some parts of the trail I would definitely avoid riding on my gravel grinder next time. The bike performed quickly, accurately, and with excellent stability on some really challenging sections of the trail while still holding its own in places where speed and agility couldn't be used to its advantage. For a bike with geometry shadowing that of a road bike, it's incredible how composed it manages to be over some truly rough terrain.
Although I'm not a novice, the guy I rode with was able to smoke me no matter the terrain. This helped me fortify on the idea that the quality of the bike you ride is virtually irrelevant without the right rider.
- the 40t front ring didn't place me at any significant disadvantage, as the bike is quick .
- the bike performed admirably over everything, including moderately challenging bits of terrain where even my carbon 29er would have broken a bit of a sweat.
- The bike was very fast, agile, planted and supremely balanced.
- To put the singletrack I ride into perspective, something like a 26x2.4 tire seems to be the most ideal tire diameter for these tight turns while offering ideal cushioning. The 650b x 45 still felt a tad clumsy and under cushioned around some bits.
- II was surprised that bottom bracket clearance wasnt too much of an issue here. My XC bike has an extra 25mm of clearance, yet it didn't make much of a difference.
- I was chasing after a highly experienced rider on a Trek full suspension 29er, which really helped me gauge the pros and cons of each bike. Sometimes I struggled and lost time on sections with short, steep climbs ridden with tree roots, sometimes we were more or less even, other times, I was easily able to gain on him. (Mostly because he let me)
I enjoyed the experience tremendously, although some parts of the trail I would definitely avoid riding on my gravel grinder next time. The bike performed quickly, accurately, and with excellent stability on some really challenging sections of the trail while still holding its own in places where speed and agility couldn't be used to its advantage. For a bike with geometry shadowing that of a road bike, it's incredible how composed it manages to be over some truly rough terrain.
Although I'm not a novice, the guy I rode with was able to smoke me no matter the terrain. This helped me fortify on the idea that the quality of the bike you ride is virtually irrelevant without the right rider.
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04-16-22, 09:31 AM
#80
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If anyone is curious, here is a picture of my bike !!
If the bike had room for tires thicker than 50mm wide, some sort of front suspension similar to the Oliver left fork on the Cannondale Topstone Carbon, and a lower front chainring such as 34 or 36t, or even a 30/46 2x setup, this thing would dominate my $4000 carbon Felt XC bike on any of the terrain I face riding moderate singletrack.
If the bike had room for tires thicker than 50mm wide, some sort of front suspension similar to the Oliver left fork on the Cannondale Topstone Carbon, and a lower front chainring such as 34 or 36t, or even a 30/46 2x setup, this thing would dominate my $4000 carbon Felt XC bike on any of the terrain I face riding moderate singletrack.
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04-17-22, 10:59 AM
#81
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When I head out to ride single track, I take the MTB. When I encounter single track on the gravel bike, I certainly don't turn around. With my skinny tires, I have to slow quite a bit on the technical stuff, but on smooth stuff like this, they work well.
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03-26-24, 12:12 PM
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