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SS gravel = is it a thing?

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SS gravel = is it a thing?

Old 11-03-21, 02:28 PM
  #26  
TugaDude
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Originally Posted by joesch
As for Surly, if 4130 Chromoly is not good enough for you, they go into the details https://surlybikes.com/info_hole/spe...bout_our_steel

I love my SS Steamroller and here are the frame spec's and geometry
https://surlybikes.com/bikes/steamroller
Yes, and they also have some good info on another information page. This is just a snippet...this is not how it looks on the page, but fits here better.

FRAME COMPATIBILITY Tubing: Surly 4130 CroMoly steel. Main triangle is double-butted. TIG-welded Rear dropouts: Investment cast Surly track dropouts, 120mm spaced Brake compatibility: Standard reach post-mount road calipers, but there are no stops for housing Braze-ons: Seat tube water bottle mounts cause we’re not camels. Eyelets at rear dropout. Change is eternal Seatpost diameter: 27.2mm Seatpost clamp diameter: 30.0mm Surly stainless, included Headset: 1-1/8˝ threadless Bottom bracket shell: 68mm wide, threaded English 1.37˝ x 24t Chainring clearance: Heavy manipulation of the chainstays gives room for a 50t ring while maintaining chainline. Track crank-compatible Fork: 4130 CroMoly, lugged and brazed flat crown that is drilled to accept a standard mid-reach (47–57mm) caliper brake. It has clearance for 700c x 38mm tires. Tire clearance: Room for tires up to 700c x 38mm. Individual tire and rim combos affect tire clearance, but figure on being able to use tires up to 32mm with fenders (p.s. use clip-on fenders) HEY YOU surlybikes.com

FORK COMPATIBILITY Stem clamp: 28.6mm Tire clearance: 700 x 38mm, individual tire and rim combos affect tire clearance Crown race: 30mm Brake compatibility: Standard reach post-mount road calipers, but there are no stops for housing Front spacing: 100mm Axle type: 9mm QR Braze-ons: None. Go home.
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Old 11-03-21, 04:18 PM
  #27  
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This one sees gravel, single track, MUP, and dirt access trails on most of it's rides.

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Old 11-08-21, 12:19 AM
  #28  
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"SS Gravel = is it a thing?

Yep, sure is.
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Old 11-08-21, 12:41 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by Rolla
It's flat downtown and to the east, and gets more hilly as you go west. The annual Tour Das Hugel is 110 miles of the steepest hills in the area, totaling 13K feet of climbing. Brutal on a singlespeed. Brutal with gears, too!
Go to dannychew.com and check out The Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen. Long stated by Bicycling Magazine as the toughest sub 100 mile race in the world. 13 hills. 55 miles. The hills range from 21-38% gradient. Did it in 2009. Built a special Cdale SR300 1x8 38x12-30 w/dt shift. A guy named Montana Miller did it on fg. He was the first. Several others have done it since. 39×22 w/no freewheel decends. I rode with him and chatted a bit. Great guy and an animal on climbs. lol

Nothing you do can fully prepare you for that ride. Train hard. Especially your upper body and core. The hills are so true they're truth. They'll expose every pedal stroke you fudged. lol
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Old 11-09-21, 07:23 AM
  #30  
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None of the above bikes look the least bit dirty, here in my Pure-Fix Cleveland
All my bikes end up on gravel sometime.


Last edited by bwilli88; 11-09-21 at 07:27 AM.
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Old 11-09-21, 07:34 AM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by thehammerdog
Anyone use SS as gravel bike.
I have not seen much for few years....nashbar had one but i have not yet seen one out in the wild.
I don't use SS on gravel ... I'm the smart rider that uses a fatbike for gravel ... But I ride with many single-speed riders on gravel. I believe most riders are building their own SS gravel bikes, like I built my own drop-bar Pugsley.

Here's a pic from the 2021 DAMn - I rode with this group all morning, the rider on the front of this pic and rear are both SS, I'm off course the second rider, and the third rider is on a geared gravel bike (what a goofball?!?).




Footnote: Trenton (creator of The DAMn) test rode the Double DAMn course (495 miles in under 48 hours) on a SS bike

Edit: After a scroll through, SS gravel bikes are either old frames custom built, or a Minnesota brand of bike (Twin Six, Surly, All City ... )

Last edited by Hypno Toad; 11-09-21 at 07:37 AM.
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Old 11-09-21, 07:38 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by bwilli88
None of the above bikes look the least bit dirty...
Well since you brought it up
But back in the day we called it fixed mountain biking ...
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Old 11-09-21, 06:11 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by IAmSam
Well since you brought it up
But back in the day we called it fixed mountain biking ...

tried 35c too large i may get 30c with tread..these are 28c
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Old 11-10-21, 05:51 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by IAmSam
Well since you brought it up
But back in the day we called it fixed mountain biking ...
Love this, nice bike.
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Old 11-10-21, 05:06 PM
  #35  
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I'd post mine, but having never posted here since 2015, I can't upload pictures.

The Walmart carbon Viathon G1 makes a nice singlespeed bike and can almost fit 50c tires (48s to be safe). The 425 chain stays allow for multiple different gear ratios without a tensioner. Maybe after 9 more posts, I'll put up a picture.

I also just built up a Factor Ostro VAM that fits 32s and I run that as a SS with 52/18 without a tensioner. The bike is butter smooth but doesn't offer the versatility of the ratios that the Viathon does. It's primarily going to be a all-road bike or race gravel bike.
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Old 11-23-21, 07:49 PM
  #36  
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if there's a SS category, i'm "IN"

after

before
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Old 11-25-21, 12:44 AM
  #37  
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People race tracklocross
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Old 11-27-21, 07:16 AM
  #38  
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I look forward to being able to post pictures after a few more posts but I bought a Wabi Thunder just about a year ago which has now seen about 2500 miles and quite a bit of ‘gravel’ mixed in there. As long as no loose steep climbs it’s all good and handles it like a champ!
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Old 11-27-21, 03:17 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by MosEspecial
I look forward to being able to post pictures after a few more posts but I bought a Wabi Thunder just about a year ago which has now seen about 2500 miles and quite a bit of ‘gravel’ mixed in there. As long as no loose steep climbs it’s all good and handles it like a champ!
I'm probably going to buy a Special when they get them in stock this Jan/Feb. I may just get a frameset and build it up.
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Old 11-27-21, 10:35 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Lazyass
I'm probably going to buy a Special when they get them in stock this Jan/Feb. I may just get a frameset and build it up.
i love Wabi frames. Before the Thunder I rode a classic for years and have nothing but good things to say about them. The only issues I’ve had has been corrosion in the free wheels and cranks (on the Classic) which might be expected considering I live on the coast and ride though the winter in New England.
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Old 11-28-21, 01:47 AM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by MosEspecial
i love Wabi frames. Before the Thunder I rode a classic for years and have nothing but good things to say about them. The only issues I’ve had has been corrosion in the free wheels and cranks (on the Classic) which might be expected considering I live on the coast and ride though the winter in New England.
I have to correct my post. I said I was going to buy a Special but I already have one. I meant a Thunder. And I just checked their last FB post and it's Special's and Lightning's they're expecting to get this winter, not Thunder's. I guess they expect those to arrive this spring so I'll have to wait awhile
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Old 11-28-21, 05:28 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by Lazyass
I have to correct my post. I said I was going to buy a Special but I already have one. I meant a Thunder. And I just checked their last FB post and it's Special's and Lightning's they're expecting to get this winter, not Thunder's. I guess they expect those to arrive this spring so I'll have to wait awhile
Gotcha, yeah, availability has been brutal! I can vouch for the Thunder though, I absolutely love it and I doubt you’ll be disappointed when you can finally get your hands on one..
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Old 11-29-21, 07:58 AM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by GhenghisKahn
Go to dannychew.com and check out The Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen. Long stated by Bicycling Magazine as the toughest sub 100 mile race in the world. 13 hills. 55 miles. The hills range from 21-38% gradient. Did it in 2009. Built a special Cdale SR300 1x8 38x12-30 w/dt shift. A guy named Montana Miller did it on fg. He was the first. Several others have done it since. 39×22 w/no freewheel decends. I rode with him and chatted a bit. Great guy and an animal on climbs. lol

Nothing you do can fully prepare you for that ride. Train hard. Especially your upper body and core. The hills are so true they're truth. They'll expose every pedal stroke you fudged. lol
I did that ride in 2018. The weather was sooo bad (temps in the 40s, raining most of the day) that after doing it for 30+ years on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, in subsequent years they have done it a month earlier. I cleared all of the hills, but it was pretty close on a couple of 'em.

Back on-topic: the gravel races around here often have 100+ feet of climbing per mile (e.g., 65 mile race with 7000+ feet of climbing), and there will always be a few people on SS bikes. One of my old riding buddies (much younger and stronger than me) sometimes races on a SS and clears climbs that force me to get off and walk alongside my 11sp bike.
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Old 12-07-21, 09:36 PM
  #44  
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People race tracklocross

i have a bike for tracklocross but can't find any races near me
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Old 12-08-21, 02:55 AM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by TugaDude
FRAME COMPATIBILITY Tubing: Surly 4130 CroMoly steel. Main triangle is double-butted. TIG-welded Rear dropouts:

Fork: 4130 CroMoly, lugged and brazed flat crown that is drilled to accept a standard mid-reach (47–57mm) caliper brake. I
So it appears the rear stays and fork and straight gauge. Heavier and rougher ride. I never looks at their specs before but given the price level and the weight of the bikes that sounds about right.
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Old 12-14-21, 02:39 PM
  #46  
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set up for "gravel" but gearing was too high for the hills



same bike set up for cross

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Old 12-14-21, 05:27 PM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by EnzoRWD
set up for "gravel" but gearing was too high for the hills



same bike set up for cross

sweet bike.
what size tires..
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Old 12-14-21, 06:47 PM
  #48  
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Old 12-14-21, 09:26 PM
  #49  
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https://www.poseidonbike.com/product...cross-frameset
They call it a tracklocross but the geometry is slacker then a real cross bike and it'll run a 40c tire in 700c so probably a stronger gravel than cross bike.
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Old 12-14-21, 11:47 PM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by Russ Roth
https://www.poseidonbike.com/product...cross-frameset
They call it a tracklocross but the geometry is slacker then a real cross bike and it'll run a 40c tire in 700c so probably a stronger gravel than cross bike.
FYI, just got one and having issues with the fork. There isn't any shaping on the inner leg for the rotor, so clearance is super tight. Safety-wise, there needs to be a few mm and there isn't. I suspect that a wavy rotor would actually touch, an out-of-true one definately would. Looks like a design/production flaw to me. I stole the Kona P2 from another of my bikes for now.

That being said, it's looking like a perfect 650b fixed gear machine. I started out with some 650bx38, planning to run fenders and have a nice high bb. Just for fun, I installed some light 2.0 crosscountry tires and it looks awesome. tire clearance is a solid 4-5mm with the wheel in the middle.of the dropouts.

Oh yeah, at least on the new black ones the seatstay bridge isn't drilled. It's now a simple tube instead of the little cast number on the silver ones. Probably welded higher too.
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