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SS gravel = is it a thing?

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SS gravel = is it a thing?

Old 09-27-21, 07:04 AM
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thehammerdog
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SS gravel = is it a thing?

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.
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Old 09-27-21, 07:10 AM
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Sure it is! And depending on where you live, you might have access to the "rails to trails" sort of routes and most all of them are quite flat. I frequently use a SS on gravel. One tip I would offer is to protect your bike with tape. Either clear tape designed for the purpose or even gaffers tape can go a long way to protecting your bike's downtube for example. Or go with fenders if you want extra protection.
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Old 09-27-21, 09:16 AM
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Google Salsa Stormchaser, a SS gravel bike made for the Mid-South race and other gravel rides and races with similar conditions.

Last edited by Rolla; 09-27-21 at 09:19 AM.
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Old 09-27-21, 09:24 AM
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I havent seen a ton of this in the wild yet. MTB, for sure, but gravel not as much. For example there are many (MTB) races with SS only categories, that often carry a lot of prestige and/or cash prices.
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Old 09-27-21, 07:20 PM
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Sure, I've been riding my FG in the dirt ever since I built it:



Is it the best tool for the job? No.

It's hardly ever the best tool for the job, really.
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Old 09-27-21, 07:29 PM
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I’ve been riding my storm chaser all over town, but hardly ever at the Midsouth or other foul weather events. Or any events at all ever if I’m honest.

Salsa made this frame to take a geared build and I’m really surprised that they didn’t do one this year. An Apex build would be a natural, but obviously it would compete both with the warbird and the journeyman, so maybe they don’t want to.

This was my last time giving drop bars a chance and I shortly turned it into a flat bar. A flat bar version of this frame would be great about 2 inches longer and shorter wider seat tube for a dropper. Aluminum Chamois Hagar

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Old 09-27-21, 07:38 PM
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I have done some bike packing on my Cinelli Mash Work on gravel and loved it.
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Old 09-27-21, 11:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
A flat bar version of this frame would be great about 2 inches longer and shorter wider seat tube for a dropper.
I'd hit that.
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Old 09-28-21, 07:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Rolla
I have a Fairdale Parser (700 x 35) and an All City Super Pro (650b x 47). Both are singlespeeds that I routinely ride on gravel. Hell, I ride my cruisers on gravel!






I've always admired the Fairdales from afar. Can you give your impressions on yours? I think it would be helpful to myself and others.
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Old 09-28-21, 08:55 AM
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Originally Posted by TugaDude
I've always admired the Fairdales from afar. Can you give your impressions on yours? I think it would be helpful to myself and others.
The Parser been my go-to urban/gravel/cx singlespeed for six years. It's quick, fun, and has a geometry that fits me like it was custom-built. Unfortunately, Fairdale discontinued it in 2016. The Weekender Nomad (geared, with mech discs) is the closest model they currently make.
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Old 09-28-21, 09:33 AM
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Originally Posted by Rolla
The Parser been my go-to urban/gravel/cx singlespeed for six years. It's quick, fun, and has a geometry that fits me like it was custom-built. Unfortunately, Fairdale discontinued it in 2016. The Weekender Nomad (geared, with mech discs) is the closest model they currently make.
Good to know. Thanks for the feedback on the Parser. It's a shame that really good models sometimes get discontinued. But maybe they will re-emerge in the future.
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Old 09-28-21, 02:06 PM
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Depends on what you mean by a thing because I'd say it's still fairly niche but SS/FG seems that way to me anyway I guess?

I ride 95% dirt on All City Big Block set up with a bunch of Phil's and fattest 700x32s that'll fit; had I known about Squidbikes at the time I'd probably have gone Squid for bigger tire clearance but for the trails immediately accessible to me the BB is perfect - worked out so much better than I expected and with foam tire inserts my local trails have not presented BB anything I really wish I was on a squid for.

That said, I am kind of a beast (6'2 175, have run 1,000+ miles barefoot, climbed 12+ hrs/wk for 8 years, do mile swims off San Francisco without wetsuit...) and have been riding FG a long time so 700x32 over sloppy trails with no brakes is fun; for my wife, she did not enjoy even the chiller parts of my favorite local trails on city-oriented SS w/ skinnier tires so I'll be getting her a squid (SS with brakes, not idiotic brakeless FG like myself...).

May have shared here elsewhere but here's the bad idea in her natural habitat (before pinch flat ate that rear Panaracer):

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Old 09-28-21, 07:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Rolla
I have a Fairdale Parser (700 x 35) and an All City Super Pro (650b x 47). Both are singlespeeds that I routinely ride on gravel. Hell, I ride my cruisers on gravel!






I think you posted before and I forgot.

What kind of klunker is that again? What is it’s chainstay length?

Thank you.
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Old 09-28-21, 07:14 PM
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Originally Posted by SkinGriz
What kind of klunker is that again? What is it’s chainstay length?
2021 WeThePeople Avenger. 18.75" chainstays!
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Old 09-29-21, 04:52 PM
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I use my singlespeed Cross Check like a gravel bike (and a mountain bike sometimes) Currently it's flat bar, has also had drops. Running WTB Nanos. Lotsa fun. I was originally inspired by this guy: https://www.cxmagazine.com/gravel-bi...ost-found-2018


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Old 09-30-21, 07:45 AM
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Originally Posted by pbass
I use my singlespeed Cross Check like a gravel bike (and a mountain bike sometimes) Currently it's flat bar, has also had drops. Running WTB Nanos. Lotsa fun. I was originally inspired by this guy: https://www.cxmagazine.com/gravel-bi...ost-found-2018

The Cross Check is a solid bike and if you needed a "do it all" bike, it would be a decent frame to start from.
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Old 10-01-21, 11:22 AM
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From 2003-2015 or so, this 2002 Mercian Vincitore custom road fixed-gear was my primary gravel bike, running on 28 mm Continentals or Paselas - I would flip the rear wheel around to run 45x19 (later 42x18) fixed and it worked beautifully on the hardpacked dirt and gravel backroads and fire roads around Greenwood, SC -


But a couple of years ago I built up this 1973 Raleigh Competition, taking advantage of its greater clearances to run 35 mm Continental Cyclocross Speed tires. I've got a 17/19T Surly Dingle on one side of the flip/flop hub and a 20/22T White Industries Dos Eno freewheel on the other, allowing me 70-in fixed pavement, 60-in fixed gravel, then around 60-in general coasting and 51-in gentle singletrack options. It's a wonderful all-roads kinda bike.
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Old 10-05-21, 09:55 AM
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Oh yeah it's a thing.
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Old 10-21-21, 01:19 AM
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Good to hear this is a thing. I already built one for here in Florida. An old Peugeot with a flip flop hub and 700 x 28 and 32. So I'm hoping to check out all the flat trails in the area.
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Old 10-28-21, 11:55 AM
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the local Austin SingleSpeeders (ASS) group is mostly a mountain bike group. but when it's rainy and the trails are muddy, a few dozen of us gather on "gravel" type bikes for urban riding. there are always a few people on SS bikes at the local gravel races like Castell Grind. I've ridden Castell, Come and Grind It, Holey Roller, Texas Chainring Massacre, and the Hill Country Hundy on SS gravel bikes.
my previous bike was a Traitor Crusade, equipped with 35mm 700C tires, and it had swinging dropouts to tension the chain.

am now on a Twin Six Standard Rando with 47mm 650B tires. it has a PF30 bottom bracket shell, so I put a Wheels Mfg. eccentric bottom bracket adapter in it. works fantastic!
gearing choices vary depending on tire size and terrain, but I have settled on something around 60-65 gear-inches.
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Old 10-29-21, 10:32 AM
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Originally Posted by thewilson
Oh yeah it's a thing.
Man that Nature Boy is gorgeous, no wonder you don't ride your Special that much!
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Old 10-29-21, 12:00 PM
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Originally Posted by mack_turtle
the local Austin SingleSpeeders (ASS) group is mostly a mountain bike group. but when it's rainy and the trails are muddy, a few dozen of us gather on "gravel" type bikes for urban riding. there are always a few people on SS bikes at the local gravel races like Castell Grind. I've ridden Castell, Come and Grind It, Holey Roller, Texas Chainring Massacre, and the Hill Country Hundy on SS gravel bikes.
my previous bike was a Traitor Crusade, equipped with 35mm 700C tires, and it had swinging dropouts to tension the chain.

am now on a Twin Six Standard Rando with 47mm 650B tires. it has a PF30 bottom bracket shell, so I put a Wheels Mfg. eccentric bottom bracket adapter in it. works fantastic!
gearing choices vary depending on tire size and terrain, but I have settled on something around 60-65 gear-inches.
Thats a nice bike.
Is Austin hilly? Flat? I’ve never been.
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Old 10-31-21, 01:27 AM
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Originally Posted by mack_turtle
am now on a Twin Six Standard Rando with 47mm 650B tires. it has a PF30 bottom bracket shell, so I put a Wheels Mfg. eccentric bottom bracket adapter in it. works fantastic!
gearing choices vary depending on tire size and terrain, but I have settled on something around 60-65 gear-inches.
I was looking at that frameset but I don't like when someone (like Surly or Soma for instance) sells a steel frame and doesn't say exactly what tubing it is. It would be nice to know if it's a light high end tubeset that will ride smooth or a heavier thick gauge that will ride stiffer. At that price range it's usually the latter. I like to be able to find the exact tubing specs so I can determine if it's being sold for a fair price. And they don't even have a geometry chart unless I missed it. Do you happen to have any of that info?
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Old 10-31-21, 06:07 AM
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Originally Posted by Lazyass
I was looking at that frameset but I don't like when someone (like Surly or Soma for instance) sells a steel frame and doesn't say exactly what tubing it is. It would be nice to know if it's a light high end tubeset that will ride smooth or a heavier thick gauge that will ride stiffer. At that price range it's usually the latter. I like to be able to find the exact tubing specs so I can determine if it's being sold for a fair price. And they don't even have a geometry chart unless I missed it. Do you happen to have any of that info?
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

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Old 11-03-21, 12:38 PM
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Originally Posted by SkinGriz
Is Austin hilly? Flat? I’ve never been.
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!
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