Printable View
Be careful maxing out what you think your tire width can be. If you stuff a wheel in a ditch or some rocks and get a little wobble in you’re wheel, you want to make sure you have room between your fork/frame and tire with a wobble. Or else you’re walking home when the wheel won’t spin.
^^^ And if it’s not quite that bad for you to have to walk out you may get enough rub to ruin your frame.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
ah yeah fair enough, space doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. I’m not gonna sweat 43 in a 42 though
Attachment 376707Quote:
Originally Posted by VTskibum
Attachment 376708
Yup. This was with the stock tires on my gravel bike. Wore straight through the chainstays. Expensive way to learn about the abrasive properties of mud.
Ouch!Quote:
Originally Posted by Dumbest Known Time
I laughed…Quote:
Originally Posted by Peruvian
That sux, sorry to see that! Had it happen on my Ti frame slightly with a wheel going out of true, limped home and it was pretty well polished, but nothing like that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dumbest Known Time
Is now when someone stands up to shout, 'steel is real'?Quote:
Originally Posted by Dumbest Known Time
:knockout:
That gravel vid is gold Jerry
Attachment 376864
tried out the GKSK+ and bar on the mellower half of my closest mtb loop, great success
Yeah it took a solid week to talk myself down from chucking the frame and swapping all the parts over to something metal. Ibis came through for a replacement though. Sold me a new frame at half off the standard crash replacement cost. ...Or they got me with the same line they use on everyone. Either way, left me really impressed
Happened on the road and not on gravel, but the message is the same. Wear your damn helmet! Saved my noggin for sure. Literally no signs of brain injury. Sore neck is all.
Attachment 376975
yikes. glad you are ok.Quote:
Originally Posted by huckbucket
Attachment 376996
Attachment 376997
Attachment 376998
4k’ of it this morning
Never had a screen name been so relevantQuote:
Originally Posted by huckbucket
Yesterday’s 40+ mile, 4,300’ ride was a blast.
Attachment 377062
Attachment 377063
Sweet. What color shoes did you go with?Quote:
Originally Posted by Peruvian
Helmets are good.Quote:
Originally Posted by huckbucket
Awesome pics and rides there MW and Peruvian...
New bike day yesterday so will be posting more soon!
Any opinions on Salsa Warbird or Cutthroat?
Somehow, my LBS got a billionty gravel bikes in 61.
Ruled out: Aspero (too road bike), Vault (too $$$), Wilier (too $$$ for spec), Kona (just didn’t dig it)...which leaves the two Salsa.
Cutthroat - looks cool...but I worry if I got it, I’d keep thinking: I shoulda just got a mtb. And: this is very slow.
Warbird - like...but worry it’s too close to my road bike. But: I do like going fast.
I think Warbird. Mostly bc I’m not doing anything beyond a day or two...maybe three. Certainly not 7-10days. And prolly won’t get too rowdy...that’s what mtb is for.
Thoughts? Any other suggestions.
Sent from my iPad using TGR Forums
Know a few people with warbirds and they like them. No personal experience on them, though.
It’s certainly a little more relaxed than a lot of the more performance oriented bikes.
I’ve had a Warbird GRX 600 for a little over a year and love it. Picked up an extra wheelset mounted up with 32c road tires and use it as both my road and gravel bike. As Supermoon said, the geo is relaxed and it’s long. It’s not a fast handling bike, but it’s rock solid at 40+. The stock tires (Terravail Cannonball) are stiff and slow, I swapped those out for Gravelking SK’s. I don’t bikepack, but it has a ton of mounts.
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
New bike day ride on the Davinci Hatchet. Unbelievable ride. Some parts definitely need an upgrade, but for now will cover as much ground as possible
Attachment 377260
Standard black in SPDs for that ride. I think I’ll put on the flats for a 3 day trip planned later this month.Quote:
Originally Posted by huckbucket
Attachment 377362
Attachment 377363
love the bars
A hot day but the 15 miles of gravel were fun mid-ride.
Attachment 377375Attachment 377376
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
^^^ Nice looking Pivot! Also, Camelbak Podium bottles are the best.
A long day trying out a new wheel set and the Rene Herse tires. So light, fun and versatile. Just need to find some bars like MW’s Ritchey bars.
Attachment 377469Attachment 377470Attachment 377471
the ritchey beacon comp is super nice, not expensive, and available online. probably want new bar tape, maybe (?) need to change the cables / hoses if your current bar is a 40cm or something
Fwiw, as someone who rode drops on road and gravel for 25 years, for a gravel bike I use Jones H-bars now and would never go back. The grip and brake section is better than any “dirt drop” hbars. Bonus is better and more brake options.
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
^ from genuine curiosity, why not go flat bar at that point? the various grip points are enough to give you the same not-the-same-back-and-hand-position benefit that drops give?
what I like about drops, besides the nostalgia from way back when I sort of rode a road bike, is the wrist angle on a flares drop + the easy ability to change my back angle. and 2 real positions to use the brakes and shifters from (though I wouldn’t ride the hoods on a serious off road descent)
I’ve had WTB dirt drops, Nitto dirt drops, mustache etc. the Jones bar isn’t pretty but it’s the most comfortable handlebar I’ve ever used. Flat bars are terrible from an ergonomic perspective and drops really seem like a compromise on rough roads and trails. With the sweep and downward angle of the Jones you really don’t feel the need to move your hands much. There are multiple positions of course.Quote:
Originally Posted by mall walker
I was a die hard drop bar user and pretty dogmatic about it, rode 7-9k miles a year with drops on dirt, gravel and single track. I won’t go back.
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
I rode the bikepacking.com Brattleboro Roundabout route this weekend with 2 others.
The first day was 56 miles with 5900’ elevation. We lost one of the starters at mile 25 but three of us continued.
Attachment 377656
Attachment 377658
Attachment 377667
The spillway on Somerset Reservoir was wild!
Attachment 377659
We found a great campsite in the GMNF along a brook. There were thousands of moths all over the roadway and even found a home in my shoes!
Attachment 377657
The next day was shorter, but on rougher “roads”. The transit station was quiet for a Saturday.
Attachment 377664
Attachment 377660
Attachment 377661
Attachment 377662
We ended up in my old “neighborhood” by early afternoon. We had a great campsite by the river and soaked our muscles for a few hours.
We had been leap-frogging another duo on the same route and invited them to our campsite for the night. When the found out their site was circled by huge RVs with kids running rampant, they decided to join us.
That night so some friends met us for dinner out.
Attachment 377663
Sunday morning we quickly passed by landmarks well known to me.
Attachment 377665
After a snack in Grafton, we pedaled up Keller (killer) Hill. At the top, the old guy in the stone cabin let us know the road ends there. We gave him the old “where we’re going, we don’t need roads” bit and found some crazy log skids, class 4 (maybe 5!) roads and techie rock rolling. As always, pics don’t do it justice.
Attachment 377666
Attachment 377662
The next 30ish miles was a lovely mix of gravel, rail trail, and a touch of single track back to the truck.
Attachment 377668
140 miles and 10k’ elevation total.
That's some fine bushwacking! Thanks for the TR!
Nice work with the bike in that terrain.
Ended up going with the Redshift kitchen sink handlebars that were in stock at the local bike shop. Set them up with a shorter stem and finally got the dropper post installed. 61 km mountain bike ride to test it all out and love the bars, love the dropper post. Never thought I’d say that
Attachment 377801Attachment 377802
I remember back in the mid 2000's, as a new cyclist, paying close to 20 CAD for a water bottle and thinking I'm the biggest sucker on the planet. Loved it though, no leaks and are built tough. Have bought a grand total of three more, use them daily whether I'm riding or not, and they're all problem free. Even still use that manky first one.Quote:
Originally Posted by chaka
looks sweet. what’re you actuating the dropper with?Quote:
Originally Posted by alive
looks like a 1x setup, Front shifter can be fitted to be dropper lever with most brands. depending on which dropper.
Few recent ones
Attachment 377817
Attachment 377818
Attachment 377819
Attachment 377820