Anybody riding 29er MTB tires on their gravel bike? My Kona Sutra LTD will fit a set of Maxxis CrossMark 2.1s that I have, which are weighted towards XC, and I wonder if I should give it a shot.
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Anybody riding 29er MTB tires on their gravel bike? My Kona Sutra LTD will fit a set of Maxxis CrossMark 2.1s that I have, which are weighted towards XC, and I wonder if I should give it a shot.
My 2.25" Ardents fit perfectly.. and we have the same bike :) Makes the ride a little more cushy, slower rolling on fast pavement of course though. 95% of the time my 44 Riddlers are the weapon of choice though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peruvian
Maybe a bit heavy even set up tubeless. On the other hand they would provide good off road traction and some cushion. Give 'er a try, report back.
I'm waffling between fatter tires for late/early season riding vs. fenders. The 2.1s will give more float on soft dirt roads (particularly in the Spring), but the fenders might save the drive train and my ass from getting soaked/gritty. Fenders over 2.1s seems silly.
I have the same bike as well. I stuck a 2.4 DHF in the front for an adventure race and it's awesome. Will throw a 2.1 Minion SS or something in the rear when I get around to it. I love it as an over-rubbered under-bike. You can ride some techy stuff on that bike with good tires.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peruvian
For your situation, I'd definitely recommend going that route with just the front tire first. It hurts your rolling speed on pavement less, and still makes a huge difference on softer roads and such. And I see no reason to not run fenders with bigger tires. I don't commute on mine, but I still have a marshgaurd type fender on the front, and a similar jimmy-rigged one on the back all the time.
The other, more expensive option, is to get 27.5 wheels, and run it B+. I have a buddy that jammed a 2.8 into that frame with no clearance issues.....
Sounds like you may be talking about some singletrack and such. That's the only place I'd run MTB tires on a gravel bike, personally. For dirt and gravel roads, I think a 40 is plenty. I'm running 45s and think they're probably overkill for most stuff, including steep, loose descents. I think you lose more than you gain with big tires.
I'm on a set of 2.2 ikons. Not the fastest thing in town but very fun for mixed surfaces. I did a century over the weekend with 80 miles of dirt/20 tarmac - super comfy. Attachment 299900
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I run 29 2.25 Vittoria Mezcals f/r, awesome for the pristine gravel around the boat, and not bad on some of the singletrack on Emerald and buff pass. But they are not so good for traction around corners at speed, and especially when wet. Using my full sus as a training bike for now, extra weight makes me stronger. Plus I'm old(er)... Planning on TD 2021, ITT but with goal of 30 days. Gonna test myself at SBT GRVL 2020. Volunteered this summer for a guaranteed entry. #runwhatyoubrung and all that.
I too was a dot watcher for this years' TD. Was inspired when I met Josh Kato at Orange Peel as he passed through. I used to live up Lynx Pass which is part of the GDMBR, and was initially inspired when, on my daily rides, would meet many of the racers as they passed through my neighborhood back in 2016/2017, Jay P. being one of them. Crazy how the TD has grown but it's still not sponsored, no reward...I hope it stays that way.
I'll be racing to bring more awareness to acquired brain injuries (brought on by disease and illnesses), and Encephalitis (swelling of the brain). I was stricken with it in 2015 and almost died or became a vegetable. I'm lucky to be where I'm at. Skiing was a major part of my recovery (once I was able to), and I feel very fortunate to have become addicted to my bike. I feel like, for the long term, cycling is what I have to do for continued recovery and brain health.
Glad to see some familiar mags posting in this thread. I can only take so much on the FB divide groups.
Cheers
Some pics from the summer, all on my Mezcals. Holy shit they are fast on gravel. EThirteen carbon rsl/tubeless setup seems to be great so far.
Emerald
Attachment 301660
Riding back to steamboat from Radium
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Part of Blue course for SBT GRVL, north of Hayden
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Ridge Trail
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Headed up Lynx Pass
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Buff pass a few weeks back
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Polk-E-Dot
Love it!
Fuck the gravel haters!
I'm in banff, and a bike mechanic set up at the start. Let me know if you want to escape the TD nerds (kookie fuckers) and go for a beer
or need a hand with bike stuff, or planning the TD
Awesome. Thanks for this. Part of me feels like getting there will be one of the the hardest parts. Logistics.Quote:
Originally Posted by mntlion
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jax
for logistics, fly to calgary with bike 2 days before you want to start, easy often shuttles to banff, book a room SOON (yes it will not be cheap) build bike, eat lots of good meals, start pedaling one morning.
Whitefish bike retreat also does shuttles from whitefish to banff
Alright Gravel bike people i need some advice... i've been debating getting a gravel bike for some time now and i think this winter i might try to build one. Funds aren't there for new (or probably even complete used) bike and i will rely on friends who have a ton of parts and knowledge. I'm good with bikes, have the tools so i'm not shy to put one together myself if need be.
I'm not looking to bike pack or travel but just pound off nice gravel trails i have behind my house when i don't feel like getting the Bronson out (or riding that bike on mainly flat, walkable trails).
I had a road bike once in my life and i hated it.... mind you i rode once on a highway full of cars and thought i was going to die... riding a similar bike in nature sounds good!
My first questions;
Thinking i want disc brakes, is this necessary?
Steel? Aluminum? does it matter?
Can i put one together from a 30-40 year old road bike or will i run into a bunch of issues with tire clearance and such?
Any particular bikes (5-10 years old) i could get at a decent price that you guys like?
I think a gravel bike would fit well into my quiver of Bronson and Farley and i'm pumped to hear what you guys have to offer.
Can you? Yes but you're going to run into hassles and no disc brakes may be a downer in less than perfect conditions. Try this for new then upgrade parts as you go. https://www.reidbikes.com/product/granite-1-0-usa/Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandbox
Biggest hassles with an old road frame are no bosses for cantilever or disc brakes and tire clearance. I have Ultegra discs and wouldn't be able to ride some of the offroad trails I regularly ride without them[or would be riding much slower].
What is your budget?
Discs are key for getting off road.
Not sure what your budget is but I see lots of Craigslist bikes on the $1k range that are worth buying.
All very good info! My thoughts were that disc was the only way to go but thought i would see what you guys thought.
As someone else said in this thread "Gravel Bike" is certainly a hot topic now, lots of companies lining up to take your money.
Budget would probably be sub 1k at this time... like i said i have a good amount of bikes now (and skis) and if the wife sees me bring in another bike there might be hell to pay, gotta sneak it into the basement to work on it, haha.
I found a 10 year old Jake the Snake on pinkbike that the guy wants (IMO) way too much for that i may try to wheel and deal.
At this point i'm in no rush as i'll be focused on skiing and fat biking for the winter but wouldn't mind grabbing something when the deals are good
There plenty of solid out of the box gravel bikes out there for under $2k. But if you want to build you own, I would start looking for an older, steel XC frame or something with ample tire clearance and disc brake tabs.
I rode an old XC frame built up as a gravel bike for a couple years. It certainly did the job but upgrading to a proper gravel set up this year was a welcome improvement.
Is Steel really important for vibration dampening and such with no suspension or is that just hype? My fat bike is rigid but also has those massive tires to eat up some road.
^^^ Gravel bikes run bigger tires (mine are 40’s); tire pressure makes a bigger difference than frame materials, IMO.
I think it depends on what you are used to and tire width. In other words, an alu bike with 50mm tires running 30psi will likely next as supple as a steel bike on 32s @ 70 psi.
That all makes sense.... So i don't need to splurge or focus on steel other then the cool factor
I see the Framed Gavier bike being on sale for $1500 new right now. Shopping for a used gravel bike isn't going to turn up very much in my experience.
What size bike are you looking for? I’ll probably be selling my Jake Carbon sometime this winter.
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Medium/Large? i'm 5'11", average length legs/torso/armsQuote:
Originally Posted by joetron
How much bacon you looking for it? 3lbs?
Word, it should fit. Not quite sure yet....probably right around $1k. Gonna be zwifting on it for a few months, but getting something fresh for this spring.
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sounds good man, let me know before you sell it and you might have a buyer! what year/spec?Quote:
Originally Posted by joetron
Can’t find the link now, but this summer while nerding out about tire pressure I came across an interview with a technical guy from one of the big European pro cycling teams discussing their tire pressure testing. He claimed that the difference in subjective ride feel between carbon and aluminum frames was equivalent to about 5 psi in the tires. This was for skinny tired road bikes, and with larger volume tires I expect the difference would be even smaller.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peruvian
Interesting.... I believe it. I’d be happy with steel or aluminum really.Quote:
Originally Posted by TrueNorth
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Nukeproof Digger is available again. Killer deal on a rad 650b gravel bike.
Honest question - what are the advantages of a industry marketed, modern gravel bike over a rigid mtb with ≤ 2" tires? I'm currently riding a 2000ish Ibis Hakkalugi with canti brakes and 40c tires for exploring forest roads around western MT. I'd like to upgrade because i sometimes feel under gunned for forest roads in really poor shape or with gnarly washboards. Ideally, I'd like something with through axles and disc brakes. It seems like a xc hardtail mtb with a rigid fork and skinny tires would do the job just fine, no?
Prolly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Terrapin Ben
A gravel bike is a road bike designed for wide tires, and sometimes bumps.
Gravel vs. Mtn bike hard tail have to be one of the most discussed topics next to tire choice. Google "gravel or hard tail" and it is pages of opinions and forum discussions
Mtn bike hard tails no longer come with 3x gear sets so your gearing options are limited. With 1x you likely aren't going to get frame clearance for a single 40-44 tooth front chaining you'll want. That is my personal observation.
I have a Surly Instigator frame that isn't doing much right now that i debated to try turning into a gravel machine of some type... drop bars, narrow tires... but that frame is a heavy beast so it wouldn't be light.
My hardtail has a 34t ring and doesn't look like it would clear 36. I think newer xc bikes are made with up to like a 38t ring in mind though. And a 10t little cog is like having two more teeth on the chainring, and tire size matters, so for example 29x2 with 36x10 is the same gear inches as 42x11 on 28mm road tires.
There's this "gravel race" that happens occasionally, and I've always used my xc bike over the cx because of the forest road descent at the end. Really rough, loose, and there are always a bunch of flats coming down to the finish. Since the last time it happened I put on better brakes (still rim) and got some 40s for general/gravel riding. Made it a lot better and I might consider riding it on that one. Rocky mountain roubaix is coming back next year and I'm probably riding the cx bike on 32 slicks as it is turning into more of a gravel race.
And rigid, drop bars, 40ish tires does get you a pretty good amount of speed and efficiency on flat roads compared to flat bars and 2" tires. I generally don't like riding my mtb across town and such even though it's a light xc race bike with flimsy, fast rolling tires.
Good info, Jamal. Thanks.
Edit for follow up: What's the ideal gearing for grinding around forest roads in Western MT?
Depends on fitness and how much stuff you're carrying, but I'd say 40 x 11-36 is passable on most stuff, but about the tallest low gear you'd want. Might as well use a wider cassette than that though. An slx 11-42 is pretty cheap and will go on any bike with a freehub. I only have an 11-32 because I'm racing cross and it was cheaper.
Found an older (2009) Kona Jake the Snake for a decent deal (under $200CAN)... doesn't have drop bars and no disc brakes. Do i grab that, change the bars and just roll with rim brakes or do i just work this Instigator into something i can use?
I'd buy that if it fit. Rim brakes only worked for the last 100 years or so.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandbox