Gravel/Bikepack nerds enter...

[Tailwind]

I did the western fjords route last year. Not the whole thing... weather kicked out ass. There is a post in here from last September with some trip details. On good weather days Iceland is insane.
Bounce worked great in Iceland. Flew in. Bus to Reykjavik. Build bikes at the bus station. Walked bike bags to a thrift shop nearby that used bounce. Super easy process.

Biked to the regional airport from there and walked bikes on.

Ok thanks that's helpful. We are looking at more gravel bike packing. Dirt roads. Your trip looks amazing

[jhyatt]

I did the western fjords route last year. Not the whole thing... weather kicked out ass. There is a post in here from last September with some trip details. On good weather days Iceland is insane.
Bounce worked great in Iceland. Flew in. Bus to Reykjavik. Build bikes at the bus station. Walked bike bags to a thrift shop nearby that used bounce. Super easy process.

Biked to the regional airport from there and walked bikes on.

Thanks that's super helpful. Everything we read is about weather especially wind kicking your ass in Iceland.

[jhyatt]

Ok Iceland sounds windy and realistically I should be more fiscally and environmentally responsible.
So we will ride the Vermont super 8. Or something like that.
I borrowed a surly bridge club from one of my kids.
Doing some shakedown rides.
If you have a pair of anything cages and bags collecting dust, let me know! Thanks.

[Peruvian]

jhyatt - you’re welcome to borrow bags for the Super eight from me. What are the dates?

[jhyatt]

jhyatt - you’re welcome to borrow bags for the Super eight from me. What are the dates?

Thanks I'll text you

[Tailwind]

Iceland is incredible but I think your odds of getting even okay weather are not super high. It is a high risk high reward trip to book if you are set on biking.

Ok Iceland sounds windy and realistically I should be more fiscally and environmentally responsible. So we will ride the Vermont super 8. Or something like that. I borrowed a surly bridge club from one of my kids. Doing some shakedown rides. If you have a pair of anything cages and bags collecting dust, let me know! Thanks.

[Going Coastal]

So Ive started getting more adventurous with my gravel bike in areas where i would normally just use a hard tail mtb. I like to keep my hands on the hoods for braking since I feel like I will go over the bars in the drops, but I really wish i had a firmer grip when it gets bouncy, and when i wrap my hand around the hoods I cant really apply enough brake since fingers are blocking a full pull.

Is this just a get used to it situation, or is there a better way to manage hand placement? Maybe bite the bullet and get a dropper post so I can use the drops without the feeling of imminent disaster?

[mcski]

it’s counter intuitive but you’re more likely to go over the bars on the hoods than in the drops. It’s hard getting used to and I’m def guilty of not using the drops as much as I should but it’s really a matter getting used to it and having the proper set up for reach on the bike. If you can add a dropped post, that may help as well

[jamal]

Yeah bumpier and steeper things i like to be in the drops. Remember to keep the weight through your pedals. You can relax your grip a bit more and one finger brake. Even with pretty aggressively low handlebars it still works fairly well for me.

Rolling the hoods/bars back a bit can help with control on the hoods but there's a limit to how far you want to go with that.

[Going Coastal]

I guess that makes sense if I really think about it. I will try it next time and hope i can get used to it.

[alias#?]

Any opinions on this bike and components? I know it's probably a little sportier than I need but I'd like to start gravel riding (reformed mountain biker and roadie). Pretty much is the price decent and the bike ok if I decide to keep riding or sell it and quit. I don't really like any of the local shops and I don't really want to have to buy and assemble it. Thanks. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...4982631766105/

[Dee Hubbs]

Good find. Opens are pretty high end quality. The spec is good with decent parts, nothing jumps out as red flags. The gearing is a little short if you live in a really hilly area/mountains. A 34t or 34 Oval on the inner crank can increase that, or that derailleur will handle an 11-36 cassette. Size wise I ride the shops UPPER demo in a MED at 5*10. The large UP is a bit of a stretch for my 5*10.25 body. (For reference I ride a 56 Felt, Specialized, Trek Factor, 54 Cannonade in Road/Gravel, Large Rocky, Norco, Intense MTB). Opens Large is a 58Stem looks pretty long for a Gravel bike, but thats a simple swap if the fit is long. Good buy if it fits.

[alias#?]

Sweet, thanks. I'm 6'2" and I can't remember my road size but given your sizes it sounds right.

[mcski]

Open’s are the bike of choice by my n+[emoji637] bike buddies. That looks like a good find

[zion zig zag]

Starting to kick around the idea of a gravel bike now that I live somewhere with nearly unlimited gravel roads from the house and long mud seasons. I’ve never been a roadie and my MTB is on the slacker end of the spectrum, I value comfort both in body position and for washboard roads more than raciness. ChatGPT said I should be looking for a Spec Diverge or Canyon Grizl, but open to others if you guys have recommendations.

I know nothing about group sets, anything to avoid? I haven’t really set a firm budget because I don’t know what’s reasonable for a used starter gravel bike?

[buttahflake]

New Diverge is just about to drop. Giant Revolt should most definitely be on your list.

[Skistack]

2 main considerations IMHO are tire clearance and gearing.

If you’re mostly riding gravel 45 is fine. Go wider if you plan on exploring singletrack or rougher FS roads. Clearances have grown over the years, so confirm the clearance for that year’s model if looking used.

Gearing can be anything from a compact road group with a front derailleur and a 34-34 lowest gear to a 1x setup with a MTB cassette.


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[Going Coastal]

I thought the Specialized Future Shock was kind of gimicky, but I do notice the difference in hand fatigue on gravel, especially at higher speeds. So if you do go for a Diverge the future shock is pretty nice to have.

[zion zig zag]

I think most of what I’d ride would be flattish dirt roads and better condition forest service roads of moderate grade. There is lots of washboard and some deeper loose gravel around, but also a good amount of hard packed dirt roads. So [emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji637]]ish tires should be fine for that?

As far as gearing, it seems like most of the used bikes I’ve looked at are [emoji637]x with [emoji637][emoji637]-[emoji640][emoji638] cassettes and [emoji640][emoji638] chainrings. Ish.


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[waveshello]

I think most of what I’d ride would be flattish dirt roads and better condition forest service roads of moderate grade. There is lots of washboard and some deeper loose gravel around, but also a good amount of hard packed dirt roads. So [emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji637]]ish tires should be fine for that?

As far as gearing, it seems like most of the used bikes I’ve looked at are [emoji637]x with [emoji637][emoji637]-[emoji640][emoji638] cassettes and [emoji640][emoji638] chainrings. Ish.


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I think you'd appreciate that 1:1 ratio on the low end for climbs up to 6% or so, and if you're looking at doing a lot of sustained climbing over 8%, I'd consider even lower, like a 42:46.

I'm stuck in the 11s world for now, but I've found that a 42t chainring and an 11-42 or 11-46 cassette covers a lot of bases. If you're racing, throw a 46t ring on there, bike packing, 38t.

[waveshello]

No personal experience on this frame, but if you like slacker geometry and tire clearance the Evil Chamois Hagar would certainly fit the bill.