Gravel/Bikepack nerds enter...

[kathleenturneroverdrive]

Bars - flare or no flare? I need to order some new ones. This will be for road and gravel use not much singletrack. seems like it would be nice to have a small amount like 4%-12% but no more than that. my fit guy doesn't like them because it changes your hand positions on the hoods.

Flare for sure. I use my gravel bike primarily for fast rides, 3-5 races a year, and rare, group pavement-only rides. I recently went from 4 degrees to 12 on my new bars (carbon cowbells) and had the same thoughts as you plus a little concern about losing aero positioning on fast pavement rides. But I honestly don't notice a single downside going to 12. I'm instead more comfortable on long rides which makes me faster over long gravel races + noticeably faster on rocky descents.

That said, personally, I think 12 or maybe even 16 degrees is likely the cutoff for flair if you're using the bike on the faster end of the spectrum. But I'm sure someone is running more flair and winning races so to each their own.

Wish there was an easier way to try out different bars. I'l probably go with some something fairly conservative. so as to not fuck with what I know works for me.

It's not free, but the $50(ish) aluminum Salsa Cowbell or Easton EA50AX bars are pretty cheap ways to demo wider flair. If you hate them you could always sell them pretty quick given how big gravel stuff is right now.

[climberevan]

I don't like for the hoods to be on the flared part much at all bc i want the feel to be similar to my road bike, which has some old school long reach bars that i didn't like at first but have really grown to love, especially with the long, flat DA Di2 hoods.

I really like the Ritchey Butano bars that I've had on my last 2 gravel bikes. They feel roady enough to be familiar with the same-shape Ultegra Di2 hoods with just a bit of flare (12) for in the drops rocky descents. They're cheap and not too heavy.

If anyone wants to try some wide very flared bars the Origin8 ones I posted above are still available.

[mall walker]

MW- did that small front mudguard come with the enve fork? I'm looking for something similar. thanks

it did indeed come with the fork

[greenmachine]

what width are you after? I'm considering selling a lightly used set of super light and fancy carbon FSA k-Wing AGX size 44. In your range of more subtle flare (12%). Seriously nice bar. I'm considering getting something with more flare and a little shallower drop (like a Ritchey Venturamax). I'm in Seattle area. PM me if you think we might be able to work something out. cheers. Funny, my 'fit guy' (I get to call him that after going to my first fit) eyed these bars and said... 'ohhhhh those look perfect, I don't like a lot of flare....'

funny was looking at the sl-k- compact carbon. need 42-44 between the hoods. i'll check out your bar and let u know.

[greenmachine]

Thanks for the feedback. my current bars that i've got to replace have cable integration. don't think that is necessary but certainly complicates replacing them.

[mall walker]

got the cockpit dialed and damn this thing is fun

[huckbucket]

TR from a three-day north-central PA trip. Myself and three buds. We're all road racers, but love a little adventure. No camping. First night in a shitty little hotel. Second in a B&B. I chose this area because it was less than 2 hours in the car from home. We parked at a truck stop off of 99 just over the PA line in Lawrenceville and headed south.

Parking;
41°59'33.1"N 77°08'28.3"W

The setup:
We were all on gravel bikes. The goal was to hit around 70-80 miles per day with around 5K of climbing. The route was a mix of road and gravel (ended up being mostly gravel). See below for actual routes each day. I was on my cyclocross bike (Superx) and had three bags attached ... top bento, frame bag and a big seat bag. Two other guys had the same setup (Open frames). Last guy went whole hog and had panniers, etc. He used the trip to test equipment for a future month-long bikepack. We coordinated to avoiding redundant equipment. Everyone was tubeless. We brought 5 darts, bunch of sealant. Hand pump. No CO2. Only ended up with one flat (which needed a dart) in three days despite day three being wet.

Day 1:
72 miles, ~4K of climbing
The highlight of this day is the Pine Creek Rail Trail which is a 65 mile perfect route through a super cool canyon. From north to south it flows downhill, following the river at -1% grade so you essentially cruise perfect gravel. The weather couldn't have been better and we just pounded away for more than 30 miles.





Day #2:
76 miles, ~5K climbing
We lost the route somewhere around mile 45 which ended up being a good thing because we detoured for lunch and liquid. The result is that we finished near our stop for the night earlier than expected. Executive decisions were made and we decided to bar hop before retiring to our B&B for some home cooked food. Bar 1 was solid. Bar 2 was not. Lots of looks a the guys in spandex. One guy asked if we wanted a brandy. I told him that was ironic because his mom told me her name was Brandy when I was fuckin her last week. It didn't go well after that.

The highlight of this day was the 9 mile up-flat-up-flat from Slate Run using Slate Run Rd and Francis Rd. Just the perfect grade to some great views. The downhill on the backside was equally awesome.



Day #3:
60 miles, ~5K climbing
This day was out of the bigger valleys and into the rolling hills. Also, we were heading west to east across the grain of the topo which means we were up and down all day. Rain and 50 to start so we got to bust out our rain provisions. Worked well for some, not so much for others. Again, mix of dirt and road with some really nice extended ups although nothing epic. Highlight of this day were the pancakes in Ulysses.




Observation #1;
I'm just blown away at the quality of the roads. Can't say I knew it was gonna be this good going into it. The gravel/dirt roads are perfect. You're not hunting to avoid pot holes. The shoulders are firm. The gravel is generally small. The pitch on the climbs was perfect. The scenery was amazing. In a word, it was spectacular.

Observation #2;
Gotta pick the route carefully. This is mostly because of the lack of convenience stores/food/liquid. This is Gods country, but appearently God doesn't need gas and raises goats.

[gravitylover]

TR from a three-day north-central PA trip.

Day #2:
76 miles, ~5K climbing
We lost the route somewhere around mile 45 which ended up being a good thing because we detoured for lunch and liquid. The result is that we finished near our stop for the night earlier than expected. Executive decisions were made and we decided to bar hop before retiring to our B&B for some home cooked food. Bar 1 was solid. Bar 2 was not. Lots of looks a the guys in spandex. One guy asked if we wanted a brandy. I told him that was ironic because his mom told me her name was Brandy when I was fuckin her last week. It didn't go well after that.

I LOL'd. Classic TGR story.

[chaka]

Thanks for the feedback. my current bars that i've got to replace have cable integration. don't think that is necessary but certainly complicates replacing them.

do the FSA K-Wing AGXs meet your needs? I see on the FSA site COMPATIBLE WITH ACR AND SCR SYSTEMS
New update: Now compatible with FSA Aerodynamic integrated Cable Routing (ACR) and Semi-integrated Cable Routing systems. No sure if the model I have is considered the "new update" or not, bike was built up late December.

[jhyatt]

Water filters for multi day bike pack? I have a Sawyer I use for day trips. It's light slow and cheap but I wouldn't want to filter enough water for dinner etc with it. Msr guardian for backpacking with a group. It's bulky kinda heavy expensive and filters lots of water fast and is a reliable workhorse.
Msr hyperflow?
I will also use for multi day backpack trips solo. Sort of fast packing but not really.
I started looking online and was overwhelmed by information. So I'll leave this question here and go outside.

[climberevan]

The Sawyer Squeeze is plenty adequate for multiple days. Yours is probably just a little clogged and in need of a backflush. You can also soak it in vinegar to dislodge mineral deposits if regular backflushing doesn't straighten it out. A properly functioning one will gravity flow 2L in less than 10 mins.

We did a little bikepack to check out the Aspens, but smoke rolled in hard the next day so we cut it short.

[Peruvian]

I agree that the Sawyer is a great for a single user, but you will need an actual pump for a group.

[nickwm21]

Any opinions on the Fezzari Shafer?

I’m looking for a do it all dropbar bike. It has been a long time since I’ve owned something with curlybars…. The use case would be ~40mile road rides and quick ~20mile loops from the house thru some neutered neighborhood trails. Fitness really… I don’t think I would ever do a proper “gravel” ride; if so I’d have to load up and drive to gravel and at that point I’d rather take the MTB out.

I really like the pricing… $2500 for the Apex 1x11 build. If I really start to put time into it I could see myself upgrading the wheels and bars…

I’m currently using my 1x9 flatbar steel masi for fitness (and commuting)….


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[smartyiak]

Any opinions on the Fezzari Shafer?

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I do not. But every review will say: excellent bike, great value, super customer service, can't get past the name.

Here's someone else's review though:
https://cyclingtips.com/2021/09/fezzari-shafer-review/

[climberevan]

The Shafer is very tempting. I've had the Fezzari website open in a tab since they released it...

68.9 degree head tube is very slack for a gravel bike, but that and a long TT is the current trend, just like mountain bikes. I'd have to run an 80mm stem and no spacers at all to get my usual position on a M frame because it has a long head tube, but I guess that's fine.

The frame weight is competitive with all but the uber-light and expensive bikes out there, and I really like all of the mounts. I don't like 1x for gravel, but that's very much a personal preference thing.

If you ride a Medium and want a more lively-handling geometry, I'm going to put an Ican AC388 carbon frame on the market in the next few days. I can build it up with full Ultegra and have some bar/wheel options as well. It will be well under that $2500 figure.

[smartyiak]

I don't like 1x for gravel, but that's very much a personal preference thing.

They offer a “cheap” 2x build or you can buy a frame…either way, it’s compatible.

But man: AXS (Rival), tubeless, invisi-tape, and Zipp303 for under $4500…that’s a strong value proposition.


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[sethschmautz]

I'm looking for a recommendation for a new gravel tire. I'm looking for something ~40mm similar to the WTB Venture but that corners better. I have Byways on there right now and they corner better but they are pretty slick otherwise. Want something with a little more grip.

Thanks!

Seth

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[Peruvian]

I'm looking for a recommendation for a new gravel tire. I'm looking for something ~40mm similar to the WTB Venture but that corners better. I have Byways on there right now and they corner better but they are pretty slick otherwise. Want something with a little more grip.

Thanks!

Seth

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I’m amazed how well the WTB Resolute 700x42 rolls and it hooks up much better than the Byway.

[chaka]

I’m amazed how well the WTB Resolute 700x42 rolls and it hooks up much better than the Byway.

I can't compare to the Venture or Resolute, but I've been happy with the Schwalbe G-One for general purpose (road, easy gravel) and the G-One Bite when you need a bit more hook up The Bite still rolls quite well in my opinion. I have the Bite as a 650 2.1 and can't imagine wanting more tire.

[climberevan]

If any mags want to get in on the gravel game for a bargain, I'm selling this just repainted 55cm ICAN AC388 frameset, or I can build it up with Ultegra or 105. Options abound from my parts hoard. Frameset $300 for mags, and I can build it up for as little as $1500.

[buttahflake]

Perfect dirt roads right now, smooth and fast.
From today in Grafton, VT.

[Skistack]

70 and sunny in Boulder today.




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[springsproject]

A little home video from our Badger Divide trip in July

[wendigo]

Problem solving 101. Frame bag from gravel bike doesn’t fit the full sus, but pipe clamps and a cage can add a lot of carry.

[evdog]

Water filters for multi day bike pack?

I used a Sawyer mini and then full size Sawyer for a while. The regular was ok, decent flow. Moved on to Katadyn Bfree which has excellent flow. It clogs a lot easier though and I had one filter cartridge get perma-clogged, slowed to the flow rate of a Sawyer mini. Not sure why, had to buy a new cartridge. Not so many dealers so it was harder to find. The Sawyer works better in dirtier water. Back flushing does a good job to get it going again. Haven't used any other brands.