Gravel/Bikepack nerds enter...

[east or bust]

Good work^

Looks like a fun journey and nice pics to boot

[stapes]

Got on the bike a few times last week. Felt good. May have been a little overzealous on the second ride lol.

Any recommendations on a good shoe for gravel that has a larger than average toebox?


Or just general shoe recs I suppose?

I’m on almost 15 yo shimanos that I’ve glued together. It’s time….

[Peruvian]

Desperation was setting in by early March since we hadn’t seen snow for a while. This was a few days after some flooding. I can’t explain what I was thinking at the time.









Luckily winter has returned over the past two weeks so other than washing it, the bike has been stationary since

[wendigo]

Ooof that’s brutal.

[sfotex]

Got on the bike a few times last week. Felt good. May have been a little overzealous on the second ride lol.

Any recommendations on a good shoe for gravel that has a larger than average toebox?


Or just general shoe recs I suppose?

I’m on almost 15 yo shimanos that I’ve glued together. It’s time….

Everyone says 'Lake' if you need wide shoes. I've had good luck with Shimano Wide, but most people say they are just normal wide compared to the rest of the world. (but they are cheap and readily available..)

[stapes]

Yea Lake seems to be the way. Maybe I can find somewhere to try em on.

[chaka]

Hey stapes. Not sure what size you are but I have a couple cheap wide/high volume shoe options in Gear Swap, 44-45 size range. Bont and Sidi Dominator megas.

[stapes]

Unfortunately I think I need to go a little bigger than those, Chaka. Think I need to head to some shops or REI and try stuff on. Or order a few sizes of Lake shoes and return whichever doesn’t work.

[chaka]

Unfortunately I think I need to go a little bigger than those, Chaka. Think I need to head to some shops or REI and try stuff on. Or order a few sizes of Lake shoes and return whichever doesn’t work.

Add specialized recon 3 to your list. I have hard to accommodate feet. Wide toe box but normal volume everywhere else. I also have a consistent problem with the heel cup edges being too high and rubbing ankle bones bad. The normal width Recon has just enough toe box width for me without the extra volume everywhere else, which was what I struggled with for 'wide' models. And the heel cups are a few mm lower than other brands in my experience.

[dan_pdx]

Unfortunately I think I need to go a little bigger than those, Chaka. Think I need to head to some shops or REI and try stuff on. Or order a few sizes of Lake shoes and return whichever doesn’t work.

Just got some Lake gravel shoes (MX 238 Gravel) in a 44.5 wide... I don't technically have wide feet, but I do have a crappy tailor's bunion on one foot that I have to accommodate. Lake gives good instructions on sizing on their website. I got them from biketiresdirect.com, asked them to price match to a European website (bobleisure), which they wouldn't do, but they did give me another 10% off their stated price, which is nice cuz bike shoes are so damn expensive.

[Peruvian]

Later sunsets during shoulder season means a quick rip after work but before dinner are in order.

[jackattack]

went to

Late to the party but this looks awesome... deserted but awesome.

[Tailwind]

Has anyone ridden the Gen 4 Stigmata (version launched last year).

I have a Canyon Grizl that I’m kinda slowly realizing is a bit smaller than I want and I’m underbiking a bit more than I want in many circumstances.

Thinking about sizing up and getting a stigmata for the slacker angles. Reviews seem positive if you’re looking for aggressive geometry.

[alive]

Has anyone ridden the Gen 4 Stigmata (version launched last year).

I have a Canyon Grizl that I’m kinda slowly realizing is a bit smaller than I want and I’m underbiking a bit more than I want in many circumstances.

Thinking about sizing up and getting a stigmata for the slacker angles. Reviews seem positive if you’re looking for aggressive geometry.

Haven't Tried the Stigmata, but sounds like it would be an ideal application for what you are using it for. So many more options now other than the Chamois Hagar. Just re-building the Devinci Hatchet, another decent option in that catagory.

[grrrmountainman]

Entering the gravel world… using an existing Domane SL5 bike (2020) and just put 38c tires on it which is the max recommended.

LBS had these in stock:






Have wheels on order, shop is going to build up some DT Swiss rims, paired with dt swiss 350 hub and I’ll run that setup tubeless.

Planning on a multi day trip in May using the kettle valley railway trail (KVR) starting in penticton.

My most pressing question right now and one that I just can’t seem to figure out on my own… can I easily add another higher gear to this? Shimano 105 set with a 11-34 cassette and 50/34 chain rings. I want just one more gear to spin uphill in

Anyways, have some bags coming and will update with a shakedown ride

Ps - don’t judge my grip tape job, first timer


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Peruvian]

The trouble is finding a cassette with incrementally larger gearing. From 34 Shimano jumps to the GRX with 42 and your derailleur is unlikely to handle that. Sunrace may make a 36 or 38 but that doesn’t buy you a lot. Next step would be a GRX rear mech.

[grrrmountainman]

The rear is max'd at the 34 with the shimano 105. Talk me through the GRX - what does that look like... new cassette and rear derailleur and new, slightly longer chain? Does going to a 1x up front with GRX components offer anything? The goal here is to keep this bike a 1-2 punch that can swap back between road and trail.

[chaka]

Congrats on the build! I dunno... my guess is 34x34 will be fine to get you up just about anything even weighted. What's the smallest you could go on your small front ring, as another alternative to getting a more spinny low gear?

[buttahflake]

Huh? No way no how, 1:1 is not gonna do it

[Peruvian]

Huh? No way no how, 1:1 is not gonna do it

I wouldn’t want to do any VT bikepacking routes with that gearing but a 400 mile rail trail shouldn’t be bad with 1:1 even with luggage attached.

grrrm - Between custom wheels, a new drivetrain, and lord knows what else, it may be time to reconsider if just buying an actual gravel bike is a better use of resources.

[Vt-Freeheel]

Them 38's are skinny for loaded gravel off the smoother track. I run 52/36 w/10/40, climb some big hills/underbike a fair bit, no packing, wasn't happy with 36/36.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I'd go with a 46/30 crankset. And if that isn't enough add a Wolftooth Roadlink and an 11/40 casette.

[climberevan]

46/30 crankset FTW. 1:1 is definitely not low enough for hilly loaded riding unless your FTP is 5+ W/kg. A rail-trail is the likely exception since IIRC they top out at 3% gradients.

FWIW, I run an 11-42 Chinese cassette on 2 bikes, one has GRX Di2 and the other has Ultegra RX Di2. Both shift fine without any special links. 11-40 would perform even better.

[alive]

Yea, Haven ridden the KVR a lot, that gearing should be more than enough, even fully loaded. Pretty sure you can go with some bigger tires with that frame, but I have done a good part of that ride on 28s 45 would be Ideal on that one. Definitely worthwhile trying out a few rides with some weight and go from there...

[rideit]

Concur, I run 34/48, 11-40, with an Ultegra rear D that shifts perfectly with no goat link.