All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

Haha.. Yea I wish I had those Moir spider legs so I could ride an XL which looks damn near perfect to my ideal mental numbers other than the seat tube length being a bit much... It was no surprise to me that he was trying different chainstays, and reach adjustments. The MX Large has teeny 433CS to add to the schmedium 464 reach which has me 2nd guessing.. For a pure play bike it could be legit tough..

 

Van people

Good deal on a swingout hitch receiver. $130 cheaper than new
https://www.rei.com/product/193680/saris-swing-away-hitch-accessory

 

Dammit why did I have to check this thread over lunch?

Now I've got an Izzo coming next week. Been in the short travel market for a month now but the prices weren't moving me.

Guess I better work on my "ask for forgiveness rather than permission" speech.

 

"it was a 25% off sale!!! all the money that i saved!!"

 

Fack I wish this was reversible , FJ door swings the other way..

 

Can you install it upside down?

 

Maybe I should have bought a Mojo 4 from the N+1 sale instead.

Then I could have claimed "It was a 35% off sale!". That's better right? Right!?! Pay no mind to the man behind the curtain!

 

Whats the consensus on gravel bikes?

Are they fun, or simply a form of exercise when trails are wet?

 

Brah…it’s got tubes inside tubes.

 

Depends (very insightful right???). You got a group or riding solo? Can be an effective tool when conditions require it but can be fun too in the right circumstances.

We do group gravel rides that are social sufferfests. Training group rides so more BS’ing than single file through the woods and way less serious than road groups. Got a nice one planned for tmrw actually. 10 or so people, 50-ish miles, singletrack options if it’s dry, then cooking tacos and beer in the parking lot after. Some on drop bar bikes, some on hardtail MTB.

Couple more planned for March.

Having a dedicated gravel bike and a couple hardtails I will say the hardtail is about as good of a tool for the job with the right setup and way more versatile.

 

Spot bikes has 30% off their 6 star builds too

 

Do you have a road background: Fun

Do you have an MTB background: Simply a form of exercise when trails are wet

Do you have a CX background: WTF is gravel?

 

For me it’s a little bit of both. I have access to a ton of maintained and slightly less maintained gravel, more than trails for sure. The gravel grinder nationals are in my county and that’s a 100 mile race.

I enjoy gravel because i get to cover more ground and see some amazing views of the small mountains we have on the western border of the county. It’s just a nice mostly peaceful way to ride without worrying about too many cars. There is also a really big club here that does some fun group rides with beers afterwards that’s always a good time.

 

Let's see if I can give my opinion on why I think they're one of the best "types" of bikes to own. For one, a gravel bike is not a replacement for a mountain bike. So forget anyone who says a gravel bike is a quiver killer, even if you have two sets of wheels.

I do believe it's a road bike killer, unless you have intentions of racing road or if you do group rides and you're not fit but need to keep up w/ the group. Fwiw, I do the weekly road ride w/ our C+ or B group on wednesdays and I keep up on my gravel bike w/ semi-knobby 35's and weighted down w/ a few bags. I've always been a cat1 xc guy, so I know that's not going to apply to everyone, but I guarantee you with a little fitness, you can easily do "C" rides on a gravel bike if you're looking to get on the road and gain some endurance.

Ok, with that out of the way. I sold my road bike b/c I always grabbed my gravel bike. The wider tires (lower pressure) and relaxed geo are way more comfortable on crappy road conditions. That was the main reason. Second reason is that I travel a lot for both work and pleasure. I generally can only take one bike with me. For instance, I was in Louisiana for 2 months. Took the gravel bike and had zero concern about whether I'd be riding gravel roads or paved. I also took it through some mild "mtb" park while I was there, all w/ the same tires and making no changes.

So I think it's a great travel companion and a logical choice for a do-it-all bike. You can put road tires on and be faster. Run a standard high 30-40c wide gravel tire and enjoy taking a road ride, cutting through parks, dirt, stone, roots, etc. Or add some even wider tires, ride it in the drops, and take it on some mtb trails.

 

Is now a good time mention I have a really nice set of gravel (carbon) wheels I need to sell? lol

 

I have an older gravel bike ‘14 Kona Rove steel frame, for me it’s an “off season/trails are wet but I don’t want to loose all of my fitness” ride. Occasionally I do 50 mile loops, but I’d rather be in the dirt. I’ve done some group gravel rides and I always end up as sweep… until we hit single track. Turns out Roadies are pretty serious about their riding. Now that I don’t travel for work it’s my commuter.

I tend to agree with this statement:

There is definitely a place for them, but I get more enjoyment out of tech, flow, and single track, YMMV. I’m also not a big fan of riding around cars, something about two lane roads with no shoulder and getting passed by a metal box moving 5 to 8 times faster than me. I do think it would be neat to attach some panniers and go for a tour, but bike packing on my hard tail also appeals.

 

I have all three varieties - road, gravel and MTB. I ride them all each week (well, not the last two months due to my thumb incident) but that is what fits my riding style. The gravel is great for everything, but especially in the winter and I want to get out after work. I throw my lights on and go out in the light, back in the dark and still get my 1-2 hour ride in. And the bike packing adventures when the weather warms up! The road bike I enjoy because it’s a different ride and I can go for the longer ride on the weekend around town, and that is what I started out on years ago. And of course the MTB to SHRED!

@Chris(NJ) what kind of wheels you selling? And are they boost?

 

Reynolds ATR. 700c, 40 deep, 23 internal width. Sram XDR body. They're 12x142 and 12xTA. Pretty sure you can get 15TA for the front if you wanted to convert. I need to take better pics, but this is them. Can sell with or without the cassette and rotors.

 

I tend to agree with this assessment VVV

I just bought a gravel bike and they are fun, but an alternative to MTB riding, definitely not a replacement, more of a supplement. They’re pretty capable, decent on pavement also, depending on how aggressive or tame of a bike you get.

On a related note, just swapped 700C’s onto the Poseidon
What do you guys think, 700C’s with the tan walls or 650B’s with the black walls? 700Cs are definitely faster rolling and I would say are my preference at the moment. The 650’s are a fatter, meatier tire and will be used for rougher rides.

 

Tan walls on a white bike, for sure, imo.