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

For gravel riding, I have not noticed any issues with the bar bag. This bag is new this year and is significantly larger than my first bar bag. I love it, it’s very convenient. I shied away from a frame bag for a couple reasons: I sweat a lot and would just soak a frame bag. I’m short so, on that medium frame, I’d lose the ability to run a large bottle without conflicting.
I run my smaller bar bag on my fat bike but turned over so it sits on top of the bars, over the stem. Sounds weird but it works really well and gives me a little on bike storage.
Those are the only 2 bikes I run bar bags on. My Stumpjumper has some frame storage and I wear a hydro pack for my phone and snacks.

 

I was looking at Giant, Spesh, and some others and it was $$$$, so I was basically only at the realm of "I am overhauling my bike with an eBay 105 groupset, it's the only thing I can afford", then I looked up Polygon and was pleasantly surprised. Half or less of Specialized for an alloy frame/105 groupset. Most of the big names aren't doing 105/alloy, they'll do at best Tiagra w/ alloy, 105 is carbon frames. I probably wouldn't care much between Tiagra and 105, but it was there for cheaper and if I was overhauling, it would have been about 450-500 for a groupset on my Giant.

Heck yeah, didn't know you were doing the PMC, cool beans! I am not.

40 O.O

I went from 25 to 28 and it's awesome. 40 is going to be WIDE compared to a lot of bikes at the PMC. I don't think my bike can even handle 32s, I think someone put 30s in.

MTB stems are about half the length of a road/gravel stem. MTB typically in the 50-60mm range, road typically in the 100-110 range. Not as much twitchy/technical steering/handling to do on a gravel/road bike, bar bags do pretty good for road/gravel.

 

I tuned up an old Schwinn that sounds like what you contemplated doing to your Giant. it was an old flat bar 3 x 8 set up that I converted to a drop bar 1 x 10. I used a micro shift set up so it was compatible with the cable rim brakes, I converted the square taper bottom bracket to a hollow Shimano Zee. Fortunately, the wheels were in good shape so I didn’t need to replace them. I’m likely into that build $3-400. I’m using it as a ‘road’ bike but it’s not as comfy as my gravel bike, that’s why I’m not using it for the PMC. It is faster though, rolling on 700x35’s, it was meant to have 28’s on the rims.

the reactions from the roadies when they see 40 wides will be comical. I’ll also be dressed like a gravel/MTB rider with Five Ten MTB shoes and baggy-ish clothes. I’m wearing low socks also because I grew up in the era of no-show ankle socks so, if I pass people, they’ll know it’s by someone who’s primarily a MTB’r and also over 40. :snicker:

 

do the low socks show off the shin scars from pedal strikes?

 

I wear taller socks so I can spray them with bug spray, but if I'm on a ride w/o then I use low socks. I don't care.

Yeah it was a bit of a coin toss to overhaul or not. Forks, groupset, tires - wouldn't have done wheels I don't think. Would have been a lot of work and cost about the same. Plus now I'm on thru axle and all my QR truck bed channel mounts are useless

I use SPD pedals on my road bike, funny enough. I have some normal shoes and some road-focused shoes, depends on the ride.

Here I am planning a 20 mile tomorrow and that'll do me

 

What pads are you using? I have an Ambition X and stopping sucks. I made it a bit better by changing to Jagwire cables and a hyrid caliper but still not super confident in a panic stop.

 

That bike has SRAM Apex, full hydraulic brakes. I just used SRAM pads. The only thing 'Poseidon' left is the frame. I had Juintech calipers before, they do help but the Jagwire housings were the best upgrade. If you're interested in trying the Juintechs, let me know, they're collecting dust in my basement.

 

Haha, no, I've done well avoiding them this year (and I do run flats on the MTB).