Gravel Bikes
-
It’s timely that this thread popped up again. After jumping back into bicycles earlier this year with an acquisition of a GasGas ECC 5 eMTB, my attention had turned towards a gravel bike - something I can pedal from the house, functions as a city bike or sorts, and gets me out on all the gravel that abound here in the west when I’m not a motorcycle.
I’ve been leaning towards a Specialized Diverge of some flavor, likely with a SRAM components set. I’m doing a bit of work with them this year, which is why they have me attention, but it begs the question - what should one look for in a gravel bike? I know, a wide-ranging question…
Safety third
-
-
Comfort and functionality over anything else.
12 speed 1X drivetrain.
Clearance for 48+ tires.
I like 650b wheels because it keeps the CG lower.
Dropper post is nice.
It really depends on what you plan to do with the bike. I have different preferences for bikepacking vs. gravel riding vs. road -
@Brock SHITTTT!! Damn, this looks SO rad. Would you mind sharing which route you're taking? I've never done bike camping - but shit I need to. What is a mild first timer trip you would recommend in OR (as you know I live in PDX - I'm still rocking that WESCO shit I picked up from you that day). Also is there a place folks post what their carrying on their rigs? I'd be curious to learn what goes in to a trip like this...
-
@Inorganic still out here. I’ll hit you up when we get back.
-
Some more pics from the trip
-
-
@Inorganic
There’s an app called Ride With GPS. It’s the absolute best way to not only find/browse routes in your area by looking at a map but it’s also great for creating routes.
I created the route that we used for this trip. We also had quite a bit of on course rerouting because of that… there’s a lot of great tools on the app that help with routing like heat maps etc but it’s not perfect. And that adds to the adventure.
Another great local resource is OMTM
(Our Mother The Mountain) they have created some amazing local routes for all skill levels in the pnw.
As far as what gear to take, I’m sure there’s plenty of Reddit posts on that.This is the route we took:
-
damn boy.
this looks rad. I gleaned a few ideas from your photo re:set up, shit to bring etc. I dig that you brought camp chairs!! when we're backpacking I seldom bring one and opt for the lighter hammock, but I am often bummed that I decided not to ha!thanks for the tips on the apps. i'm stoked to get into some new adventures. i once did a ride from tokyo-->osaka on a fixie with no planning, and very little 'stuff' but i had youth on my side, so sleeping on cardboard sans tent/sleeping bag etc. was a no brainer - there's no way i'd survive that today.
-
@Inorganic www.bikepacking.com is a great resource for all that type of stuff.
-
This is a decent post too. @Inorganic
https://www.instagram.com/p/DdQEw0zjYez/?stkn=MWdvNHNid3V0bzQ2Zw==The camp chairs are awesome, having a good sit while you have lunch or take a fishing break is pretty amazing
-
Damm @Brock those are some rides your taking!
Nothing even remotely as nice, but I still ride every couple of days.
I rode 108K 'gravelhalla' route in Belgium last saturday
