The best thing about a gravel bike is when you take it on a road ride and… – Page 2 – Bike Forum

epicyclo · 2016-06-07T21:40:20Z

...and serendipity occurs. I was supposed to be doing a little loop (50 miles) to celebrate getting back the full use of my leg. I rode up the road from Bonar Bridge past Loch Migdale when I saw this very tempting track. I didn't have any idea where it went (no maps needed for road rides). [urlSo nothing ventured, nothing gained. The track quickly got scenic. It was in reasonable condition although there were long stretches of deep ruts. The road divided here. No indication of which was which. I figured even if I took the wrong turn it would end up somewhere, and even if that wasn't a road, at worst I'd have a few miles of hike-a-bike and a bracing trudge through the heather. [urlI took a chance and went left because that was still heading uphill and everyone knows uphill is more fun. Once over the top thee views were good. It's sad to realise that this area was once heavily populated. [urlLooking forward and there was Loch Laro looking very inviting for a quick dip. [urlSadly there was vestiges of the old landlordism in the shape of a locked gate to bar access. It was doing its job successfully, the track beyond was overgrown and reverting to heath. In my youth the gate would have been "opened". :) So over the gate and a mile of mainly hike-a-bike. Then through another gate with a proper personnel gate, and the track improved again except that it was very soft in places and post-holed from cattle. Even with 2.35" tyres it was a wee bit rough in places. [urlThe track came to an end at another fence with a large drop off to the road, but the fence wasn't high, so no problem. There was a track off to the left a bit earlier which may have led to the road but I could see no signs of its exit once I was on the road. [urlSo instead of having my soul sucked out of me by a road ride, that little 8km of track made it into a great day out. I did come to the conclusion my ideal gravel bike would have 3" Big Apples though. :)

antigee

Posts: 396

Free Member

OP like the "a little loop (50 miles) to celebrate getting back the full use of my leg"

always a little further:

looking good

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not unexpected

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maybe not [i]too[/i] popular

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no i did keep going until i heard kids playing on a trampoline

[URL= http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq47/robertedj/IMG_20160221_161921_zpsd5th2fei.jp g" target="_blank">http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq47/robertedj/IMG_20160221_161921_zpsd5th2fei.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

back on track

[URL= http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq47/robertedj/IMG_20160221_171935_zpsonttjc50.jp g" target="_blank">http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq47/robertedj/IMG_20160221_171935_zpsonttjc50.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Posted : 09/06/2016 11:12 am

epicyclo

Posts: 17395

Full Member

Topic starter

My mental brief for the Proper bike was for something I'd be equally happy riding 100+ miles on road, and similarly off road.

It's not a bike intended for specialist mtb circuits. It's to take me to nice places regardless of the surface.

My initial thoughts were for the sort of bike I could ride down from Dingwall to Melgarve, nip over the Corrieyairack Pass, and back along the south side of Loch Ness to Dingwall, ie a lot of road miles and some rough tracks.

[url= https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5690/21338689511_e56ff2cb9f_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5690/21338689511_e56ff2cb9f_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
(I cheated, I got a lift to Kingussie)

The concept has been successful. The biggest day on road has been 140 miles (SS) and I'd be comfortable doing more. It's done plenty long hauls offroad, and can handle most surfaces if ridden appropriately.

[url= https://c2.staticflickr.com/1/410/19123140609_6a3cb84fae_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c2.staticflickr.com/1/410/19123140609_6a3cb84fae_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

I have ridden lots of different types of road oriented and CX bikes offroad* and their biggest limitation has always been the skinny tyres both for control and comfort.

I've always loved the scenery in high places. The roads rarely take you there, but there's usually a track even if it's just one left by the deer and I'm not averse to a bit of HAB.

Here's another version of the Proper bike (a modified Avanti KISS). That ride started with the intention of riding up the the Bealach na Bah to Applecross from home, about 100 mile round trip, but when I got to Achnasheen I saw this track off to the side which went over to Ardroy, and it turned out to be far more interesting.

[url= https://c6.staticflickr.com/1/455/18970230445_4d01c9d1ae_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c6.staticflickr.com/1/455/18970230445_4d01c9d1ae_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

Anyhow, I'm now off for a ride on my Proper bike and who knows what nice place it will take me? 🙂

*See [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/wrong-bike-in-the-wrong-place-pic-thread ]Wrong bike in the wrong place[/url] thread, but judging by the lack of other posts, maybe my habit of heading up unknown tracks on whatever is less common than I thought.

Posted : 09/06/2016 11:23 am

molgrips

Posts: 91168

Free Member

I'd be equally happy riding 100+ miles on road, and similarly off road.

For me, it was that it had to be good enough on road. I wouldn't want to take my Salsa on a road only ride. I think I would like an alternative hand position for that purpose - either bar ends or drops. I did try bar ends but the large heavy wheels (relatively) needed more control than a 580mm bar, but any wider and it wasn't comfortable with bar ends.

ie a lot of road miles and some rough tracks.

Exactly my thoughts. There are many many tracks over the mountains* in the South Wales Valleys, but there are so many roads in the valley floors that you end up having to ride a lot of road to get to them. Especially if you start in Cardiff. If you ever come down here bring that bike and I'll show you what I mean 🙂

* Before any Scottish people ridicule me, in the Valleys the bit between two valleys is always referred to as 'the mountain' regardless of how high or craggy it isn't. I suspect it's because it's the best translation of the Welsh word mynydd.

Posted : 09/06/2016 1:05 pm

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