a Kryptonite cable and their Evolution Disc Lock (a tiny D-Lock for motorbike discs) is a great security/weight combo

anything is singlespeedable given the right gearing and fitness, people have single speeded round the world :-)

there’s 3,800m (ish) metres of climbing so it’s not to be underestimated and the long long drags out from the valleys have destroyed people from The North who might be used to shorter sharper climbs

i’m a ride what gear you have single speeder so don’t ever change my gearing for a particular ride, if i wanted to do that i’d take my geared bike, but whatever gear you choose there will be steep sections you’ll probably have to walk (Amberley Mount, Washington, Saddlescombe) which will be about the same speed as riding anyway

your gravel bike will also be fine although you’ll miss the whoomfy comfort of mtb tyres and have to be a bit more wary of chalk gulleys and sharp flints

This is no different to a mixed ability group ride and all the faster riders sprinting the top of each hill and waiting for the slower riders to turn up, total unsociable dick move on a social ride

if you don’t see your group ride as a training opportunity on each climb tell your riding friends to stop doing it, turn their e-bikes down for the climbs or find some new riding friends

it won’t with the supplied mount but you can get creative with an Exposure Trace Action Mount Clip and bolt it to a rack boss on your seatstay

I’ve bodged the front half of an Exposure stem mount into a Supernova fork mount (bit of filing to fit) with great success but other people simply use a handlebar extension mount to clamp lights/GPS units to to clear handlebar bags

road shoes do tend to last a lot longer than mtb shoes so any money you spend on them goes further but fit is probably more important than cost as you’re usually in the saddle for longer, and don’t move your feet about as much

fancy super stiff carbon soles and boa dials will make a difference, some soles can be too stiff and uncomfortable after a while if you’re not a Tour Pro, whether it’s worth it is up to you

for narrow fit Sidi are worth a look, they’re proper Italian disco slippers and have a good reputation and heritage, as are Northwave

funkmasterp
Full Member
quite a lot of gravel bikes now are like mountain bikes with dropped bars

I’ve read this a few times but other than the Evil I’ve not seen anything that would fit this description unless we’re talking MTB’s from fifteen years ago.

Mason Iso, Sonder Camino, Cotic Cascade, All City Gorilla, Salsa Fargo… something that can fit a 2.3 tyre in and with a slacker head angle

all of this does somewhat depend on what your interpretation of what a mountainbike needs to be

DanW
Free Member
What makes a ‘gravel bike’?

Objectively what I have learnt from this thread is “road bike with big tyres”.

quite a lot of gravel bikes now are like mountain bikes with dropped bars

i’ve covered thousands of miles on Bontrager R3’s without any major issue and would recommend them to anyone :-)

i had a pair and the spoke flange on the hub exploded, luckily just as i was riding up the road

the local frame builder has a specific webpage dedicated to their ability to rebuild Zipp wheels ;-)

as above, you seem to be applying ultra-distance racing criteria to credit card touring :-)

take spare cycle clothes for changeable weather (arm/knee warmers, svelte waterproof if you want to be sparse about it), t-shirt/shorts/light footwear for the evenings and mornings so you can walk about a bit a see where you are rather than be a prisoner in a hotel room, raid the breakfast buffet without looking like an idiot and more importantly to get out of cycling kit, chamois cream, toothpaste (decant these into tiny pots), deodorant (you can buy small pots of deodorant paste that are really very good) and folding toothbrush, buy an adapter plug with two USB ports in to charge phone and GPS

all of this will easily fit in a small bikepacking seatpack and these ‘compromises’ will be worth it by day three

after farrrrrr too much time looking* I just got something from Tadeevo, look like a normal trainers from the top, proper sole that should be ok to walk about in, made me giggle with the floatylightness when I picked them out the box, squish flat, just about to give them their first proper trip

*not cheap but figured I was eating heavily into my hourly rate wasting time looking at shoes so should just buy something

I’d ask if the seat post moves before buying it…

you’ve probably done your research and know this already but the TT isn’t just smooth white roads and can be quite off-road in places, and even some of the white roads can be interesting so i’d be going for something grippier in a fast running xc tyre, pick your favourite brand but something like a Maxxis Ikon

Zefal HPX here as well, often hand it to riders trying to inflate a tyre with their shiny chi-chi minimal weight saving mini-pump, they’re always amazed at how quick it is, i just want to get home

Apidura Expedition Downtube Pack, underneath the downtube by the BB, tubes, dynaplug, tools, minipump, compact and out the way

if you’re looking for something bike related that’s small and widgetty then sjs cycles[/url] will probably have it

Spatz, very warm

one SS MTB and three SS CX, and a variety of SS and fixed road bikes, and the Kona HumuHumuNukuNukuAPuaA frame in the loft that i’ll build back up one day and the Kona Unit-29 frame that i need to sell to make way for another but more up to date, um, singlespeed

i was pondering the same but for fixietwat bikes, they were everywhere once and now they’ve all just disappeared

i have some Terreno Wets and they’re a very good tyre in the mud, their tread isn’t too dissimilar to a cx mud tyre so they should be really
they’re not too spikey though so are fine on firmer surfaces, although they can get a bit drifty on tarmac corners, but you’d expect that, you definitely notice you’ve got them when other people are mincing about on their gravel tyres through slop

having tried all makes of road pedals just get Shimano, they work and you don’t need to get the cleats on a monthly subscription

their catchily named PD-ES600 single-sided SPD road/touring pedals are also really rather good if you fancy any kind of walking about on a recessed cleat and their platform means you don’t get any of the yaw you can get on a mtb pedal

2005 isn’t retro, it’s just a bit old :-)

friend picked up a very tidy 29″ wheel Kona Unit with rigid carbon forks and hydro brakes recently for £250 which was a steal, so about that, the 26″ wheels will really limit appeal

if you want the walkability of an SPD shoe for gravelly feet down bits or ease of cafe use plus the extra support of a road pedal then the single sided and catchily named Shimano PD-ES600 SPD or PD-A520 SPD pedals are a great compromise
there’s definitely more pedal contact than a standard SPD with noticeably less side to side yaw and with a decent set of stiff soled shoes the difference in feel over a ‘proper’ road set up is marginal

the Ultegra level Shimano PD-ES600 even looks ok on a road bike, if that bothers you

trailwagger
Free Member
Jesus! this thread couldn’t display how old and out of touch with modern day culture STW`ers really are!

or they’ve read the OP, is reading not cool these days?

Premier Icon
jekkyl
Full Member

Struggling to think of a woman who’s cool.

without even thinking about it, Helen Mirren

can we mention Cav’s spectacular return to form yet? 🙂

Why don’t you ask Cav himself if he’s had to get on the gear?

I’m sure he’d take it well.

i think i’m more interested in how popular opinion would be treating it if he wasn’t um, how can i put this, one of ours…
:-)

can we mention Cav’s spectacular return to form yet? :-)

a motorcyle disc d-lock and length of security cable has a good size/weight/strength ratio for more secure bikepacking needs

in defence of the hooped bivi as one of the OR Helium owners mentioned above…

the OP mentioned ‘stealth’ which is where a hooped bivi wins over a tarp or a tent in having a more minimal presence than either of them, very useful if you’re riding then cheeky camping wherever you can find. it won’t need the supports required of a tarp or the larger ground footprint and pegability of a tent, and be far less visible if you’ve sneaked into a corner of the countryside

coming from a normal bivi bag it’s a gamechanger, the extra space for you head and ability to sleep sideways and not get all twisted up in a cocoon certainly helps with a better night’s sleep. after several years and too many restless bivi hours the first go in my OR Helium was a delight, warmer too

i’ve had one on the road bike for years, probably the best seat pack i’ve ever used and i’ve got a cupboard full of them. secure and doesn’t rattle

a) not really, a road tube and multi tool and tyre repair kit box? is about all it will manage

b) yes

c) no, it’s water resistant rather than proof, i have my little box of patches, glue and chain links wrapped in a small plastic bag

if you can find the Silca Grande Americano Seat Roll it’s a larger version that might fit your requirements

Sven Cycles do the Pathfinder in Reynolds stainless, i’ve had a go on one and it’s really rather very lovely

stop in one of the converted horsebox coffee bars that’s popped up every half a mile

Ours still contain horses. Horses make terrible coffee.

i hear that civets are better

i take a minimal lightweight collapsible keepy cup and stop in one of the converted horsebox coffee bars that’s popped up every half a mile in the countryside at the moment

10,000 calories burned, all of which was haribo and lucozade with the exception of 2 bananas

this is more impressive than the Everesting to be honest :-)

Menton?

straight up the Col de la Madone

Nevermind the actual magazine content, I’m keen to know if @JoB is doing ok? Last 6 months of Mint Sauce have seen him crashing frequently…as Jo has said he tends to draw things that are affecting him, is he ok?

crashing frequently, and Death making a lot of appearances, crashes and death

i’m doing a funny* one now

(*your definition of funny may vary)

RedBull on Now tv

it also works here on my ‘pooter

i just watched it

you don’t necessarily have to double tape the whole bar, just an extra strip in the curve of the drops and along the tops (you can buy special gel strips for this very purpose) could be all you need

another vote for August Bicycles