This is my first post so I thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce myself. I come from a land of asphalt and dirt so don’t get to spend much time ‘riding gravel’. I do however spend most of my time riding long distances on dirt, rocks and what not.
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\nAs this is the bike sub-forum I’ll Kip this post focused on bike stuff. I have a large collection of bikes so I’ll list only the bikes used for gravel-like riding. First is my beloved Ibis Hakkalugi. It’s a cantilever model with a proper hand job. It’s set up with wide A23 rims, Chris King hubs, and Salsa Woodchippers.
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\nBeing surrounded by mountains I run low gearing with a 34 front/34 rear low. Currently she is fitted with Racing Ralph tires but she is more often se n with Clement MSOs in a 42mm size high just fit tween her slender thighs. According the Strava I’ve put over 10k miles on her and she is my go-to mount for almost any ride.
Bike #2
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\nAnother favorite is my Black Mountain Monstercross. Designed by my old friend Mike Varley, it fits more tire than my Hakka so gets used for rougher terrain than the Hakka. It’s also all steel, not just the frame but the stem and post too.
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\n She sports a number do rare parts including a Chris King rear hub in a camouflage finish, a Brooks/Vans saddle, the afore mentioned Nitto lugged stem and post and titanium “Iris” cages from King. She is also set up with Woodshippers and TRP V-brakes like the Hakka but is shod with super solid Schwalbe Marathon Extreme tires in a 44mm size. Unlike the Hakka which has a SRAM drivetrain, my BMC is a XTR/Ultegra hybrid with the same Low gearing. I’ve even got a set of 29x1.9 tires that I use for the hardest local rides like Henry Coe.
Bike #3 Indy Fab Custom
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\nMy 3rd ‘gravel like’ bike is my Indy Fab rain bike. She is based on an Independence Touring frame but built with lighter tubes. She has a really low B.B. and a relaxed head tube angle so she always tracks straight and true. She also has a Shimano hybrid drivetrain - XTR/Dura Ace here, and a soft seatpost for the longest rides. She is shod with the awesome Compass Barlow Pass Ultralight tires and like each of the bikes shown here, set up tubeless. The star of the show here tho are the powder coated Honjo fenders, the Schmidt gererator front hub and dual headlights. I used this bike as a commuter when I lived in Colorado so reliable lighting and dry clothes were a key design element. Like all thes bikes she has Woodchippers (I always cut an inch off each end) and Brooks Team Pro saddles.
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\nThat’s it for,the intro but tomorrow is a New Bike Day for me - a bike I’ve been waiting over 6 months for so I should have another post after a couple of rides with my new girl.
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\nX_Jarhead
X_Jarhead wrote:....That’s it for,the intro but tomorrow is a New Bike Day for me - a bike I’ve been waiting over 6 months for so I should have another post after a couple of rides with my new girl. X_Jarhead
Man, what an intro! Welcome! Killer stable, and after all that I was thinking.... damn, this guy needs another bike!
I'm not by mountains but maybe got the same interest - longer distances off of pavement. I picked up a bike better for gravel to accommodate some rides I do with friends, commuting and the riding interests of one of my teens.
No Independent Fabrications here but I still have two custom bikes from Fat City and Chris Chance. One has been my original gravel grinder with WTB drop bars and 2 in or less tires.
