drwelby wrote:Yeah, I just don't get the angst. Was Jack Taylor making a niche with the rough stuff bikes? Was Bianchi making a niche with Volpe (and Axis, and Project 7)? Was Bruce Gordon making a niche with the Rock n' Road?
We have the luxury these days of being able to pick from all sorts of bikes these days, and a lot of its being driven from the bottom up.
I don't get the angst either. Just a quick look around shows a lot of people spending a lot of time and resources either thinking about riding, planning to ride, reading about riding, or getting the tools they need to ride all of the different things going on. Almanzo anyone? I'm not sure the "big frog in little puddles" doesn't fit here.
One look at the Okie Outdoorsman blog (he just posted on this thread) gives you a glimpse at what people checking in here on this site and others are up to.
I'm still flummoxed by "just ride 28's!" and "convert an old bike!" as a necessary and needed counterpoint.
I have some friends, a couple that are active, but not hardcore athletes. They bike commute, run 10ks. They live on the edge of the corn belt in an area with lots of dirt roads and some great canyons.
Running wasn't really agreeing with their bodies anymore so they decided to look more into cycling. They decided they would get a tandem, and weren't going to mess around. If they were going to make the investment, they were going to get something nice. We're talking Rohloff hub, belt drive, the works. They didn't want these expensive features because they were 'high-end'. They wanted the belt drive because they didn't need to lube it. They wanted the Rohloff because it seemed so much simpler than dealing with derailleurs.
They asked me for my opinion on what to get. I agreed that the Rohloff would accomplish their goals. The belt drive I didn't have opinions on. The only thing I suggested to them was that they get the frame designed for 29er tires. They could run road tires for doing road tours, and they could put on something fatter for riding locally and doing some exploring away from cars.
They didn't go for it. They didn't want a 'mountain bike' tandem because they weren't going to be riding gnarly mountain biking. They didn't want to ride the gravel roads because they were afraid they were going to slide out on the gravel. So they spend a lot of time riding on the rural highway getting buffeted by cattle trucks going 70mph instead of these nice backroads.
I consider this a failure of marketing.
Was it the bicycling industry that failed because they didn't sufficiently push a 'niche' down my friend's throats?
Did the 28ers fail by not convincing them that it's ok to ride 28S EVERYWHERE, and maybe giving them a skills clinic on how to ride skinny tires off road? And how to replace a tube when you pinch flat on tandem with a Rohloff and dual belts?
Or is it a failure that no one was there to find them a used mountain bike tandem in a small rural town and then help them order all the right parts to make the conversion?
The gravel roads in this part of the state run through the most beautiful scenery.
I appreciate the information that you and GT put out for us on this site as well as GT's blog. Have gathered some very practical information through it. Have been reading posts on this site for a long time before joining in on the discussion. Still consider myself a newbie, but learning every time I go out.
I like what drwelby says about gravel bikes. It is all about getting information to the end user.
My first bike was the Defy road bike and I tried riding the 23's on gravel, but had no luck at all. Almost lost it numerous times.
Finally, I went back to the LBS where I bought the road bike and told them I was tired of not being able to go down the gravel roads that are everywhere where I live. By the way, it is about an hour drive from where I live, and ride, just to get to the closest bike shop. They showed me some cross bikes and then the Revolt. I loved the Revolt and that is what I purchased. They told me that it was a "Gravel Bike." No regets there, at all. Am very GLAD that it was marketed as a GRAVEL bike, as I was a total newbie, and had no idea of what to look for. I just knew that I was tired of not being able to ride further than a 1/4 of mile down a gravel road on my road bike, and almost wiping-out time after time. Took the Revolt home, and haven't looked back at all. Didn't hesitate and took it down every dirt road within 50 miles of where I live. Still doing it...
I appreciate the information that you and GT put out for us on this site as well as GT's blog. Have gathered some very practical information through it. Have been reading posts on this site for a long time before joining in on the discussion. Still consider myself a newbie, but learning every time I go out.
Ditto, I'm still pretty new to riding gravel/MMR's & I have to say that the information that I get from you guys is a great help. I've been doing gravel centuries races for a couple years now, but I've really been riding small town gravel roads since I was young (BMX coaster brake slides ruled!). It's what was around & looking back on it I had some pretty good roads to ride on in SE North Dakota.
It's great to hear that you two are finding some useful information here. I appreciate that, being new to this sort of thing, that you feel included in the discussion here. I think that it's important to be able to reach people who are in your situation. At this point in the game, oftentimes there will be a lot of focus on all of the events and the latest "gravel" offerings, because there is a ton of interest in it. That info does provide some good general information, but we very much appreciate your contributions like this because it shows other who are in your position or just starting their own search that others are out there with the same questions.
Thanks again. We appreciate the support. If you ever have any questions or want to see something on the site that isn't there, please send me an email at ben@ridinggravel.com.
Check out http://gravelcyclist.com - I've been blogging over five months, and just returned from Australia after spending five weeks there. There are some AMAZING gravel roads in South Australia.
What do you all think about this post? How much have you considered the tires, tire pressure, suppleness? We'd like to hear what others have to say.
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\nIt seems the majority of gravel riders and racers alike prefer psi in the 40s
\nYet I am surprised that so many run tires that are quite skinny width (35-40) for that psi when one could run 2" width at that pressure
\nAs other studies also show - at the same psi skinny is not faster than wider
paupeter wrote:My new blog site is up. Focus is on everyday Minnesota folks who ride/race gravel and what makes them so rad. https://mnbikegrind.blogspot.com/
