Tag: Editorial

But before we get too far into the weeds on aluminum’s value propositions for the gravel rider, let’s step back a minute and examine what the heck is really going on here.

I am a fan of alloy wheels. And by that I mean wheels built with aluminum rims.

At one time many of us in the gravel cycling community felt that the UCI would “ruin” gravel cycling. I don’t think that is the case. The UCI has just made gravel cycling a joke, and it isn’t very funny at all.

You just knew this was going to happen one day, didn’t you? The UCI- that big, evil, fun-ruining organization was going to come in and destroy everything you loved about the gravel event scene.

“an ocean of sweat
a delta of spirit
a barn full of sparrows
about to explode into the night.”
–from Ben Weaver, “The DAMn”

Every year for the past several years, I have posted a “State of the Gravel Scene” series in January giving my personal opinions on where we’ve been and where we are going in terms of the gravel scene. When I opened up my look at the gravel scene in 2020 and beyond this past January, these were the first words I posted:

Coronavirus Protection, With Notes for Gravel Riders – by John Ingham Note: This post is concerned with prevention and should not be taken as a…

Gritty Take: In Times Such As These – by Guitar Ted Ten days ago if you had asked me if I was going to be…

A Quick Guide To Get Your Bike Ready For Sloppy Roads – by Guitar Ted Spring is here in North America and along with that…

I applaud the coming of ‘adventure’ geared cranks and kudos to Shimano for finally jumping in. I think that the 46/30 is a nice thing to have for a large segment of the gravel population, bike packers, etc. Unfortunately, if it is not perfect for your needs, it’s not like you get a chance to choose a different crank set-up when you buy your bike, forcing you to make what could be a costly swap to get what you want.