Show me your gravelbikes....inspire me.
 

It is first on the list. If there's a story/rationale for the build, would love to hear it.

Geoff...(currently on the trainer, watching the snowfall)

We have been making "Gravel Grinders" for 25 years
Please check out our Blog -http://brucegordoncycles.blogspot.com/

Regards,
Bruce Gordon

I just ride my CX bike(s)

Don't see a 'need' for a dedicated gravel road bike. ...but that's me.

M

take cx bike, change tires and maybe chain rings. that's been my strategy.

And a bunch of other very cool stuff as well;
racks and toe clips come to mind. And a GREAT set of tires!!!

Oh yea; BTW; I really enjoyed you talking to me and showing me the finer points of your bike. For all that thought Bruce was mean, I got news for you, he's a super nice guy!!! As well as a very fine craftsman

CX/gravel/touring
 

Zanconato CX - Gravel - Road

[IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a5be545c_b.jpgIMG_20200823_081616 by VIAR VAPA, on Flickr[/IMG]

Thanks Vincent...the 29er and 650b options are really appealing with regard to what I have in mind.

Geoff

I saw Strade Bianche this week. Didn't see too many cx bikes out there.

Here's mine

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showth...ighlight=ellis

but of course you knew that as that was my ride when we got together a couple years ago in Boulder.

Well Geoff;

You have seen the model of the one I'm having made;
It was the first bike in the door @ the hand built show.

I tried to buy it from Dave Wages, but he said no...grrr....
So I ordered one.

https://picasaweb.google.com/1005719...lisStradaFango

So nice! I'm jealous. Can I justify another gravel road bike? Probably not.

Better yet, wait for hydro levers to show up and never have to fiddle with brakes again.

I spent a lot of time thinking about this; I think it is critical to really understand what you want the bike to do and where you will ride it as there are many options. When I moved to a very urban part of Seattle (description probably redundant) I found really crappy roads, really bad drivers and really steep short hills. Even with 32s my road bikes seemed fragile for the roads - do you dodge the crevasse in the road at the expense of having to move into traffic, do you bunny hop it, do you bend your rim or break a wheel going over it? At the same time we have some really nice forested parks with gravel roads and short sections of mostly smooth single track that can be ridden as a nice respite from the road. And if you go out of the city we have some really long gravel rails to trails conversion.

For an average gravel road I would just take my lugged Kirk with 28-32 tires. But I wanted something more burly for the varied riding in the City. I also wanted something that could be used for commuting if that became a need in the future, and something that wasn't so expensive that I'd be uncomfortable locking it up outside a store etc.

What I settled on was a Singular Gryphon. It is a drop bar specific 29inch mtn bike frame. Had the Singular Peregrine been in stock I probably would have chosen that but the Gryphon works well; just fewer braze-ons and a bit of an ugly duckling when you add fenders etc. to a steeply sloping top tube. Both are designed around 29' wheels. They have an eccentric bottom bracket so you can easily switch between ss, geared or internal hub. Both are designed for disc brakes, which I made a design requirement for our steep/wet roads.

I am very happy with the bike. It rides very nicely. I sit high - much higher than on my road bike, but can stilly achieve a road position. It eats up bad pavement with aplomb. I've added a rear rack and have a dyno hub front wheel to power front and rear lights for commuting and night riding; accessories that are easily removed if I want to use it for extended riding on trails this summer. And the cost was reasonable. Pix are here at post #33: http://forums.thepaceline.net/showth...gryphon&page=3

If I lived in a more rural area and wanted a gravel bike I would have looked hard at the Boulder Bikes 650Bs, the Rawland offerings or the Salsa Vaya, particulalry the new s&s coupled stainless vaya - a really versatile option (the ti warbird is a nice looking bike as well, but lacks eyelets for fenders, rack etc.).

Good luck, I think these bikes are a fun project and there are lots of options out there.

No worries! Geoff and I have a pact to come to ATL and ride a few miles with some friends.

Hmmmm..... I wonder who that might be??? If/when we can work it out, I'll bring this if it's done, and a Ti Spectrum, We can always trade for the day or so! Cause I like yours as well!

Rob...your bike (Ellis) caught my eye when we were riding as it seemed adept on the trails and on the road.

JR...the yellow Ellis Strada was one of my favorite bikes at the show...but realistically isn't in my budget for.....lets just say awhile.

Kirk...that is almost exactly what I envisioned and found myself nodding my head as I read your thoughts in what you wanted out of your build.

I would ride the crap out of that bike and we have so much stuff around here that I could ride on. The idea of taking my kids out on those types of trails and roads as they get older is really appealing as well.

Thanks all...keep em comin if you got em.


PS..Rob, we're comin to the ATL...sooner than later

If you're going to be riding it much in the cold, consider bar end shifters. I find them much nicer to use than either STI or Ergo levers when wearing heavy gloves.

I've posted this before—Eriksen-built Hampsten Strada Bianca:

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-HG2r...HG2rBS6-XL.jpg

Great for gravel roads (was built after riding a Psychlo-X with cantis at D2R2 for 2 years). Clearance for 34mm tires, with mid-reach caliper brakes. Still have an itch for a Psychlo-X YBB with discs... (or a disc road bike with good tire clearance...)

gotta second the Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross... Mike really knows how to design a bike, guy has tons of experience and his world has a lot of "gravelbike" types rides in it so... the biggest advantage of this bike is the ability to use the Bruce Gordon Rock n' Road tires (45mm)... these tires are so nice to ride on...

There are tons of options out there and I'm guessing the new Salsa Warbird is pretty sweet as well, but I can't think of a better bang for the buck bike than this...

http://www.blackmtncycles.com/p/blac...es-frames.html

here is mine BTW- the Paul Mini-Motos rock... just as nice (actually better) than the BB7's I had on my Vaya...
http://threeflys.smugmug.com/Cycling...P1000380-L.jpg

Haha, I was just going to say, "Google 'Bill's Strada Bianca" to see the right solution.

You really should scratch that itch! You wouldn't want to have to ride caliper brakes on D2R2 again! What is it, 1955?

(actually, though I agree with your sentiment, I think I'd wait until hydraulic road brakes are a reality so the bike could be optimized for those.)

I just stuffed the biggest tires that fit and experimented with tire pressures for a while.

My trusty Colnago :banana:


http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...psf6b97fdf.jpg


http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps007871a7.jpg

Geoff

Here is my 60/40 bike. 60% pave, 40% dirt. It is a road bike, with 8cm of drop and I think 60.8mm of trail, I have run everything from 25mm to 33mm tires on it and it has room for about 38mm or so but I haven't needed to go bigger... Right now, I have Challenge Eroica tires on and I love them but, I have not been in the dirt yet.

So, it really becomes a queston of what you want to do. Dirt roads in Colorado are pretty easy on a road bike with +32mm tires. Doable on 28mm, but with as sandy as it can get I prefer a little wider tire. There isn't much gravel, not like the flint hills but if you want to do stuff like that a bike that can take 42mm would be nice.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5193/5...5a0848a2_b.jpg

I think the Black Mountain Bikes are very nice. Also, consider some old vitage steel like a Specialized Expedition or Raleigh International.


mIKE

very nice.

what calipers are they, and the fork is a....?

How does your Colnago hold up to the gravel? What size tires are those and type of rims?

Zanc....
 

:cool:

So I'm confused, guys. If a regular horizontal top tube road bike, assuming there's enough clearance in the fork and chainstays, can fit larger tires and wheels, where does a CX bike come in other than a bit longer wheelbase and cantilever brakes? I feel I'm missing something.

For comparison, I'm looking at the older Colnago above vs. the Zancs (which are very nice, btw).

Geometry wise the bike rides great, I like it better than a cyclocross bike, it can barely fit a 32mm in front and a 28mm in the back, the wheels are old Mavic classics pro hubs (32h) and Mavic cxp11 rims.

Saludos

For me it comes down to the lower BB of a road bike converted to Gravel duty, just feel safer on off camber gravel turns.

Smart build sir.

Here are a few shots the day I unboxed my nos Walter Croll after arrival from my painter.

Fast mock up.

Going all original Campy Athena for the gruppo.

Challenge Eroica tires fit with the VO fenders and 700X35s w/o them, Brooks Swift, Paul neo retro/touring cantis with Kool Stops, Nitto Noodles and Pearl stem etc.......

Duluth bags, front and rear. Twin el cheapo 1200 lumen lights.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8366/8...5e6d75df_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8...3842fdf3_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8366/8...dc4a719e_b.jpg

I am registered for long distance gravel rides this summer. This includes the Almanzo 100. Likely will ride this, as I won't build my Ritchey Swiss Cross until early August.

I'll post pics when I finish it in a week or so.

Here's mine....never posted a photo here before so I hope this works!

Moran - that's a nice setup. What brand frame is that?

+100... Standard old school road geo with clearance for fat tires. Perfect for just about everything except maybe single track and/or Alamanzo.

mIKE

Muchas gracias mi amigo.

Here is mine, well it's a paris roubaix bike but ...same thing.

http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/...k/DSC_0013.jpg
http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/...k/DSC_0003.jpg
http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/...k/DSC_0006.jpg
http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/...k/DSC_0009.jpg
http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/...k/DSC_0001.jpg
http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/...k/DSC_0010.jpg

I see. Because I have an old Colnago as well, only black in color. But it's like the one above. I imagine I couldn't use tires as wide as a purpose-built CX frame, which might limit traction, correct? I mean, if a 28mm in back is all I could (possibly) work with.

But anyway I've been thinking of doing something with the frame because there's gravel roads around where I live, and wouldn't want to put my Couer d'Acier on them. Any suggestions?

So is yours a Zanc CX or Zanc road bike? I can't tell.

it's a road bike, a "bad roads" bike :)

My Zanc is a cross bike but it rides so well on the road too.

I'll post up some better picts tomorrow.




William

For me its comfort VS rim protection, I can ride virtually everywhere in 28mm @ 75-80 psi

Thread is over, move along ....