Show me your gravelbikes....inspire me.

[David Kirk]

Originally Posted by zennmotion

Yep. This ^ Except that Montana is mostly dry. Permawet roads, like at spring thaw time need wider floaty tires to avoid a slog through a bog. And space for fenders is really nice to protect your drivetrain from a wet sandblasting from road grit. But the question is, do you really ride much in those conditions that you need a "special" bike? I think the gravel road fad has come as a result of looking to escape increased traffic on the roads, and a marketing response to a growing realization that it's stupid to design a road bike with less than enough clearance for 25-28mm tires.

You are of course right on..........a muddy dirt road and 23's don't well mix. I suppose I should have but the word 'dry' in there somewhere.

I rarely ride on dirt when it is deep wet. My ride yesterday had a few wet spots that could be avoided with ease and the rest was moist (not splashy) at best.

Here in MT this is the best time of year to ride dirt. In mid summer the dirt tends to get very dry and dusty and the dust can even get deep. So I tend to ride the dirt roads this time of year and until it gets really dry.........then it's a switch to mostly paved. Then once the snow has left the high peaks I get the MTB out and then finally road and cross in the fall.

And then of course fatbike in the winter on the snow.

Dave

[spaced_ghost]

Originally Posted by Erik_A

I agree, for non-race bikes I love steel. I also had a "slightly lighter" Lemond Zurich with Reynolds 853 tubes (that I sold to get the Poprad); I actually prefer the Poprad (even for urban street roads). The TT Platinum OX is sweet steel; very similar to the 853, which the oldest Poprads came with). I looked for awhile and would have had to go custom for anything close to this frame quality - and luckily the 59cm frame fits well. Just bought the frameset used and built it up myself.

yup. i kick myself daily for selling that thing. the 55 likewise fit me perfect. i will own one again one day. although hopefully not in white and blue.

[gomango]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

You are of course right on..........a muddy dirt road and 23's don't well mix. I suppose I should have but the word 'dry' in there somewhere.

I rarely ride on dirt when it is deep wet. My ride yesterday had a few wet spots that could be avoided with ease and the rest was moist (not splashy) at best.

Here in MT this is the best time of year to ride dirt. In mid summer the dirt tends to get very dry and dusty and the dust can even get deep. So I tend to ride the dirt roads this time of year and until it gets really dry.........then it's a switch to mostly paved. Then once the snow has left the high peaks I get the MTB out and then finally road and cross in the fall.

And then of course fatbike in the winter on the snow.

Dave

Most of your description plays the same in Minnesota, except for the dryness on the gravel roads.

We have so many rural riding opportunities here in Minnesota, it only makes sense to mirror bicycle design with the conditions.

So many new routes and adventures open up when a person rethinks this a bit.

Besides, the city streets here in St. Paul stink with potholes and I wish I had built my Kvales with big tire capability.

[split]

Can't go wrong with a Hunter. It works really well in the gravel.

[spaced_ghost]

o man, that hunter is great.

[Erik_A]

The 07/08 disc version is a nice red. If you do MTB-ing on the Poprad the discs are nice.

Originally Posted by spaced_ghost

yup. i kick myself daily for selling that thing. the 55 likewise fit me perfect. i will own one again one day. although hopefully not in white and blue.

[evo111@comcast.net]

Gravel roads, mountain bike trails, and road - it does it all!

Ok not so good on the rocks - or more due to my lack of skills.

32 mm challenge tubulars - comfy not too much drag on the road.

[evo111@comcast.net]

It cleans up well but just a little dirt from the last ride

[sparky33]

Kirk MRB with tires du jour

[dd74]

Do you guys notice less braking power with cantilever brakes as compared to caliper? I've heard cantilever aren't as strong.

Then, I guess the alternative would be disc brakes if someone were building a new frame and wanted "ultimate" brake power.

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by dd74

Do you guys notice less braking power with cantilever brakes as compared to caliper? I've heard cantilever aren't as strong.

Then, I guess the alternative would be disc brakes if someone were building a new frame and wanted "ultimate" brake power.

IME you run out of traction before you run out of braking regardless of what kind of brake you're running.

Upside to discs: all weather performance. Brakes the same wet or dry
Downside: heavier, needs dedicated wheels, heavier forks, etc.

Upside to rim brakes: you already have wheels that will work, pads easy to find at pretty much any LBS, lighter,
Downside: less power, more affected by wet/nasties

M

[sparky33]

Originally Posted by dd74

Do you guys notice less braking power with cantilever brakes as compared to caliper? I've heard cantilever aren't as strong.

Then, I guess the alternative would be disc brakes if someone were building a new frame and wanted "ultimate" brake power.

Every brake type has pros and cons. Mini-Vs are hard to beat on power in the world of rim brakes.
Canti's are rad. Some cantilevers are truly terrible, but with a certain amount of attention you can get a good cantilever to work really well.
I don't want to start a tangent thread.

[David Kirk]

Originally Posted by dd74

Do you guys notice less braking power with cantilever brakes as compared to caliper? I've heard cantilever aren't as strong.

Then, I guess the alternative would be disc brakes if someone were building a new frame and wanted "ultimate" brake power.

I have just one little thing to add in regards to canti brakes..........even the best cantis can be set up poorly and will work like crap. And and as an added bonus it's easy to set most up poorly.

The length of the straddle cable is the thing that can be fine tuned the easiest and will give the biggest changes. Get it right and things are very good.....get it wrong and they will suck.

When I used to work in shops and MTB's came in (all had cantis at the time) it was rare to see them set up well. Cross bikes are the same way these days. It seems like it must be a lost art to set them up well but it's oh so worth it.

dave

[DDYTDY]

Wanted clearance for big rubber, dual pivot calipers, quicker handling then my Double Cross but not as twitchy as my Crossbow.

Brought wheels with 29mm FMB PR's to the kids at FF and this is what they built around them.

FF0019



http://fireflybicycles.com/category/...dpack-cloutier

[Vientomas]

Originally Posted by DDYTDY

Wanted clearance for big rubber, dual pivot calipers, quicker handling then my Double Cross but not as twitchy as my Crossbow.

Brought wheels with 29mm FMB PR's to the kids at FF and this is what they built around them.

FF0019



http://fireflybicycles.com/category/...dpack-cloutier

Very Nice!