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#1
11-05-2017, 07:51 AM
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What’s a gravel bike, how’s it different, and why a gravel bike
Almost a year and a half of riding my stoner bike. Time flies. So various thoughts on what makes a gravel bike and what makes them different.
First off, the bike’s friggin awesome. That’s probably true for gravel bikes in general but since I only know mine, I only know what mine is, literally a rejuvenation of my love of riding a bike. What the heck is a gravel bike. The honest, straight-up answer is a gravel bike is any damn bike you ride on dirt/rock/gravel roads. End of subject. Which is boring. So here’s what my gravel bike is, and isn’t. It’s not a cross bike nor a rigid mountain bike with drop bars nor a road bike with spacing for fat tires. It’s its own genre but with genes straight out of road bikes. I have two Eriksens, one a pure road bike Kent designed and built for me in 07, the second what I call my stoner bike, again designed by Kent and built by Kent and Brad in 016. When Kent and I were talking about what I wanted, I told him I absolutely didn’t want the bike’s performance on pavement compromised. I wanted a bike that would rip off high cols with perfect stability, that would carve sweet, unwavering curves, that would track straighter than me. My mixed rides are generally 80-85% on pavement. I’ve only done two rides where the percentage on dirt was greater. One, over in Italy on the mountains above Oulx, was maybe 85-90% dirt but that was exceptional, in every respect. Of my rides here in France only once did the dirt surpass 50%, barely. Thus my emphasis on the bike’s performance on asphalt. Since receiving the bike my ideas on gravel bikes have evolved. Not in terms of my thoughts on the bike’s performance for pavement, just on what I ride. Originally all I had in mind was a road bike I could mount fatter tires on for a bit more comfort on dirt roads connecting paved roads. Like what I call the High Traverse, 8K of dirt between the Col du Chaussy and Col de la Madeleine roads, and the Grand Traverse, 15K of dirt and rock between Col de l’Arpettaz and Col des Aravis. I’d ridden both those roads several times with my road bike wearing 700x25 and 700x28 tires (labeled sizes, not measured) and saw no need for a so-called gravel bike. But after Kent and my son ganged up and decided I was indeed getting a gravel bike, I managed to give Kent some vague idea of what I imagined an ideal gravel bike would be. The rest I left to Kent. The bike arrived, beautifully boxed up by Jim at Vecchio’s. My friend Sylvain put it together. The fit was perfect, exactly what I hoped for. Not too long after that I rode the Grand Traverse. Blew me away. Night and day. The bike was faster, smoother, way more stable, yet nimble as a rabbit getting chased by dogs. I mean it was like I was on this super road bike only it wasn’t a road bike, it was a new kind of bike, one that ripped up dirt roads then burned down paved descents. I call it my Stoner Bike because it rolls over stones so well and because the name makes me laugh. It turned out to be so incredible in the dirt that I soon started searching out dirt roads to ride and then figuring out what normal roads would get me to them and back. Then I started riding trails, as in hiking trails, as in single-tracks. Within limits. My stoner bike is not a mountain bike and I’m wonderfully content with that. The trails I ride are tame compared to what mountain bikers search out. Trails that are taking me into some crazy beautiful places that I’d otherwise never see without hiking there. And all because my son and Kent decided I needed a gravel bike. In short my stoner bike has expanded my playground. The bike with its slightly tweaked geometry and fat, soft tires has also transformed rasty ol pavement into glide city. Cracks and holes and bumps that rattle and shake a standard road bike on standard tires are brushed off by my stoner bike like they’re barely even there. And those damn cracks running up the pavement instead of across, the ones that can take a bike down in a flash, I barely even give those a glance now. This was big time appreciated last time I was riding in the hills in eastern Italy where the roads are a mess. Combination of weather, unstable land, and lean budgets. My stoner bike purred over them. So as sweet as my stoner bike is on dirt roads and trails, it remains a beautiful road bike, something I can forget in my enthusiasm for exploring dirt. Until I do a twisting plunge off some col and suddenly think, damn, I’d forgotten what a joy this bike is on the road! The differences in geometry between my two Eriksens are subtle but make the stoner bike feel like a different breed of bike. The following dimensions are what I measured with the bikes sitting on the floor. At times they’re almost estimates because identifying the center of a tube isn’t all that clear. The stoner bike’s chainstays are 16mm longer, front-center 14mm longer. The stoner bike’s BB is also 17mm higher from floor to centerline of the BB (measured with tires). Floor to top of the handlebar is 16mm higher on the stoner bike. Floor to top of saddle is the same on both bikes. Distance from tip of the saddle to center line of handlebar is 3mm shorter on the stoner bike (same make, model of saddle and positioning on both bikes). Head angle is 1° shallower on the stoner bike (71.9 vs 72.9), seat angle 0.5° steeper on the stoner bike (73.6 vs 73.1). The angles come off the original drawings for the bikes. The stoner bike feels more compact, applying pressure on the front end easier which I consider of prime importance in the dirt. The front wheel is the guide and to do the job correctly it needs pressure on it. Shifting weight between front and back wheels is easier. The ever so slightly longer chain stays don’t, contrary to what some like to think, diminish traction in climbs one iota. The bike is also much more comfortable riding in the drops where I now spend a lot of time, even in climbs, standing or seated. I like that. In the dirt when conditions become technical, as in rocky and line picking required or maneuvering through a tight forest, etc., I’m in the drops. That’s my power position, especially in climbs that are technical or traction is sketchy. Kent used different tubes for the stoner bike. Oversized chainstays (1-inch), oversized steerer tube for an Enve tapered cross fork (1,5-inch as I recall), oversized down tube (44mm) and top tube (38mm). Those were Kent’s recommendations. I was like hey, I’m old, I’m not some power guy on a bike, what do I need all that extra strength for. I went with his call anyway and, contrary to what I was afraid of, the bike doesn’t know the word harsh, obviously aided by the fat, soft tires. It’s stunningly stable no matter what the road throws up. In technical sections and especially in climbs where explosive, wrenching torque can be applied to the front end of the bike both by me forcing my way through and over rocks and such and by the terrain itself, the front end is pure stability. But best of all the stoner bike makes me feel young again. At age 72 anything that does that is to be treasured. Makes me feel like a kid playing hooky from school. The thing with riding dirt and rock roads and single-tracks that I absolutely adore is the need for laser focus, for riding on instinct, not thinking about which line to follow, just knowing and going. If I have to think, it’s too late. Like skiing a mogul field, running rapids, catching a big wave, etc., everything is coming in so fast that if you’re not in the moment, perfectly synched with where you are, what you’re doing, what’s coming at you, you’re off the back and staggering around like a drunk walking across ice. But when you’re in the zone, hitting the notes with crystalline clarity, everything falls into place with an ease that can never be forced. Doesn’t happen all the time but when I slip into that zone, I love it. I missed that road riding where the zone is, at least for me, completely different. On asphalt it’s about being in tune with your body, settled in on the bike, sensing the energy flowing through the legs and arms and driving the bike with a fluid ease and strength that can be addictive. But you’re never dancing on that edge of disaster that permeates technical trail riding. I like that buzz on the edge. The stoner bike lets me play there, like a kid daring life. Kent nailed the design for me; it’s exactly the bike I wanted. He knew my riding style from back in 80’s riding mountain bikes together, knew how I loved picking lines, using finesse instead of power, and he perfectly transferred all that into my stoner bike. It fits me like the proverbial glove with the characteristics that perfectly match my riding style. For all of that I owe him a huge thanks. Which is why I invariably tell someone who asks that in my opinion the finest gravel bikes are custom built by people with years of experience building and riding road bikes and non-suspended mountain bikes, as in no suspension fork. They’re the ones who can understand the subtle differences between the performance needs on pavement and on dirt and can blend those needs into one bike. It’s not about simply building a road bike for fat tires and disc brakes (which I didn’t go with) or putting drop bars on a non-suspended mountain bike or simply re-labeling a cross bike and building it with disc brakes. Or that’s my perspective. As an aside, my stoner bike reminds me of one of Richard Cunningham’s earliest Mantis bikes. It was totally different than all the other mountain bikes at the time with, as I recall, 72° head and seat tubes and a short stem. Felt like a road bike built for trails and I loved it. This was in ’83 or ‘84 and it was a test bike for an article. I was bummed when shortly afterwards he changed his bikes’ geometries to more like the norm. That first Mantis was one great handling mountain bike. Anyway, Kent and Brad aren’t the only builders out there with strong road and mountain bike experiences. There’s a bunch of them, some of them with long histories, some with newer histories. Kent was my builder of choice mostly because of years of friendship and respect for what a damned fine rider and builder he is. I could have gone with Steve Potts just as easily for the same reasons but at the time his frame building business was going through some transition stages. For me a huge reason for going with one builder over another is knowing the guy personally. I like riding a bike built by a friend who I love riding with and who I know kicks ass on a bike. It doesn’t make the bike any damn better obviously but whenever I look at his name on the bike, good memories can come floating to the surface. I’m sure a lot of the big companies are putting out some fine riding gravel bikes based on whatever criteria they think is important. My friend Max can kick my butt any day with his Canyon gravel bike. Moots is obviously a company with one of the deepest wells of experience in the dirt and on asphalt and as it happened, it was on a Routt out of Vecchio’s that swung me into thinking gravel bikes were pretty cool. Bottom line is we all know it’s the rider, not the bike, and I’m just this old guy snorting around in the dirt on a bike that is way beyond my needs and abilities so any opinions I have on the subject need to be looked at with that in mind. But oh man do I love riding my stoner bike! It just flat knocks me straight to paradise every time I’m on it, even when I’m riding so poorly I have to apologize to it afterwards. Like I already said, the bike absolutely rejuvenated my passion for riding. I can’t think of a higher complement than that. The only problem is that now I feel really bad for my orange Eriksen, the pure road bike. It just hangs there, not forgotten but thoroughly ignored. Which is rather mean on my part. The bike took me to so many wonderful places, gave me super rides, and now in gratitude I replace it with a new one and just let it hang upside down by the wheels! Maybe I’ll sell it, hopefully to someone who will take it to places as spectacular as the ones the orange bike and I visited. Some pics of the bikes in the kind of places they like to go, two of the orange road bike, the rest the red stoner bike. 
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#2
11-05-2017, 08:06 AM
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I feel the same way in that a gravel bike should and would replace the most frequently used bike in a stable. In this respect, a gravel bike for me has to fit well enough to facilitate long days in the saddle, precise handling, and swift efforts when required. Additionally, tire clearance is possibly the one focal trend these days. 27.5 x 2.1 or 700 x 40 being the 2018 way but with room for fenders.
I personally have tried the GT Grade, Trek Crockett, and the Giant TCX but am still looking. Next up is the Ibis Hakka MX. Have one on order. Hope this ticks all the boxes. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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#3
11-05-2017, 08:08 AM
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what brand of brakes?
I enjoyed the writing. I'm curious what type of brakes you are using on the stoner bike? I'm building up a gravel bike with rim brakes and friends have recommended Paul Components for brake options. Great photos...enjoy.
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#5
11-05-2017, 03:06 PM
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Great write up. I always look forward to your posts and have thought what a great advertisement you are for Eriksen.
On a side note, do you still have copies of Switchbacks for sale?
__________________
BIXXIS Prima Cyfac Fignon Proxidium Legend TX6.5
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#6
11-05-2017, 03:44 PM
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Easy street, courtesy of Velotel
I had it easy. Once Hank posted pictures of his new stoner bike, I was done. I contacted Kent Eriksen and asked him if he would mind too much building another, basically the same goals. My stateside Eriksen has the fat chain stays too, and the tubing is tuned to the location and goal of stability and stiffness. One other thing that impressed me was the concern Kent and Brad had for how the bike LOOKED. They wanted the size of everything to be relational, the flow of each tube to the next to have the right panache, the right sense to the discerning eye.
So, like Hank's, it too is friggin awesome....just an amazing bike every time i get on it. Lots of dirt roads around here used to be tolerable. Now they are fast and fun. , e don't have as many high cols and stunning views, but there are some reasonably lofty back roads which are all dirt. One route I had stopped riding much was a loop that goes over Smugglers Notch, then back through Stowe and down Rt 100 to Waterbury and back to Richmond (VT, natch). But Route 100 is nasty with traffic these days and Rt 2 from Waterbury to Richmond isn't so great. But the dirt alternatives...wow, they make the ride. Instead of Rt 100, there's a climb up to the height of land parallel to rt 100 to the east, then down through Waterbury Center. Then from Waterbury, the old river road south of the Winooski through Jonesville to Richmond, no traffic, beautiful views and Bob's your uncle. One does not think twice about using the stoner bike. My set up is a little different. I have Paul Mini-motos which I love; Hank has TRPs if I remember. But neither of us went with discs. He's a Campy guy. I settled in with Shimano many years ago when they were a team sponsor, and have Dura Ace on the Eriksen. I don't know what he uses for pedals or a seat or bars; I'm on Time ATAC12, a Power seat, and Enve bars. I'm trying out different tires and wheels, so no conclusions there yet. The current set up is Ardennes LT plus w 32 Barlow Pass (I think that's the name/size). My Eriksen arrived around this time last year, so I have a year on it. Having a bike made for me may only have been a once in a lifetime experience, but it has been so eye opening, so worthwhile. As Hank said, getting a bike that makes you feel like a kid again is a wonderful thing in and of itself. There is really great builder, and there are a reasonable number, including D.Kirk who contributes so much to this forum, in the country, who would love to get to know you and your needs and hopes. I am really grateful for all of them.
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#7
11-05-2017, 04:02 PM
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I've heard good reviews of both Paul's Mini-Motos and TRP brakes. Did either of you feel like you needed to use a Problem Solvers Travel Agent with these brakes?
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#9
11-05-2017, 04:54 PM
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I really like the modulation on the Minimoto set up.
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#10
11-05-2017, 06:25 PM
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I see some thought went in to this OP. Props.
Definitely some perspective on the subject. I will admit I am building a cross bike - mainly for cross racing, but would like it to check the “gravel” box also. Going back and forth on 1x vs 2x so I can hit the sustained gravel climbs. Will have to reread this post and see if I can get a bit more out of it. Maybe I can’t combine the two.  Nice pics. Good riding out there; I can tell by the photos.
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#12
11-06-2017, 12:50 AM
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#13
11-06-2017, 12:53 AM
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#15
11-06-2017, 01:00 AM
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🏻*
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