Show me your gravelbikes....inspire me.

[weisan]

[Clean39T]

El Gravelrino if you aren't into the whole brevity thing..

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[teleguy57]

Originally Posted by weisan

arrgghh -- I've talked with Tom a week ago and am really churning on a decision, including rim vs disc... This isn't helping

[ptourkin]

Originally Posted by teleguy57

arrgghh -- I've talked with Tom a week ago and am really churning on a decision, including rim vs disc... This isn't helping

I don't think that's really a decision for a "gravel" bike anywhere but in certain portions of this forum. Maybe a medium-ish tire all roader if you're into the rim brakes for aesthetic reasons, but not if you're riding on dirt in 2019.

[RobJ]

Originally Posted by ptourkin

I don't think that's really a decision for a "gravel" bike anywhere but in certain portions of this forum. Maybe a medium-ish tire all roader if you're into the rim brakes for aesthetic reasons, but not if you're riding on dirt in 2019.

What's your logic behind this? Not questioning, just curious since I was looking at some caliper/canti bikes too (secondary bike) even though I was pretty dead-set on disc.

Also - separately how do you like the Trail Donkey?

[ptourkin]

Originally Posted by RobJ

What's your logic behind this? Not questioning, just curious since I was looking at some caliper/canti bikes too (secondary bike) even though I was pretty dead-set on disc.

Also - separately how do you like the Trail Donkey?

I love my Trail Donkey. It's not a super big tire monstercrosser or anything like that but it is very light, fast and fun both 700 and 650 and Stephen is the best guy you'll deal with in the industry.

I understand putting together a rim brake dirt bike from what you already have. I know people will chime in that they did D2R2 on their old whatever with 25s blah blah blah--- I just went on a long bikepacking trip with a friend who only had a 26" full suspension Stumpjumper - she made it work. But if you are starting from scratch there is just no reason not have disc brakes for dirt. Beyond the simple fact that they work better, the wider rims and tubeless wheelsets that we use are all made for discs now and you can also find older MTB wheels used as people upgrade to 35mm wide rims etc...

Everyone can add an anecdote about how their old such and such is just fine, but again if you're starting from scratch and not trying to use up some old components, beyond an aesthetic choice, you'd just be starting in a hole.

[R3awak3n]

rim brake works great on gravel, disc is better on gravel and that is that. Even so for the fact that braking on disc will not fatigue your hands the way cable brakes do.

But rim brake will be fine but in 2018 and you are getting a new bike, choose disc

[weisan]

Originally Posted by teleguy57

arrgghh -- I've talked with Tom a week ago and am really churning on a decision, including rim vs disc... This isn't helping

Tele pal, one word : simplicity

[zacstanley]

Broke the champagne bottle over the bow of this Hakka MX on Mt. Tam today. What a bike.

IMG_20181017_154311 by zacquillestanli, on Flickr

[Hilltopperny]

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[austex]

Originally Posted by weisan

Wei, please confirm that you have fixed the backward brake shoe(s).

[weisan]

Originally Posted by austex

Wei, please confirm that you have fixed the backward brake shoe(s).

I was waiting for someone to say sumthin'....

[jambee]

That Kirk is so hot!

[choke]

Originally Posted by ptourkin

But if you are starting from scratch there is just no reason not have disc brakes for dirt. Beyond the simple fact that they work better, the wider rims and tubeless wheelsets that we use are all made for discs now and you can also find older MTB wheels used as people upgrade to 35mm wide rims etc...

Everyone can add an anecdote about how their old such and such is just fine, but again if you're starting from scratch and not trying to use up some old components, beyond an aesthetic choice, you'd just be starting in a hole.

I respectfully disagree. Rim brakes work fine and the only real benefit that I can see to discs is that they give you the ability to run 700 or 650B wheels on the same frame with only a wheel swap. But from what I've read very few people do take advantage of that ability.

My next custom bike will take fat 650Bs and have rim brakes because I don't want the downsides of discs....a harsher fork and the fact that I have fewer brake choices. I get that a lot of people think discs are the cat's meow but not all of us feel that way and building a bike without discs doesn't automatically make it a 2nd class bike.

[Aaron O]

Originally Posted by choke

I respectfully disagree. Rim brakes work fine and the only real benefit that I can see to discs is that they give you the ability to run 700 or 650B wheels on the same frame with only a wheel swap. But from what I've read very few people do take advantage of that ability.

My next custom bike will take fat 650Bs and have rim brakes because I don't want the downsides of discs....a harsher fork and the fact that I have fewer brake choices. I get that a lot of people think discs are the cat's meow but not all of us feel that way and building a bike without discs doesn't automatically make it a 2nd class bike.

I've been using my first disc brake bikes extensively of late, and my opinion is...they're perfectly fine. As were dual pivot calipers. It's not a feature that I find especially attractive, nor unattractive. They just are.

I guess they're easier on rims?

Well, aesthetically they're less attractive.