Eagle eyes you have Hux ... does look like it.

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Sun Aug 01, 2021 9:57 am Eagle eyes you have Hux ... does look like it.

Std kit on some of Rondo's complete bikes.

Gravel bikes are a bit of a mystery to me. I have never owned a road bike so am not used to drop bars at all. Has anyone here gone from MTBs to a gravel bike without any experience of road bikes, and if so how did you get on?

The thought of tackling rough and/or steep stuff on skinny drop bars doesn’t fill me with enthusiasm, but I presume the benefit comes on the road and, well, gravel sections where you are no longer fighting to propel a heavy bike with lots of surplus rubber.

Also do gravel riders really worry about whether their hubs are shiny? Even on the rare occasions when I do clean my MTB I always tend to forget/not bother with the hub as they are a right pain to wipe clean.

Has anyone here gone from MTBs to a gravel bike without any experience of road bikes, and if so how did you get on?

Only road bike I ever had was as a kid. Only rode MTB as an adult but didn't have much issue riding drops off-road whether it be gravel or MonsterX (sorry Dave).

I presume the benefit comes on the road and, well, gravel sections where you are no longer fighting to propel a heavy bike with lots of surplus rubber.

Personally, I'm not entirely convinced there is any great benefit to a gravel bike above a rigid 29er. Obviously, there's a great potential benefit if you usually ride on the road but fancy venturing a bit further. What appealed to me as a mountain biker was that it made some rides more interesting / challenging.

arkay wrote: ↑Sun Aug 01, 2021 12:42 pm Gravel bikes are a bit of a mystery to me. I have never owned a road bike so am not used to drop bars at all. Has anyone here gone from MTBs to a gravel bike without any experience of road bikes, and if so how did you get on?

The thought of tackling rough and/or steep stuff on skinny drop bars doesn’t fill me with enthusiasm, but I presume the benefit comes on the road and, well, gravel sections where you are no longer fighting to propel a heavy bike with lots of surplus rubber.

Also do gravel riders really worry about whether their hubs are shiny? Even on the rare occasions when I do clean my MTB I always tend to forget/not bother with the hub as they are a right pain to wipe clean.

Do keep in mind that most (ok maybe a bit of generalisation) gravel riders are roadies who can’t bring themselves to be seen on a mountain bike.
Might explain Raph@ now making “bikepacking” gear.

I went from MTB to gravel (and back)

Gravel bike is nice for cycling to work.

And for the South Downs; the riding is so easy down here a gravel bike makes it “fun” again.
For the Yorkshire Dales and north york moors (when I lived up north) it was pretty much 100% MTB.

A MTB can ride everything a gravel bike can.
Whereas a gravel bike cannot ride everything a MTB can.

Seen many gravel bikers on the KAW.
Felt kind of sorry for one group the girls within which did not seem to be enjoying their gravel experience; under biked (for their apparent ability) and over geared (as in too much stuff).
Then most gravel bikes are victims of fashion; using one-by; however, a massive chainring. Either use MTB gearing or two-by.
Unfortunately, the bike industry is leaving inexperienced riders to find these shortcomings and be put off as a consequence.
So, give it a couple of years and the hills will be empty again. The rest “we’ll” re-educate to MTBs

(ok maybe a bit of generalisation)

Just a bit

I can see why some don't align with MTB. With MTB marketing so often at the Redbull Rampage or MBUK "Attack The Trail!" end of things I can see why the middle-ground of gravel-ish XC riding has drawn more from road and CX culture than MTB. Road riding has long had the edge when it comes to expressing journeys, experience etc. Not that it's completely missing in MTB, it's just been side-lined by the more extreme aspects. Kit evolves and we use things close to what we're familiar with, buy the products that the others already doing use etc, and road/gravel bikepacking grows faster than XC style bikepacking, even if much of it happen on similar terrain. The product use logic doesn't stack up necessarily but it makes some sense from the way things evolve from a marketing angle.

Then most gravel bikes are victims of fashion; using one-by; however, a massive chainring. Either use MTB gearing or two-by.
Unfortunately, the bike industry is leaving inexperienced riders to find these shortcomings and be put off as a consequence.

Pinnacle Arkose used to have both options and the 1x bikes with a 42 ring sold better at the higher price level. The 'simplicity' sold it, was the feedback I got. Doesn't matter whether I agreed with that - I think most brands sell what people want on the surface otherwise they lose the sale. Practicality comes second in most sales, image and newness come first. Anyway, I digress as usual.

jameso wrote: ↑Mon Aug 02, 2021 1:03 pm I can see why some don't align with MTB. With MTB marketing so often at the Redbull Rampage or MBUK "Attack The Trail!" end of things I can see why the middle-ground of gravel-ish XC riding has drawn more from road and CX culture than MTB. Road riding has long had the edge when it comes to expressing journeys, experience etc. Not that it's completely missing in MTB, it's just been side-lined by the more extreme aspects. Kit evolves and we use things close to what we're familiar with, buy the products that the others already doing use etc, and road/gravel bikepacking grows faster than XC style bikepacking, even if much of it happen on similar terrain. The product use logic doesn't stack up necessarily but it makes some sense from the way things evolve from a marketing angle.

I think this is a big part of it - in the popular mind, mountainbiking is all rad, mad and bad. Riding a trail centre is the accessible part of this but still perceived as high risk. Touring around off road has wider appeal, but people don't realise you can do it on a mountain bike as it has 7" suspension travel, a 45 degree head angle and costs 9k.

60 odd folk signed up for the YD 200/300 but only 20 odd turned up. Maybe many of the others thought it was a good gravel bike thing but then got put off after doing more research? One guy was there on a full on 45mm tyred grovel bike and another on a 650b x 50 drop bar thing but the route would have been horrible on such devices....

No roadbike in my past. Went MTB > Singular Gryphon > Titus (PX) Goldrush (with many other MTB thrown in the middle and around the sides). The GW just goes a bit faster / easier on the road and smoother stuff and makes some of the oft-frequented local stuff a bit harder / slower.

The best bike for the majority of peeps, IMO, would be a lower geared, rigid 29er. Thing is I don't it'd have the shop-floor appeal to shift sufficient numbers.

It's just bikes and a bit of variety / novelty. Current GW fashion will fade away just like massively over-weight freeride rigs did.

pistonbroke wrote: ↑Sat Jul 31, 2021 11:43 am I must have missed the launch of SPD wellies.

SPATZ 'GRAVLR' Overshoes.
Your's for a cool £119.99...

Given how badly I shredded my existing cheap Madison overshoes on my weekend BaM ride, due to all the pushing I had to do. I'm not sure I'm ready to spunk that amount of money on something that I've never had last more than one winter.

htrider wrote: ↑Mon Aug 02, 2021 2:06 pm 60 odd folk signed up for the YD 200/300 but only 20 odd turned up. Maybe many of the others thought it was a good gravel bike thing but then got put off after doing more research? One guy was there on a full on 45mm tyred grovel bike and another on a 650b x 50 drop bar thing but the route would have been horrible on such devices....

Well, the blurb on the website does say it's possible to do it "very carefully on a Gravel bike". I was planning on doing it on my gravel bike, 700c x 43 mm, but decided I didn't have the gearing, 1x 42 - 42. Given how badly I struggled on the Icknield Way between Dunstable and Princes Risborough, I'm really glad I didn't go.

Asposium wrote: ↑Sun Aug 01, 2021 3:37 pm
Seen many gravel bikers on the KAW.
Felt kind of sorry for one group the girls within which did not seem to be enjoying their gravel experience; under biked (for their apparent ability) and over geared (as in too much stuff).
Then most gravel bikes are victims of fashion; using one-by; however, a massive chainring. Either use MTB gearing or two-by.
Unfortunately, the bike industry is leaving inexperienced riders to find these shortcomings and be put off as a consequence.
So, give it a couple of years and the hills will be empty again. The rest “we’ll” re-educate to MTBs

At the risk of invoking a panda intervention, what a load of patronising tosh. You're not going to re-educate anyone with that attitude!

arkay wrote: ↑Sun Aug 01, 2021 12:42 pm Gravel bikes are a bit of a mystery to me. I have never owned a road bike so am not used to drop bars at all. Has anyone here gone from MTBs to a gravel bike without any experience of road bikes, and if so how did you get on?

The thought of tackling rough and/or steep stuff on skinny drop bars doesn’t fill me with enthusiasm, but I presume the benefit comes on the road and, well, gravel sections where you are no longer fighting to propel a heavy bike with lots of surplus rubber.

Also do gravel riders really worry about whether their hubs are shiny? Even on the rare occasions when I do clean my MTB I always tend to forget/not bother with the hub as they are a right pain to wipe clean.

I've had bikes with all sorts of funny shaped bars over the years, bar-ends, Scott AT4, Brahma bars, etc. Going to drop bars off road wasn't that difficult because I started off with wide and not skinny drops.

I don't think you can consider a whole category of riders based on one brand's (imho) sensible inclusion of a hub cleaning band. Besides, I'm sure they've been on bikes for decades before even MTBs surfaced. I made some for my tandem using the velcro you get for holding plants to canes. Anyhow, you've said yourself you'd clean them but it's too much trouble. Get a Rondo!

K1100T wrote: ↑Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:18 pm

htrider wrote: ↑Mon Aug 02, 2021 2:06 pm 60 odd folk signed up for the YD 200/300 but only 20 odd turned up. Maybe many of the others thought it was a good gravel bike thing but then got put off after doing more research? One guy was there on a full on 45mm tyred grovel bike and another on a 650b x 50 drop bar thing but the route would have been horrible on such devices....

Well, the blurb on the website does say it's possible to do it "very carefully on a Gravel bike". I was planning on doing it on my gravel bike, 700c x 43 mm, but decided I didn't have the gearing, 1x 42 - 42. Given how badly I struggled on the Icknield Way between Dunstable and Princes Risborough, I'm really glad I didn't go.

You could but it would take much away from it. One of the benefits of doing all the humongous climbs is all the humongous descents that follow them, if you have to pick your way carefully down on the brakes (or walk) then that going to make the whole route a bit of a chore....

AT4s... I loved them. It's like being exposed to something which has an effect that crops up 20 years or so later as an odd affliction

if I put off road drops in my 29er mtb....
Would it be a roll-off gravel w@nker?
or does having front sus forks & boingy seat post suspension make it a new super elite category?
I hope I'm not an 29er Roll-off w@nker!

how about trekking/Butterfly bars...
(I'd Get barred for life?)

[edit] W@nker was changed to Taylor by politeness filter

htrider wrote: ↑Mon Aug 02, 2021 2:06 pm

jameso wrote: ↑Mon Aug 02, 2021 1:03 pm I can see why some don't align with MTB. With MTB marketing so often at the Redbull Rampage or MBUK "Attack The Trail!" end of things I can see why the middle-ground of gravel-ish XC riding has drawn more from road and CX culture than MTB. Road riding has long had the edge when it comes to expressing journeys, experience etc. Not that it's completely missing in MTB, it's just been side-lined by the more extreme aspects. Kit evolves and we use things close to what we're familiar with, buy the products that the others already doing use etc, and road/gravel bikepacking grows faster than XC style bikepacking, even if much of it happen on similar terrain. The product use logic doesn't stack up necessarily but it makes some sense from the way things evolve from a marketing angle.

I think this is a big part of it - in the popular mind, mountainbiking is all rad, mad and bad. Riding a trail centre is the accessible part of this but still perceived as high risk. Touring around off road has wider appeal, but people don't realise you can do it on a mountain bike as it has 7" suspension travel, a 45 degree head angle and costs 9k.

60 odd folk signed up for the YD 200/300 but only 20 odd turned up. Maybe many of the others thought it was a good gravel bike thing but then got put off after doing more research? One guy was there on a full on 45mm tyred grovel bike and another on a 650b x 50 drop bar thing but the route would have been horrible on such devices....

Yes all this makes sense. I’ve got to know quite a lot of local MTBers from riding Swinley, Surrey Hills and trips to Bike Park Wales, Afan etc. The number of those who would consider joining me on an all-day cross-country exploring type of ride is pretty small. The number who would consider attaching silly bags to their MTBs and then sleeping overnight is even smaller than that.

I think for many MTBers it’s all about going downhill.

To me though, my 29er hardtail offers the right compromise between walking uphill and smashing it downhill (MTB) and riding uphill and walking downhill (gravel). It allows me to mince in both directions.

jameso wrote: ↑Mon Aug 02, 2021 10:28 pm AT4s... I loved them. It's like being exposed to something which has an effect that crops up 20 years or so later as an odd affliction

When I moved over to Zoom Brahmas from my AT4 (S or pro, they had a curlier front section) I sold them to a mate who tool a saw to them and made them into essentially an AT3. Sacrilege!

johnnystorm wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 11:47 am When I moved over to Zoom Brahmas from my AT4 (S or pro, they had a curlier front section) I sold them to a mate who tool a saw to them and made them into essentially an AT3. Sacrilege!

He knew even back then that Tri bars just weren't cool.

jameso wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 12:08 pm

johnnystorm wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 11:47 am When I moved over to Zoom Brahmas from my AT4 (S or pro, they had a curlier front section) I sold them to a mate who tool a saw to them and made them into essentially an AT3. Sacrilege!

He knew even back then that Tri bars just weren't cool.

I think it was more to do with trying to get 200GS STI lever clamps around a tight bar curve!

Picked this up on tesco saw the price put it back lol