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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [flogazo] [ In reply to ]
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flogazo wrote:
Hi,
I'm wondering: Do any of you have a MTB they enjoy riding and ALSO feel the desire to own/ride a gravel bike?

I'm asking because to me, it feels that gravel riding is just a poor man's MTBing. Poor in this case meaning that one doesn't have the bike or skill to do "full-on" off-road on a MTB and just wants to dip in the toes a little and diverge from the road-bike the minimal amount possible...

Or is it the possibility to ride road and off-road within one ride? I guess that would make some sense while still feeling like a lukewarm compromise I wouldn't be willing to make.

I'm not trying to put anybody off gravel-riding, I just genuinely don't get it...

For me, it was this ^^^.

To explain...I spent from the mid-80s to late 90s MTB'ing almost exclusively (Santa Barbara area). Because of the nature of the trails around here (and where they', this meant driving at a minimum 1/2 hour to and from the trailheads. Riding to the trails on a MTB isn't really all that fun...

Once my kids were born, finding the time to be able to "waste" an hour total just getting to and from the trails wasn't really an option...if I hopped on the road bike, I could start riding immediately from the house and be much more time efficient. This led to my nearly abandoning the MTB and riding road nearly exclusively...and eventually led to my road and TT racing starting in the early 2000's.

Fast forward to a couple years back...the kids are all "grown", and some friends started doing some mixed-surface rides. In other words, going out on long rides on the road, linking off-road sections, including riding up over the local ridge line and into the Los Padres National forest backcountry. I wanted to join in and built up a "gravel bike" using a $100 Nashbar aluminum MTB frame as the basis. I found it was pretty damned fun...one could easily ride to the trailheads and dirt roads (unlike with dedicated MTB) and ride most of the same dirt roads/trails I used to do only on a MTB. If geared low enough, gravel bikes are actually better "fully rigid MTBs" than we had in the mid-80s, especially on the uphills. And, if you put large enough tires run at low enough pressures, you may be quite surprised at how off-road capable a "gravel bike" can be.

Anyway, ironically for your post, the "gravel/mixed surface" riding has actually inspired me to start riding my MTBs a bit more (now that I have the extra time again)..which unfortunately led to a broken tibial plateau at the end of last October :-( ...but, that's a whole 'nuther story.

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [Tom A.] [ In reply to ]
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Tom A. wrote:
flogazo wrote:
Hi,
I'm wondering: Do any of you have a MTB they enjoy riding and ALSO feel the desire to own/ride a gravel bike?

I'm asking because to me, it feels that gravel riding is just a poor man's MTBing. Poor in this case meaning that one doesn't have the bike or skill to do "full-on" off-road on a MTB and just wants to dip in the toes a little and diverge from the road-bike the minimal amount possible...

Or is it the possibility to ride road and off-road within one ride? I guess that would make some sense while still feeling like a lukewarm compromise I wouldn't be willing to make.

I'm not trying to put anybody off gravel-riding, I just genuinely don't get it...


For me, it was this ^^^.

To explain...I spent from the mid-80s to late 90s MTB'ing almost exclusively (Santa Barbara area). Because of the nature of the trails around here (and where they', this meant driving at a minimum 1/2 hour to and from the trailheads. Riding to the trails on a MTB isn't really all that fun...

Once my kids were born, finding the time to be able to "waste" an hour total just getting to and from the trails wasn't really an option...if I hopped on the road bike, I could start riding immediately from the house and be much more time efficient. This led to my nearly abandoning the MTB and riding road nearly exclusively...and eventually led to my road and TT racing starting in the early 2000's.

Fast forward to a couple years back...the kids are all "grown", and some friends started doing some mixed-surface rides. In other words, going out on long rides on the road, linking off-road sections, including riding up over the local ridge line and into the Los Padres National forest backcountry. I wanted to join in and built up a "gravel bike" using a $100 Nashbar aluminum MTB frame as the basis. I found it was pretty damned fun...one could easily ride to the trailheads and dirt roads (unlike with dedicated MTB) and ride most of the same dirt roads/trails I used to do only on a MTB. If geared low enough, gravel bikes are actually better "fully rigid MTBs" than we had in the mid-80s, especially on the uphills. And, if you put large enough tires run at low enough pressures, you may be quite surprised at how off-road capable a "gravel bike" can be.

Anyway, ironically for your post, the "gravel/mixed surface" riding has actually inspired me to start riding my MTBs a bit more (now that I have the extra time again)..which unfortunately led to a broken tibial plateau at the end of last October :-( ...but, that's a whole 'nuther story.

This is pretty much my experience too (albeit PA vs CA). From exclusively riding MTB, into triathlon, then road, and then gravel.

One of my oldest mountain biking buddies and I ride gravel/mixed more than 80% of the time now, on gravel bikes. We've tacked on forays on some of our old MTB singletrack haunts onto some of our rides too - we have to be a little more picky when it comes to line selection, but it's still just as fun.
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [ironclm] [ In reply to ]
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ironclm wrote:
We rode 90 minutes and saw 1 truck, multiple horses and cows, 4 deer, a couple of dogs (fenced in) and 1 dead armadillo.

Wait till you see a helicopter taking off from atop of a semi. Then your gravel ride is complete.

P.S. If you see this hold your breath as your probably breathing in all of the pesticides the helicopter is spaying on the fields.
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [WelshinPhilly] [ In reply to ]
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WelshinPhilly wrote:
One of my oldest mountain biking buddies and I ride gravel/mixed more than 80% of the time now, on gravel bikes. We've tacked on forays on some of our old MTB singletrack haunts onto some of our rides too - we have to be a little more picky when it comes to line selection, but it's still just as fun.

Exactly THIS ^^^...plus, "gravel biking" has made it socially acceptable to wear lycra shorts and jerseys with pockets on the back off-road again :-)

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [AndysStrongAle] [ In reply to ]
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AndysStrongAle wrote:

Wait till you see a helicopter taking off from atop of a semi. Then your gravel ride is complete.

P.S. If you see this hold your breath as your probably breathing in all of the pesticides the helicopter is spaying on the fields.

No crop fields - mostly trees.

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [Tom A.] [ In reply to ]
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Tom A. wrote:
WelshinPhilly wrote:

One of my oldest mountain biking buddies and I ride gravel/mixed more than 80% of the time now, on gravel bikes. We've tacked on forays on some of our old MTB singletrack haunts onto some of our rides too - we have to be a little more picky when it comes to line selection, but it's still just as fun.


Exactly THIS ^^^...plus, "gravel biking" has made it socially acceptable to wear lycra shorts and jerseys with pockets on the back off-road again :-)

Ha, ha, so true with regards to the clothing. Though in my area, gravel is turning a lot more hipster, and a lot of the guys are wearing plaid jackets and baggies....pot is also legal in Canada so there are more breaks than there used to be!

_______________________________________________
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [monty] [ In reply to ]
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As you mentioned in your post - later in the ride, the guy punctured. And punctures - tubeless or not - are the defining feature of the local gravel scene because if the terrain is rough, and you're trying to go fast, you'll pinch-flat eventually. Even guys with amazing technique don't manage to avoid them. Our 4x4 tracks (the "gravel" that we have) are rough enough that, over MTB Marathon races, a full-sus is usually faster by sparing the rider the constant impact.


A good gravel rider will absolutely knock the pants off a mediocre MTB'er, no doubt - in the same way a pro road cyclist will out-split most of us on a round-tubed road bike in a head-to-head TT. However, if we look at "what wins races" as a measure of "What's the fastest way from A to B?", then the answer is an MTB. Put an experienced pro-level MTBer on both bikes - what wins XCO races? Sometimes a hardtail, usually full-sus. What wins the Cape Epic? Full sus. Euro marathon races? Hardtails. Leadville? If that's the target riding, I think an MTB is the faster choice.

Now, we're not pros and we don't necessarily care about fastest per se; we're amateurs, we're here to have fun. On the actual singletrack I would consider a gravel bike because of the technical fun of it. However, the battering on any 4x4 section in between is enough to turn me off, and I also enjoy marathon and XC racing. I'm limited in funds and so, for this terrain, my minimal "n being the number of bikes" would be a road bike (+tri bike) and a "proper" MTB. If I lived in Europe or the US, where I hear the gravel is smoother and plentiful, I would absolutely consider a gravel steed. Perhaps instead of a road bike, though.

ZONE3 - We Last Longer
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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GreenPlease wrote:
Pro MTB guys are really on a different level. They could probably lap most of us while manualing. I’ve seen guys “jump” their bikes from flat ground onto boulders the size and height of a car... and make it look easy. Totally different fitness too. Unless they’re freshly retired most of them don’t have much of an aerobic or threshold engine (compared to say an FOP triathlete). But sprint power? “Instantaneous” power? Yeah, big numbers.

Are you talking pros? I'm pretty sure Schurter, Van Der Poel, Grotts, etc. have huge aerobic engines. MVP was second in the Euro road champs this Summer.
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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GreenPlease wrote:
... Unless they’re freshly retired most of them don’t have much of an aerobic or threshold engine (compared to say an FOP triathlete). ...

No offense intended but I'm of the opinion that you're talking out your rear end here.
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [flogazo] [ In reply to ]
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For me getting on dirt and into the woods are the two main benefits to riding a bicycle. I sold my road and tri bikes 4 years ago and now only have 3 mountain bikes and a gravel bike. I use a hardtail 29er and the gravel bike for a majority of my riding. With kids, work, life there is a group of us that meets at 5:20 in the morning about 8 months out of the year for bike rides at least 5 days per week. The decision of what the ride will be is made via a group text the night before. I have multiple wheelsets for the gravel bike, so if a road ride is planned I run 32c slicks (may go to 28c this year), if a mostly dirt road ride is planned I have some GravelKing SK 38c tires, and even a third set with knobby 35c Cross Boss tires. Then obviously if a mtn bike ride is planned I ride the 29er with one of two wheelsets. All of these rides are right from my driveway. Also, for the opposite side of your theory on "poor mans mtn bike" there are times I take the gravel bike on the mtn bike trails too, to show how versatile they are. Though you need the mtn bike skill to really enjoy that.

What it comes down to for me for why a gravel bike: get away from traffic, explore roads you would not typically drive on, dirt is just more fun.

Contemplating a multi-sport comeback
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [offrhodes] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah same. I have two mtbs and a cross / gravel bike that’ll work for gravel riding, cross racing, you name it. I don’t own a road bike anymore, I do all my road rides on the gravel bike and it works just fine. I love in Brooklyn so getting to any open roads involved lots of choppy pavement, manhood covers, etc.

I wouldn’t have it any other way
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [Tom A.] [ In reply to ]
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Tom A. wrote:
WelshinPhilly wrote:
One of my oldest mountain biking buddies and I ride gravel/mixed more than 80% of the time now, on gravel bikes. We've tacked on forays on some of our old MTB singletrack haunts onto some of our rides too - we have to be a little more picky when it comes to line selection, but it's still just as fun.

Exactly THIS ^^^...plus, "gravel biking" has made it socially acceptable to wear lycra shorts and jerseys with pockets on the back off-road again :-)

I never got the memo on what to wear and what not to wear. But road and xc look similar to me for dress.

Some great times were had with a gravel bike on singletrack. I got a pinch flat (was not tubless at the time) but it was worth it!
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [devolikewhoa83] [ In reply to ]
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manhood covers,//

Are those made by Trojan???
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [monty] [ In reply to ]
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monty wrote:
manhood covers,//

Are those made by Trojan???

That's for all the Brooklyn "loving" ;-)

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [flogazo] [ In reply to ]
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I ride MTB on gravel, since I don't have the skills/risk tolerance for hairy single track..
A gravel bike would let me go faster, but that's mostly irrelevant since I'm not racing on gravel. The training effect from the MTB is good enough.

At one point had a Schwinn Continental as my only bike, and rode it as a gravel bike.. worked fine. Bit heavy though.
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [doug in co] [ In reply to ]
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its a great mix. The gravel rides are a great workout and the organized rides can be a lot of fun. Some of us are doing them on mountain bikes which is harder but its great for the fast loose/soft downhills and when the rides hit a few trails. It is all good training.
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [flogazo] [ In reply to ]
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I love riding gravel. I hate riding mountain bike trails.

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [Trailqueen] [ In reply to ]
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Trailqueen wrote:
its a great mix. The gravel rides are a great workout and the organized rides can be a lot of fun. Some of us are doing them on mountain bikes which is harder but its great for the fast loose/soft downhills and when the rides hit a few trails. It is all good training.

It's a great combo. You can do steady state work on gravel and mtb is naturally interval work. Personally I enjoy riding gravel on my mtb. Very comfy :)
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Re: Do people that ride MTBs also ride gravel? [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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My long Sunday ride route is a mix of about 70/30 mountain biking and gravel and it's awesome. Our best local course is mountain bike sections that branch off of and return to a long dirt/gravel road. The mountain biking is all skills and the gravel is nearly all sustained sweet spot. The time flies by and it's some of the most enjoyable biking I've ever done.

----------------------------------------------------------
Zen and the Art of Triathlon. Strava Workout Log
Interviews with Chris McCormack, Helle Frederikson, Angela Naeth, and many more.
http://www.zentriathlon.com
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