After lots of gravel riding and racing, I find comfort to be the aspect of it that gives me the most trouble. The constant jarring and terrain-focus has me looking for tweaks that will improve my chances of longer-term comfort.
I’ve looked at Llauf forks, elastomer-laden stems, shock-absorbing seat posts, vibration dampening bars, aero bars and of course tires and tire pressure.
What’s worked for you?
After lots of gravel riding and racing, I find comfort to be the aspect of it that gives me the most trouble. The constant jarring and terrain-focus has me looking for tweaks that will improve my chances of longer-term comfort.
I’ve looked at Llauf forks, elastomer-laden stems, shock-absorbing seat posts, vibration dampening bars, aero bars and of course tires and tire pressure.
What’s worked for you?
Where are you most uncomfortable? Your ass, shoulders, arms legs? All of it?
Mark
Hands and arms.
And probably feet. I use egg beaters but over 5 or 6 hours, I get a definite hot spot in the balls of my feet.
Wider tires and lower pressure. Tubeless is a must. I run 43mm width tires. Also wrap an old tube underneath your handlebar tape on the top section of your handlebar.
Hands and arms.
And probably feet. I use egg beaters but over 5 or 6 hours, I get a definite hot spot in the balls of my feet.
Maybe try Candy pedals instead of Eggbeaters?
Bar tape and vibration damping bars seem to do very little.
Shock stop stem has a noticeable effect. I’m sure the Lauf does as well.
Kinekt seatpost and a light touch on the bars. Ride in the drops for all descents.
Candy pedals.
Appropriate tire pressure for the course.
Widest tires possible. Wider tire means lower pressure too.
Making sure you relax your body and legs too.
Hands and arms.
And probably feet. I use egg beaters but over 5 or 6 hours, I get a definite hot spot in the balls of my feet.
For me, REALLY good bar tape and gloves help a lot. Gel pads are great as well.
No one has suggested bike fit yet, but that may be contributing. Too much weight on your hands/arms and not enough on the saddle?
Love my Lauf. And flared bars for rough descents.
That’s a good point. My gravel set up is borne from experimentation and failure. It’s a much more upright setup than my road bike.
No one has suggested bike fit yet, but that may be contributing. Too much weight on your hands/arms and not enough on the saddle?
This!! Fit is the always the first area to check. Especially with hands and arms. With a properly fitted bike, the bike should almost disappear.
That said, I love my Lauf! It takes out much of the vibration and absorbs some rock impact. But as good as the fork is, it won’t solve a bad fit.
That’s a good point. My gravel set up is borne from experimentation and failure. It’s a much more upright setup than my road bike.
This is a common misconception about gravel bike fit and is probably the source of discomfort.
If you have a comfortable road bike setup, start with that, then add maybe 1-2cm of stack, and reduce 1-2 of reach.
That being said my personal road and gravel fits are identical.
Riding more gravel
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I built my 3T with these from day 1 so don’t have a before/after comparison, but I’ve been enjoying a combination of Lizard Skins 4.2mm tape, Cane Creek eeStem, and tubeless with low(er) pressure.
Redshift shockstop stem is a game changer for me. 20mm of travel and seems to make a huge difference for me on my gravel bike! Give it a try, you won’t regret it.
I think this is my next purchase. Five-day 350 mile ‘races’ with 30k of climbing convinced me that front-end shock absorption is underrated.
After lots of gravel riding and racing, I find comfort to be the aspect of it that gives me the most trouble. The constant jarring and terrain-focus has me looking for tweaks that will improve my chances of longer-term comfort.
I’ve looked at Llauf forks, elastomer-laden stems, shock-absorbing seat posts, vibration dampening bars, aero bars and of course tires and tire pressure.
What’s worked for you?
Redshift stem and the Canyon VCLS seatpost. 45mm tyre widths too. I have run tyres as wide as 2.1 inches which is really plush but its a dog on the asphalt sections then.
Redshift shockstop stem is a game changer for me. 20mm of travel and seems to make a huge difference for me on my gravel bike! Give it a try, you won’t regret it.
Same here. A simple, elegant design.