Gravel Bikes - drops or flats, boing vs rigid, steel/aluminium/carbon, clips or flats… the social outcast

boyracer

Likes Dirt
Second the comment on wide Walmer bars. Look funky, work well. Great when into a headwind to be able to drop down. I used normal 440mm roadie bars initially on my Marin CX as it was a hard rubbish build, but have converted to the wider 30 degree flare bars. Next purchase will be Canyon VCLS seat post as above. get great reviews. Saw a Grizl in the flesh the other day. Looked too darn pretty to get dirty.
I'm 52 and do quite a few long rambling dirt rides on my CX. Over to Yorke peninsula and around the Walk the Yorke trails/ dirt farm roads. Average 200 to 300 km a day. On my Marin alloy/carbon CX with Walmer bar and 43 mm gravel kings it's good, but have done the same on my 29 SS rigid with 2.25's much more tiring and slower. No surprises, but 10 year old Look roadie with a 30 mm on front and 27 on rear (biggest it will fit) is faster, easier and still dirt capable/ fun with care. At least in the dry...This was last week's commute.
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creaky

XMAS Plumper
Second the comment on wide Walmer bars. Look funky, work well. Great when into a headwind to be able to drop down. I used normal 440mm roadie bars initially on my Marin CX as it was a hard rubbish build, but have converted to the wider 30 degree flare bars. Next purchase will be Canyon VCLS seat post as above. get great reviews. Saw a Grizl in the flesh the other day. Looked too darn pretty to get dirty.
I'm 52 and do quite a few long rambling dirt rides on my CX. Over to Yorke peninsula and around the Walk the Yorke trails/ dirt farm roads. Average 200 to 300 km a day. On my Marin alloy/carbon CX with Walmer bar and 43 mm gravel kings it's good, but have done the same on my 29 SS rigid with 2.25's much more tiring and slower. No surprises, but 10 year old Look roadie with a 30 mm on front and 27 on rear (biggest it will fit) is faster, easier and still dirt capable/ fun with care. At least in the dry...This was last week's commute.
View attachment 385547
Is that bike called a Cortina?
Big days out on the bike, well done!
 

DMan

shawly the least hangeriest guy on rotorburn
Second the comment on wide Walmer bars. Look funky, work well. Great when into a headwind to be able to drop down. I used normal 440mm roadie bars initially on my Marin CX as it was a hard rubbish build, but have converted to the wider 30 degree flare bars. Next purchase will be Canyon VCLS seat post as above. get great reviews. Saw a Grizl in the flesh the other day. Looked too darn pretty to get dirty.
I'm 52 and do quite a few long rambling dirt rides on my CX. Over to Yorke peninsula and around the Walk the Yorke trails/ dirt farm roads. Average 200 to 300 km a day. On my Marin alloy/carbon CX with Walmer bar and 43 mm gravel kings it's good, but have done the same on my 29 SS rigid with 2.25's much more tiring and slower. No surprises, but 10 year old Look roadie with a 30 mm on front and 27 on rear (biggest it will fit) is faster, easier and still dirt capable/ fun with care. At least in the dry...This was last week's commute.
View attachment 385547
Flared bars are really good. I use the drops now, something I never felt happy doing on my roadie drops.
 

Plankosaurus

Spongeplank Dalepantski
Flared bars are really good. I use the drops now, something I never felt happy doing on my roadie drops.
Word.

Same thing here, never used the drops when they were roadie drops, got some flared drops and they're suddenly useful. Less leaned over and wider for better climbing torque is what I like to tell myself.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
 

boyracer

Likes Dirt
Is that bike called a Cortina?
Big days out on the bike, well done!
Yeah 2014/5 model i think. Picked up the frame kerbside, stripped clean. Thought i was stolen at first, but turns out it was a runout bike that was stripped for parts according to local shop. They sold a lot of them apparently.
 

rowdyflat

chez le médecin
everyone has different opinions about bars ,people who mtbike tend to like flat bars , I had drops on my bike and changed to flat bar and with Ergon grips you can have many hand positions.
 

ozzybmx

taking a shit with my boobs out
The proper way to ride gravel-adventure.

29"x 2.4, Steel, 1x drivetrain.... built from an old hardtail and tweaked with 2022 goodies.

Very familiar ;)

The project didn’t begin with a new prototype build, but a six-year-old Solaris frame, from the time before mountain bike geometry got super-long and slack.

It was built up with drop bars and a rigid fork, before being brought into 2022 with thru axles, Boost spacing, a 1x drivetrain and even wider tyre clearance. The Cascade was born.
 

boyracer

Likes Dirt
Ride my actual roadie for first time since before Xmas… man does that feel narrow with normal non flared 440 mm drops. Took some getting used to again!
came home and ordered another set of zipp xplr 12 degree flare.
 
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