Why you ride

[Rorschach]

Something about the idea of gravel biking just doesn't appeal. Maybe it's the lack of flat smooth tracks around here, maybe it's the drop bars and rigid fork with steep HA on a rougher tracks.

I have a road bike and ride it occasionally and have taken it "off road" on smoothish unsealed paths, as well as used my commuter (Surly Ogre) off road, sans rack and mudguards, with 2.5" tyres, but couldn't/didn't "get it". Probably haven't done enough of it with the right gear...
Always felt like I wanted to go faster than the bike would allow so ended up feeling sketchy.

My roadie is a BMC Roadmachine, and I have some spare wheels for it and am thinking of maybe doing the local heritage trail with it, but I'm not 100% as it can only take 30mm tyres. I think I'd be better looking at a newer roadie/allroad bike with wider tyres I could run double duty. I'm interested though

 

[ozzybmx]

Something about the idea of gravel biking just doesn't appeal. Maybe it's the lack of flat smooth tracks around here, maybe it's the drop bars and rigid fork with steep HA on a rougher tracks.

Hobart ?

Back of Wellington, Huon loop from Judbury to Geeveston, Bruny Island etc... some beautiful gravel drives/rides around Hobart. Cant remember it being rougher than anywhere else.

Could even do a bikepacker down Recherche and ride the South Coast track.

 

[PJO]

Hobart ?

Back of Wellington, Huon loop from Judbury to Geeveston, Bruny Island etc... some beautiful gravel drives/rides around Hobart. Cant remember it being rougher than anywhere else.

Could even do a bikepacker down Recherche and ride the South Coast track.

Yep, maybe it's just me.
Or haven't done enough to get the right feels...

 

[ozzybmx]

My roadie is a BMC Roadmachine, and I have some spare wheels for it and am thinking of maybe doing the local heritage trail with it, but I'm not 100% as it can only take 30mm tyres.

30mm tyres would shake the teeth out of your head . Gravel/adventure on 2.4's and 66cm wide flared bars. I ride this bike more than any other bike I own, it used to be a 29" HT before I started using Strava to record rides and distances, now got over 10,000km logged as a drop bar adventure bikepacker.

 

[Asininedrivel]

30mm tyres would shake the teeth out of your head . Gravel/adventure on 2.4's and 66cm wide flared bars. I ride this bike more than any other bike I own, it used to be a 29" HT before I started using Strava to record rides and distances, now got over 10,000km logged as a drop bar adventure bikepacker.

View attachment 392598

Reminds me of a time several years ago at Eagle. Was out by myself and ended up with a ragtag group of other riders and we all just decided to ride as a group. Were belatedly joined by some dude on an orange Open Up with 650b wheels and 2.2 tyres... who proceeded to absolutely dump all of us heading down North Face. He wasn't even in the same postcode when I finished. Bit of an eye opener to the rest of us on hardtails / fs bikes.

 

[ozzybmx]

Reminds me of a time several years ago at Eagle. Was out by myself and ended up with a ragtag group of other riders and we all just decided to ride as a group. Were belatedly joined by some dude on an orange Open Up with 650b wheels and 2.2 tyres... who proceeded to absolutely dump all of us heading down North Face. He wasn't even in the same postcode when I finished. Bit of an eye opener to the rest of us on hardtails / fs bikes.

Was he an older bloke ? I know the 2 owners of the original Open Up's in Orange colour here.

 

[PJO]

30mm tyres would shake the teeth out of your head . Gravel/adventure on 2.4's and 66cm wide flared bars. I ride this bike more than any other bike I own, it used to be a 29" HT before I started using Strava to record rides and distances, now got over 10,000km logged as a drop bar adventure bikepacker.

View attachment 392598

Naive questions:

What's the advantage of flared drops over a flat bar? Is it just more hand positions??

Is the brifter position comfortable with such an angle?

 

[ozzybmx]

Naive questions:

What's the advantage of flared drops over a flat bar? Is it just more hand positions??

Is the brifter position comfortable with such an angle?

3-4 different hand positions ? Yes I find the 'cruising' position on the hoods very comfortable.

Handlebar bag sits between the drops without squashing brake hoses, gear cables etc...

Shitty headwind day, get down in the drops and it feels a little bit easier.

Its matter of choice, a lot of people like flat bars and as long as you enjoy riding the bike, go for whatever hits the spot.

RTTR (Race to the Rock) called RFTR (Race from the Rock) this year is underway right now from Sydney 'rocks' to Adelaide, the riders are on anything from FS MTB to pure Gravel bikes.

Race from the Rocks 2022 - MAProgress

 

[Asininedrivel]

Was he an older bloke ? I know the 2 owners of the original Open Up's in Orange colour here.

Nah young dude (this was in 2015), late 20s maybe? German accent. Dunno, wasn't much character assessment beyond friendly and wtf are you doing at Eagle with a drop bar gravel bike. Then learning happened.

 

[ozzybmx]

Nah young dude (this was in 2015), late 20s maybe? German accent. Dunno, wasn't much character assessment beyond friendly and wtf are you doing at Eagle with a drop bar gravel bike. Then learning happened.

Yeah, he is the importer (EightyoneSpices) of Open, Syntace, Liteville, Formula etc... and the owner of the 1st Orange Open Up I know of.

 

[crash3]

3-4 different hand positions ? Yes I find the 'cruising' position on the hoods very comfortable.

Handlebar bag sits between the drops without squashing brake hoses, gear cables etc...

Shitty headwind day, get down in the drops and it feels a little bit easier.

Its matter of choice, a lot of people like flat bars and as long as you enjoy riding the bike, go for whatever hits the spot.

RTTR (Race to the Rock) called RFTR (Race from the Rock) this year is underway right now from Sydney 'rocks' to Adelaide, the riders are on anything from FS MTB to pure Gravel bikes.

Race from the Rocks 2022 - MAProgress

I'm looking at a gravel bike for commuting/Sunday breakfast rides, building an older 29" HT is a great option I hadn't considered before.

How did you make the forks rigid?
I assume the brakes are cable pulled now?

 

[crash3]

How did you make the forks rigid?

After a quick search, it looks like the answer is: buy a rigid fork.

 

[ozzybmx]

I'm looking at a gravel bike for commuting/Sunday breakfast rides, building an older 29" HT is a great option I hadn't considered before.

How did you make the forks rigid?
I assume the brakes are cable pulled now?

The forks are PRO Components XCR 29 rigid forks.

The brake/shifters are a set of Shimano 105 Hydro I bought off marketplace for $200 Came with calipers and front/rear derailleur attached, wish I could get them same set again for twice the price. I swapped the rear 11spd 105 derailleur for a GRX that takes a 10-42 cassette.

 

[crash3]

The forks are PRO Components XCR 29 rigid forks.
...Shimano 105 Hydro I bought off marketplace for $200 ...

Good lord
How many decades ago was this?

Stupid Covid tax

 

[Stredda]

Something about the idea of gravel biking just doesn't appeal. Maybe it's the lack of flat smooth tracks around here, maybe it's the drop bars and rigid fork with steep HA on a rougher tracks.

I have a road bike and ride it occasionally and have taken it "off road" on smoothish unsealed paths, as well as used my commuter (Surly Ogre) off road, sans rack and mudguards, with 2.5" tyres, but couldn't/didn't "get it". Probably haven't done enough of it with the right gear...
Always felt like I wanted to go faster than the bike would allow so ended up feeling sketchy.

I like gravel riding, on a mountain bike, on single track
I don't mind exploring around gravel roads and fire trails in the bush, it's something I used to do a lot more until someone came along an built all this single track that I'm forced to ride now

 

[frenchman]

Something about the idea of gravel biking just doesn't appeal. Maybe it's the lack of flat smooth tracks around here, maybe it's the drop bars and rigid fork with steep HA on a rougher tracks.

it’s for mountain bikers that haven’t shaved their legs

Spoiler

yet

 

[PJO]

it’s for mountain bikers that haven’t shaved their legs

Spoiler

yet

Allegedly there are also other areas of the body that are amenable to the razor

 

[Chamelion]

I'm sick of being fat... and I enjoy riding with my son/wife.

 

[steve jobs' pancreas]

I'm sick of being fat... and I enjoy riding with my son/wife.

I'm sick of my son/wife.... and I enjoy being fat

so I ebike

jks, I'm just jelly of the ebikers coz I don't have one

 

[ForkinGreat]

I'm sick of my son/wife.... and I enjoy being fat

so I ebike

jks, I'm just jelly of the ebikers coz I don't have one

It's all good. the battery tech continues to improve. A gravel e-bike for commuting or an alternative to some urban driving would be nice. Not in the rain though, fuck that. Also, you could get some good self-shuttle laps in with an e-mtb.