Any mountain bikers out there 2.0
- Thread starter jbell
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That is what makes gravel riding fun!
Look at mountain bikes then… I ride my FS XC MTB as my gravel bike most of the time. It works great!
Some of the gravel roads around here require full suspension!
I took the suspension fork off the Stigmata and went back to the rigid fork and got out for some single track testing. 21 miles of rough, technical, chunky trails and it was a hoot! Seriously the best drop bar bike I have ridden yet, I am very impressed with it!
There was a bit of a traffic jam out there today...
There was a bit of a traffic jam out there today...
I guess that is possible, in an alternate universe.
FWIW, I have learned to survive/ride deep sugar sand but loose gravel roads? Nope, nope and nope...
What is strapped to your downtube and has the chain going to a second chainring? Is that an Ebike conversion?
Welp, I ordered a Canyon yesterday. Should be here in a few days. My current GT full suspension is 37.1 lbs. This Grizl 7 RAW comes in at 23.5 lbs. I ordered the Green.
www.canyon.com
Grizl 7 RAW
When the asphalt ends, the Grizl 7 comes alive. With Shimano shifting, a shock-absorbing comfort seatpost, grippy 45 mm Schwalbe tyres, this progressive gravel bike can truly do it all.
www.canyon.com
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I have the Stigmata set up how I want it, tires came in the other day. 50c Maxxis Ramblers. Unfortunately I can't ride it for a week or so other than the trainer, I had a tree fall on me a few days ago so I'm recovering from a solid concussion. But none the less I'm soaked with this bike! I can't wait to pound some stupid miles soon. Oh and my new saddle should be here today too. Looking forward to getting this old test saddle off of there.
Thanks. This is going to be a big change. Flat bars to drop bars, 2x12 as opposed to 3x8, no shift indicator and full suspension to rigid.
I am going to move my existing clipless pedals Shimano 545 SPD and Fi'zi:k Nisene Gp Bike Seat over, to minimize the initial impact and until I research/decide what direction I want to go on those. A lot has changed since I bought both.
Dollar for dollar this Canyon at $1994 and free shipping (they gave me a 5% off coupon seemed like a good for what I am getting. Like I said it is a 2x 12 instead of a 1x but at my age I feel the extra gearing will allow for more comfortable cadence while keeping track of gearing good for my brain and motor skills.
Any thoughts on SPD clips. Are there better systems?
Any thoughts on seats? The seat is pretty much my mileage limiter right now.
I also need to do something for a mirror on my blind/left side.
Damn dude! You are the second person I know that has had a tree fall on them in the past year!
One thing I learned is to take the time to heal. It pays off in the long run. Speedy recovery brother…..
Thank you, I was mowing the grass. The tree was in the woods. Crazy stuff for sure...Damn dude! You are the second person I know that has had a tree fall on them in the past year!
One thing I learned is to take the time to heal. It pays off in the long run. Speedy recovery brother…..
As far as saddles it's really personal, go to a shop and try some out. Good shops usually have test saddles.
As far as Shimano SPD or SPD style pedals & shoes I think they are the very best! All I run is XTR, but XT will serve you very well and save some money they are just as durable only slightly heavier and have a little more stack height (thicker). I don't recommend the Crank Brothers pedals, but Time are decent with the same basic design of the spring system as the Crank Brothers.
Here is the tree that got me. At least it wasn't a big tree...
That's what you get for mowing! I have a couple monster pines that are dead in the buffer area between my property and the main property that I can't think how I'm going to get them to come down. There in a spot we walk by every day to.
Damn dude! I used to log in my younger years. That could have easily killed you!
Yeah with saddles they can feel good until about an hour in then it goes to crap. My butt seems to prefer a firm saddle. I am acually looking at this. More than $30 less on amazon plus I can return if it does not work out. https://www.ergonbike.com/en/product-details.html?anr=44063000&w=road&s=srallroadcore
Good to know the SPD has stood the test of time. Do you run single direction release cleats or multi direction?
I have used TIME cleated pedals for 20+ yrs but recently got some SPD cleat pedals from OneUp. If you are ready to spend $150 or so on pedals I would vouch for the OneUp clipless pedals. But the Time MX4 pedal can be found for around $50-60 usually, and it has more float if you have wonky knees/ankles to care for. The big negative for TIME pedals is the cleats are brass and if you walk on rocks a lot, you will end up needing new cleats fairly often. SPD pedals use steel cleats that shrug off rocky walking.
For saddles I would suggest SDG BelAir, but saddles are super-personal. The present saddle offerings are crazy, flat profiles and curved ones, aggressive taint relief or none at all, short nosed and long nosed. I've been using the BelAir for 4 years now and I find it pretty flawless. Did a ride last week, 2 hrs, didn't even use padded shorts.
I have also happily ridden WTB Rocket V, Ergon SM, WTB Silverado, and Selle Italia Flite.
I don't use mirrors, I was a roadie when I started cycling in the 80s and I got used to look-backs and hearing awareness vs a mirror. If I wanted to use one I would try the kind that attach to your eyeglasses/sunglasses, not the kind you put on the handlebar.
Agreed, I don't use mirrors either.
I raced on Time carbon pedals for years and love the float and release angles but the pedals didn't last long enough for me. Shimano pedals just last and are easy to rebuild.
I like ergon saddles, same with SQ Labs, but my go to is Specialized SWorks Power saddles the best.
I raced on Time carbon pedals for years and love the float and release angles but the pedals didn't last long enough for me. Shimano pedals just last and are easy to rebuild.
I like ergon saddles, same with SQ Labs, but my go to is Specialized SWorks Power saddles the best.
Might sound too bike-geeky, but I've found getting saddle tilt correct can turn an ass-killer into a saddle that really works. The Ergon SM was that way for me, when I got the tilt right, it disappeared, but it was annoying slightly nose up or slightly nose down from that perfect spot.
Otherwise on the mirror, the location on the handlebar -- it only works when you are steering straight; it gets jostled by road / surface roughness. I would think anyone who shoots through riflescopes would find bar mounts annoying like a too-small eyebox or serious tunneling.
Otherwise on the mirror, the location on the handlebar -- it only works when you are steering straight; it gets jostled by road / surface roughness. I would think anyone who shoots through riflescopes would find bar mounts annoying like a too-small eyebox or serious tunneling.
Are you blind in your left eye and legally deaf in one ear, training on a roadway, with a nice paved shoulder.
Perhaps when I get run over by a dump truck (like a previous neighbor) I will shit through feathers and be able to rotate my head 360°. Until then I will have flashing lights and a left side mirror. Trust but verify.
I'm not mocking the use, and not saying I'm great because I don't use one. I rode motos as a kid, first was a Honda Trail 50 with mirrors on stalks. They did not last long for me for the reasons I said.
I would also say that riding a bicycle or motorcycle on the roadways, whether paved or not, is more about full awareness and natural/reflexive skills. If a person isn't used to riding with mirrors and tries to use them it will distract them from their other senses. The less time you have with them, the more they are a distraction.
I don't mind anyone using a mirror, I don't think using or not using one says anything about the cyclist in question. Might as well infer something from the type of chain lube used.
I would also say that riding a bicycle or motorcycle on the roadways, whether paved or not, is more about full awareness and natural/reflexive skills. If a person isn't used to riding with mirrors and tries to use them it will distract them from their other senses. The less time you have with them, the more they are a distraction.
I don't mind anyone using a mirror, I don't think using or not using one says anything about the cyclist in question. Might as well infer something from the type of chain lube used.
Well you were just bonk on the head so you missed the vision impared part.
I plan to stay with Shimano they work and the extra money is worth it.
Awesome something about the look of the ergon appeals to me. I will check out the other two though.
I have read some stupid shit in my day but this is strong competition.
Tape your eye and one ear over for a day. See if that brings your brain back to it’s senses.
I suggested it since the factory saddle might turn out a winner, if you take your time with the tilt.
Hey man, I am not mocking you at all! I would want to have a good sense of my surroundings and if it took a mirror, I would sort out a way to use one.
I know a guy who was born with one functionally blind eye. He learned MTB in the North Shore region in Vancouver CDN, rode elevated skinnies with only one eye working. I asked him how he managed depth perception. I'd lost a contact lens one day alpine skiing, it ended the day for me with lost depth perception. He just said, "I never knew two-eyes vision so I can't tell you." So I have no idea what struggles you deal with, man. None.
Holliday, I'll say this too. This year I started riding again after a nearly 4 year layoff. I ride from my house to the trailhead. The traffic in my town is much more congested and angry these days. Lots to be aware of, lots of distracted drivers and/or aggressive, hurried, angry drivers. Not a great setting to be on the pavement or the shoulder. Some of my x-town ride is possible on city bike paths, but those are just as congested with walkers etc, so I mostly ride the city's streets cross-town.
One of the reasons I switched from roadie to MTB rider for 99% of my rides some 25 years ago is that I got tired of dealing with the full awareness needed for road riding. The rides cross-town this year are reminding me of that.
One of the reasons I switched from roadie to MTB rider for 99% of my rides some 25 years ago is that I got tired of dealing with the full awareness needed for road riding. The rides cross-town this year are reminding me of that.
I moved to North West Arkansas a little over a year ago there is very little traffic here around my house even on the paved roads. It's a nice change.
Well didn’t mean to bite your head off. We all have our crosses to bear. I lost two of my young brothers in their twenties from a ruthless disease. So everyday I feel like the luckiest man alive.
The hard part about being blind it one eye is that it is a serious matter that folks give you no quarter on whatsoever. I don’t make excuses and I do everything I want to do but when I ask someone to stay out of my blind spot or say I need a mirror on the road, I figure folks should just yield on those. They rarely do.
The fact is that I am slowly losing my good eye so I am trying to do everything I can, while I still can. Some day you’ll see me on my bike following a little seeing-eye-dog wearing bells…..
That is rough man, sorry to hear itWell didn’t mean to bite your head off. We all have our crosses to bear. I lost two of my young brothers in their twenties from a ruthless disease. So everyday I feel like the luckiest man alive.
The hard part about being blind it one eye is that it is a serious matter that folks give you no quarter on whatsoever. I don’t make excuses and I do everything I want to do but when I ask someone to stay out of my blind spot or say I need a mirror on the road, I figure folks should just yield on those. They rarely do.
The fact is that I am slowly losing my good eye so I am trying to do everything I can, while I still can. Some day you’ll see me on my bike following a little seeing-eye-dog wearing bells…..
Thanks man…..but don’t feel bad for me. I can still reliably hit a silhouette at 1200 yards and I am in good health at 62. I have watched a lot of folks have shitty lives and die horribly or just too young.
I am still legal to drive but take great pains to acknowledge my limitations and be extra careful. For a long time I just pretended that I was a two eyed person. That is until I almost pulled my motorcycle in front of an SUV.
You see the worst thing about being blind in one eye is that your visual cortex wants to pretend that you can still see out of that eye. Like the “holo-deck” on Star Trek Next Gen, it just makes shit up. So you are not just battling the lack of sight but more importantly the fact that your brain is filling in the gaps with fake data. I had to learn that you don’t see with your eyes, you see with your brain.
Since my mid 50s I have been saying “If it’s not terminal, I’m good”
A quote that I try to live by:
“The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge while an ordinary man takes everything as a blessing or a curse.”
― Carlos Castaneda
The Ergon saddles have been my favorite for a few years. Current bike has the SM pro for daily riding. I have a SM Enduro that is slimmer at the back and gives you more freedom of movement.
I'm one of the oddballs that rides crank bros pedals. I swapped to them when I was still racing Enduros and I was able to get in and out of them faster and it's a combo pedal that has a flat section around the pedal for more foot support. I couldn't get the SPD compatible pedals to work similar to the Crank bros.
I am so ready to get some fall riding in..... Framers flaked on me, so me and the kid are doing it.
I'm one of the oddballs that rides crank bros pedals. I swapped to them when I was still racing Enduros and I was able to get in and out of them faster and it's a combo pedal that has a flat section around the pedal for more foot support. I couldn't get the SPD compatible pedals to work similar to the Crank bros.
I am so ready to get some fall riding in..... Framers flaked on me, so me and the kid are doing it.
Glad to hear the Ergon’s are well liked. I need to measure my sit-bones to order. Always something.
I took my Shimano 545s apart to service and re-grease them. I am really shocked that 26 years of use with no maintenance they are still GTG. I did not even need to tighten the bearings. I do think some new cleats are in order though.
I rode the Crank Bros Mallets for a couple of years. My beef with them was, the exposed spring on the ground-facing side would strike a rock and eject my foot. This happened a lot for me so I went back to TIMEs. But it's pretty rocky where I ride and when I rode trails with fewer rocks it wasn't ever an issue. The light spring tension makes entry & exit on CB pedals very nice, not torque-filled.
Holliday, the easiest sit-bone measurements are done with a piece of cardboard, and a set of stairs or a chair. Your sit bones should indent the cardboard when you sit down. Surface under the cardboard (chair or stair) should be solid wood, not padded/carpeted, for best results. I've found I can easily ride wider, but narrower than my sit bones is pretty painful on longer rides.
Holliday, the easiest sit-bone measurements are done with a piece of cardboard, and a set of stairs or a chair. Your sit bones should indent the cardboard when you sit down. Surface under the cardboard (chair or stair) should be solid wood, not padded/carpeted, for best results. I've found I can easily ride wider, but narrower than my sit bones is pretty painful on longer rides.
Well the eagle landed. Canyon really has the system down. Putting it together was super simple.
Maiden ride was in the rain of course. The hard part will be getting used to the shifters and lack of gear indicators. The chain and derailers are silent when shifting too. At first I thought it wasn't shifting. Other than that I was surprisingly comfortable on it. Damn what a weight difference. Light as a feather compared to my GT.
Maiden ride was in the rain of course. The hard part will be getting used to the shifters and lack of gear indicators. The chain and derailers are silent when shifting too. At first I thought it wasn't shifting. Other than that I was surprisingly comfortable on it. Damn what a weight difference. Light as a feather compared to my GT.
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No. Any decent, even entry level mountain bike in this day and age will be 1x.
A gravel bike is not a mountain bike. There's a lot of reasons they exist, but one of them is to try to get road riders to try something more like mountain bikes on something they're familiar with. While I love my gravel bike, if I was going on a ride where I didn't know how rowdy it could get and I wasn't going to try to do 20 miles or something, I'd rather be on a hardtail mountain bike.
Granted, you can get crazy on a gravel bike if you're an expert rider:
But really they're better for gravel roads and very light trails than trying to get rad at the bike park for us mere mortals.
$3000 is absolutely enough budget for a good mountain bike now that the bike industry has had massive layoffs and price reductions. Look at Canyon, YT, etc. online. There are tons of deals to be had.
To be honest, as someone who has ridden bikes since the early 1980s, and started primarily as roadie -- "gravel bikes" are succeeding because their geometry is more relaxed than trad road racing geo, their tires more cushy, their gear range wider for un-fit cyclists new at the sport. And during this same 40 years infrastructure needs are largely ignored in many parts of the nation, roads are pockmarked or potholed, traffic is crazy.
The "gravel bike" is more comfy on poorly maintained roads, more comfy for someone without 100s of hours in the saddle in road race position, geared easily to get you up a grade, and can be ridden comfortably on secondary roads where there is less traffic.
I don't think it comes from enticing roadies to be MTBers. Though that is how the cycling media, especially MTB cycling media, have pitched it. "One big club" and all that. Hey man, cyclists aren't a subculture that way, and it's goofy to use a bicycle as your "in-group" identity.
Why a "gravel bike" and not MTB for a new recreational cyclist? Efficiency, mostly. The more efficient the bike feels in the setting you use it, the more likely you will keep riding. The more it feels like hard work, the more likely you quit cycling and it becomes a dust magnet. A "gravel bike" is more efficient at city errands, road rides, country dirt/gravel road rides. You can ride singletrack MTB trails on a curly-bar "gravel bike" even.
A mtn bike used mainly on the road, or gravel/dirt secondaries, feels less efficient if you compare them directly.
The "gravel bike" is more comfy on poorly maintained roads, more comfy for someone without 100s of hours in the saddle in road race position, geared easily to get you up a grade, and can be ridden comfortably on secondary roads where there is less traffic.
I don't think it comes from enticing roadies to be MTBers. Though that is how the cycling media, especially MTB cycling media, have pitched it. "One big club" and all that. Hey man, cyclists aren't a subculture that way, and it's goofy to use a bicycle as your "in-group" identity.
Why a "gravel bike" and not MTB for a new recreational cyclist? Efficiency, mostly. The more efficient the bike feels in the setting you use it, the more likely you will keep riding. The more it feels like hard work, the more likely you quit cycling and it becomes a dust magnet. A "gravel bike" is more efficient at city errands, road rides, country dirt/gravel road rides. You can ride singletrack MTB trails on a curly-bar "gravel bike" even.
A mtn bike used mainly on the road, or gravel/dirt secondaries, feels less efficient if you compare them directly.
I did the cardboard test. I ran chalk over it to highlight the divots. Looks like it is a small in the Ergon for me.
Bingo! You could not have pegged my mindset more perfectly. I have a full suspension mountain bike already. I find rode cycling for general old man fitness more controlled and easier to fit into my day.
What tire pressure would you run on these 43 mm on pavement?
I sold my road bike for exactly the reasons you mention, but where we're at now, where people are choosing gravel bikes as road bikes, came later. "Gravel" really came from a combination of road touring + cyclocross. Cyclocross was nothing other than getting a bunch of roadies in spandex to try mountain biking. If cyclocross hadn't been designed by roadies, it wouldn't have had a bunch of stupid rules that prevented us from having the bikes we have now for a long time (no tire clearance, rim brakes, etc.).
Gravel bike is great for a new cyclist who wants to explore road biking in comfort. I wouldn't take any of my mountain bikes on a long road ride. A hardtail mountain bike can be really fun though, I've even ridden park on mine and had a great time.
I'm not surprised a long time roadie would like gravel bikes, because I started on the road and I love them too. But really exploring the mountains is so fun, and I've really lost any interest in road riding since I started mountain biking about 7 years ago.
As for 43mm on pavement, I run 47s at 30 psi or so. 35-40 PSI based on your weight will probably get you there. Run it as low as you can without the tire folding or feeling like it's going to.
I would try working on PSI from the soft end of things, and then slowly add pressure until you don't feel you are likely to pinch-flat, ding a rim, etc.
I have a 38mm front tire on my CX/gravel curly bar bike and I use about 25-30 psi in that tire, depending on terrain and how fast I will be going. Maybe 35 psi if it will be fast & rocky. I weigh about 150 lbs in riding gear.
Too much PSI and your tires will just ping off irregularities. While it may instinctively "be faster" since the tire is firmer, I have found it better on the softer side of "firm efficient PSI" settings.
Historically, CX is how roadies trained throughout the wet cold winter months. It existed way before the guys near Mt Tam turned cruisers into MTBs.
I have known guys, mostly guys who raced as roadies, who would ride their road bikes with normal road racing bald pattern tires, on gravel rides. "Just lower the PSI and be careful not to flat," they would say. This is back before 28mm or wider tires were standard for roadies. So 23mm, 25mm tires.
I would only do that if I was up for an intentionally hard day on the bike. Like self-punishment ride.
CX or gravel bikes with plump tires and a little bit of tread work pretty well in all kinds of conditions. You just have to remember they're not like riding your MTB with Minion DHF/DHR tires, you're not going to plow the earth as you corner.
I would only do that if I was up for an intentionally hard day on the bike. Like self-punishment ride.
CX or gravel bikes with plump tires and a little bit of tread work pretty well in all kinds of conditions. You just have to remember they're not like riding your MTB with Minion DHF/DHR tires, you're not going to plow the earth as you corner.
You sir are wrong. Plain and simple, your dislike for the other side of cycling has come through
Mountain biking was started by enthusiasts int he 1970's using old Schwinn and Roadmaster steel bikes. This cycling type was first used in the hills north of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Cyclocross was first started back in the early part of the 1900's long before mountain biking was even a dream. Frankly I am not sure the companies that made the frames used in early mountain bikers , Schwinn and Roadmaster were even in business.
The history of Cyclocross is as follows,
There are many stories about the origins of cyclo-cross. One is that European road racers in the early 1900s would race each other to the next town over from them and that they were allowed to cut through farmers' fields or over fences, or take any other shortcuts, in order to make it to the next town first. This was sometimes called steeple chase as the only visible landmark in the next town was often the steeple. This was a way for them to stay in shape during the winter months and put a twist on road racing. In addition, riding off-road in more difficult conditions than smooth pavement increased the intensity at which the cyclists were riding and improved their on-the-road bike handling abilities. Forced running sections, or portage, were incorporated to help deliver warm blood to the feet and toes, as well as exercise other groups of muscles. Daniel Gousseau of France is credited as having inspired the first cyclo-cross races and organized the first French National Championship in 1902.[4] Géo Lefèvre, the originator of the idea for the Tour de France, also played a key role in the early days of the sport.[5]
After Octave Lapize attributed his win in the 1910 Tour de France to his off season training in cyclo-cross[6] the sport began to spread to countries bordering France. Belgium organized its first national championship in 1910, Switzerland did so in 1912, then Luxembourg in 1923, Spain in 1929 and Italy in 1930.
Was it created by the men who raced cycling, yes, was it created to get folks into mountain biking, NO! It was developed so that the men who raced cycling could get more training in during the winter.
Been riding since the 1950's so don't claim I am new to the game.
Yeah I am a bit heavier at 203 in my boxer briefs. Down almost 20lbs since this time last year.
I stumbled across a neat app yesterday that calculates proper air pressure based on environmentals, weight, tires, surface etc. it did not have my 28” tire size but 27.5 is close enough.
Bike Tire Pressure Calc
The Bike Tire Pressure Calculator app powered by Wolf Tooth allows cyclists to find their ideal tire pressure based on terrain and riding conditions for the route ahead. Cyclists share details for wheel size, tire width, rider weight, riding temperature, and more to receive a specific...
apps.apple.com
I used to just run max on the road with the full suspension but as you mentioned the lower pressure turns out to be faster. The road I am on is that fresh done chip seal.
Why Chip Seal Is the Absolute Worst
All the totally objective reasons why this road treatment is terrible
www.bicycling.com
I have always just used: weight/7= tire pressure for the front and add 2lbs to the rear. That is for MTB tires.Yeah I am a bit heavier at 203 in my boxer briefs. Down almost 20lbs since this time last year.
I stumbled across a neat app yesterday that calculates proper air pressure based on environmentals, weight, tires, surface etc. it did not have my 28” tire size but 27.5 is close enough.
Bike Tire Pressure Calc
The Bike Tire Pressure Calculator app powered by Wolf Tooth allows cyclists to find their ideal tire pressure based on terrain and riding conditions for the route ahead. Cyclists share details for wheel size, tire width, rider weight, riding temperature, and more to receive a specific...
View attachment 8782022
I used to just run max on the road with the full suspension but as you mentioned the lower pressure turns out to be faster. The road I am on is that fresh done chip seal.
Why Chip Seal Is the Absolute Worst
All the totally objective reasons why this road treatment is terrible
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