Recent content by Jeremy McCreary

The perfect companion to this thread! I'm going to add a link to it in the original post.

Let's Yes, let's get back to the positive, inclusive side of gravel riding. You don't have to be a card-carrying "gravel cyclist" to enjoy riding on gravel, and I started this thread to explore what's behind that enjoyment. One attraction that's been mentioned but deserves more emphasis is...

Silly self-aggrandizing nonsense.

Agree, we have no idea how strong the OP is, or how much they like to suffer. So it would be silly for us to recommend any specific bike, let alone a Vado SL. And make no mistake, my SL's motor didn't suffer on that half-mile of 20%, but I sure did. If I hadn't reduced the chainring to get a 22...

Me, too. Maybe it feels more adventuresome on gravel, but it also applies to pavement. One benefit of having a web of good pavement and gravel segments rideable from home is that you don't have to plan rides at all. Just wish there were more gravel segments to choose from. Love leaving the...

GCN comparo: Dogma X the endurance bike vs. Dogma F the racer... Commenters were asked which they prefer. The X was way ahead in the comments I read (maybe a quarter of them). Not sure what "mistake" the title's talking about. YouTube titles have really degenerated in the last few years, and...

I'm prepared to pretend it has a motor just to see and hear more about it.

Sorry it turned out way. Easy for me to say test, test, test, but the sad reality is that it's getting harder and harder to test bikes before you buy. Specialized offered me the same test scenario when I bought my Vado SL 1. Had to sweet-talk them into letting me ride just one nearby hill to...

Definitely mid-drive territory. Tire width can definitely help there. Recently upped my tubeless gravel tires from 38 to just 40 mm. Even at the same 40 psi pressure, the improvement in compliance and vibration on cobble was quite noticeable. But the 40s are rated for 30 psi minimum, and that...

Totally agree with that last sentence. I prefer my mid-drive for many reasons, but have come to see from personal experience that climbing need not be a deal-killer for hub-drives — even in my hilly terrain. Just don't count on getting up a half-mile of 20% without stopping to let the motor...

This video pretty much sums it up for me: Additional reasons: o Little or no traffic. o Rode lots of gravel as a school kid 60-70 years ago. o Love the sound of gravel crunching under my tires. Back then, we just called it dirt, all bikes were gravel bikes until proven otherwise, and that...

Totally agree, a hybrid tire with some side lugs around a faster center tread is often just the ticket for mixed pavement and light offroad use. Worked beautifully on my mixed-surface commuter. Had its stock city tires replaced with these 2.35" hybrids before even taking delivery. Which brings...

All good questions. Given an ebike with adequate power for your hills, the most compelling argument for lighter weight is exactly that — better handling and agility in the saddle, and easier maneuvering and lifting off the bike. These are not small things and are worth a good bit of money to...

That would be my plan in your environment, too. Detachable battery it is, then. There are hub-drives and hub-drives, and not all hills are the same. Comes down to what your hills are like. Let's talk real-life experience, not online opinions — many of which are knee-jerk or parroted or just...

Too many variables involved to offer blanket advice, so your best bet is to experiment. Below are 2 approaches to play with. Both assume that you have either torque-sensing or power-sensing assist. If you have simple all-or-nothing cadence-sensing assist, perhaps someone else can chime in...