Why do you like gravel?

[harryS]

I used to consider groomed gravel as rideable, but this trail had been packed with snow a week prior, so it needed work in places. Rear wheel was skittering on the loose stones. Yikes, we drove thousand of miles and both of us crashed. No more gravel for us,

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Gravel riding is a fast-growing style of cycling that blends the long-distance flow of road riding with the off-road freedom of mountain biking. It takes place primarily on unpaved surfaces like dirt roads, fire roads, gravel tracks, bridleways, and canal towpaths.

True.

Looks like Im a gravel rider with the wrong handlebars

Nay, you are an e-MTBer You ride in rough terrain (rocks!) that decidedly requires the full suspension and fat tyres (like 2.6"). You climb a lot on "bridleways" that are rather technical singletracks. You gain a lot of elevation but the distances you ride are nothing compared to a typical gravel group ride. Your drivetrain is perfect for climbing but you are very slow on asphalt or gravel (on the flat or uphill) compared to what a gravel cyclist can achieve. I'm really impressed with your rides but they vary between Cross Country (XC) and Trail, both being flavours of mountain biking.

Once, I took an e-MTB similar to yours to a group coffee ride. The Giant was derestricted but I could not keep up with the gravel cyclists at all! The only time the Trance E+ really shone was a steep short climb on the sand (other riders simply carried their featherweight bikes uphill).

Flat bars are not uncommon in the gravel group I ride with. Several people ride their XC mtbs with flat bars. There are some flat bar gravel bikes, including a few Salsas that have been converted from drops. The Cannondale Tesoro is a popular gravel ebike in my area and that comes with flat bars. I don't think drops are at all a requirement for riding gravel.

I do completely agree. For instance, my brother rides a Marin DSX flat handlebar gravel bike. My friend Alfer achieves high positions in gravel races riding top-tier XC bikes. What's the catch then?
-- 'While I can outmanoeuvre and take over many competitors in rough terrain, I'm dropped on the asphalt' /Jacek/
-- 'I could take podiums were I riding a drop handlebar gravel bike. I'm always beaten by drop bar riders on asphalt but drop bar gravel bikes do not agree with my taste, so I ride XC bikes' /Alfer/

My brother Jacek. He usually comes in the first 1/3 of the result list (62 years of age).

Alfer (typically10th place on a gravel race)

It's necessary to mention there are gravel cycling events that mandate riding a drop handlebar bike.

 

[Gionnirocket]

In honor of this thread... Today I went and search'd out the only gravel I know of.

 

[Chargeride]

My only concern with this new vibe is road cyclists discovering how nice it is without cars and us having to pretend not to see them hobbling along with cracked carbon rims.
'I say chaps, I seem to have smashed my wheels on a pine cone, any chance of a...oh, on your way back then'.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

a pine cone

I promised to not mention RC anymore but it was my RC female acquaintance who kept saying: "The Pine Cones of Death..." AFAIK, she's riding gravel now with no similar concerns

 

[stompandgo]

My only concern with this new vibe is road cyclists discovering how nice it is without cars and us having to pretend not to see them hobbling along with cracked carbon rims.
'I say chaps, I seem to have smashed my wheels on a pine cone, any chance of a...oh, on your way back then'.

I wouldn't call the crazy sh*t that you ride on "gravel". I have carbon gravel wheels (Shimano GRX) and have no concerns about them breaking on the calm stuff I end up on.

 

[edobici_forza]

My only concern with this new vibe is road cyclists discovering how nice it is without cars and us having to pretend not to see them hobbling along with cracked carbon rims.
'I say chaps, I seem to have smashed my wheels on a pine cone, any chance of a...oh, on your way back then'.

Carbon rims are not potato chips... pro MTBer riders use carbon rims on some janky stuff. and hit the ground hard.
I agree with stompandgo, that natural terrain you (charge) ride is pretty intense and far, far from gravel! But beefy carbon hoops (35mm) do exist and could handle it. I don't race at all, and am a mild MTBer. That said I have 25mm carbon rims on my Creo2, and both 27 and 30mm internal on my XC mountain bike. I weigh 215lb, so I am no lightweight. but like I said I am a pretty mellow rider, but get into to rocky stuff sometime on all bikes, running 2.4in tires on MTB. All good so far.

 

[PedalUma]

Carbon rims are not potato chips... pro MTBer riders use carbon rims on some janky stuff. and hit the ground hard.
I agree with stompandgo, that natural terrain you (charge) ride is pretty intense and far, far from gravel! But beefy carbon hoops (35mm) do exist and could handle it. I don't race at all, and am a mild MTBer. That said I have 25mm carbon rims on my Creo2, and both 27 and 30mm internal on my XC mountain bike. I weigh 215lb, so I am no lightweight. but like I said I am a pretty mellow rider, but get into to rocky stuff sometime on all bikes, running 2.4in tires on MTB. All good so far.

This is an older video but you get the idea.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

potato chips

crisps*

 

[stompandgo]

crisps*

no no no

 

[Gionnirocket]

Well it's over.... First rain in 3 weeks toady and more forecast for tomorrow / Saturday. Leaf crunch was replaced with near ice like wet leaf traction. Still fun.

A few more pics from yesterday's most pleasurable ride. These from my local park that deserved a drive_by. There's a narrow path that follows the lake shoreline that is filled with tight turns and elevation changes like being on a roller-coaster and I occasionally detour on my way home and pump through it @120 revolutions

 

[Stefan Mikes]

no no no

Did Ed mean "French fries"?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Did Ed mean "French fries"?

No, he meant potato chips, which are known for breaking easily. That's the proper American English term for the thin potato snack below, usually fried, sometimes baked.

In American English, "crisp" is typically used for a range of other savory snacks, including some crackers.

The presumption should be that @edobici_forza knows his own language.

 

[Chargeride]

We had quite an event in our potato chip universe some time ago, Walkers, which is sort of your Lays, became the top brand and swapped the bag colours of salt vinegar and cheese onion in the publics perception

Cheese onion used to be green
Salt vinegar blue.
It happened without riots, other companies varied in their response.
Now Cheese onion is blue and Salt vinegar green .

Its a classic Mandela effect that people think Walkers changed their colours.
Did this happen over the pond at any time?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

No, he meant potato chips, which are known for breaking easily. That's the proper American English term for the thin potato snack below, usually fried, sometimes baked.

As the Ed's answer was to the Englishman Chargeride, I corrected "potato chips" to "crisps"

"Potato chips" in Britain mean "French fries" like in "fish'n'chips"

Certainly, Ed knows his own language (American English) but Charge lives in England, where English is spoken

 

[Chargeride]

but Charge lives in England, where English is spoken

We all have our own take on it.
The common greeting here is.
Ahwrite kidda, owz it gowin la.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

We all have our own take on it.
The common greeting here is.
Ahwrite kidda, owz it gowin la.

You alright?

 

[edobici_forza]

Wow, my quick off-the-cuff analogy was not thought out to be internationally understood. My bad! I know this forum has worldwide participants.

So funny to see this “gravel riding” post go off the rails on such a simple term!
I meant potato chips, the packaged fried snack food, which easily break. Yes, I know in the UK they are called crisps. I do not remember ever eating crisps in England. But I’ve had a pastie or two.

Chips in England are thin long fried potatoes, a.k.a. French fries. I rarely eat these.
Biscuits in the UK are cookies, but in the US are of the savory genre, small simple bread rolls. I eat too many American cookies/biscuits!

It is fun to play along with Stephan’s Berlitz English lessons. You are great man!

To get back to the gravel topic. I hate one type of gravel…Parking lot type rocks. Last year, I rode a trail for a second time, first time was on my manual XC MTB, when I went back on the Creo they filled in many sections with these rocks you can see in the background of photo below. I took the photo because I had a stick wedged in my chain guide. The next challenge for me was having my SPD cleat screw fall out! I survived both.

Old Haul Road in Pescadero CA.

s

My Exie on the same trail.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

To get back to the gravel topic. I hate one type of gravel…Parking lot type rocks.

Yes, that's terrible and scary. Which reminds me of an interesting fact.

Sudovia, a tiny land in the farthest northeast of Poland by the Suwałki Gap is very special. It is hundreds of short but very steep hills, and the best gravel roads in my country. (As well as countless herds of happy cows!) My May 2026 100+ km ride was the last one I was actually racing Another rider, Piotr had his Bosch E-Bike GPS navigation crash early in the race (as always, as always...) so he needed someone to be his navigator; I agreed to the role. He rode his e-bike darn fast so I had to ride at least as good as him!

Now, we are entering a long but pretty steep descent. We're both riding some 25 mph and accelerating. I follow the dust cloud from the Piotr's wheels! Suddenly, I realise we are riding on white gravel...

What I could find out about Sudovia was yellowish gravel meant a safe ride there. However, the white one was fresh and loose. I decided I didn't want to die and gradually slowed down to a safe pace.

Piotr rode an e-MTB. I didn't.

Piotr was first of us two on the physical finish line. He was not aware I had already won on the virtual flying finish

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

As the Ed's answer was to the Englishman Chargeride, I corrected "potato chips" to "crisps"

Corrected, eh? Wasn't aware that American members are expected to address UK members in UK English.