I finally hit my goal of a 150 mile ride yesterday. Was 35 degrees when I left and about 50 by the time I got home so was tricky picking kit. I last tried 150 in scorching heat and with twice the climb at Gravel Worlds in Lincoln, NE in August. Had to bail after 100 miles and 6000+ climb because I was showing signs of heat illness. Yesterday’s ride was about 60% gravel including a crushed rock rail trail because I started from my house in south MPLS. Stopped to pee so many times! I was hydrating like it was summer. Tried Maurten gels for the first time and they work great. Had two with 100mg of caffeine at hours six and nine and they were really helpful. Also used a lot of tailwind carb/electrolyte drink. Chocolate bars. Breakfast pizza from two gas stations. About four liters of water. Was a great day on the saddle! So grateful for fitness and bikes and what it means for my overall wellness. Work stress takes less of a toll when you do things way harder on the weekends for fun. Spoiler
I’m sure I’ve proselytized about them itt but they’re almost as fast as pure road bikes, are much more comfortable, and are better for multiple terrains including just paved streets or paths that are a little bumpy. I have a pretty good (but dated) road bike whose posture is so aggressive and ride so stiff that I wouldn’t personally want to go more than four hours or so in it. My gravel bike just way better suited for going long.
Commuted 30 or so times to work this summer. 5.7 miles each way. Just an awesome way to get to work and exercise.
Got the itch again. Ran into some of my old road crew and they have switched to gravel. They do a 50 mile ride every week on the levies around Dallas. Have my eyes on this as I am not seeing anything used that is sparking my attention. It has the largest tire clearance out there but sacrifices the dual chain ring to achieve that. https://www.laufcycles.com/product/...O0OU-pfBpBoB5RNW85BCXjDyst0tzpaQaAttZEALw_wcB Have not quite decided which one yet although looking at the Race Transmission as it has the carbon wheels, upgraded shifters, breaks, crank, saddle, and cassette. Also comes in under 20lbs.
O.P.E.N. Was the first one I looked at. Either I was not looking in the right place or they do not have e-shifters anywhere near the price point I want to be at. They do make one of the prettiest bikes on the road though. The orange Upper is ridiculous. I will have to look at Santa Cruz. Canyon was another one I was checking out. Like the direct to customer model to save money.
Here are the specs for my gravel bike I got used last year, love it. I don’t know what half this shit means though. Switched out the tires for Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 700 X 45
My buddy has a canyon and loves it, just took it to a local bike shop to have it assembled properly to spec
Seigla is a great bike. Was a finalist when I in the end got an Otso Waheela. Ultimately Otso’s MN roots and the Wolf Tooth components (wt is Otso’s sister company) nudged me to the Waheela, and I’ve been extremely pleased with it. My brother rides a Seigla and loves it. He swears by the leaf spring and watching it in action riding beside him is really cool. Lauf is spreading into US, opening a factory in the Carolinas iirc. glad to hear you’re back in the saddle, a.tramp!
While the thread is active I wanna show my new winter/commuter/city build. It’s a steel Soma Wolverine frame. Put a Velo Orange crazy bar for the stability of flat bars for winter conditions and city riding, but really simulates hoods of drop bars with the two horns when I want to put the hammer down. Kinda funny lookin but I’ve liked it even more than I hoped. Put a Gates Carbon Drive belt drive with an 11 sp internal hub. V low maintenance and resistant to the grit and salt of winter riding. Also added a front dynamo hub to power the front and rear lights. Winter riding is in the dark a lot and it’s great not needing to remember to charge lights. Chose all silver components and fenders to give a retro vibe but I’m finding it really cooks. Super smooth and compliant. Shown here w studded tires but spring seems to be coming early so I put Gravelking semi slicks on it the other night.
I just could not veer away from the double chainring, I am a roadie at heart. Maybe my next bike I will go single. Should be here early next week. I am so fucking geeked.
Concur. I will probably upgrade next seasonn. Better commuter. And maybe a gravel bike. Or one that can do both.
congrats! I agree re 2x up front. Was another strike against the Seigla I didn’t mention. Did the Grail get rid of the double decker drop bars or does your model have them?
Nice. I was also really interested in a Grizl a couple years ago. Looked at Grail but wasn't digging the double bar set up. I think they made the right call jettisoning it. Can't wait to hear about your adventures!
Hopefully it gets in soon enough next week for me to get it set up and outfitted as I will be headed to the Hill Country on Friday. One of my old roadie groups from years back all switched to gravel and have a standing 50miler every Saturday along the Trinity River system levies here in Dallas so I will be getting miles in quick. I jave not been this excited in a long time.
First ride today after battling bronchitis for a week right after getting my bike. Went great until it didn’t legs turned to concrete at mile 30. Oh well, got the bike dusty and called the shag wagon. Longest ride in 6ish years. Oh well, will try to make it 35 next weekend. Have a 50miler scheduled in 4 weeks with a group of guys so gotta put the work in.
best part of working in an office downtown is being able to swoop a good coffee / breakfast on my way to work via bike.
Weird dumb turn of events last night. I got a new pair of shoes recently and have had trouble dialing in the right cleat position. Thought I had it all sorted. But I got to a stoplight where the bikeway crosses a lakeside street. Went to click out of the pedal and my foot rotated, but cleat stood still! When I knew I was past the point of no return I shifted my worries about dinging up my brand new bike! So I did a weird contortion to land on my back and lift the bike on my legs upward. Succeeded in keeping the bike off the ground except for one real minor scrape in the fender. Anyway one of the bolts on the cleat had fallen out, so my foot was just rotating on the still-embedded cleat. I’d ridden a while trying to figure out what as going on before I realized I’d lost an earbud in the tumble. So today I got my cleats all tightened and drove back to the site of the fall and there was my earbud. So all’s well that ends well.
Haven't ridden in years, but homeboy is all about his bike, so I bought something to get with the times. Had a blast trailing with him this evening.
Starting the day off with 12 miles into downtown for breakfast and back out. Beautiful morning and ride. Puts ya in a good mood.
Almost done with my fourth year of 30 Days of Biking which is a cool way to connect w other riders, consider cycling as transport, build community, and create habits and routines. This year on Bluesky I’ve connected with folks in Brazil and Spain, and a lot of local riders. Also for into Twin Cities Bike Tag which is a fun way to pick where to ride. Met a few folks in person too. Highly recommend next April. Sometimes the weather blows asshole, especially in Minneapolis, but when that makes it a fun challenge. One learns that riding in the rain ain’t so bad with some planning, gear, and hopefully fenders.
How are you liking the bike? I see on Strava you're back to regular rides that are longer than my longest ever