Gravel bike recommendations...

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I almost agree (I struggle to find gravel roads near me)
Working in Monmouth County, I'm surrounded by parks that were old farms. There is plenty of farm roads, field edges and the occasional single track. I can connect multiple parks for 20 miles with very little road use.

I'm actually leading a Park System gravel ride in the spring on my typical gravel loop.
 

serviceguy

Well-Known Member
Working in Monmouth County, I'm surrounded by parks that were old farms. There is plenty of farm roads, field edges and the occasional single track. I can connect multiple parks for 20 miles with very little road use.

I'm actually leading a Park System gravel ride in the spring on my typical gravel loop.
That is an interesting concept. Would that follow the usual format of the group rides, with multiple groups based on rider's skills? How many miles are yo planning for? I need to reactivate the El Gravelachi...
AB7C7472-0A33-4C5F-A906-C55B3587D66B.jpeg
 
Last edited:

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
That is an interesting concept. Would that follow the usual format of the group rides, with multiple groups based on rider's skills? How many miles are yo planning for?
This is a program capped at 15 people, it will be under 20 miles and there is a fee to register.

or you could join me and Mitch for free on weekday afternoons, just buy me a beer after. ;)
 

serviceguy

Well-Known Member
This is a program capped at 15 people, it will be under 20 miles and there is a fee to register.

or you could join me and Mitch for free on weekday afternoons, just buy me a beer after. ;)
I'd love to, if I ever get a weekday afternoon free from work...
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
Working in Monmouth County, I'm surrounded by parks that were old farms. There is plenty of farm roads, field edges and the occasional single track. I can connect multiple parks for 20 miles with very little road use.

I'm actually leading a Park System gravel ride in the spring on my typical gravel loop.
I'm in lower Bucks, PA. The closest "gravel" road to me is the DE canal path, which I avoid like the plague regardless of what bike I'm riding. Since my road rides generally start and end at my front door, if I have to drive to find gravel, then I'll ride mtn bike trails. The "no driving" part is why I ride road in the first place.
 

1speeder

Well-Known Member
That is an interesting concept. Would that follow the usual format of the group rides, with multiple groups based on rider's skills? How many miles are yo planning for? I need to reactivate the El Gravelachi...
Nice El Mar! My road/gravel/bikepack rig is an old Fargo Ti. It goes everywhere. Closer to home, we do a yearly 50-mile 2 brewery/2 winery ride that is gravel and singletrack with the bare minimum of road to connect the four establishments efficiently.
 

pibbles

Well-Known Member
Crikey.. I'm so out of the loop and thought 32c was wide. Apparently, gravel tires can be 40c and wider. Didn't know.
My surly straggler that I purchased last year has 41s' on it set up tubeless. I m using it as my road bike as the cannondale race bike is very uncomfortable after 100 miles and the typical rando rides call for some extra comfort. Add to the fact that Cumberland county shoulders are basically a gravel road the straggler is perfection. The roads around Batsto have some serious potholes that can destroy 25c tires so the 41s are necessary. 650b allows for wide tires and being a 30" inseam they work for me.
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
Nice El Mar! My road/gravel/bikepack rig is an old Fargo Ti. It goes everywhere. Closer to home, we do a yearly 50-mile 2 brewery/2 winery ride that is gravel and singletrack with the bare minimum of road to connect the four establishments efficiently.
I've considered a NJ or PA winery ride. 50 miles would be a good length - need time to recover between stops. I could be interested in that ride if/when you do it again. :cool:
 

1speeder

Well-Known Member
I've considered a NJ or PA winery ride. 50 miles would be a good length - need time to recover between stops. I could be interested in that ride if/when you do it again. :cool:
Cool. It'll most likely be in June. I've found it to be a difficult ride when it's very hot out.
 

trener1

Well-Known Member
Just to chime in on the 1x vs 2x debate, I built up my gravel bike as a 2x and I have no regrets, as others have already said for the pavement parts of the gravel rides I am always happy to have the bigger gears.
 

iman29

Well-Known Member
Also +1 for Gravel bike with 2x up front.

My 2021 checkpoint ALR5 is currently in use as my winter road bike with a 2nd set of wheels and 32cm tires with tubes. Disc brakes also a bonus but it rides just fine in road mode and in some ways more comfortable then my carbon road bike.

When graveling I’m running 42s and tubeless with my other wheels.

It’s not that easy to just try to make a road bike into a gravel bike due to previously mentioned tire width limits and the geo. I used to have an older Alu road bike but I could only fit 25s on it and would just ride the Columbia trail but it wasn’t as nice a ride as the gravel bike.
 

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Just to chime in on the 1x vs 2x debate, I built up my gravel bike as a 2x and I have no regrets, as others have already said for the pavement parts of the gravel rides I am always happy to have the bigger gears.
If I could do it again I’d go 2x, but I’ve never run out of gears. I’ve settled ok 42t up front, 10-46 in the back. The jumps are the only negative, in my opinion.

At 100rpm I can do 33.7 mph in 42/10
At 60rpm I climb at 4.4 mph in 42/46

Can’t imagine needing more range than that, but the negative is the jumps. I don’t notice it much anymore.
 

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
This is a program capped at 15 people, it will be under 20 miles and there is a fee to register.

or you could join me and Mitch for free on weekday afternoons, just buy me a beer after. ;)
Is this a county employee accepting gifts from the public?
 

Patrick

Overthinking the draft from the basement already
Staff member
I almost agree (I struggle to find gravel roads near me). I was really close to getting a Revel Rover gravel bike, but they went full-in on the "gravel" end and the frame is dedicated to a 1x drivetrain. Since I would be riding the bike primarily on the road, a 2x is pretty much mandatory. On my road bikes, I spend the majority of the time in big ring (a lot of my regular route is flat).

If I can run 32c tires on my next road bike, I'll be happy. After years on my Colnago that can barely fit 25c tires and my Grade that maxes out at 28c, 32c tires will probably feel like a full suspension bike.

wow - a gravel void!

 

02camaro

Well-Known Member
This is a program capped at 15 people, it will be under 20 miles and there is a fee to register.

or you could join me and Mitch for free on weekday afternoons, just buy me a beer after. ;)
interested, i have many weekdays off, including tomorrow and Thursday. message me details.
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
wow - a gravel void!

And that map isn't entirely accurate. The many of the DE Canal Path sections tagged as "dirt" are paved. One of the roads going from Carversville towards the river tagged as gravel is really an out-of-service paved road. Parts of it are tarmac. Parts are bombed/washed out from flooding. Admittedly, I do avoid it on my road bike.
 

Neishasc

New Member
Schwinn Phocus is a great gravel bike which i've been using for a long time. This gravel bike model is made for riders of 5.2 ft height and taller, it also offers double wall rims. And for lightweight bike choice Mongoose Elroy bikes are great option. This lightweight gravel bike frame is made of aluminum and the whole vehicle weighs mere 29 pounds only.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom