Paul has been riding for 50 years and gravel riding for 3.
primary style (or preferred style) of riding: recently switched from all road to a great mix of MTB and
gravel (multi-surface) riding over the last 2 years. A lifelong roadie,
I've come to really appreciate the adventure and exploration potential of the
newly coined "gravel riding". I truly enjoy the freedom of riding a gravel type bike
whereby I start out on the road and simply jump off onto any little trail, any
side road sand, dirt, gravel... see a steep climb of dirt and just go for it!
This is what gravel riding has done for me... brought pure joy back into my
rides!
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| Canyon Endurace |
Q: what type/brand
of bike would you recommend for an endurance gravel ride?
A: There are
many and ever growing brands and models of "gravel bikes" in the
market... I've narrowed it down to 5 and these are all bikes that I've not only
ridden, but ridden over nice long distances, on multi surface. The nice
thing about all these bikes is that they can all be setup w/ 1 x 11, big
cassettes (11/36, 11/42), but I prefer the 2 x setup for most gravel endurance
riding.
- Canyon
Endurace: I love this bike for these key reasons: Comfortable geometry
for long rides in the saddle, affordability (relative) can get your hands on
one for just over $2k, can get a 32mm knobby tire on this baby which helps the
comfort level when off road and especially descending, lastly the vertical flex
in this frame surprisingly takes some of the jitter out of the washboards!
- Niner RLT9:
Another bike I love because of: Comfort and a great flexible bike to setup to
your ultimate comfort level, easy maintenance, can get up to a 44mm
(1.75") tire on this baby for even more comfort and control, affordability
(relative) can get your hands on one of these for just over $2k, can load a big
11/42 on this bike based on the stock setup of rear derailleur and wheelset,
one of my favorite bikes I've ridden in gravel!
- Sage Titanium
Barlow: I was lucky enough to ride this gem on some long distances and it
was the most comfortable bike I've ridden on multi-surface, through and
through. Sage is coming out with a pure "Belgian Waffle Ride"
Gem based on their Skyline frame, but that's for later :). The geometry,
the fact that its titanium and built in Portland, OR gives it some old
fashioned romance. But the ride, oh the ride... The bike is
customizable and you can go Enve crazy on it (fork, wheelset, seat post, stem,
bars) and they give you the flexibility to build it to your desires. You
can easily get a 45mm tire on this baby and it is built for the long
haul. Surprisingly light weight, it works as well on the climbs as it
does on the descents. Solid but flexible titanium gives a strong and
comfortable ride, with no worries of rocks pinging your carbon down tube!
A little more $ coming in at $3800 w/ Shimano Ultegra
- Canyon Inflite:
Another fun, steady, comfortable gravel bike... originally designed for
Cyclocross, this bike can easily be configured for the long haul gravel
ride. Can go 1x or 2x and can hold a big cassette. The geometry is
a bit funky and I like it! A true test of this bike was climbing and then
descending in Black Canyon... this bike ate of the washboards like I
couldn't believe, both through the seat post and on the bars as well. I
was truly amazed and then hit another climb soon after. The frame is
stretched enough for a longer ride and this bike is even more affordable,
coming in at $1999 w/ SRAM Quarq
- Specialized
Diverge: I've ridden the Diverge a few times for shorter distances, but had a
chance to ride one 80mi on mostly pavement. The bike is designed well and
absorbs a lot of shock. In the cockpit, the stem loads up a Future Shock system
that gives up to 20mm of travel. This means great shock absorption.
This bike can also ride w/ multiple tire sizes and even drop down to a 650B
wheelset. It can handle up to a 42mm tire and can load up to an 11/42 on
most of its styles. This bike is in a higher price range... because its
Specialized... The Comp model comes in at $3750 w/ the Pro being $6700
and up. Great handling and comfort with the ability to pedal this baby to
high speeds. Great for multi-surface riding!
Q: why - weight?
wheels? handling? Flexibility of the
build on the bike w/ the ability to fit it to my preferences, the
price/cost, the weight which all of the bikes above are in low weight
categories, the handling and comfort for the long haul, technical off road,
technical climbing, and the fun meter is ultimately important. All of
these bikes are a blast to ride!
Q: what other items
to consider when choosing bike of choice?
A: The
biggest consideration for a gravel bike/multi-surface bike is the size of tire
you can load. Gravel riding comes in different modes, even the local San
Diego County rides. Its important to have flexibility in the sizes of
tires you can run on this type of bike. Anywhere from 28mm up to
45mm! I am very cost sensitive and like to get the best bang for the
buck. Relatively speaking, all of the bikes listed above are achievable
and offer great overall value. I list the Diverge simply because it is a
great multi-surface bike, I could never afford one :) Make sure to get a
bike w/ disc brakes (Hydraulic or Mechanical) this makes a huge difference in
gravel/multi-surface riding. This can make or brake your ride/race!
My 2-cents and I'm
just a simple bike mechanic that loves to ride bikes!
Rider #2 - Laura May, Team TASCO-MTB, mountain biker
Rdiing for dozens years, started riding gravel a couple of years ago on mixed terrain to build endurance for mtb racing and fell in love with it!
primary style (or preferred style) of riding - mountain bike riding but gravel riding is a close second!
Q: what type/brand of bike would you recommend for an endurance gravel ride?
I would recommend a true adventure/gravel bike for its versatility. This style of bike has disc brakes and the tire clearance for at least 700x40mm tires, but can also handle 650b. This allows you to have two wheel sets—one for skinnier road-like tires and one wheel set for beefier tires that handle mixed terrain/gravel nicely, giving tons of stability and grip without adding too much weight. The 2 wheel sets can be used interchangeably on one frame, eliminating the need for 2 bikes (unless you’re a serious roadie). Disc brakes are key for quick stops and wet conditions. Also, these bikes usually have multiple mounting points on the frames for additional storage and bottles for longer trips.
Price point vary widely, but there are a few solid, well respected brands putting these bikes out there for <$2000, i.e. Cannodale Topstone, Salsa Journeyman, Giant Revolt, & Specialized Sequoia Elite.
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| Rodeo Labs Traildonkey |
Rider # 3 - Marc Aguilar, Team Coureur, Roadie
Years riding? 19 years – basically since the end of high school
years riding gravel – 1 year newbie! **this is how long I’ve ridden road/gravel bikes
off-road. Not counting any MTB riding (but that is also limited).
what is your primary style (or preferred style) of riding - Road, with gravel becoming a close second
what type/brand of bike would you recommend for an endurance
gravel ride?
why - weight? wheels? handling? etc.
Normally, I would recommend more of a road bike (like the Canyon
Endurace – that’s ‘Endurace’, not ‘Endurance’) for Waffle, but I did it on a
pure road bike last year and wanted to try something different this year, so I
got the Grail. The carbon version I got is lightweight, super comfortable in terms
of geometry and compliance, and came equipped with disc brakes, tubeless wheels
and 38mm tires. Beyond that, the floating handlebar really makes things
comfortable off road! Combined with the proper bike fit and tire pressure, you
can take the Grail on some pretty rough terrain and still move quickly and
comfortably. For a ride like the Waffle, where the majority of the miles are
pure road, I will run narrower, less knobby tires like the IRC Serac Sand 32mm.
Being a long-time roadie, I’m confident in my ability to sustain power/speed on
the pavement. But during last year’s Waffle, I lost A LOT of time in the dirt
sectors due in large part to having an inappropriate bike and tire setup. This
new Grail setup should help me find a better balance between speed on the road
and dirt sectors on the Waffle and other mixed terrain rides! Check out this
GoPro chest mount video I took of a recent Grail ride in the Rancho Penasquitos
dirt, including Tunnel 4: https://youtu.be/AFImekrn3hk
(pardon the broken GoPro glass).
There is also an aluminum Grail with standard handlebars for a
very nice price point (and it is beautiful), but I haven’t tested it.
what other items to consider when choosing bike of choice?
You should consider your ride goals (i.e. the type of rides you
want to be successful in) and choose a bike that will best help you achieve
those goals. For me, I wanted a bike that fit a wide variety of tire widths
easily, provided comfort off road, but still allowed me to drop watt bombs on
the road. I also wanted something that came tubeless ready to take advantage of
tubeless benefits both on and off road. Then, make sure that bike is going to
fit you properly and that you can be comfortable riding on it for whatever
distance you are targeting. One of the biggest things you’ll also want to
consider is the type of components you want/need. A lot of gravel bikes have
followed the MTB scene and moved to the 1x drivetrains, which offer a lot of
practical benefits when riding off road. On my Grail I started with a standard
2-ring setup, but there’s a good chance I’ll move to a 1x setup in the future.
Remember that your saddle choice will also greatly affect your experience on
rough terrain. Lastly, especially if you’re new to riding in the dirt, choose
your pedal + cleat setup wisely. As a roadie I’ve always used the Shimano
Dura-Ace SPD-SL setup, and I love it for road. However, I’ve found that if you
get the smallest bit of dirt/mud in the pedal or cleat, it quickly becomes
difficult or impossible to clip in and out. So, for my Grail, I’ve gone with
the Shimano XTR PD9100 pedals and cleats which have worked extremely well
through mud, dirt, and water crossings I’ve done on the Grail so far!
And of course, when you’re spending your hard earned dollars on
a bike, you deserve for it to look good. 😉 So don’t be afraid to take that into consideration. Get a bike
that speaks to you and that makes you excited whenever you look at it.
Want to learn which bike Brian used when he won the 2018 Waffle ride? Come to the upcoming Gravel Training, Sunday, Feb 24 from 8-11am. You can get more information on which bike is right FOR YOU and more insider tips. Space is limited - we want this to be a small group experience. click here for more information
rock on and train hard..train smart
chi
3. Skills 
I take recovery days very seriously. These are not optional rides but time on the bike to spin the legs and get fresh blood to tired muscles. These are hard earned days and should be respected as such. These days give your body time to recover and recoup from previous lashings and allow preparation for what's to come. Get on the 101 and just cruise... 
