Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

I have got to put this thread back on ignore

Sorry folks. Didn't mean to ignite the 2nd worse debate ever.

No I think it was me. I'm sure we can all agree this is just a storm in a danglemug

Only if the danglemug is made of titanium.

Ooh so good, thru axle too!

Dibs C-Boardman

66 miles of B-roads, back roads, wind-farm access roads and some of this... still loving the arkose - struggling to get the fit dialled-in though. I've copied the measurements of my (albeit significantly more racey genesis volare 953) summer bike fit: saddle-to-centre stem; saddle-to-centre pedal axel; saddle-to-bar drop. still getting sore lower back when I ride. not sure whether it is (i) saddle; (ii) fact I'm pushing harder to maintain the same speed up usual climbs on a heavier bike; (iii) fit not translating because geometries are different; or, (iii) something else : /

Different kinda riding altogether innit .. i wouldn't worry too much

I'm just worried about the sore back. can do without that

Maybe you doing an extra effort trying to replicate your road rides with a heavier, grippier bike?

Thank fuck a post of substance

yeah - it might be that. in which case, amey would be half right: I should just chill out and accept it's a different type of riding...

Keep Riding, keep an eye on it... I often find when I head off road I feel all sorts of aches the next day because I ride to work these days.!

Entirely wrong thread somehow! Oops! Moved to bikepacking thread

Double oops

update - I did 75 miles yesterday (in the flying rain) with the stock WTB saddle subbed out for the arione I'm used to. no lower back pain. must have been position-hunting on the WTB saddle, which might have been causing some imbalances. could be a gravel Vs road thing maybe? will keep an eye on it but hopefully that's sorted

Man took gravel bike, man converts fit to road bike, man ride it like a road bike.

Carbonda: https://cyclingtips.com/2019/08/thesis-ob1-long-term-review-good-performance-lots-of-custom-options/

Any advice on flared gravel bar width? I ride 40cm road bars, and there’s loads of general cyclocross advice (road+2cm), but no mention for flared bars. 40cm cowbells flare to 44cm on the drops. Cheers :)

Personal preference, +2cm would be a fair general rule of thumb I guess

Bigger than you think.

The flare drop work best when it's wider as the brake hood lever is at an angle.

Ritchy venturemax
As ed said, wide

Read the whole thread. Changed mind about 100 times about whether I needed a gravel bike or not and what flavour. Ended up with an Arkose. Did not disappoint.

@Netakure hooked me up with a sweet discount that was too good to pass up on.

Enjoying the wide tyres and sparkly paint. Looking forward to continuing to spend money I don't have upgrading the stock finishing kit. Those pedals being the first thing to go...It never ends.

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Interesting. I may be overthinking here but I had a similar experience. WTBs are a scooped design in side profile and Arione is flat. I've used WTB Rocket Vs and Volts on my MTBs for maybe 8+ years, on gravel bikes for 3 or 4. Recent lower back tension meant some experimentation (as well as added stretching and adjusting myself as well as the bike). On road / gravel I've found a flatter side profile lets me shift fore-aft more and also lets my hips sit at a more natural angle, no muscles used resisting tilt or roll based on the saddle surface angle. I swapped my WTB for a Fabric Scoop, the flat one. Though the saddle hasn't been a total cure for lower back pain it did reduce it dramatically. The other thing that helped was a size up or +10mm stem for a flatter back and more space when climbing out of the saddle, just subtly less cramped.
Hard to isolate cause/effect but it seems that saddle shape affects hip angle or may be related to lower back tension.

Thought it was a coincidence as I had no discomfort on the bike (quite the opposite) but after riding on the wtb saddle for a month or two and I put my back out (not whilst riding so could be completely unrelated) but I've never had back pain before so may be something in it