Early gravel bike foundation (EGBF)

basically a thread for early CdFs

i ensure you that no bike posted here so far has had enough thought put into it than my old CdF up there ^

You're such an insufferable wanker sometimes

you've certainly preserved a fine bike,

but this perception around the CDF being the only EGB shows how much work the EGBF has to do. this era produced a fine suite of small batch, Taiwan MFG catalogue produced bikes with jingoistic undertones and "great outdoors" branding.

EGBF hopes to uncover them, the stories and the builds, to share for future generation when they ask questions like "surely there was something better than boost?" and "why the hell can i not get a steel frame for £450 anymore??"

are PDFs EGBF

pdfs mark the very end days of EGB,

i feel that was the time when gravel bikes moved from a quirky bike persons bike / nodder looking for a more comfortable road bike into something of a desirable lifestyle good, coinciding with big bike realising no-one actually wants to buy monstercross bikes, those who do can buy a xc bike.

they're much like a bookend to the EGB narrative.

EGBF hopes to uncover them, the stories and the builds, to share for future generation when they ask questions like "surely there was something better than boost?" and "why the hell can i not get a steel frame for £450 anymore??"

I relate a lot to the latter part of this statement and this is the reason I have developed a soft spot for Tsunami.

pdfs mark the very end days of EGB,

Maybe @Alb can share some early catalogues of CdF that were £699 full bike!

Pre-EGBF thread, to post rim brake, actually nice bikes.

Just an idea.

so i'm inserting di2 wires in my 2014 CDF, will i be allowed a post ?

2014 Genesis Fugio in 650b mode and Ritchey Swiss Cross Disc (both sold now unfortunately)

Full credit goes to @jameso for the original vision for the CdF back in 2008. 35mm tyres were considered 'big' and disc brakes and dropbars the cycle industry equivalent of chalk and cheese. Was the original version only £699?!

Ruling required: is any QR disc CX bike an EGB?

if it's steel, yes, alloy, you would have to complete form 454c and 2934D remembering to submit verification and ID statements in duplicate, original and photo copy.

we can then have the, verified by our funding team to see if there is a conservation grant covering that frame model, if not, unfortunately we will have to decline.

@Glws that is indeed EGB, but those stans rims and ano hubs, some 2nd wave gravel creeping in, maybe a survival strategy for a EGB in todays environment

just seen the whiskey fork too, no mounts, which is excellent conservation of the original intention. really nice to see such a respectful nod to the heritage of these.

edit: looks like the Whisky street cred is saving me

Readers

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I’m sure it’s just the pic but those hoods look loooong.
Either way it’s damn cool. I saw one for sale locally a while back and was tempted.

Yeah, they look ridiculous in that picture. It's not as bad irl and I find them comfortable. More accurate here:

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Kaffenback, V1 I think...
35c Gravel Kings.

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Heres a pic in situ, with field, logs and shit.

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Oh, I can contribute to this!
Basically my gravel bike in all its iterations (here shortened to 5 states). I love this bike. It has taken me through some very scenic parts of southern England, through deserts and forests and over mountains of California, the North Island of New Zealand and various parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany.

1. 2017 Original build. Wanted to go touring with some friends and needed a bike. Bought a frame off eBay, Surly Straggler forks and botched together a 1x9 drivetrain with a £5 Deore rear derailleur and a bar end shifter. As a 23c fixie boy, 35mm cx tyres seemed massive. Also my first disc brake bike ever.

2. 2018 Wanted to know what the fuzz is about with 650b wheels. Got some ghetto tubeless MTB wheels off eBay for £35 and squeezed in some used WTB 650b x 47 Horizons. Loved it! Also upgraded to STIs for a botch 1x10 drivetrain. I replaced the SRAM cranks with Shimano MTB cranks because I was destroying bottom brackets non stop on my creaking SRAM cranks. That's when I found out GXP and Hollowtech aren't exactly the same...

3. 2018 Time for touring again. Got my hands on some wide (wider than 42cm compact) flared gravel bars, proper SRAM Rival 1x11 brifters and derailleur, new 650b wheels with 42mm tyres and mudguards.

4. 2019 Following the trends and more upgrades. Knobbly 650b tan wall tyres, the only carbon fork with everything mounts in existence that would fit this frame, matching rival cranks and a third botched bottle cage below the downtube.

5. 2020 Current state. Some upgrades to drop some weight. Lighter cranks and stem. Back to 700c with 40mm tyres. Less botched third bottle cage. Hybrid / mechanically actuated hydraulic disc brakes. for better performance but easier disassembly for travelling.

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When 32mm gravel kings seemed huge to me

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This was the pinnacle of EGB.

Is that the Pompetamine that you hated?

2016 readers, claiming thru-axle exemption due to deprecated 15mm standard (front only).

This thread needs a Hope V-Twin.