Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

I feel seen.

I'll organise a boot camp. Basically you spend a week eating and drinking like I do with me screaming at you for lack of compliance (mostly just for fun). We'll have you under 2W/kg in no time!

Can anyone help andyp out. You can donate pizzas and kebab vouchers to feed the the skinniest riders from across the world. If you're feeling generous, pick your favourite bag of skin and bone and sign them up for a weekly Booze Cruise with hippy himself providing the incentives. Donate now and save a Polka Dot jersey wearer today!

I’m getting into this alt bar ATB bullshit at the moment. This is despite being told it’s nice to see you on a sensible bike for a change by one of our older members of staff.
I’ve even relearnt how to bunny hop on flats.

2 Attachments

No bigger insult

True! They are the same person that asked what the Midnight Special identified as because it’s has issues and keeps asking why does your racer have tractor tyres?

1 Attachment

Since this is where all the Grave chat is happening, did anyone actually manage to get NLD7 tickets? They seemed to have sold out in ~15mins, if that.

Oh, great minds of LFGSS gravel thread! A friend has asked me to help find him a replacement for his old, and well used Cross Check. Mostly used on road with a small load, but also his primary trail and gravel bike.

His wants:

1. Livelier feeling than the CC (this isn't hard)
   
2. More road than MTB in feel and appearance.
   
3. Normal reach numbers. He has a short torso and is worried that the long front center trend would put bars too far even with a nubby stem.
   
4. 68mm BSA threaded BB. He wants to use a sub compact road crank with a power meter.
   
5. Disc brake
   
6. Ideally GRX 2x11, but could do 2x10. He is a big time nerd about gear ratios.
   
7. Big clearance. His words are "I'd like to use up to a 2.2 race king." This is the real limiting factor in the search. 650b OK, 700c better.
   
8. Open to steel, alu, carbon.
   
   

I've found some that can get quite close to hitting all requirements. Salsa Stormchaser can do subcompact double, 50mm 700c, and would handle well on and off road. Rodeo Labs Flaanimal is in the same boat there. I've found a handful of others that get close but haven't found anything that gets us all the way there.

It seems that the tire size request is pretty incompatible with his narrow BB and double crank wants.

Any other bike options to consider?

mousehold heath skatepark? that brings the memories back. good to see it's not got any better

Fairlight faran/secan? Have a barely used 56T faran I'm considering parting with

Fairlight Secan?

27.5 x 2.4

Edit: too slow

great minds...

Hen's teeth those things. I remembered on my ride in to work and pulled over to do the transaction. The gravel hype is real

We have a bingo. The ramps are still shit, but the dirt jump trails are crazy now (I just watched)

Same here. First time I've remembered, and managed.

No gravel in Sussex

2 Attachments

You are giofox AICMFP

That’s an Arkose. Show us full drive side, you tease.

Haha eagle eyes
I've just pinched the stem and post from my old road build, I'll get some Ti ones for this soon I reckon.
Impressed with the conti terra trails. They were pretty grippy in far muddier conditions than they have any right to be grippy in.

1 Attachment

Also excuse the speedplays. Yes they were a fucking nightmare. I'm waiting on SPDs in the post.

is the compliant seatpost any good for bumpy stuff?

It’s such a good frameset.

Not sure if you subscribe to that philosophy, but bdhu is more concerning. Edit: Though I’m really nitpicking here. Nice bike.

I don't think it makes any difference tbh

Nonsense, they're spot on. And if you want them more extreme, you can't, the shape of them means that the shifters are currently as high as they will physically go.

@jp and @spinnnout

Ooooh, I completely forgot about those options. Thanks. He's in the states, and I don't know his purchase timeline, but I'll share because that's the right size.