Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

Personal faves re Epping:

DO Ride through puddles not around them: yes you might get wet feet,
but by going around you’re adding to the problem by causing more
erosion and making the puddle bigger.

DON'T Ride tracks that you know suffer during different seasons e.g.
that perfect hard baked summer section that turns into a quagmire as
soon as there’s a sniff of rain. Stick to durable trails.

I like how quickly the convo went from protests in Girona to dickheads in Epping Forest

Dickheads, dickheads, everywhere.

Where is this from?

The riding through the middle of puddles thing I remember reading on aus.bicycle newgroup 1000 years ago and the second point is one of the reasons I don't bother riding when it's muddy as fuck - you just chew up trails (and ruin your bike).

The Cycling Weekly gravel code of conduct.

Oh. Seems like sensible advice!

I was aiming for;
Shit gravel grinders say, but I’ll take what I can get :D

Not sure I've seen BF James get roasted so much in comments lol: https://youtu.be/u8VEKJQI6C4

Anyone reading this thread already know what's best

Something cute like: “the bike you ride*"

*Assuming it's a Crux.

Assuming it's a Crux

It's in the bloody thread title.

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DON'T Ride tracks that you know suffer during different seasons e.g.

that perfect hard baked summer section that turns into a quagmire as
soon as there’s a sniff of rain. Stick to durable trails.

I guess this means the whole forest is out then? Hahaaa

I think the main paths are OK, but there are multiple puddles on them that have spread to cover the whole width because people skirt the sides.

Yeah that’s 99% waffle and shite coming out his mouth.

“Why would you need lights” to see in the dark usually although other benefits exist

Isn't most of their output just shite? I saw one clip where that air head bike mechanic tried to
get his head around what function mudguards might have, in the UK.

I would need to watch more, which I’m not going to do, based off of this however I can confidently say yes.

@amey will be along soon, to insist that gravel bike fit doesn't exist

no bike fit exists

https://youtu.be/w-42A2F-AyA

It's the walkers that generally open new paths to avoid muddy puddles in my experience. Not trying to say bikes are harmless to a forest, but likely less harmful than horses and less numerous than walkers - depending on location.

Just stay away from the Scheduled Monuments.

I had a go at a couple of MTBers riding through the ASSI (Area of special scientific interest) at the end of the road the other day. It doesn’t even go anywhere FFS!

Lol. I was thinking this. Everything but the shared paths!

Yeah, that and the downtube protection comment. And the comment about taking gravel bikes on mtb, and probably other things I've forgotten.

The curmudgeon only works sometimes.