Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

First "proper" gravel ride, included the perquisite: abundance of nettles, paths only a tyres width, lots of hike a bike and some fantastic views around a reservoir from an angle I'd not seen before. Clement MSO tyres did really well apart from in the SFAB that nothing was going to survive in.

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Apologies if asked before but anyone got / ridden the Cinelli Zydeco muddy dry?

Is it fun to ride? Should I steer clear?

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Someone I work with has one and he loves it, rides gravel / cross / single track and says it handles great.

They look good in the flesh too.

I got one a few months ago and it’s absolutely belting. Handles and looks bob on.

Only real negatives are its 40mm max tyre, no fork bosses, and it’s a little heavy with chonky boy tyres on.

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I tried a friend's one and I was quite impressed as well. Well stiff tho.

One of my clubmates uses one for just about everything off road, she seems to love it. Different bike but I loved my Cinelli SSCX, it was always a blast to rip around the woods on.

Finally wide enough tyres for UK potholes.

https://youtu.be/Yg-5z9bjvRA?si=-yRsgOIN7BaJqJQ2

Never gets old...

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Lol!

My question from a few days ago still stands:

Anyway on the chubby wheel chat from some pages back, how come more people aren't using all those dirt cheap fatbikes floating around ebay?

Is it wheel weight? If so could you use carbon rims and slightly smaller wheels tyres and narrower rims?

wow no wonder @BareNecessities wasnt posting much last year, he was clearly designing this bike for Surly

slightly smaller wheels?

yes.

I'd have designed it to fit a proper size framebag

wont the tyres double as storage?

Guess I have to put you somewhere...

The sweet spot for XC bike seems to be around the 29x2.4 area, even that can be draggy on the road. I’ve only ridden one fat bike (ice cream truck) and it was slow slow slow on any thing remotely solid, but it ate up chunk like nothing else. The handling is slow as well so not really the base I’d chose for gravel. The 27.5x2.2 on my MS is really much more tyre than I’ll even think of needing, still…

Has anyone added Hope brake caliper's to their Rival shifters? Wondering of if upgrading to better shifters would also benefit or is it just money down the pan..

Also thinking of upgrading the rear mech to Red too... not UDH as my frame can't take it. (it could but would need to be returned, hangers chopped out and new ones put in along with a respray)

And for 750D wheels

Those, fitted with some 33mm tyres and you'd have the ultimate gravel rig

I rode this route yesterday a.k.a. the National Forest route. Quite good overall but a few cheeky trails that were actually footpaths, about 20 styles that I had to shoulder the bike across, several ploughed fields, one field full of crops and plenty of nettles. I was also grateful that it's been dry recently as I wouldn't want to ride it during a wet spell.

Edit: forgot to add the route link
https://www.plotaroute.com/route/855730

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does this look weird just because it’s a small frame or is it just ugly

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the rims make it look like a fat bike

yeah maybe that’s it, that and just the massive fkin logos on them

"Unsubtle" you are.

Consternation on gravel threads, cause, you will.

not far off

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