Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

OTOH I've done like 2000k on my Rat Trap Pass Extralights, commuting and touring and all, and had one puncture.

I wouldn't buy them again though. Not worth what they cost now

You get away with running tubs on flinty Norfolk roads, so the puncture gods are obviously smiling down on you.

I had to ride the 200k on my own

Sounds wonderful

Any disadvantages of the Rondo Ruut AL over the Arkose except cost?

Assume getting one won't be quite as easy as walking in to Evans?

Mine came without headbadge. Looked like a plus to me

damn, you're lucky, maybe you have achieved the PSI-nirvana of suppleness

Getting the pressures right on those fucking thing is no joke, that's for sure.

Both will be delivered as I am carless and Evans is 15 miles away

Hyper voyager are <20 quid on planet X.

This thread has me ruined and I kind of want in on the gnarmac funtimes... I have an emptiness in my bike quiver for something for pedally off-roadish type stuff since I'm building my new mountain bike with 180mm suspension... Do I buy a 29er hardtail/ cross-country bike or is Gnarmac for me?

Can I ask some really stupid questions?

• Would most of these machines be upto riding trail-lite stuff? Trail centre blues with the odd small drop in them or am I way off the mark?

• Obvs disc brakes are the way to go... so much so as to essentially rule out any point in looking at bikes with cantis?

• Specific Cyclocross vs "Adventure"/ "Gnarmac"/ "Allroad"... are they not sort of all the same thing or am I missing something?

• Do I just buy an Arkose? Jokes aside are they really the perfect gateway drug or is there much point looking elsewhere?

Would most of these machines be upto riding trail-lite stuff? Trail centre blues with the odd small drop in them or am I way off the mark?

Having ridden a Slate on proper gnary stuff, it’s doable, difference is speed, MTB no doubt be easier and quicker, but then so is riding an MTB bike on the cobble of the Paris Roubaix.

Also Arkose are excellent gateway drug to frozen sausage.

Out of interest who would you get the Ruut from?

Fairdale Rockitship is er shipping. Fancy fork has no mounts though :`(

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£499 for frameset
£1699 with 105 Hydraulics
http://www.cotic.co.uk/product/escapade#frame

CRC probably with BC discount, wondering to build my own or better value in the Sonder Camino also.

Ta.

i have gnarmac bikes. both a custom talbot and an arkose.

i also have a 29er. blues can be ridden on the gnarmac but are frankly not as fun. if i'm touring or out on the gnarmac and a fun bit of trail comes up its fun. but for all day at a trail centre, 29er all the way.

tl/dr moar baiks

tl/Dr moar baiks

Always the answer...

So Arkose 3 or CaadX 105 SE?

If you really want to do trails you could get something like a Soma Wolverine that clears a 2.1" tyre. But the other factor is geometry; there's a limit to what you're able to ride on a low-stack drop-bar frame. Dirt drops and fat tyres might do it...

You could try renting a CX bike for a weekend and riding down some trails on it, so how you get on

Carbon bladed fork with mounts - woohoo! Wish their old steel fork had them mid-mounted.

Shame they no longer use the sliding dropouts.

Yeah, pretty certain their just for guards, like the Arkose.

Dreams crushed

Sonder Camino and Jamis Renegade have carbon forks that can (theoretically) take some stuff. The Sonder can apparently take a full rack but everyone in here is very sceptical. You could definitely use some anything cages/drybags on there though.

Arkose is nicer. Caadx is a bit pony.

And whilst you might be able to squeeze a big tire on something. Doesn't mean it's as fun on the trails.

Srsly. Buy more bikes.