Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

Oofff that's some ugly bike, so much to unpack there. Where's the the front derailleur?

https://www.bikemag.com/gear/bike-check-jay-petervarys-custom-mid-tail-esker

so much to unpack there

And from so many bags.

:folds arms: Well it's still ugly

Having ridden my xtracycle daily for a long time, that length stays doesn't really bother me. There are situations when I'd welcome some length to the bike and not just from increased front center.

ah it's the cheating guy.
there's probably some motors in the bags.

I could probably get it in one of those frame bags!

ah it's the cheating guy.

there's probably some motors in the bags.

I keep telling you, it's a gearbox, and the framebag isn't concealing a battery!

Oh, you weren't talking about me...

I could probably get it in one of those frame bags!

I'm always evicting little people from my luggage

Long wheelbase must help with sails, or anything else that pulls.

Where's the the front derailleur?

He might've taken a cue from Ronnie on that?

https://theradavist.com/ultra-romances-warthog-wash-wiper-dirt-tourer/

Lol I was going to say that he needed somewhere to store his sail

Underrated comment imo, top lols

Are we seeing the rise of the 2x 1x? I’ve seen a couple irl recently as well.

"Like most of Benedict’s bikes, it utilizes a manual bail-out front shifter to keep things simple. He also added an extra outer ring to work as a bash guard. A grip shift-actuated rear mech throws from a 10-50t range for when the going gets tougher."

Not sure why you wouldn't fit an actual bash guard but hey, reduce, reuse, recycle.

Did this on a tourer ages ago (emergency granny ring), I thought it was quite popular.
That chainring bashguard is pretty smart. An extra big gear if you really need it

I don't get why you wouldn't just add a shifter. It's not like a weight issue. I guess it's a dessert bike so the terrain is mostly flat but for us, most of the time we're going up a hill in granny gear and then flipping straight to big ring for the descent.

The difference was so big for me that no mech would work, and the chain length was also a tricky issue so it was really just an absolute emergency.

There are situations when I'd welcome some length

Preach brother.

I had this on my mountainbike for a while. Shifting down was ok, but it was annoying having to get off to put the chain back on the bigger ring. Might be ok in the US doing big climbs but possibly not worth it for the UK.

If you still waxed your chain you’d be able to front shift with your bare hands.

#burn

Dirty chain or not, I like front shifters.

Well he also said this

I have a lot of bikes, and most of them are pretty redundant. They are
all mostly for touring and are rusty, olde, hacked, and only work if I
ride them. “Oh the front mech won’t work? just kick it a little,”
stuff like that.

https://bikepacking.com/bikes/rivendell-atlantis-ultraromance/

I'm very much into kicking my bikes but only because my perfect shifting went wrong for some reason. I'd never START a ride with a derailer that needs to be man handled to work. That's just dumb.

I’ve just texted a mate that has 2x 1x on his GRX equipped grav grav to ask why.

Because I’m not paying £250 for a shifter, £80 for a mech and £50 to have them fitted to change cogs maybe 10 times a year IF I go on a trip.

So there you have it cheapskate 1x buyer’s remorse.