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Beginners Guide to Gravel Bikes with Fergus Tanaka
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- čas přidán 15. 08. 2024
- The Homie Fergus took some time to explain the Gravel to for those new to game, and some insight for those that have already been playing.
Let us know what you think.
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This is a proper primer! Used to ride a Peugot 103 tourer with 700C/38 for such purposes back in the late 70s and 80s. Road/Gravel/Singletrack with panniers. Dropped into the fashion fad that was MTBs in the 90s and trying to squeese my 6`8" frame onto a 21" rad MTB, put me off cycling for quite a while, with the exception of riding the then quite rusty Peugot on the turbo. Now back with a Surly LHT 64 cm with a 3X touring set-up and a inherited 29er in 23" both works somewhat, am a bit leery towards the stand over height on the Surly. It makes contact, not solid but touch and go, may end up dropping down one size to a 62, in either a Straggler or a Disc Trucker. Brake power is of the essence when the rider alone is around the loaded bike weight limits, with the build of a retired fotballer (US style, not soccer) . :O
Sounds legit!
Thanks Ferg Dog! The one thing that has made the absolute biggest difference in my "gravel" riding has been wide (40-45) Tubeless tires. The ability to run low pressures without puncturing, adds so much confidence and is a complete game changer.
To me, the important factor for a gravel bike is tires and tire clearance. Tire choice will help with the comfort of your ride and flat prevention. You have to use tubeless tires. If you live in a place like I do, Kansas, the gravel can be thick and sharp. You wouldn’t believe how many people get flats in a race like the Dirty Kanza due to not running tubeless tires. They should also be 38 or bigger in size. Running lower tire pressure, like in the 40’s will help with comfort.
Fergus rocks! Ride what you brung is the best advice. I've got a 26" 2010 Norco Bigfoot which I rode on everything but since then my spinal disabilities have gotten worse so believe it or not I now ride my single speed 46/16 State Core-Line for everything as the Norco is no longer comfortable to ride. Yes, riding a bike with 23mm tyres off road is silly. Yes, riding this bike off road anywhere is silly. Yes, I'm too fat, old, unfit & broken to be riding 46/16 anywhere but on a flat smooth surface but with my spine the way it is this bike is most comfortable. If the disability pension allowed me to afford different gearing I'd definitely change it but I ride what I brung & do the best I can with what I have.
Perfect timing! I just started riding some gravel from a fixed/road background and I’ve been researching all week. I actually bought a beater Bridgestone MB3 off of Craigslist to see how much I enjoy it before buying anything more expensive
Fergus rules. Great, no-nonsense advice. Oh, and if anyone ever gives you grief for riding a road bike on the rough stuff, two words: Paris-Roubaix. (Ok, it's one word with the hyphen, but you take my point.)
Joe Ward Paris-Roubaix is about gnarly ass cobbles, not gnarly grindy gravel. I'd rather ride a bike with 38's or above than my road bike with it's 25's.
Joe Ward
or PBP
Wow I liked that! Hard to get me to laugh at 7:00 am, but this did. Getting back into cycling after years off. Love your content Dustin. It's funny, mega informative and just flat out entertaining. Making my way through all your posts.
PLAYER!!
Gotta respect a man who's willing to declare he "Prefers a traditional bend" Classy indeed.
Yo Dustin, your vlogs are great. Said that, this informative video is sharp and clear, love the subs btw touchy and smart! I’d like you do more videos like this one with true and sincere opinions by other players. Keep going man! Keep expanding gravel culture and community
I just bought a gravel bike. I love how it is opening terrain I would never touch with my road bike. I went with the Giant Revolt Advantage 2. Great bike and in a very cool orange colour.
Great advice. With an appropriate amount of distance to the gravel bike category. I really think that gravel grinding is a discipline, and any bike you end up doing it on is a gravel bike at that moment.
Excellent. Practical. Not a word about the 'hot 1x'. Imagine, ride what you have or what is practical- who would have thought?
Mate, love your channel and the content.Have a road background but after watching your stuff my bike building buddy is hooking me up.......hell thats why we ride right , to explore and push our selves, keep up the good work fella and fergus is the man .
Your comment just made my day! So hyped to be able to share the stoke.
Thanks for checking it out. 👊
Do a video about tires! As a roadie, I find cross/gravel guys are super obsessive and love talking about tire size, 650B, tire pressure, TPI, treads, saying the word "supple" a lot.
I second that! Pressure!
I've been riding fixed gear for years where more pressure - less rolling resistance - more speed, right?
So i've been smashing gravel and cx roads on highest pressure possible and was suffering quite a lot because I still thought that more pressure-less rolling resistance - more speed, until one day a friend of mine kind of forced me to drop the pressure when riding off road. Damn good advice!
I third this! I'm a bit obsessed about getting as few flats as possible, and would love to see what the experienced gravel riders do to avoid flats the best they can.
I fourth the statement. Tires are real players on this topic. Maybe Fergus didn't have time to install the whole speech but that's a critical topic
Chris Hoy THE trackstar??Reliability = more ride time+more fun. If you're just riding and not racing don't obsess about weight!! Buy durable tires (and other gear) that will offer more reliablity. Light tires feel wonderful supple and fast until you're walking home! WALKING SUCKS as does wrecking your rims!
If you want to run tubeless, set 'em up dry, no sealant, inflate and make sure they hold pressure for at least 15 minutes. This way you know there's a reliable seal that is worthy of trust! I run ghetto tubeless and have very rarely had issues or flats in 15 years. LEARN/KNOW how to set up, maintain and repair your own tires out on the trail! Don't rely on a shop or anyone else to do it or you may be walking or making that dreaded call of shame!
As a shop mechanic, and dirt rider a decade before mtb, my favorite tires, from what Ive experienced as highest quality and consistently sized are tires from Donelly(Clement) Specialized, Continental, Panaracer and Maxxis. I try/thrash lots of tires and often get them used or free. Rene Herse and Soma are very nice as well (made by Panaracer)
AVOID WTB. I practically refuse to sell them. They have nice treads but can and do suffer inconsistent quality and fit issues more than our other brands. They're not worth their price IMO.
Just my 2 cents!
Wish he had the stache for this.. Man DKlein + Ferg Dawg for Prezident. This one was awesome too! Kudos to both of you guys.
I built up my old Trek 950 mtb in 1997 first with the Moustache bar then in 2003 with drops. This gravel bike stuff has really been around for a long time. Just take your old rigid frame mtb and change the bars and maybe stem too. Set it up like a road bike but keep the tires as wide or close to it as before. I also use bar end shifters....my bike is my go to bike for just about anything. I've toured, commute, trail/dirt road rides, foul weather riding and so on. You don't need to buy a new gravel bike!
Backing this set up!
Yes you do, because N+1.
@@MAGAIVER for the last 3 decades and a bit more I've been doing this N+1 and yes it is a lot of fun, and it did take up all of my free space in the house including the garage! My old Trek 950 in which the frame was actually built in 1992 but bought in 1997 after a young lady raced it for a few years is still the bike I prefer from all of my newer stuff for the gravel world. When I die I am taking this the bike with me......😉
@@767bob old steel bikes are indeed amazing, I want an older steel mountain bike to turn into a drop bar adventure bike. A 2011 Kona Unit is as old as I currently own and it's a badass bike.
It is super easy to turn any MTB or Hybrid into a gnarly gravel machine. Converted one already to drop bars, thinking of converting my other hybrid next. It's a '15 Specialized Crosstrail with disc brakes, which I use as a bikepacking rig (and as a backup commuter, when the main one is down) Also thinking of turning an old Murray MTB into an extreme gravel rig. The Murray is a piece of shit though, I am really just using it as a winter beater, but upgrading some components to make riding it more practical.
If you want to go absolutely low budget, Kona has you covered with decent enough alloy bikes. 2x9 or 2x10 will also do low gears, without the price premium of 2x11. You *really* want disk brakes.
hmm, my low budget was a surly cross check (frame and crank bought for 125 off CL), flat bar, single 39 toof chain ring, with, yep, canti brakes. All in I was probably at $400. Sold it and have done multiple "upgrades" (All City Cosmic Stallion currently), but somehow I still miss the Surly. Well, on dry days anyway. Never had a problem stopping and it was a very simple bike good on and off road.
I built up a New Albion Privateer with clearance for 40c. Frame and fork were about 350. Bought new basic parts (headset, BB, Cables, Whatnot). used the components from my old (broken) Bianchi. and BLAMO! gravel bike (with slightly steep gearing). really happy with the geometry and the ride-quiet frame. I like the "philosophy" at the beginning of the vid as to what constitutes a gravel bike. good stuff.
I have 3 “all road” bikes (sounds better then “gravel”). To me the key is the wheels. You want tubeless, low pressure, and wide rims. Then add the best tires you can find. Even the most expensive tire is cheap compared to a bike, so just pay for the best. I like Compass tires (I have 26”x2.3”, 700c x 38 mm, and 650b x 48 mm setups). Other great brands are the Schwalbe G- One range, and Panaracer Gravel Kings. Note that Compass tires are really just custom hi-spec Panaracer tires. Bike geometry hardly matters, and I think I’m a good judge as I have a drop bar mountain bike, a road bike with big tires and a touring bike with huge tires, all of which are fine for long days on gravel.
I love my surly cross check! Got some surly knards on it (700x40c), a Jones h bend bar, and I’m running 42 in the front with 16 in the back. A tad heavy gearing on the trails but walking is an easier gear for the steep stuff. Such a fun bike for dirt, cruising and commuting for me. Underbiking is the funnest category of cycling! Just ride haha
Surly, All-City, Aventon, Marin, State Bicycle Co. My first gravel bike was a Marin Nicasio, steel beast that I’ve still got. I ride a SBC 6061 Black Label now and can’t recommend it enough either. Can’t definitely tell the minor differences in a steel frame vs an aluminum frame!
Its a shame one can only give a single thumb up. Loooooove the Fergus videos!❤
My intro to gravel was a shit winter commute in a new city where my commute route would be flooded, and I'd have to take levee tops, single track, etc. instead of the usual paved parkway. Easy enough, just threw on some Clement/Donnelly X'plor USH in a 35 onto my trusty Fuji Tourimg (ride what you've got), and I was good to go. From there, especially after getting right hooked by a motorist, I started riding gravel for my actual rides, and got hooked, so I bought a Vaya, because it had the most similar geometry in a gravel bike to my commuter (ride what's most comfortable). And now I'm about to go all in.
My old Fuji is about done (the RapidRise rear derailleur is on its last leg, so it's time to retire her), and my next winter commuter bike will be more gravel specific. And since my Vaya is just a gravel oriented version of what I turned my Fuji into, and since I'm now pushing the Vayas capabilities with wanting to bikepack (hello Oregon Trail), I guess a Fargo is in my future.
Ride what you've got; but holy shit, that N+1 can add up quickly.
Great video, its refreshing that someone working in Ritchey, says a good thing/recommend stuff from Surly !!! - it said something about Ritchey culture.
Agreed! Fergus is pretty on the level.
Hot tip, find a 1990's atb and put some narrower 26x 1.75s on it and you have yourself a pretty quick gravel bike. The gearing is more than adequately fast on the trails and gravel. On asphalt, with a 48/38/28 triple is 90 GI plenty of speed ? If not, I replaced a 14-28 7 spd with a 12-18 7 spd. That 28x18 is going to spin light fro climbs. But the 48x12 is 102-103 GI and that's pretty solid for a road bike, considering a 52x14 on a 27x1 1/8 is 100 GI on a 12 spd bike from the 80's. Hey, never said it was modern compact drivetrain, but a lot of folks don't have the legs to push 100 GI very far anyway.
Excelente video Dustin!! Para los principiantes. Saludos desde Argentina
Great video! My advice to people who want to start on a super low budget is to get late ''90s trekking bike (ones before they got front suspension). I dont even know if you people in USA have such bike category called "trekking". These bikes have 700c tyres with loads of clearance and usually 3x7 super easy gearing. Usually pretty easy to convert them to drop bars. In EU is somewhat easy to get cr-mo KHS, Scott, GT and of course KTM, use to make bikes like these.
Going for new bike i'd just like to point out, mostly because of internet hype, avoid bikes with TRP Spyre brakes, they just dont work. Running mechanical discs Avid is the way to go. Or if you want wire/hydro check Juin F1. On descents good brakes is good fun.
Totally awesome. Love the subtitles. Thanks!
thanks. That was tight. Very informative.
Fergus like a Boss 🙌🙌
All I had back in Washington was a $100 80's roadbike. Went ham on that thing
robinheil
What's "ham"?
Hard as (a) Motherlover!
This actually did help on how to pick and customize the right bike
LOL... by now i have a high end XC MTB, a high end road bike and now a gravel bike to fill a gap! N+1 for sure. I also have a tacx bike and I had a fat bike for some times... Buy wathever you want if the price is good, its kind of all the same. We live in an awesome era, bikes for everythings. I bought a gravel bike because we have a lot of gravel roads and the only significant mountain we have are kind of old military roads (thanks to RCAF). Let say I will enjoy some 20% gradient with a 1.00 gear ratio for sure.
Thoughts on plain 2023 Kona Rove bloodstone as a gravel bike? I am an old road ride looking to get into gravel/blue-green single track without breaking the bank, under $2500.00 CDN. My road bike is a 2017 Cannondale EVO5.
Going with the Scott speedster gravel 30 for my first gravel bike I think it work out!
Great comments
Fergus the Man!
I ride those trails on a 6-speed Brompton. And road. And gravel. And occasionally beach. Then clean it. A lot. Then lube it
Sweet edit Perk Dog! Well, that's what the subtitles called you. ;) Dustin, the editor's comments were cool and added to the story, but they get covered up by subtitles. Would be awesome if both could exist in harmony.
Totally new to cycling here. I just hop on the bike and ride down the road for and hour or so then turn around and ride home. Ends up being 29 miles current circumstances let me do that 5 times a week. Not sure what bike category that puts me in. I use the cannondale quick disk 5 I already had. Not sure where to go from here. There just seems to b this mountain of info about parts and styles.
Sounds like your doing amazing! ridewithgps.com is great for looking up routes in your area.If there are none on there you can build a route..this is the gateway to adventure.
Hey Dustin! you fantastic piece of human!! been watchingyour videos frot he last 3 weeks or more and you rock man! totally inspiring stuff!! and with this video and going to jump over and get me a gravel bike!! but i would love to know your opinion about this plan... BMC Alphanchallengue 2017 haha I know it's not the best or even close to gravel but, I love that bike, I think I can put on some 700x33-35 and a drop bar... what do you think? anyway, hope you're having a blast, cheers! Yosh from Tacoland (Mexico)
I would have laughed if he said aero road bike with 53 tooth chainring: gravel bike lol. Great video, loved it
If you have the mechanical inclination, build up a nice 90s MTB with drop bars and 650b wheels for very little money. For a quality cheapo bike you can just buy brand new and beat on, Diamondback is hard to beat.
Great video! Thanks
Thank you boss!
700c 35-40mm vs 650b 45-50mm - what is your sweet spot.
I love this guy.
i race on cat1 and train on gravel with my 2017 specialized allez elite, gearing 50-34 11-34 and 700x32mm tires with 95 psi for road races and 55 psi for gravel
Would not have expected the Allez to have clearance for 32mm tyres, good to know. Thanks for sharing.
Sounds like a bumpy ride ;)
Ferg love the helmet, low profile. What model is it? Thanks!
Thank you. I found this very informative!
Great vlog guys. extremely informative. what fenders are you running Dustin.
I appreciate you. I believe these fenders are planet bike I also like PDW 650 beasts
bit.ly/32xP8z8 these
Would you recommend Carbon forks on a gravel bike? I wonder if they might have a little too much flex on down/decending trails. I currently have cromoly forks but would like a bit less weight on the front end. What would be your suggestion, and great video!
I love all material for bikes. But lighter means further faster longer. so Carbon fork is A-OK! But modern steel is super light and has a ride feel that cannot be matched!
Its better a carbon or a steel fork ¿
Great video!!!
Glad you liked it!
It can not be discussed or dissected, grasshopper. Knowing what a gravel bike is comes from within
I feel like either a triple as-is, or a triple with a huge "middle" ring and no "big" ring, would be even better than a compact or sub-compact double. Most sub-compact doubles bottom out at 30t, but what if you want something smaller than that? Sometimes getting a pie plate in the back is more difficult than getting smaller chainrings.
you can get 50t in the back now.triple road cranks are difficult to source..
When you appeared at the end with the music and said 'players', I cracked myself up and feel dumb bcz I don't know why. I know, right?
I have the opportunity to buy a frame set (octane one) but my budget and most important, my knowledge regarding to building any bike is almost 0. So, could you give some advices of kind of parts and components should I buy for an use 70% pavement(daily commuting) 30% gravel. Remember that I’m on a really tight budget, I need something durable but not expensive that allows me make some upgrades over the time. Thanks
Oh great. Now I’m totally lost regarding all this, “steep angles”, “bigger tires”and stuff!!!
cant really catch what he was recommending for the affordable option... did anyone manage to hear
He mentioned Surly Bikes
650b and or 700C.... whats the advantages/disadvantages?
I see you're using fenders in some of your videos. Can you make a recommendation regarding them (brand/model).
I actually have an edit lined up on this subject. At the moment Loving the "PDW 650 Beasts"
Thanks, guys good help from down under;)
Happy to help!
Hi hey I was thinking about Getting a Kona Dew pine (2o19) with drop bar. Cause Kona Rove rust (2019) is out my budget
Great video and great bikes!! I am a proud owner of a gravel bike conversion. Best conversion I could of done!!
Right on!
Fantastic
F__kin' boss a__ video! Ferg and DKlein for the win! We need a CADENCE COLLECTION store in NYC btw.
What are your thoughts on 48/32 chain rings.
I like this guy. Sub'd.
PLAYER!
Excelent video!!
He is a teatcher!!
Beginers line me... only have to Thank you!!!
Best Regards from Brasil.
Gravel bike is better than road bike in the city then ?
How do I get the Fergus discount code for my new Richey Outback ???
You could've at least loaned the ferg-dog a gopro or sumnthin. Captions were A+.
In 1994 Grant Peterson and friends were riding road bikes on gravel. Those old Rivendell articles talked at length about do-it-all design. I'd say they pioneered the production and marketing of road bikes which were designed for almost any road, well before "gravel" was a thing, but the truth is that most graveleur hipsters (you know who you are) have never heard of Grant Peterson. Take the name away and talk about the biking, eh?
Fergus Tanaka for 2020 “run what you brung” merika
pretty good video, gork
LMAO
HI FERGUS!!! 💖
🙋🏻♂️
Been waiting for this video! Thanks, but what about braking system?
Thanks!
For me, tyre clearance is key. The wider, the more comfortable the ride.
Jay Tee drop bar option, sure, why not, Salsa make the Cutthroat.
I guys what would be a good groupset for a gravel bike I plan to do a lot of city and gravel pat and road riding is $ I already lost one wheel to the city ridding;(
locking skewers are critial to stop wheel theft and a good u-lock!
Hey ask fergus when the next Haley’s comet is. I don’t want to miss that shit.
Hands up for a "Fergus made me do it" Jersey.
I would have suggested the same lines underneath, that's my humor right there
Lower the better, more opportunities to keep riding (versus walking).
yeah dudes!!!
Haven’t seen Fergus in a while
yes, gears are important! Manufacturers are too often stingy with them.
New to gravel, trying to decide which bike to get; what about 650B?
Loads of options out there these days. 650b is rad 700 is pretty good too. Ritchey outback is a great all arounder.
Perhaps a dumb question but why a choose a 2x over a 1x? Personal preference or is there more too it?
i just built a 2x because I will ride the bike a fair bit on-road getting to and from gravel routes, and commuting, and I wanted smaller gaps than with 1x 11. I'm coming from a 2x road background, I don't ride MTB so I am not coming from a 1X background to. With the release odf the Ultegra clutch derailleiur, I think it s another good reason to stay 2x for the time being.
@@JeffServaas911 you need the cluth when you have no front derailer
@@tinyadventuresbybike9796 Yes, but also the clutch reduces chain slap over bumps. I tried dis-engaging the clutch and feel no reduction in drag, so I leave it engaged, the Ultegra RX is great!
Read the comment below. He said it perfectly
wurd
what about ss gravel bike? what kind of gearing would you recommend? I got a 42x17 going at the moment but am open to recommendations
Bilbo736 . Depends on amount of hills vs. flat riding. Your gearing is suited for flats. Some guys with ss use a rear derailleur with 3 cogs, then use the barrel adjuster to select the best cog for the track/trail. Maybe 17, 18,19 or so.
On my SS mountain 29er I ride 32x19 but it's quite hilly around here and I'm pushing big 29x2.4 tires.
I've run 42x17t on Crosscheck, with 700x40c gravelkings, it was 85km, 1300m ride. It was good.
"Cross bikes to ride...cross stuff" lol!! Who is this guy?? 😂😂😂
Thats what I'm talking about!
closed caption or color commentary? - jdr
YES and NO...;)
Ride track cross! All~City is the shizzle!
That aspect ratio tho
Whenever anyone asks me what bike to buy, my answer is always "Cross Check".
hi
"Gravel" bikes are nothing new... 30 years ago we rode on the road to the trails... if the trails were tame and/or the road section was long, I rode my Trek Elance with 33c tires... if the trails were tough the I rode my drop bar Alpina Pro MTB. BUT it is true that anything that is OK at both road and trail is not OPTIMAL for either. Now I just ride road, it makes life very simple.
When it said beginner, I was expecting more introduction. A lot of terms I didn’t understand. Thanks tho
Ben thank you for this feed back! I guess I’m too inside of the culture. I would be very curious to hear what you Questions you have as a beginner this could help me make a video to inform people in your position: everythingsbeendone(at) dustinklein.com
Much respect.
Dustin Klein Thank you for your reply, even on a one year old video! I’ll send some questions over
He-he, beginner's guide ... "I ride this $3k+ bike, which I highly recommend, but that's not in everyone's price point. Maybe, if you're just starting out, you want something a little more affordable. This $1k+ brand (their actually gravel bike is $1.5k+) makes great bikes." I get that this is an expensive sport, but that's not beginner budget. That's only 'beginner' in the "I'm already into cycling, but now want to try gravel" sense. Salsa, Poseidon, those are the closest to beginner budget. Even choosing a hybrid or hardtail mountain bike with close-enough geometry/components, and then (have your local bike shop) swap out a few key components would be a better beginner option. Ride those to learn, then sell them to buy something better if/when you're (a) sure you want to continue to in the sport, including investing more, and (b) know more about what you really want/need.