The Ultimate Gravel Survival Guide
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- čas přidán 10. 08. 2023
- Gravel can be quite daunting for a road cyclist! We're told to avoid it at all costs to avoid punctures and crashes! Alex's wife, Chloe, is a roadie lover but does NOT like gravel. Can Alex's encouragement and advice help her to overcome her fears and learn to love gravel all in time for her gravel race in 100 days!?
In association with @SRAM 🤝 gcn.eu/SRAM
1:07 - Introducing Chloe
1:55 - The gravel bike
4:26 - Tyre pressure
8:05 - Climbing
11:59 - Descending
15:32 - New SRAM Groupset
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Do you enjoy a gravel challenge or prefer a smooth road? 🚴 Let us know in the comment section below! 💬
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📹 How Much Faster Is A Pro Gravel Cyclist? | Beginner Vs Pro 👉 • How Much Faster Is A P...
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#gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife #challenge #gravel #gravelbike
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Do you enjoy a gravel challenge or prefer a smooth road? 🚴
I enjoy both gravel and Road on whatever tires I just go for whatever situation comes
I've never ridden a gravel bike before, but I LOVE my road bike🤩🤩🤩
Smooth...
Gravel challenge 😂💪🏻💫👏🏻
CX next?
Well done Chloe in conquering your fears of .... appearing in a GCN video.
We're not as scary as people think 😉
This video was perfect in its timing. Last week my 65 yr old wife bought a Cannondale Topstone 1 gravel bike. I am 73 and today I am going to pick up a new Cannondale Topstone 3 carbon gravel bike. No one is too old to have an adventure, and these bikes will open up so many other options for us to get off the road away from cars.
Looking forward to watching more of Alex and Chloe's training for their gravel race in America.
Absolutely! Enjoy the gravel adventures with your wife
My 74 year old neighbor I ride with also has a carbon gravel bike and he loves the hell out of it. We ride together regularly and he knows it's so helpful for keeping in good physical shape. You will love it!!
Right on you’re never too old to try something new!
this is the best way to keep ageing away!! :)
My wife was the person who got me into gravel riding. She's inspired my entire foray into cycling. Hooray for supportive spouses!
Well done, always good when your spouse is supportive!
You look like the soy face meme 😂😂😂
Dare I say that Chloe did a better job on her first GCN video than Alex? 😂
We'll let you guys be the judge of that 👉 czcams.com/video/VGbAD0vcyiU/video.html
You are 100% correct, Chloe did a way better job than me! Hope you enjoyed the vid
@@GCNalex Alex, I love your humility. You’re great at what you do. :-D
@@jonglass cheers Jon, appreciate it😎
Probably it helps that your host is also your husband :)
One of the very best parts of GCN is how well they address enthusiasts and beginners. Even though I’ve ridden my whole life and watched so many GCN videos I still have so much I don’t yet know about cycling, and I learned a couple new things in this video because of Chloe’s vulnerability and Alex’s thoughtful explanations. It is truly appreciated!
Charles and Chloe out for a ride together: Brilliant!
I enjoyed seeing Chloe and Alex riding together, perhaps a longer adventure together in the future.
Marriage perhaps!?
True gentleman Alex, looking after Chloe. A beautiful video in every way. Very enjoyable. Now to convince my wife we need gravel bikes!
Love Alex's smile when he introduces Chloe. Welcome Mrs Alex!
Great pairing of Chloe and Alex. Enjoyable to see Chloe's first gravel ride and hoping Big Sugar is a year highlight for her.
It's going to be one the highlights of the GCN year 🙌
A real keeper mate. Chloe just shows how natural bike talent transfers across the different genre.
100 miles at Big Sugar sounds like a real challenge for Chloe! Looking forward to the videos on the training for the event. Nice to see a wife and husband out together as well.
These two are always smashing out the road rides - we're sure they will kill it on the gravel 🙌
My wife and I ride a lot together. Doing the Way of the Roses next week. Need to persuade her to try gravel though. Maybe this series will help!
She did awesomely!
Great job, Chloe! This should be a new series - husband and wife!
Maybe we'll get a crossover of Alex and wifey on GMBN, and Blake and wifey on GCN (and maybe forget about GTN and EGMBN)
The video and content were great but mate, you have a real gem in cloe❤
Great work Chloe & Cuthbert 🥰
Get those notifications turned on for more Cuthbert and Chloe! 🔔
Cheers David, kind words
literally LOLed at "Cuthbert"
Aww Alex and Chloe are so cute together. And well done Chloe! Was nice to see a 'beginner' try gravel. I'm currently riding a mountain bike but am considering switching to gravel. Nice to see that perspective and is def pushing me over the fence into gravel.
Do it do it do it! 🙌Chloe is a beginner gravel rider, She has been ripping it up on the road for while?
@@gcn Yes, I meant a beginner to gravel :) Apologies, should have stated that clearer.
It was great meeting Chloe! My husband takes me out and tries to get me comfortable with different types of riding, and it's great fun. And did I spy Alex with some Sagan edition 100% sunglasses? Me likey!
OMG Chloe is an absolute champ in this video. A natural on camera and a great personality complement to Alistair.
First GCN video and she smashed it. Well done Cloe and please do some more videos in the future. Alex was a super professional and supportive instructor👍👏
Best GCN video yet! Awesome to see the even more human side of the presenters. Great job Chloe and Truman.
"Bumpy is the general vibe of Gravel" he tells a giggling wife. The enjoyment begins!
Way to go. Sometimes folks forget that we all are beginners at some point. Heck there was a time long ago you didn’t know how to walk. You fell a few times and you learned. That’s life! Go out there and try some new things.
This was absolutely adorable. Loved every minute of it. One of my main criticisms of GCN is that it's far too much of an old boy's club. Bringing Manon on has been a huge improvement, but she needs company. Having Chloe in this video was another breath of fresh air. Good on you, Chloe, for agreeing to be on this segment, and good on you, Alex, for bringing her on the channel. I hope it's not a one-off! Cheers!
She is a very lovely lady! Congratulations to her first gravel ride. I hope you both enjoyed
Why would anyone be mean to Greg and Alexa? They seem so nice! Welcome to the channel, looking forward to more gravel content from both.
us old dudes remember a time before mountain bikes and the like, we learned to ride road bikes over and through ALL terrain.... love the advent of the gravel bike :)
Little extra gravel descending tip - when standing over the bike on descents try to drop your heals down. Definitely helps to add stability
Love is everything. Sharing a similar passion in my experience is a real plus in relationships. I have many friends who ride as couples.
Congrats and Cheers to you both from the US.
Look how happy our boy Archibald is! Love it.
I did a basic mountain bike course and it was the best thing for my confidence. Actually like riding and racing on it now.
Another great video, top work team, well done Chloe!
It’s a well known fact that explaining to a girl what tire pressure she should use turns her on like nothing else. Probably how Alex got her heart back than 😄
That was the MOST ROMANTIC GCN video EVER!!! ❤️👨❤️👨❤️👨❤️👨❤️👩❤️👨❤👩❤️👨❤👩❤️👨‼️I loved it. I'm absolutely looking forward to more videos with Chloe and Lover Boy!
Anyone else notice the amazing camera work??? They were riding over super bumpy trails and the camera was absolutely still and stable. Care to tell us the equipment used GCN??
Any action cam would stabalize the video...
We don't give out our trade secrets 😉 We do however take on compliments!
@@FreedomOfSport to that degree? Alex was shooting hand held, while riding, on a super bump trail, and the image was dead stable.
@@gcn 😂😂😂😂
gopros are nuts these days
that was awesome. she asked all the questions I had about gravel/offroad riding. can't wait to follow their training and the event
What a great video!!! I learned how I should have gone about getting my wife into off-road riding 20 years ago.. instead of making her cry descending a slippery, muddy descent in the cold and rain!!!! Kudos Alex and Chloe
Really looking forward to this series team! Approaching the gravel unknown has always been a bit of a daunting thought, but breaking it into small chunks like this wee adventure makes it a lot more palatable for newbies. Keep it up.
Fantastic video, great cinematography, a day out on the bike with the Mrs and a rare "Bread Van" Z3M coupe sighting as you were leaving the cafe...now that's a pretty awesome day!
Quite enjoyed this video about gravel! Loved the interactions between Alex and Chloe and how the go through a ride together! Learned more about gravel as well as another option to riding ☺️!!
You guys make a nice team, well done!!
excellent video thank you for sharing. Nothing to be afraid of. I started riding gravel with my mountain, before I bought a dedicated gravel bike during the pandemic, which took forever so many years riding on gravel. Nothing to worry about. I started mountain biking before I even started road biking, so the skills of being on neck surfaces loose over hard all those things and dynamics helps. Cheers 😊
Great video, wonderful to watch someone who isn’t a pro!
Thanks for this Chloe! I'm a pretty new cyclist and get nervous easily and it's really good to hear somebody who is an experienced cyclist admit to being worried about some aspects of cycling. When I was recently re-learning how to ride a bike I stuck to the local park instead of going straight onto the road - let's just say that a 10% downhill gravel path was a bold choice for a novice.
Love this challenge, nice to see this video.
Great video! Really good stuff and it's great seeing the presenter's families! Chloe did a fantastic job and will do awesome at Great Sugar!!
this is awesome. can't wait to see the future videos, and the RACE!
More of Chloe ,good addition to the crew🚴♂️🚴♂️
Punching above your weigh there Alex! Well done Chloe!
Nice couple… well done both of you, Chloe & Alex…!
Alex… Jealous to see you can do such good ride with your beloved one…!
👍👍👍
Great, helpful and informational video. Do more videos with Chloe, I think she represents us all newbies to gravel cycling
Yep, i agree! Got a felt AR advance. Pure aero race weapon. But it doesn't like carrying groceries. So i got a giant revolt advance 0. And i am absolutely loving it. In the process of getting another gravel frame. Highly recommend it!
Chapeau Chloe, great start. You have a good mentor on Alex. Bear 🐻 in mind gravel is as additive as road cycling, be prepared to be hooked. Great video!!
We think these two are already hooked 🤙
Excellent video and what a lovely couple, well done Chloe !
Great video Alex I love to see a couple out enjoying an activity together. After having been put through a divorce, thank you for showing us that couples can still work together.
Amazing to see Chloe and a chute coming down from the background which we seldom see.
Well done,Mrs. P.!
I really enjoyed that! Good information😊
Great gravel basics video but most importantly that was a heart warming video, the respect you have for each other is amazing. I hope to find and have a relationship like that. 😍
Great video, well done Chloe! 😊
Haha, what a laugh....
Just sold the Mrs bike and bought her a gravel bike...I told her she'll love it ! , and I always descend : )
The only thing missing was Alex dropping Chloe on the descent and then celebrating it as if he's just won pooh sticks against Connor's son
😂 just because it wasn't in the video doesn't mean it never happened!
What I have found is that gravel and off road cycling has definitely improved my bike control on the road.
It’s good seeing you 2 smashing challenges 👏👏👏👏
Alex married up! 😀Great job Chloe!! Great video and I wish I would have seen it before my first gravel ride. I didn't do my research and did a 36 mile route on 80psi. Not letting it detract from the fun of gravel, but tire pressure is key.
Juat catching up on this content. Absolutely stellar content! Huge thank you to Chloe for risking and being out there on a gcn video!! She obviously has the skill set and natural ability!(Her line choice in the descent is evidence! ) The experience will further refine and bolster those! Love that you are entered Big Sugar! Whilst I understand/ appreciate that Alex, given the context had to be the one doing the introduction to gravel, and he was considerate and gentle, because of the male/female dynamic it came off a bit at times a wee bit like 'mansplaining '? Perhaps we could have another video/ followup with Manon guiding another female roadie through the transition like Maghalie did with her for Paris to Ancaster? This is only tweeking. I really appreciate that you are opening up new horizons for female road cyclists! Stellar job and I look forward to watching the progression! Thanks again Chloe for being so game and Alex for being so considerate! More of this content! Does Stacey want to have a go?
Welcome to GCN Chloe Paton! It's all downhill from here.😂😂😂 I look forward to seeing your progress as you and Alex/Bertrand tackle Big Sugar!
Thanks Alex and Chloe. The one thing you did not address that has come close to causing me to crash, is washboard on the descents. Even on the same surface, the presence of some washboard just entering a turn makes it much harder to break. Just another reason to break a little more than you might feel is necessary. I appreciate the inspiration.
Great work Chloe, very charming 😊
All the best Mrs. Paton! 👍🏾❤️
Well done Chloe, great video. Have it say I don’t understand why gravel bikes don’t have suspension! Good luck with the 100 miler.
Chloe checking if her helmet is sliding at 4:10 - been there!
Well done!
lovely couple, bless you both
Nicely done Chloe 👏
Nice video! Good luck on this journey! It's great to do it as a couple, my wife and I have ridden together on a few really nice trips that include Utah.
Fun trips with loved ones are the rides that stick with you! Have you got any rides planned? 🗺
Good first ride and I'm sure you'll do well in Bentonville. Letting the bike go with the flow on the descents with minimal braking is key. It's a great way to gain position in a race. Many people death-grip their bars and brakes causing wrecks and flats. Give them a wide berth as you fly on by!
I watch all of the GCN videos (GCN +too!) and this is the first one my IronWoman (ok 15 years post ironwomaning) wife and I watched together. I just want to thank you for giving us something gravelish that we could connect together on. Fantastic! Thinking we might just try some dirt/gravelish out together now ;). Thanks!
Dare I ask, does the sibling network GTN have a similar partner/significant other video series?
Love me some gravel rides in great weather! I find it hard to beat when I want to stay outside for longer. Cheers and take care!
Great video of you and your beautiful wife! She was a great sport!
Hola Alex , una de las mejores experiencias que uno puede tener ; es cuando comparte el ciclismo con la compañera de vida (esposa) , se disfruta mucho y se puede experimentar la libertad que da la bicicleta a un nivel mas alto ... un nivel de lleno de amor y aventura ... felicidades y gracias por el contenido del video , saludos !!
Que?
I can't stress enough @gcn £1200 isn't affordable for an entry-level bike. Costs need to come down. It's not an accessible activity, financially. The reason for the slump in bike sales.
I hate the feeling of my wheel slipping out from under me ona turn or loose gravel and I like the consistent, reliable breaking of road biking. I’m still a bit of a skeptic. But i did appreciate this video
I didn't watch yet (it's postet 3 minutes ago) but alerdy hited thumbs-up button! :D Greetings to you and to Cloe and the whole GCN crew! :D
That is what we like to hear! Now go watch the video 🍿
Very cool. My wife is a lifelong dancer, runner that has taken up riding with me. All gravel for her, as road and MTB take a bit more. I could never dance as she does, but respect the nuances. Fair play GCN for a great vid.
Also, too since gravel riding, it’s off road and keeps us Way bit safer, not being around cars. I also don’t wear a cycling kit if I’m riding solo don’t need to we have flexibility to wear what we want to wear unless it’s an event or a group ride.
Big Sugar! Congrats for getting in. It will be awesome.
These two are going to smash it! 🎉
A couple of points
I used 10 - 50 SRAM and a 28 or 32 or 36 chain ring up front. The best but is the wireless for sure in any weather conditions. The key to big cassettes and small chainrings is it keeps you did riding your bike till your really stuck on big hills. You do though end up hunting around for the right gear often on east terrain. I have recently done 3000km off road in Eastern Europe from Baltic to Adriatic but had to swap from
32 to 28 at a shop for the mountains phase at the end.
Pushing the bike as I found is very slow indeed either because of terrain or being burned out. I managed to do both.
Way to go Chloe!! Going to show my wife and see if I can get her on a bike.
Enjoyed watching you guys. Got me intrested in it now 😂
That opening shot, straight from the The Fast Show. In't Gravel brilliant!
Great job Chloe!
Great video, aware this is a cycling challenge but nice yellow BMW Z3m Coupe featured in the back of shot @17:57
A suspension seat post makes a big difference. Consider hub gears such as the Rohloff Speedhub too.
Nice job 👍🏼
Such a sweet couple! Good luck for the big sugar race!
I remember when my cycling gang took our wives to a fun gravel ride. All the girls was gravel first-timers. My wife used my friend’s spare gravel bike. The girls had a lot of fun, especially my wife, because the bike she was using had chunky 650x47 tires. Those tires had lots of grip down the gravel path. She even beat me on a short steep gravel climb because I lost grip on my 7000x35 tires and forced to walk the bike. That was some fun experience for all of us.
Great content. You two work well on screen too.
I love road bikes. Everything about them. They look cool, they're fast and I've got an excuse to wear skin tight clothing. Last year I've bought an Orbea XC mtb and it taught me a lot. It's so much fun just blasting through the woods, enjoying nature and all packaged with wide gnarly tires. It's awesome until you hit a road. Then fun is over.
That's where my commuter bike comes in. A Cube gravel bike. Feels like a road bike, looks like a road bike (at first glance), almost as fast but it can also hit some easy trails and I am not worried about punctures aaaand I can still wear lycra which I also do on the mtb because I am not going to buy a set of new clothes just because the market tells me so :P
What I wanna say: this is not a war of road vs gravel vs mtb, rather: get yourself one of each. Tackle every obstacle. Face your fears, have fun while doing it and become a better rounded rider.