Mountain Biking general thread

[Rich B]

Come on Rich - you know the formula...

X=X+1 where X = .....

Don’t get me wrong, i can always justify an extra bike - but i just don’t get the point of gravel bikes? i don’t see what question they’re answering.

[dinny_g]

Yeah but two mountain bikes or two road bikes is a much harder sell to the Missus...

I have a Swiss Army Bike - Full Hard Tail with normal tyres. Switch Tyres to narrow Slicks and lock out forks for a Commuter Bike. Switch to Narrow threaded Tyres for a Grave Bike (ish) experience.

Basically:

• Full Mountain Bike for proper off road trails

• Slicks for Road use

• Gravel Tyres for Bridle Paths

All of which is arbitrary as I've ridden once in the past 12 months...

[Rich B]

Yeah, that sounds like a far better solution.

It’s the dropped bars that i don’t get. If you’re riding off road through any unpredictable surfaces or even, dare i say it “gravel”, then you want the leverage of a wider bar to stop the wheel pulling either direction, you also want to be able to be covering the brake lever in the same situation.

i’d rather have a basic hardtail with normal handlebars and just make sure it has the appropriate tyres.

[GG.]

If you're just want a car/van type vehicle to transport your bikes, then why not just get a roof or tow bar rack for your car ??

Using a roof or tow bar rack it's impossible to secure your bike properly if you stop at a services or something. That's one of the reasons I like to have an estate car that's big enough to get a bike in. Not upright because it doesn't have the height but still inside and secure.

The tow bar rack I have locks the bikes to it via locks on the clamps which hold the bikes and the carrier attachment to the car also locks. If I were stopping and leaving them on the back I'd then use the normal D lock to lock them to the big metal uprights of the tow bar rack itself.

Not foolproof but someone isn't just going to walk up and take them off the back. Probably still easier to steal the Range Rover with the bikes on it

[Barry]

Come on Rich - you know the formula...

X=X+1 where X = .....

Don’t get me wrong, i can always justify an extra bike - but i just don’t get the point of gravel bikes? i don’t see what question they’re answering.

I started asking riding mates where to start with a road bike/flat bars, and they all just said "get a gravel bike". I perfer flat bars for trad riding too.

Short version is, I want a road bike but I want sturdy tyres, and gearing suited to road riding (my Orbea is flat out at 15mph).

And of course, the formula, a new toy etc etc. Not looking for a show off bike, but don't want a heavy steal Hovis bike either.

[DeskJockey]

I love my gravel bike. It is a very good compromise and I don't find I miss either of the other two types.

[dinny_g]

Yeah, that sounds like a far better solution.

And at this stage, I can change both tyres over in less than 5 mins…

[ZedLeg]

Come on Rich - you know the formula...

X=X+1 where X = .....

Don’t get me wrong, i can always justify an extra bike - but i just don’t get the point of gravel bikes? i don’t see what question they’re answering.

Do you want a bike with road geometry but traction for light off roading?

[Rich B]

Come on Rich - you know the formula...

X=X+1 where X = .....

Don’t get me wrong, i can always justify an extra bike - but i just don’t get the point of gravel bikes? i don’t see what question they’re answering.

Do you want a bike with road geometry but traction for light off roading?

Sounds like a daft idea.

[ZedLeg]

It’s not for you then.

Glad we got to the bottom of that

[Rich B]

It’s not for you then.

Glad we got to the bottom of that

yep, apologies for discussing my opinions on something on a forum when someone asked about it...

unforgivable.

[Jobbo]

I agree with Rich. The purpose of drop bars is purely aerodynamics. The need for that benefit is pretty marginal if you have off-road tyres; the single finger braking of flat bars with disks is far more important. Unless you’re on the road, in which case get a proper road bike. They aren’t all ok 20mm slicks.

[ZedLeg]

I don’t get them either tbh but I have a mate who mostly rides road bikes and he has a couple that he uses more than his 1 mountain bike.

It’s whatever the bike equivalent of horses for courses is.

[Jobbo]

It’s more like the bicycle equivalent of a Nissan Qashqai.

[Rich B]

It’s more like the bicycle equivalent of a Nissan Qashqai.

yep, i’d say that was a pretty good analogy tbh.

[ZedLeg]

Nah, it’s just a way for manufacturers to “diversify” and squeeze a bit more money from middle aged hobbyists. Like golf clubs or ebikes.

[simon_g]

They’re road bikes for people that aren’t into the roadie chaingang/lycra/racy nonsense. Tyres and geometry suited to exploring the tiniest lanes on the map (potholes, broken tarmac and all) rather than smashing out miles. Brakes that work, room for mudguards if you want them, and enough luggage to bring some snacks for later.

I had a Cotic Escapade long before the bike industry was pushing “gravel” and it was brilliant for that sort of road riding. Probably the bike I regret selling most, it was in the days when you could still buy one complete for under the £1k c2w scheme limit.

[Jobbo]

In what way is the drop bar useful over a flat bar? I like drops on a road bike which isn’t going to be ridden down bridleways or even towpaths, but I’ve always preferred flat bars for more varied terrain. My second most used bike is conceptually similar to a gravel bike but with flat bars.