Gravel for me. I got myself a gravel bike in 2016 and never used my road or mtb again. Where I live on UK I believe it's the best choice. Good vids, thanks!
The bicycle I have (RB), but it has wide clearances for wide tires. I don't have much experience with wide tires, so I can't say that the 35c tires I bought are a good fit because its cheap. It seem to grip the pavement too much. That's why I know what to do-the sweet spot for me 28c to 30c tires. I mostly ride on city or road pavements.
11:45 totally wrong. Here in Germany, you are also unprotected game and car driver get aggressive, when you cycle on a road. Today I had again an encounter with a car driver, who opened his passenger window and yelled to me to use the bike lane next to the road. They like to play deputy here and discharge their frustration about their own life in the traffic then. Some months ago, we were three cyclists in a row and kissing the right side line of the street. A car came from behind and overtook us with a high speed and maybe 50cm distance. No traffic, no reason for that, no oncoming traffic, nothing. A straight street in the countryside. So this was pure hate and purpose. In Italy they drive crazier than in Germany. No distance when overtaking. I feel so uncomfortable in europe as a cyclist. In Thailand, Philippines or Vietnam I had no issues. Some situations were also there, but not comparable to that idiots in europe.
That's unfortunate to hear. I've only ridden a little bit in Germany and Italy, but did not have any bad encounters fortunately. Though the roads in Germany did look very narrow, so I can understand motorist frustration especially if there is a decent bike path next to the road. I did notice a lot of separated bike paths there which looked really nice.
@@TwoWheelCruise this bike path was only a few hundred meters long, not worth it to use and I came from a side street to that road, where was no entry to that bike lane due to a green lawn between both. Anyway, they find reasons to attack you, either way. That is the sad part as a cyclist here.
I was looking at getting a gravel bike, I've still using a 26 inch wheel 21 speed hardtail mountain bike from the 90s and have had many road bikes in the 80s and 90s early 2000. My concerns with gravel bikes and I was even looking at the Poseidon X was the lack of gears like the 1 x 10 being enough low and high end performance. 🤔
Thank you for taking us back to where you spent your youth . Loved seeing that outdoor track; but it looks like it doesn't see any use any more. I started racing back in 1971 as a junior in the old ABL of A. in the San Diego area. Gave it up when I had to get a real job. Turning 70 this year, and my go-to bikes are a Bridgestone MB-1, a Bridgestone Radac, and a Lightspeed Titanium road bike that I just upgraded with gearing more appropriate for my style of riding these days. If I were to buy a new bike, it would be an ATB or rando style in a steel frame.
Regarding riding in traffic, 10:00.... I thought I felt uneasy in Los Angeles whilst cycling. But on a recent trip to the Philippines I was in awe n shock. At least in the province I was visiting. (Poblacion, Muntinlupa/Alabang). Pretty narrow streets, overcrowded with vehicles, jeepneys, trikes, motorcycles and scooters. All zipping around...pedestrians just walking however they please. Prior to arriving, I told my cousins I wanted to cycle around their area...if possible. On the ride from the airport to their home, I changed my mind. Bonifacio Global City, on the other hand.... nice wide streets. Minimal traffic.. very stark contrast to the chaos that was Muntinlupa. I'd feel very safe riding there.
I should probably rephrase what I said, this is more for Da Nang specifically. Other Vietnamese cities are quite similar to the Philippines I believe. Hanoi is full of narrow busy roads and I would never want to cycle there.
I was born in Highland Park, Michigan, but grew up in California. I still have family all over Michigan. Seeing you ride by the cider mill brought back some great memories of childhood visits to Michigan. My grandparents always took us to a cider mill when we visited them.
Your not disappointing me at all nor is your hometown trials!as this is aired in the beautiful country of viet nam in Thanh pho da nang I’m sure em Thuong is watching very closely as her mother may very well also.love those road bikes so much so gravel mountain. Should all be owned after all cruise makes sure to his vast selection !a good Hello to em Thuong In the great city of da nang yes nghi an is thought of by the Texan great video of hometown !so mot!miss Vietnam a lot the Texan is making headway on the job coming along good this makes 32 years of seniority this month co linh sends her hello to you’ll two at twc and in viet nam!
Really cool still shots of you riding competitively. Great video. Lots of neat insights without resorting to bike geometry or flooding us with metric system arithmetic.
Whoever wants to buy a gravel bike - I have one that I'll have ready to sell soon in Da Nang. Can ride it fast with road tires (it really is just as fast as a road bike)- or use the big tires for riding on the bumpy stuff to the south/west of the city. Effective TT length is around 54cm. Cheap carbon frame, Shimano 105. Around 45c tire clearance. Those rail to trail systems are so nice. They're flat enough to ride a single speed if you want.. smooth surface.. trees that block wind and give shade... few roads to cross.. no cars... Great way to ride a bicycle. I like to have options in mind for what I'd do when I go back to the US next, and bike-touring along those (or some roads with little traffic) is high up there. I just don't like having to carry a bunch of camping gear and tons of water in more remote places
Love your channel and have enjoyed watching your journey. The average rider who wants to road/gravel ride but not competitively should consider a gravel bike or endurance road bike that fits wider tires and to upgrade with good wheels and tires w/low rolling resistance rather than worrying at all about the weight of their bike. Besides, it can be absurdly expensive to shave off a few pounds from a bike just to save a few watts and minutes off rides. :)
I no longer race and used to have a cx bike as my "all road" bike. I didn't like the high bottom bracket and lack of mudguard mounting points of the CX bike. For these reasons I'd choose the modern gravel bike if it weren't for the fact that I have a full rigid, full carbon xc bike. I use a steel "all-road" bike for where I live because 32mm is enough and if the terrain dicates requiring anything more I'd prefer my xc bike with 2.1" tires. That's my thinking.
Sorry about that track and others you know are using something else now wonder if it will come back?, starting to notice other abandoned things on here from other RUclipsrs Cruise including where I am in Jersey like the Movie Theaters and Malls actually getting kind of worried and I know what’s going on of course,
It's doubtful unfortunately, it's very expensive to maintain and most everyone has moved to the indoor velodrome in Detroit. There is also 1 more older abandoned velodrome in metro Detroit.
Gravel bikes sound the most versatile, and fitting good hybrid tyres to a standard road bike does help a lot with rougher conditions if you can’t afford multiple bikes. Above all, riding along 9 country lanes, surrounded by the sounds and sights of nature is the only way to go ! In all countries, whatever the style of traffic or particular culture , riding on main roads is both unpleasant and inevitably dangerous. And frankly, shame on any prejudiced ignorant who does not respect cyclists !
A lot of modern endurance road bikes now have crazy clearance which is really nice to see. I used to ride my old racing road bike on gravel roads all the time haha
This is a good video...I Ride with a 43 on the back tire and a 38 in the front.....It has taken a few years to zero in on Exactly what works best for my style of riding, which is basically, Take the Bike where ever the action is!.....The action can quickly go from Nice Roads flat terrain to instantly steep inclines, traffic and potholes, to gravel trails...the Goal now is to figure out the "perfect" gear ratio...
I’m quite conflicted on rail to trail paths. We’d (Britain, America and any other countries foolish enough to do it) be far better off now had we kept the extensive rail network and put the bike paths alongside them.
Have used CX bikes for over ten years due to being a CX racer. Local pavement is in bad shape with dirt trails in the area and easy to mix up on rides to get away from traffic. Road bikes were done years ago. Use a CX bike the was made in the bridge period of early gravel/peak CX as they can take wide tire but still fast and response.
I would prefer XC bike for this roads, similar to Scott you had back days in Japan. You can get nice carbon light frame, cheaper than gravel bikes. Here in EU I prefer my road bike.
I'd probably choose a gravel bike for next ...and most likely brand new bike purchase. And very highly likely the Ambition X. The redwood is "too off-roady" so it would look funny with narrower road wheels n tires. Also.... 7:30. Totally digging super long haired Cruise. Haha, but I'm biased as I've been growing mine out since 2020. (Metalhead). Lol
@TwoWheelCruise I also looked into the State All Road but I don't recall what swayed me to Poseidon. The Marin Nicaso(sp?) cost $500-600 more just to get thru axle, so they lost out.
Where I live in Canada there isn't a problem with animosity from drivers. For the most part, they are very considerate towards cyclists. It's the drivers who are distracted or under the influence of something that worry me. Fortunately, there's a good paved network of trails.
@@TwoWheelCruise Recently, as I was driving across an intersection on green, a taxi going at over 60 kph ran the red light, passing between me and the following car. And yes, there are some crazy large 'cars' on our roads.
Gravel for me. I got myself a gravel bike in 2016 and never used my road or mtb again. Where I live on UK I believe it's the best choice. Good vids, thanks!
The bicycle I have (RB), but it has wide clearances for wide tires. I don't have much experience with wide tires, so I can't say that the 35c tires I bought are a good fit because its cheap. It seem to grip the pavement too much. That's why I know what to do-the sweet spot for me 28c to 30c tires. I mostly ride on city or road pavements.
11:45 totally wrong. Here in Germany, you are also unprotected game and car driver get aggressive, when you cycle on a road. Today I had again an encounter with a car driver, who opened his passenger window and yelled to me to use the bike lane next to the road. They like to play deputy here and discharge their frustration about their own life in the traffic then. Some months ago, we were three cyclists in a row and kissing the right side line of the street. A car came from behind and overtook us with a high speed and maybe 50cm distance. No traffic, no reason for that, no oncoming traffic, nothing. A straight street in the countryside. So this was pure hate and purpose. In Italy they drive crazier than in Germany. No distance when overtaking. I feel so uncomfortable in europe as a cyclist. In Thailand, Philippines or Vietnam I had no issues. Some situations were also there, but not comparable to that idiots in europe.
That's unfortunate to hear. I've only ridden a little bit in Germany and Italy, but did not have any bad encounters fortunately. Though the roads in Germany did look very narrow, so I can understand motorist frustration especially if there is a decent bike path next to the road. I did notice a lot of separated bike paths there which looked really nice.
@@TwoWheelCruise this bike path was only a few hundred meters long, not worth it to use and I came from a side street to that road, where was no entry to that bike lane due to a green lawn between both. Anyway, they find reasons to attack you, either way. That is the sad part as a cyclist here.
I never thought that I would have you say that you feel safer riding in Vietnam vs USA but I understand your point and your reasons are valid.
I meant for on the main roads specifically. Of course MTB and gravel will be safer with no cars :)
Guess it depends, i feel very safe here in my home town, we are bike friendly.🇺🇸🍻✌🏻
if you live in the U.S.south or country side then a gravel bike or mountain bike would be best poor paved roads dirt roads
Gravel :P hands down . Though still love seeing awesome road bikes lol
The roads here in Liverpool, England 🏴 are shocking as well.
My gravel bike came with 47mm width from factory and I am running it on 50mm winter tyres at the moment.
I was looking at getting a gravel bike, I've still using a 26 inch wheel 21 speed hardtail mountain bike from the 90s and have had many road bikes in the 80s and 90s early 2000.
My concerns with gravel bikes and I was even looking at the Poseidon X was the lack of gears like the 1 x 10 being enough low and high end performance. 🤔
Poseidon X is geared more for hilly areas, but it's fairly easy to change to the gears you need.
Thank you for taking us back to where you spent your youth . Loved seeing that outdoor track; but it looks like it doesn't see any use any more. I started racing back in 1971 as a junior in the old ABL of A. in the San Diego area. Gave it up when I had to get a real job. Turning 70 this year, and my go-to bikes are a Bridgestone MB-1, a Bridgestone Radac, and a Lightspeed Titanium road bike that I just upgraded with gearing more appropriate for my style of riding these days. If I were to buy a new bike, it would be an ATB or rando style in a steel frame.
Sadly this track isn't used anymore since there is a newer indoor track nearby. The newer ATB bikes are a great option for all-around riding.
Regarding riding in traffic, 10:00.... I thought I felt uneasy in Los Angeles whilst cycling. But on a recent trip to the Philippines I was in awe n shock. At least in the province I was visiting. (Poblacion, Muntinlupa/Alabang). Pretty narrow streets, overcrowded with vehicles, jeepneys, trikes, motorcycles and scooters. All zipping around...pedestrians just walking however they please. Prior to arriving, I told my cousins I wanted to cycle around their area...if possible. On the ride from the airport to their home, I changed my mind.
Bonifacio Global City, on the other hand.... nice wide streets. Minimal traffic.. very stark contrast to the chaos that was Muntinlupa. I'd feel very safe riding there.
I should probably rephrase what I said, this is more for Da Nang specifically. Other Vietnamese cities are quite similar to the Philippines I believe. Hanoi is full of narrow busy roads and I would never want to cycle there.
🚴🚴🚴🚴🚴🚴
I was born in Highland Park, Michigan, but grew up in California. I still have family all over Michigan.
Seeing you ride by the cider mill brought back some great memories of childhood visits to Michigan.
My grandparents always took us to a cider mill when we visited them.
Cider mills bring back a lot of good memories for me too :)
Road bicycle. :-)
Your not disappointing me at all nor is your hometown trials!as this is aired in the beautiful country of viet nam in Thanh pho da nang I’m sure em Thuong is watching very closely as her mother may very well also.love those road bikes so much so gravel mountain. Should all be owned after all cruise makes sure to his vast selection !a good Hello to em Thuong In the great city of da nang yes nghi an is thought of by the Texan great video of hometown !so mot!miss Vietnam a lot the Texan is making headway on the job coming along good this makes 32 years of seniority this month co linh sends her hello to you’ll two at twc and in viet nam!
Thanks! Thuong enjoyed watching these videos to have a better idea of what my hometown looks like.
Really cool still shots of you riding competitively. Great video. Lots of neat insights without resorting to bike geometry or flooding us with metric system arithmetic.
Thanks! I'll leave the technical analysis to the pros haha. I just like to ride.
@@TwoWheelCruise Me too!!
@dolittle6781 I enjoy his insights without all the technical stuff as well. There are more than enough channels who provide such info.
Whoever wants to buy a gravel bike - I have one that I'll have ready to sell soon in Da Nang. Can ride it fast with road tires (it really is just as fast as a road bike)- or use the big tires for riding on the bumpy stuff to the south/west of the city. Effective TT length is around 54cm. Cheap carbon frame, Shimano 105. Around 45c tire clearance.
Those rail to trail systems are so nice. They're flat enough to ride a single speed if you want.. smooth surface.. trees that block wind and give shade... few roads to cross.. no cars... Great way to ride a bicycle. I like to have options in mind for what I'd do when I go back to the US next, and bike-touring along those (or some roads with little traffic) is high up there. I just don't like having to carry a bunch of camping gear and tons of water in more remote places
Love your channel and have enjoyed watching your journey. The average rider who wants to road/gravel ride but not competitively should consider a gravel bike or endurance road bike that fits wider tires and to upgrade with good wheels and tires w/low rolling resistance rather than worrying at all about the weight of their bike. Besides, it can be absurdly expensive to shave off a few pounds from a bike just to save a few watts and minutes off rides. :)
I no longer race and used to have a cx bike as my "all road" bike. I didn't like the high bottom bracket and lack of mudguard mounting points of the CX bike. For these reasons I'd choose the modern gravel bike if it weren't for the fact that I have a full rigid, full carbon xc bike. I use a steel "all-road" bike for where I live because 32mm is enough and if the terrain dicates requiring anything more I'd prefer my xc bike with 2.1" tires. That's my thinking.
Thanks for more of your hometown and another great bike ride 👏👏👏
Sorry about that track and others you know are using something else now wonder if it will come back?, starting to notice other abandoned things on here from other RUclipsrs Cruise including where I am in Jersey like the Movie Theaters and Malls actually getting kind of worried and I know what’s going on of course,
It's doubtful unfortunately, it's very expensive to maintain and most everyone has moved to the indoor velodrome in Detroit. There is also 1 more older abandoned velodrome in metro Detroit.
Gravel. Giant Revolt for me. Clearance and handles like a MTB!
Endurance bike. Two wheel sets.
Gravel bikes sound the most versatile, and fitting good hybrid tyres to a standard road bike does help a lot with rougher conditions if you can’t afford multiple bikes.
Above all, riding along 9 country lanes, surrounded by the sounds and sights of nature is the only way to go ! In all countries, whatever the style of traffic or particular culture , riding on main roads is both unpleasant and inevitably dangerous.
And frankly, shame on any prejudiced ignorant who does not respect cyclists !
A lot of modern endurance road bikes now have crazy clearance which is really nice to see. I used to ride my old racing road bike on gravel roads all the time haha
This is a good video...I Ride with a 43 on the back tire and a 38 in the front.....It has taken a few years to zero in on Exactly what works best for my style of riding, which is basically, Take the Bike where ever the action is!.....The action can quickly go from Nice Roads flat terrain to instantly steep inclines, traffic and potholes, to gravel trails...the Goal now is to figure out the "perfect" gear ratio...
I used to have aTrek 69er with a 29 up front and 26 rear, that was a lot of fun.
I’m quite conflicted on rail to trail paths. We’d (Britain, America and any other countries foolish enough to do it) be far better off now had we kept the extensive rail network and put the bike paths alongside them.
Yes, agreed. It's a shame the US doesn't have more of a train network anymore
I've been missing your bike videos Cruise
Glad to be back :)
🚲🚲 Road bikes for me. I have two.
Have used CX bikes for over ten years due to being a CX racer. Local pavement is in bad shape with dirt trails in the area and easy to mix up on rides to get away from traffic. Road bikes were done years ago. Use a CX bike the was made in the bridge period of early gravel/peak CX as they can take wide tire but still fast and response.
Nothing beats a good CX bike 😁 Best form of racing too
Gravel the choice, more versatile.
If I lived in your area I would chose both, Here in the Toronto area the road bike is the first choice since there are more roads than off road.
Definitely both is the way to go if you have the space and $
I would prefer XC bike for this roads, similar to Scott you had back days in Japan. You can get nice carbon light frame, cheaper than gravel bikes. Here in EU I prefer my road bike.
It's hard to beat a good quality XC bike. I did really love that Scott.
@TwoWheelCruise what bike did you have back in Japan?
I'd probably choose a gravel bike for next ...and most likely brand new bike purchase. And very highly likely the Ambition X. The redwood is "too off-roady" so it would look funny with narrower road wheels n tires.
Also.... 7:30. Totally digging super long haired Cruise. Haha, but I'm biased as I've been growing mine out since 2020. (Metalhead). Lol
The Ambition X is great for most less hardcore gravel. I miss the long hair but it comes back every once in a while haha
@TwoWheelCruise I also looked into the State All Road but I don't recall what swayed me to Poseidon. The Marin Nicaso(sp?) cost $500-600 more just to get thru axle, so they lost out.
both
Where I live in Canada there isn't a problem with animosity from drivers. For the most part, they are very considerate towards cyclists. It's the drivers who are distracted or under the influence of something that worry me. Fortunately, there's a good paved network of trails.
That's good to hear, but yes distracted drivers are a big worry, especially considering how big cars are over there.
@@TwoWheelCruise Recently, as I was driving across an intersection on green, a taxi going at over 60 kph ran the red light, passing between me and the following car. And yes, there are some crazy large 'cars' on our roads.
For me choosing gravel bike, due to the road condition
Definitely with these road conditions 😂
I like all your videos, but really loving these.
Glad you like them!
🔥🔥🔥
Were you able to take a lap around the velodrome?
No, this one is too steep to ride without a track bike.
Man that Poseidon is nice!
It's been a solid bike
why not both ?
Definitely if you've got the space and $