Gravel for beginners, Ornot
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- Опубликовано: 20 июн 2024
- We asked people on social media what the wanted to learn about gravel bikes and riding. It turns out that there are a lot of questions. We tried to cover the most important ones in this video.
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Gravel riding basics from our friends Caetie Ofiesh and Jake Stangle. Topics Covered:
- How to corner on loose gravel.
- What to carry in your seat bag.
- 650b vs 700c.
- Bike handling on dirt and loose surfaces.
- Descending steep terrain.
- How to spot poison oak.
- How to start on a steep loose hill.
- Trail etiquette.
- Choosing a line.
- Riding in the hoods vs in the drops.
- Do I need 1x or 2x?
Watching this video won't make you a pro, but we hope that it'll answer some basic questions for people interested in getting a gravel bike or riding gravel.
This was filmed on Mt. Tam which is just north of San Francisco. It's also the "birthplace of mountain biking". You may notice that some gravel bikes are approaching or surpassing what a typical rigid mountain bike used to be.
For info on trails and fire roads in Marin, be sure to join Marin Bicycle Coalition. Here is a link to their map!
www.marinbike.org/wp-content/... 
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Thumbs up for that MONSTER on the unicycle! Thanks, guys!
Beginner gravel biker already demoralized by that dude on a unicycle 🤣
Stumbled on the video and I was, “hey, I use to work there!” As a former Tam Ranger I can say the poison oak and I had a special relationship. Especially after every 🔥, unavoidable and don’t miss it here in the PNW.
Caetie and Jake- Thanks very much for this video. It's exactly what I needed. Keep up the good work and videos for first time gravel riders. Thanks again.
Thanks Jeff. Let us know if you'd like any other topics/skills covered.
Very well explained and documented. Really a great job. Thanks from Italy
Fantastic video! Thanks for sharing your depth of knowledge and experience in a palpable format! Very well thought out. 🙏🏻
The breathing part was a great bonus!
That was perfect! Clear and concise. Great information that is the most helpful I've heard. Thank you!
Lots of it was wrong information.
They haven't even balanced their weight on both tyres.
Flat straight road riding, both tyres must have even weight distribution.
I’m a mountain bike skills coach just getting into gravel riding and this was a great video!!! Thanks for the post! 🤘🏼🤙🏼💪🏼
This was superb!! So much info, so little fluff, great application, relevant video to narration!!! I’m in! New to gravel, not to cycling. Thank you!
That light blue bike is absolutely gorgeous
Awesome video for the first time gravel riders.
Perfect for gravel bike newbie like me, just transition from road biking. Lot's biking technical to learn, your tips are super helpful, tempered all my anxieties🚵🏿♂️
Which Gravel bike did you end up buying...am a newbie as well
I have to say it, beautiful explanation very polite lenguaje, straight to the point, and above all great, great attitude.....
Cheers from NYC
Now time for la cocaina y putas amigo!
Clear, concise and informative for the beginner. Awesome job!
I noticed that I was always on my hoods so I finally upgraded to Jones H bars. Great bars!
I almost didn't click the video because the word "beginner". I'm so glad I did. Riding for over 30 years - avid road and mtb - but new to gravel. This video was concise, great tips and great production. Great job guys! I would have added a shoe/pedal section. Next video?
Really impressed! Concise, but all the most relevant bits clearly addressed.
Y’all what a great video. Thank you for the effort it took to make this. I just got into gravvy bikes this year and it’s been a lot of fun.
I’ve been to the country you are riding in. Unfortunately I was in a car. The area is phenomenal. You are truly blessed to have such a cool area to ride in. I live in New England so I too have a.truly beautiful area to ride in. Wherever you live, get out and enjoy your ride.
For really really steep and loose climbs (over 30%) you often need to sit right on the very tip of the saddle so you can maintain rear wheel traction and keep the front end from looping out.
Sometimes climbing out of the saddle, but hands in the hooks works very well for short high power bursts to clear bigger obstacles, rocks and logs. Practice it enough and you'll feel your balance point where you start to lose traction. You do it for max power efforts and then sit right back down when the rear tire slips just a little. You can sort of hover from standing to sitting on the saddle tip. I do lots of the same techniques on my flat bar MTBs to find traction in ultra technical rock piles and rooty sketchy forests.
Yes, sitting on the very tip of the saddle is pretty uncomfortable and often rather awkward feeling! Haha! I choose saddles that have thick yet dense padding and a wider nose with just this in mind. I have several old DH specific saddles like this on all my bikes, MTBs, 'cross, touring, gravel and singlespeeds of various genres. I find what I like and stick with it for decades.
Where I'm riding there's lots of really steep barely rideable climbs. We need to hike often too. We spend at least 70% of our ride time climbing HARD! Many of my roads and trails were built long ago by cattle ranchers with horses and motor vehicles so they're naturally very steep and often rutted.
Having ridden trail on road racing, 'cross and touring bikes long before most people ever heard of an MTB, Ive learned my position on the bike is EVERYTHING, especially if I want to pedal more than 4 hours or so.
My RULE is: Get yourself comfortable, no matter how dorky it 'looks'
(WHO gaf?!?!) so you can ENJOY MORE TIME on the bike. I learned this from Sheldon Brown.
For this offroad drop bar riding sorta stuff, much wider h'bars, dirt specific drop handlebars are incredible! Getting used to them makes a huge difference. In the hooks you have most leverage and control over the bike. In the hooks your hands have a very natural and superior grip. You have best leverage and power on the brake levers. In the hooks your CG is at its lowest making you more stable. On the hoods riding compromises all of this. Just forget about it and break the habit. Hoods only work for resting, changing position now and then and power climbing out of the saddle 'sometimes'. Same goes for resting hands on the tops, even just behind the hoods, normally my favorite road position besides the hooks. Dirt drops ARE the ticket, but few people understand they are designed specifically to be ridden PRIMARILY in the HOOKS on anything approaching rough terrain. YOU NEED to FORGET all the roadie 'fit rules' , slammed stems and aero BS unless you're racing. Throw them out the window!! This IS KEY! You can thank me later! With a bar designed to be ridden PRIMARILY in the drops and mostly 'underbiking' on steep rough and technical descents, you MUST use a shorter and much taller stem. Its the only way (short of custom frames) to enjoy rough riding for even short and rough rides. Otherwise your neck and shoulders will constantly hurt you and you'll be terrified on steep descents hanging over the front end of the bike ready and waiting to ENDO.
There are lots of different shape gravel bars on the market now. Some are fairly traditionally shaped and some are quite bizarre and many in between. Experimentation to find what works best is key. Sometimes it takes a few tried to get exactly what works best for YOU. Everybody's different.
If you have questions ask away. Ive experimented lots myself and built lots of custom bikes for serious riders. Ive tried out lots of different set ups during my 50 years of riding offroad, my entire riding career.
Remember the most important aspects of any bike are proper, comfortable FIT that allows you to enjoy maximum time on your bike, Tires, set up and pressure, (your connection to the ground) and the CHAIN/drivetrain in good order so you can keep moving forward. Good reliable and efficient wheels are also a key aspect to a well dialed and reliable bike.
thank you for all the tips! i just started to ride my new gravel bike and its great to get help by people with experience
Thank you for the insight!
Thanks for very helpful beginner tips guys, just bought my 1st gravel bike :) to ride in the northern mountains of Portugal. Cheers :)
boa! divertido! (I lived in Lisbon for a year)
@@ornotbike this puts a smile on my face because I'm also from Portugal ahah
Well, me too! And looking to sell my e-bike and get a Gravel one.
Nice tips!
gravel bikes are wicked .. u will love it
What did u get?
Thanks. I totally appreciate your intro.
That was awesome! Thanks guys!
Fun and informative - cheers!
Thanks guys! Super helpful 🤟🏼
Great video. Lots of good tips:-) thanks for sharing! Maybe onze thing you could add in... tyre pressure....
Very helpful tips. Keep it coming guys.
Am new to gravel knowledge thanks 👍
im getting this bike on Friday i think so i have to learn about bike before i get it so yeah thx for the help!
thank you for this video, great tips and nice people. cheers.
i like the dance analogy. i gonna use for my mtb.
great video! Tons of good info. Thanks for sharing!
Bro yes the breathing steady while climbing I do this too!!
wow best video I found so far for gravel!!! really really hope y'all could host bike session on some platform and allow n00b bike with you!!! looks so much fun already just v. this video!!!!
Excellent tips. Thank you!
Lots of good tips, thanks.
Michigan is a whole different animal,, we have more dirt roads, then anyone can believe, but decents an climbs are short n mean, I ride an work on MTB trails during warm weather, gravel riding in winter on snow packed roads. Great vid thanx... I should make a vid on our snow pack roads they can be challenging..
Thanks for all your tips guys. Great for a middle aged dad just getting started. You can see my adventures at gravel @Bits and Gigs
This was great - thank you!
I try to learn more about Gravel, very interesting!
lol good to see that mtn unicycling is still a thing in the bay area
Really helpful video, thanks guys! I hope you make more videos like this one :)
You're welcome! Let us know if you have any specific video requests.
Great advice and so succinct 👍
Great info, great video ✌🏻thank you
Thanks! Helpful!
Spetacular video! :D
Wish I could do something similar to my fellow bikers (live in Brazil).
This is a great video, thanks.
Great info and well presented! Get out and ride that dirt...ornot
Great video, very helpful content!
Thanks. That was useful information even though I don't have a gravel bike (yet but maybe that will come) just a 'hybrid' that will never win any road races nor be faced (ever!) with a really rocky, steep mountain track. I've only just heard of tubeless tyres for pedal cycles and the idea has some appeal. Hydraulic brakes too...a bit of a mystery to me as yet. Thanks again for intriguing advice.
Nice video. Some very useful information explained well. Cheers.
Position on climbs - may have to come back a little to gain more traction at the expense of front end control for some sections or rear wheel will slip. With practice can learn to control a wayward front end. Even wheeling a little up tricky, steep low traction climbs. I also use an old method called dynamic traction where pull on on one handlebar while pushing with one peddle. Then switching for next ped stroke. I forget which is which, motorskill now.
all good info, thanks!
Great review, Im thinking of choosing a gravel bike, Specialized diverge E5 base, Cannondale topstone 2, Canyon grail 6 .. can you guide me please which one to buy
nice tires. mezcal and terreno. my favourites too.
This is a really nice video. Thanks you very much. Can I put drop handles on my old mountain bike and do gravel? It has less of a trail geometry and is not compatible with disk brakes. Also, do you have or can you point to vides on making a gravel from an older bike?
Hello,greetings from graveland borneo🇮🇩🤟
getting up a lot of steep climbs should i consider a 2x12 system instead of the 1x11 that most gravel bikes include in their package? should I also run tubeless, but carry tubes and repair kits anyways? what's a really reliable with better puncture resistant tires would you recommend?
Really great video, thanks. Can you say again what those tires are?
Nice video! Thanks!!
Do you recommend specialized diverge e5 evo / flat bar gravel bike ? I’m looking for gravel bike and I’m finding mostly drop bar ?
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for calling it dirtriding. In the UK, we have trails predominantly made up from mud/flint and some Grv. I call it either dirtbiking, or adventure riding.
Se uphill has to give way here in Australia as the downhill has worked for the reward vs up hill is working for it yes I have crashed at well over 60kmh on the downhill as a ebiker thaught he was smart trying to slow me down we both got broken ribs and I had to walk out 1.5kms
Great video.
Jake ~ where did you get those cool scarf?
Amazing!
Great informative video!
Hey. I like his tire size and design . What kind ? Please and thanks. I have a hybrid but on dirt slips a lot.
Hey there.... Currently in your area!! Do you guys ever ride east ridge or west ridge off of skyline near Joaquin mi11er oak Or, Rush Creek? Good stuff! Fun when you pas a bunch mtb'ers!! Is that Vittoria true to size and how is it on wet trai1s? Thanks.
thanks very helpfull
Thanks for the video and it’s very helpful for a newbie like me. One question I would ask is what kind of clipless pedal was installed on Jake’s bike? I always find it a little scary to ride with SPD SL on a loose gravel ground, would appreciate it if you could provide some suggestions on pedals for gravel riding.
Those look like Time Atac XC4 pedals. Shimano SPD (non SL) is good to go, too. I can highly recommend the XT or even XTR pedals, they will last a long time. I have a set of 25 year old PD-M737 in my spare box just in case. In other words: use MTB pedals, not road pedals. There are excellent gravel shoes out there - very stiff but with a sole that's walkable. Dustin Klein made a video about gravel shoes a while back.
What about your thoughts on tyre width?
Do you have a link or specs on the drop bar from the light blue bike?
I’ll say a prayer for you my man!! God is good and He will show you His plans in all of this.
Love this video! I bought my first gravel bike last month and was hoping to find some handling videos. I started out trying to ride it like road bike and that was super sketchy. Once I started treating it more like a hardtail, the fun started! Given that my local bike shops are currently sold out of gravel bikes, more noobs like me will hopefully find your video.
Thanks, it's so fun to see so many new people out on bikes!
Cool. What kind of gravel bike did you get? I got a Cannondale Topstone 105 alloy this year.
Specialized Diverge. Almost got the Cannondale!
@@TMick13 Both the Diverge and Topstone are cool bikes. Have fun out there!
@@TMick13 Just looking them over - lots of great features. I might have gone that route but my nearest bike shop (love that place) does Cannondale.
How is the gravel for the plain( no elevation ) yet rough roads ?
Which tires do you recommend? I could not understand what you said in the videeo
Great video! There’s a couple of super steep sections between Old railroad grade and Eldridge grade where I inevitably have to get off the bike.
Any beta for those sections in particular?
The ones right around “Indians fire road”? Those are tough and require the combo of balance, weight transfer ( over the rear wheel ), and straight up pedaling hard. I’d call those double black diamond climbing sections.
Is it better to use of gravel bike for a country trip?
Excellent content
That was helpful, I plan to get my first Gravel bike soon
Which brand...looking for one here but rather confusing...am a beginner gravel person
@@a.joseph4233 So did you choose? Cause i`m looking for gravel too. Dont know maybe will buy triban rc520 gravel, seems cool for its price.
@@smike677 No decision as yet...have been doing a lot of road cycling this Summer....will let you know when i decide...thanks for helping
Hi. What's the brand of your green bike ?
Thank you in advance. 🙏
Such a good video, really appreciate the tips!!
Thank you for the climb advice, it really helps!
Love to know ur bikes n tyres setup
what handler bag do you have there?
What kind of tire is Katie riding?
Damn, you realize that, by having access to such absolutely amazing place, you're blessed!? I'm freakin jealous !! :D
Thanks for the tips. I find patches really suck on my wide gravel bike tires/tubes. I've only tried to patch once, but it went very poorly. Seems like I might need to inflate the tube to about the size it would be in the tire in order to get the patch to hold. As it was, even trying to make a really good bond and wait several minutes, as soon as I inflated the patch let go.
Patches in general are pretty tricky. If you're using the "sticker" type, those typically only last a short time. The more traditional glue and patch can work pretty well, but you need to take the time to let the glue / cement dry before you apply the actual patch. The best solution... Tubless tires. You will flat less often, and when you do flat, a simple plug can usually fix it.
@@ornotbike I've been thinking about tubeless. As it is, I've only had one flat on my 35 mm tires in 6,000 km - so I've just started carrying 2 tubes with me and planning to do my next patch at home when I have the time to really be patient with it.
glue has to be dry if you are putting a patch on to a tube. Tube surface has to be sanded and clean
Love the tips. You show a cycling wallet who's the manufacturer?! Thanks
We were! We've been sold out and haven't made any for a while... It's a product that will probably make a comeback.
Looks very much like the countryside around Montpellier, France
Hey ! Do you live there (I do) ? I wonder how a gravel bike would perform here, especially in the hills, where even the best maintained fire roads seems to have sections covered with big pebbles. On my old fully rigid mountain bike,they are pretty shaky to ride ! Eastward, though, it seems to be different, way smoother with lots of gravel and dirt tracks.
I am looking at a bike with semi hydraulic brakes because of budget reasons. you think that is still a dealbreaker / worth investing in?
Thanks!
i had to research a bit and to my understanding that type of brake is hydraulic but it's cable actuated. If so i don't see anything wrong with it, but it's weird that u find that cheaper than a fully mechanical brake. I wouldn't mind those brakes along as they are disc brakes, because for gravel/dirt/mud u will want that. On dirt/gravel i think the important thing is not about braking power but more about braking technique and the wheels u have.
I have a flat bar gravel bike and I thrash the heck out of it. Guys on Mtb trip out on me since I take the bike into places it really should be in.
I want 2 build flat bar gravel cannondale slate or Poseidon red wood
@@lakishaweaks9784 do it! I personally feel that a flat bar gravel bike is the way to go. It will cost a little more money since you will need to switch out the brakes and shifters but it's worth it.
4:53 about breaking
if i drive down a forest road, it can get bumpy quite quickly. with my hands on the hoods, sometimes everything seems to get out of control, because the gravel bike quickly gains a lot of speed. so i have to brake constantly. but that causes me pain in my fingers :-/ because like katie, i don't have long fingers. do you have similar issues and / or what do you do about it?
Moving to the drops will make braking easier and more controllable while the more locked in hand position might also allow you relax your grip slightly which can help with hand discomfort
Use straight mtb bars. Easier for braking
Y does gravel cycle headset has big ring ( bearing ) size then above
"Gravel for beginners " lol 😂🤣
Waiting on my first gravel rig I ride mtb so the bar change and shifting and braking is going to be the strangest I feel. Atleast I'm getting a 2021 bike in 2021:) 6 month wait
@@leagueofotters2774 gravel bike is for long long rides for exercise.. cute comment
what shoes do you reccomend for gravel riding?
MTB SPD shoes for sure. they now have gravel shoes but they are very similar.
Is it better to avoid using cleats and use regular pedals when riding on trails ??
"clipless" pedals (spd / crankbrothers) will always be more efficient, but if you're not comfortable with them yet, flat pedals are a good idea. Then, once you are used to riding on different surfaces you can move over to clipless pedals.
I would love to know where this specific trail is . I live in Richmond, CA
Mt tam, right over the bridge(going north 101) specifically looks like the fire roads that go through Muir/Dipsea area. I ride near there most mornings, it makes sense why the locals feverishly try to protect it. Very beautiful. Don't take offense to the trail trolls. They mean well. You are suppose to pass at 5mph, but some must have a radar gun, because I have been yelled at for 6. Just smile, nod, and pay them no mind. Liberalism is on its last death throws of eating their brain.
@@rocketssss6 corny