Posted by MB/FSA on Feb 25th 2022
Ready for Gravel Riding?
As the race season comes around yet again, we thought we
should give you a primer into this new phenomenon called “gravel”.
What is it? Why is it the new rave in cycling? Well, the term gravel comes from
the idea of taking your bike off the pavement and onto the unpaved country
roads. It means to explore, to get out of your comfort zone or maybe even
deeper into it. It means to go back to your roots of where the love of the
bicycle brought you as a kid.
Every cyclist has a story or three from when they were young and first learned
to ride a bike. Most of these stories involved riding down dirt roads or unkept
alleys full of potholes and grit. All of these stories involve the thrill found
in freedom; the freedom only a bicycle can give you. Somewhere between freedom
on the bike and the real world, life happened. Many of us grew up, grew old,
and had families. We developed work lives and habits (for better or for worse)
and could even have fallen into a rut. A groove of life if you will.
Whether we rode mountain or road bikes or something in between, is irreverent.
What matters is we all reached an impasse. An impasse of time, of convenience,
of life. We all know that riding a bike for fun is something that once was but
may not be achievable now for whatever excuse we create. Because they are all
just excuses in the end. This is where gravel can be found. Somewhere between
the status quo and freedom exists gravel.
Gravel is freedom and love, it is an adventure, it is a
wonder. It is the ability to get on your bike in your garage, go ride, and ride
anywhere. Gravel isn’t discipline; it isn’t a buzz word or hype to sell
something you don’t need. Gravel is the life we all had. Gravel is nostalgia.
Gravel is freedom. Gravel is love.
With that said, the concept of a “gravel bike” is still developing. There are
multiple ideas surrounding this model but all of them equate to just what I
talked about above; to put more fun between you and the earth beneath you.
Gravel bike needs to be first and foremost something that fits you perfectly.
It needs to not just fit you ergonomically but aesthetically. It needs to speak
to your soul, to your inner child and sense of adventure. It needs to scream to
you “hey, stop what you are doing, and let’s go ride!” Even if just around the
block or down the alley, a gravel bike should make you want to go ride it;
because you can ride it, anywhere.
A gravel bike should have ample tire clearance, room for your choice of wheel size and tire width. At minimum you need to have a 700x40 or 650x45 to keep the dirt and tarmac roads comfortable. Most new gravel bikes will fit up to a 700x45 or 650x50 with some companies allowing for up to 700x50 (29x2.1) allowing for some real serious versatility. Why would you want this? Easy; a bike with larger volume tires will be more comfortable and more capable the more off-road you get. A gravel bike with 29x2.0 or 2.1 tires is essentially a mountain bike that is perfect for easy trails and some backcountry trips. AGX= Adventure Gravel Cyclocross
EKAR Clothing
With all that said, we hope to see you out there – not on the road, but off it!
Unroad Yourself.