It's been no secret for the past few seasons that the gravel bike market has been steadily picking up steam. Recent trends from Eurobike and the Sea Otter Classic certainly point to this trend as a fact. Whether it's the machinations of the cycling industry feeding us new (and expensive) gear to gobble up or a true shift in cycling culture remains to be seen.
What does not remain to be seen, however, is the fact that riding “off the beaten path” or “gravel grinding” is fun. Really fun. In fact, it's some of the best fun you can have on two wheels.
Regular readers will recognize that I've long been a huge proponent of riding on unpaved surfaces. From tips about dirt road riding to an unhealthy obsession with racing Battenkill a number of times, I've been churning through dust and dirt for years. I've done a lot of road, crit and track racing since the Battenkill years, taking me away from the dirt. This year I decided to return to the unpaved madness for Monkey Knife Fight 9 and seriously put my gravel grinding legs to the test. To say I failed would be critical: I simply didn't hack it all. Partly due to fitness, partly motivation and a little touch of equipment choice made for a long day.
Well, it's time to rectify that with a #newbikeday. But why did I choose to go this route? For this Motivation Monday, I'll chat about the road less traveled, why it's so nice and why you should think about turning down it.
The Greatness of Gravel Grinding
Gravel grinding isn't something new, but it's really newly popular. While pro cycling has recently embraced gravel events like Strade Bianche and the addition of dirt to grand tour stages, amateurs have been flocking to gravel events for years. Events like Battenkill, D2R2, Raspititsa and Dirty Kanza have a huge following. And the incredible thing about it is that they have a huge following among “legit” riders. No freds here, people. Not by a long shot.
You see, these gravel grinder events elevate the typical “organized ride” from an event to an experience. Not only is it an experience, it's an experience that takes the mundane of riding/racing a bike and makes it exceptional. There's an element of adventure, excitement, and unpredictability present in a gravel grinder that rarely exists in road events. Now, don't get me wrong, road racing is a blast and the people are cool, but there's something inherently predictable about it.
The road less traveled
Many of you no doubt followed my progress towards Monkey Knife Fight. You'll probably also know that this year has been extremely tough from a motivational standpoint. Racing didn't even really sound fun this year either. After spending the whole winter on the trainer and moving to a new state, there wasn't much training time put in. Because I left my previous gym, I didn't get much strength training done this off season. Weather during the late spring and early summer has been exceptionally unpredictable, making trips to the track iffy at best.
More than anything, I just didn't have the ambition to race on the road this year. It's not that I don't love the scene, it's just that I didn't feel like doing it.
Monkey Knife Fight really did reignite my love of riding the road less traveled. What it also did was remind me how hard it is on the body to ride rough gravel roads on a stiff criterium bike. So the search was on.
#NewBikeDay
I went through a number of possibilities in the search for a gravel bike. There was the Colnago Prestige, the Scott Addict Gravel, the Ridley X-Trail and several others. I ultimately settled on something that made all the other bikes I test rode seem like a kid's BMX bikes.
I settled on a Parlee Chebacco swathed in custom paint.
With the bike built and tested, I was blown away. The advances in gravel technology have truly yielded an amazing experience. It really can handle anything you can imagine throwing at it. With a good small block tire selection (I'm using the Vittoria Terreno Dry tubeless in 40mm width) it's smooth and fast on pavement. The thick, meaty rubber makes it a beast on anything that's less than smooth and buttery.
In the past 3 or 4 rides on the Parlee, I've had more fun riding a bike than I have had in the past year.
Motivation Restored
I've not bought a new bike in about four years. Well, nothing except my purpose built track bike, but that's a different creature altogether. I forgot the excitement and thrill that comes along with a new bike. It's doubly powerful with a new bike that will expand where I can ride comfortably. I understand the thrill that gravel bikes bring, and I love the feeling of joy from just tearing ass down an unpaved, gravelly “road” with the confidence of wide rubber and powerful braking.
And that's what Motivation Monday is about. It's about what motivates me to get out and ride. For you, it doesn't have to be a new bike. It might be a new set of wheels, new bar tape, the first ride on a power meter, or whatever stokes your desire to ride.
Whatever it is, just find your stoke and build on it.
