Cheers!
Tires I’m referring to are XR2/SE2. I realize they are way more knobby they are more XC than gravel but so is most North Shore gravel riding maybe?!
The answer to the wheelbase question climbing usually is ‘single speed.’ I’m out of the saddle so can lean the bike over significantly more that when seated which really helps around tight switchbacks. There’s only one corner on R&R I can think of that was easier on my V1 but I can still semi-regularly make it on V2.
Steep climbs the traction is awesome in part thanks to the long stays. Again, SS I straightline some tech climbs that I’m much more finessed up on my FS/geared bike. I guess I’d caution anyone from trying to apply my geo experiences wholesale to a multi-speed bike.
I haven’t felt close to endoing V2 with either setup. It’s long and slack. However, I have overshot a number of sections running rigid as V2 is a surprising amount faster than V1 and fully bottoming my ‘suspension’ missing a roll and landing to flat instead is what caused an elbow issue I’ve been managing. The CushCore Plus insert certainly makes a big difference but at the end of the day it’s not a suspension fork.
May 11, 2020, 10:41 a.m. - Andrew Major
Cheers! Tires I’m referring to are XR2/SE2. I realize they are way more knobby they are more XC than gravel but so is most North Shore gravel riding maybe?! The answer to the wheelbase question climbing usually is ‘single speed.’ I’m out of the saddle so can lean the bike over significantly more that when seated which really helps around tight switchbacks. There’s only one corner on R&R I can think of that was easier on my V1 but I can still semi-regularly make it on V2. Steep climbs the traction is awesome in part thanks to the long stays. Again, SS I straightline some tech climbs that I’m much more finessed up on my FS/geared bike. I guess I’d caution anyone from trying to apply my geo experiences wholesale to a multi-speed bike. I haven’t felt close to endoing V2 with either setup. It’s long and slack. However, I have overshot a number of sections running rigid as V2 is a surprising amount faster than V1 and fully bottoming my ‘suspension’ missing a roll and landing to flat instead is what caused an elbow issue I’ve been managing. The CushCore Plus insert certainly makes a big difference but at the end of the day it’s not a suspension fork.