1990's Mountain Bike Thread (aka the gravel bike thread)

I think it depends on what your "gravel" looks like too. I would not take super light, racy bike on this, for example:

why not?

Posted by: Sethimus

why not?

I think the thing that has changed is the term touring bike. I don't think they exist anymore. Tristan's touring bike is an mtb. Bikepacking covers such a broad array of terrain and bikes now and what was touring is such a small component of what is now bikepacking. As for your definition of a gravel bike being light and racey, that as well is a small component of gravel, but i wouldn't say everyone else's gravel bikes aren't. 

As for my bike project, I'm not sure what it will weigh. It all started with a set of old king hubs I salvaged off a bike I sold. They are 100x15 and 142x12 spacing. No bike uses those dimensions anymore, so custom it is and they seem pretty appropriate for a gravel bike. I'm going to build them up with cx ray spokes and Chinese carbon hoops. I'm thinking about a tompson seatpost and cockpit. I have some raceface cranks I'm going to get a double chainring for and am going to get some grx brakes and gears. All said, it will probably be around 22lbs. That being said, I'm 220lbs so what do I care if my bike is 2lbs heavier than yours? I think it will be a nice ride and I can do anything with it!

probably depends where you live. in europe with its long developed multinational cycling routes touring is still very alive. no need for rugged tires when every surface is smooth.

its rather hard to find longer gravel tours that really requires anything more than a 38c

Posted by: Sethimus

probably depends where you live. in europe with its long developed multinational cycling routes touring is still very alive. no need for rugged tires when every surface is smooth.

I toured in france with 1.25 " Tioga city slickers on a Kona mtnbike and did not find anywhere I needed more tire cuz they pave every thing, even the acess roads under the ski lifts were paved, they will sweep gravel off a mtn road the day after a huge storm and the drivers pay attention to bike riders.

Still I think 1.9 block pattern is a better choice for touring good traction and not too heavey

There's a lot of area/classifications between a road bike and an mtb hardtail (obviously).  I think what would interest me is something fairly capable that could be used for bikepacking/touring but also not boring AF and a slog on road.  The super slack hta and high trail measurements of modern hardtails make for boring when not on single track.  I think what's currently defined as atb (all terrain bike) is the sweetspot for my non-mtb jack of all trades bike.  Lots of options out there I hope?

Posted by: BC_Nuggets

There's a lot of area/classifications between a road bike and an mtb hardtail (obviously).  I think what would interest me is something fairly capable that could be used for bikepacking/touring but also not boring AF and a slog on road.  The super slack hta and high trail measurements of modern hardtails make for boring when not on single track.  I think what's currently defined as atb (all terrain bike) is the sweetspot for my non-mtb jack of all trades bike.  Lots of options out there I hope?

I'm aiming to build up a bike in that zone too - I've got a Stooge Scrambler on order, and want to build it up with drop bars, a short stem, and fattish tires. Should fit in well between my go-fast gravel/pavement bike (Otso Warakin) and my monster truck (Surly Ice Cream Truck). I think I'll be able to ride mild-medium singletrack and chunky gravel/forest roads. Kind of in line with the Surly Ghost Grappler, the Salsa Fargo, or the Tanglefoot Moonshiner.

Hubba

https://theradavist.com/pushing-rigid-mtb-geometry-a-review-of-the-stooge-cycles-scrambler/

Posted by: BC_Nuggets

There's a lot of area/classifications between a road bike and an mtb hardtail (obviously).  I think what would interest me is something fairly capable that could be used for bikepacking/touring but also not boring AF and a slog on road.  The super slack hta and high trail measurements of modern hardtails make for boring when not on single track.  I think what's currently defined as atb (all terrain bike) is the sweetspot for my non-mtb jack of all trades bike.  Lots of options out there I hope?

I've tried all sorts of bikes in the Roadie, All Road, ATB, Gravel-esque, touring, bikepacking, MTB rigid/hardtail categories. They each have their charm, but ultimately I sold everything and kept the rigid XC-ish MTB and the modern trail MTB hardtail. I'll do a 100kms in a normal day and up to ~200kms in a big day on either of those on pavement or gravel/dirt road. I don't find them a slog at all. I mean if I did I would have kept something else. I do love their versatility in the sense I can ride road if that's what's on the menu and I can also smash out fairly challenging MTB trails as well and basically I know whatever is around the corner the bike is up for it. That's great for touring/exploring or when you can only take 1 bike on a trip and don't really know what to expect.

Interestingly when I first started this process of culling the herd if you had asked me I would have told you I would settle on an All Road/Gravel-ish bike, but when push came to shove I didn't. 

I guess I don't know what you mean by "boring when not on single track" in reference to MTBs. I mean riding roads dirt or paved is kind of boring on anything compared to singletrack. Long straight lines with the odd curve. No technical sections unless you hit a stretch of potholes. I'm not sure what geo tweaks would make that more exciting really. I tend to ride roads only as far as I need to for transportation purposes or to connect more interesting riding. That still amounts to a lot of road riding so I wouldn't do it on a machine I hate riding that sort of terrain. I've ridden bikes with more classic road geo and older NORBA XC geo and they are twitchy/sketchy so they take more attention, but given roads are built for cars driving 50kph+ it's not like that level of direction buys you anything, but more chance to crash if you are not on your game. 

That said when I built my first modern geo hardtail I was a little concerned it wouldn't be as much fun to ride on the road simply based on lingering geo biases, but it worked great and really opened my eyes to the versatility of that platform.

If you are willing to build from a frame up or buy a complete and swap around parts there are lots of interesting options that would fall under the broad ATB category.

The Stooge bikes look great. I took a deeper dive recently into all their models. I was a bit disappointed with the tire clearance in the rear, but admittedly I am a 29+ weirdo so most people should be happy with the rubber they can fit. I've debated with myself whether I could make 27+ work, but I've always hated being constrained by rear tire clearance and I'd have to but new wheels so that makes me hesitant. They do small batches so who knows they may cycle through a 29+ frame/fork with geo/features I would be keen on. I'll definitely keep my eye on them. There are some really lovely builds floating around the internet and lots of happy owner reports.

I pivoted back to my OG Surly Krampus and figured out some ergonomic changes that resolved some issues I was having with it. The 2022 me wants higher bars/more upright riding position than the 2013 me that cut the steerer. The Krampus has that great advantage that it's paid for.

Posted by: Vikb

The Stooge bikes look great. I took a deeper dive recently into all their models. I was a bit disappointed with the tire clearance in the rear, but admittedly I am a 29+ weirdo so most people should be happy with the rubber they can fit. 

I am also a 29+ weirdo, so I would like some more clearance in the rear, but I'm going to give Andy's BMX-esque "bigger in the front for cushion, smaller in the back for faster spin-up" a try. Probably 2.6/2.8 in the front, 2.35 rear. I'm living in Europe for a couple years, so I'm hoping that will suit me well for stuff like the HT550, Dead Ends & Cake, etc.

Posted by: TristanC

I am also a 29+ weirdo, so I would like some more clearance in the rear, but I'm going to give Andy's BMX-esque "bigger in the front for cushion, smaller in the back for faster spin-up" a try.

I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts and seeing some fine Stooge porn.

https://theradavist.com/pushing-rigid-mtb-geometry-a-review-of-the-stooge-cycles-scrambler/

A great review of the stooge scrambler by Morgan.