How To Avoid These 8 Gravel Riding Mistakes
Вставка
- Опубліковано 30 тра 2024
- Gravel riding is becoming ever more popular, and all of the GCN presenters have now taken part in at least one gravel event - except Dan Lloyd! We've made all the mistakes, and learnt a thing or two in how to avoid them, so here is a list of all the basic mistakes you could be making, and how you can make sure they don't happen to you!
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:34 - Loose bolts and lost bottles
1:39 - Picking the wrong trail
2:32 - Sliding Out In Corners
3:45 - Pumping up tyres too hard
4:36 - Wearing the wrong shoes
5:34 - Don't sweat the bags!
6:10 - Enjoy gravel culture
7:03 - Don't go off too hard
Useful Links:
Adventure Documentaries, Exclusive Shows & Live Racing on GCN+: gcn.eu/plus
Download the GCN App for free: gcn.eu/app
Visit the GCN Shop: gcn.eu/winter-kit
Join the GCN Club: www.gcnclub.com/
Do you have any gravel tips? Let us know in the comments below!👇
Watch more on GCN...
📹 Epic Greek Gravel Odyssey! 👉 gcn.eu/olympus
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 gcn.eu/editorschoice
📹 Or why not check out our Features Playlist 👉 gcn.eu/gcnfeatures
🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
Against the Clock
Bruiser - Bonkers Beat Club
Just Like Magic - Soara
Memory Capsule - Dip Diet
Yhello - Lofive
#gcn #cycling #roadbike #gravelride #gravelbike #gravelriding #biketips #cyclingtips
Photos: © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Bettiniphoto / www.bettiniphoto.net/
The Global Cycling Network (GCN) is the largest online cycling channel in the world, bringing together a global community of road cyclists to celebrate everything that’s great about the world of cycling.
Our videos bring fans compelling daily content including expert tutorials, techniques, training, racing, cutting-edge bike tech, unparalleled behind the scenes event coverage, humour, entertainment, and more.
Presented by ex-pro riders, GCN offers a uniquely qualified insight into the world of cycling, and most importantly it’s fuelled by our passionate and enthusiastic fans - everyone who makes up the GCN community. We also bring the latest and greatest tech to your attention, showcase the best places in the world to ride and get exclusive access to events and races.
Welcome to the Global Cycling Network | Inside Cycling
Thanks to our sponsors:
Castelli Clothing: gcn.eu/Castelli
Giro Helmets: gcn.eu/Giro
Pinarello Bikes: gcn.eu/Pinarello
Zipp Wheels: gcn.eu/Zipp
Topeak Tools: gcn.eu/Topeak
Canyon Bikes: gcn.eu/-Canyon
Pirelli Tyres: gcn.eu/Pirelli
Orbea Bikes: gcn.eu/Orbea
Vision Wheels: gcn.eu/Vision
Wahoo Fitness: gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fitness
Park Tool: gcn.eu/-parktool
Elite Bottles: gcn.eu/EliteBottles
Whoop Fitness: gcn.eu/Whoop
Komoot: gcn.eu/komoot
Selle Italia: gcn.eu/SelleItalia
SIS: gcn.eu/ScienceInSport
Zwift: gcn.eu/Zwift
Shimano Wheels: gcn.eu/Shimano
Shadow Stand: gcn.eu/ShadowStand
DMT Shoes: gcn.eu/DMT
Muc-Off: gcn.eu/MucOff
Watch our sister channels:
GCN Tech - / gcntech
GCN Racing - / gcnracing
Global Triathlon Network - / gtn
GCN Italia - / gcnitalia
GCN en Español - / gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch - / gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Français - / gcnenfrancais
GCN Japan - / gcnjapan
GCN Training - / gcntraining
Global Mountain Bike Network - / gmbn
GMBN Tech - / gmbntech
Electric Mountain Bike Network - / embn - Спорт
Yesterday I was on a road bike ride and passed a gravel road. I pulled a u-turn and decided to try out my endurance bike (Giant Defy Advanced) on the gravel for the first time. It was great (I didn't ride fast)! Smooth, predictable, no issues and it took me back to a remote pond that I never would have gone to. It reminded me of when I was a kid and had one bike that I road everywhere. We humans tend to get a little too specialized sometimes and forget that maybe our bike is a little more versatile than we think. Get a bike and ride it everywhere you can!
Agreed.
100% this. The greatest joy for me is being able to just go exploring, and IMO there’s no better tool for that than a gravel bike.
I love riding my regular road bike on maintained gravel. I love riding my gravel bike on trails that are a bit too timid to have fun with on my mountain bikes.
what's 'maintained gravel'? (I live in Cumbria! :-) )
Hey GCN. You guys and gals should come and ride our 200km gravel trail called " Le Ptit Train du Nord " located 30min north of Montréal, Québec Canada. It's the old railroad track that helped colonise the Laurentian mountains north of Montréal. It is now a gravel trail dotted with small towns and for Manon's happiness, cafés. It stretches between Mont-Laurier to St-Jérôme. Beautiful trail in the forest following the "Rivière du Nord". I commute on it everyday. Come for a visit.
Tabernic! Sounds great!
Mont Laurier to Tremblant is paved but Tremblant to St Jerome is fine crushed rock
@joseph Levacher Très intéressant, merci pour la découverte! Tu l’as fait ?
This was my first ever gravel ride. Amazing views and lovely people along the way! Highly recommend too
Old railroad track makes nice bike path - gravel used under rails packs into hard and smooth surface, especially if grass keeps it together. Usually gradient is quite friendly even for single speed bikes and old stations are around villages or small towns so access to water and food is possible.More fun than riding hot tarmac with cars passing you right by shoulder.
For the loose bolts get some locktite blue and get it on the bolt before screwing it in, it'll keep the bolts in place even during the rattliest of rides! Plus since it's only blue locktite you can still remove bolts as necessary.
I do 56km gravel races - it may not seem giant to most but it’s long enough for me to get my heart rate up, get sore & push it a bit more than a casual ride. You don’t have to do 500km & totally break yourself like GCN to have fun
She literally said they did other rides (more casual ones) besides the long 500 km ones 😂
Got my 'first' new bike in 22 years today. Mostly set up other than the expected adjustments.... They had kindly pumped my gravel bike tires up to 85 psi. I thought that was wrong and clearly it was! Otherwise very happy and have immediately realisedIi need to work up to long-distance again! Love the content and keep it up :D
From my former running coach in DC with Capital Area Runners, with most all distances above 5k races, the mantra is always “Start slow, finish strong.”
I've bought a Cannondale Gravel bike and I absolutely love it! Thanks for your tips for the beginners like me!
Topstone 4?
Found my first gravel bike I fell in love at first sight with (Rock Machine Gravelride 500) in one shop just two months ago, after 3 months of occasionally visiting bike shops (shortage of bikes over here). Started rides in 20-30 km range, the last one was 60 km and I felt it was maybe 10 km too long for my fitness yet. But I do enjoy it which means a lot to me - a person who just physically works and the rest of the day sits at a computer during workdays and rests over the weekend.
Good job! Keep at it!
Awesome, thanks for the insight!
Ive not done any gravel rides, but i do like to go from road to gravel just for fun . I like the ability of some versatility to my riding. I may try a short gravel some day. I run 30-35 lbs on the Spesh TL Pro series. Very comfy
Should I change my mountain bike for a gravel bike. I do mainly highways and paved side rows to walk my bike to a secret place in the woods where I lock it up and hike to my canoe. Can I be your virtual grandad. I am 73 and have no car. The bike is my only form of transit. I have to say it is heavy with a steel frame. I am thinking of aluminum frame to reduce the weight by ten pounds. Do I need clipless pedals. Right now I use convertible pedals.
No, you don’t need to bolt on a dozen different bags, but consider bringing more water, food, and tools when leaving the tarmac. Drinking fountains and other aids aren’t as plentiful or accessible in the backcountry, so the little things can become really important (like having a zip tie to fix a loose bottle cage)
Helpful; I'm just beginning with the Priority Apollo 11. I've done some gravel riding with commuter geometry, but I still need to get out on those rides with my new gravel bike to feel the difference.
In the USA, if you want to find UK style gravel, you should visit the the wet side of mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Always wet, very rocky, very roots, lots of single track, only use endurance casing tires.
Yeah I was like what?! But then I just finished a ride in the lost coast of Northern California. That was some steep rutty trails!
I use Sealey SCS271S Stud Lock "High Strength" on all my off-road bike bolts. Its Sealey's answer to red Loctite but is nowhere near as strong (kind of crap in comparison really), it falls somewhere between Loctite Blue and Red and closer to blue. But I almost never have bolts rattle loose anymore and its no issue to remove. When my Loctite blue runs out I will probably start using it on all my bikes to be honest because its like £7 a bottle Vs. £18 for Loctite Blue and it does a better job.
グラベル初心者です。とても良い動画で、これからのライドの参考になりました。ありがとうございます😊
Good advice. I just got back from a rattler than usual ride. You guessed it - I'd lost a rack mount bolt.
Luckily I have a few soares and a new bottle of loctite. But next time, I'll defo check em all before I set off.
Cheers
Dan definitely needs to complete a gravel ride, this week he said he needed to get back on his bike, it’s a perfect time of the year to be gravel riding 😊
I had my bottle cages come loose on my gravel bike too. I had thought I didn't install them properly, or that using anti-seize (it's also my winter commuter and doesn't get to dry off for a month at a time) was a problem. I never had that happen before in such a short period of time, but didn't make the connection to gravel riding.
Excellent thank you!
Great video! Would you recommend suspension stem and/or seatpost for gravel, and why?
The tire pressure and the choose your terrain carefully tips can make a huge difference. The wider the tire the lower the pressure it can support and it makes a huge difference over the rocky road BUT it increases the risk of a snake-bite puncture... I once hit a small rock on a double track on 30km/h, 40 minutes (on the bike) away from civilization on both directions... After I replaced my tube, when on tarmac again trying to catch up on the lost time in a great descent the was this massive crater of a hole in the road and it cut my newly installed tube right through 🤣🤣.... Fortunately enough a friend picked me up after that.
Thanks for sharing! What an adventure 😬 Glad you got home safe!
Over where I live, most of our gravel rides are still at least 50% paved. So I run my Speedplay Zeros for most gravel rides. But let me tell you! Getting clipped back in after putting your Zero cleat into mud is... Challenging! 😂
Always wondered, why Manon rides a road bike with "only" Ultegra mechanical. Now we can see where her budget went, and let me say Congrats! You can see the energy and happiness she got from this beautiful bike.
Aussitôt reçu (en avance) aussitôt testé et approuvé ! Je recommande ! Merci
Thank you my favourite Brit for the sound advice.
Love the super duper. Great info. My wife said she needs to see you more,on the network.😊
Have you worked though all the other Manon videos? 👀
Great video Manon! All great points! Super content and we know from the Paris to Ancaster and Steamboat Gravel videos that you have the chops! No problem to get Dan to try Gravel: just tell him that mirco brews sponsor many and there is beer at the end!
BTW I have found that water skiing some time in life is the best training for the light but controlled touch you need on bars, saddle and semi crouch position. Gravel needs similar handling to going over in and out of motorboat wake.
"wow!" at 0:06 - i laughed so hard. thanks manon. :)
Nice hints.
How do you prevent inhaling gravel dust when riding with large groups or on the same roads as vehicles?
Would buying an aftermarket bolt kit make the bike look much better and help with keeping the bolts in place. Especially if it comes with matching spring washers?
Omg the 'wah' in the intro is too good 😂
i would love to see dan lloyd do a gravel race
We would too!
Love to see Manon do the Tour Divide?
😂
@@ax1066a-ghd2 we probably wouldn't see him again 😀
@@gcn "YES!!" make Dan do a gravel race!
4:29... she says 30psi, but the tire says minimum 36psi. I own same kind of tires, and always wonder what to do? I can't find any information on the internet, would GCN be able to clarify? This been a problem for me all season long. It seems like only Pirelli tires have this problem. All the gravel experts like Manon says 25-35psi, but Pirelli says other wise. Is it safe to go lower than what Pirelli states?
For bolts also check the chainring. I lost 3 of 4 bolts and had to use a zip-tie repair to get to the shop. Proud for the repair but embarrassed i hadn’t checked the bolts sooner. Wont happen again (until it happens again)
Thanks Manon!
It's not that the US has nice gravel roads, it's that you're mistaking our asphalt (what you call tarmac) for gravel. 😛
This. /cries in Texas
Bike looks awesome 👌
Good information!! More importantly, get Dan back on the bike on camera!
Thanks for the FYI as I am getting a gravel bike..
What Orbea bike is that, gorgeous 🚴♀️👍
In case you didn't find out yet and you're still interested, it's a terra. 😉
@@janmatz thank you, yes been looking at getting one 👌
Well done another enthusiastic clip with common sense advice from Manon. Now, Where's me wellies for my gravel ride??
Wellies?! That might be worse than using road shoes on gravel...
@@gcn Steve Jones from EMBN would like a word...
@@gcn The puddles have fish in them around these parts in the Autumn 😂😂
0:57 how about bringing a multitool so if something works loose you can actually tighten it?
Thanks! Now it's time to jump on my gravel bike and invent some new mistakes. : )
P.s. in my road shoes. (MTB shoes are ordered...)
Thanks Manon and crew...first race , slammed a hole , lost both bottles...kept going. Got dropped ..lost , in woods ! Yep...LEARN the route , or get a good map . The race ended up being ten miles longer than I was told , and my friend , guide , experienced rider......never showed up ...yep It was a very very long day. BUT..ended at a Brewery!
My thoughts: 1 Don't grip too tight. You'll want to steer against the bumps but trust your bike wants to go straight. 2 When drafting keep your mouth shut. Gravel will be flying. 3 gravel consumes a lot of watts. Prepare to be humbled. :-)
Solid advice!
Not me coming from trail and enduro riding and using the gravel bike as if it were a cross country and dropping both cross country and roady mfs… after climbing a 16 kg full suspension trail bike on a lot of tarmac, my gravel bike feels like a feather. Love it
what is the minimum thicknes of a gravel cycle'S tyres?
Bold of GCN to give gravel tips when they bag on it every chance they get
You look like You have The Perfect Build!!
What bike is on the video?
That last advice feels like life advice 👍
An academic teaching business at university to a real-world businesswoman is like a penguin teaching a seagull how to catch fish in the ocean.
Just like a Peloton rider who's never felt the thrill of gravel under their tires! 🐧🚴♂🤣
Nice video
Send Dan Lloyd to Gravel Worlds!! Lincoln, Nebraska He will love it and there is beer waiting for him a the finish!!
Bravo bravo. Great info well presented. Yeah gravel That's my new curiosity. Very very interesting
Must look more into this phenomenon of gravel. Hmmm.
Edit: oh yeah almost forgot
Great video question is can you keepemcoming
Gravel Schmavel..... Now the winter is here my trusty road bike is on the turbo, the winter road bike is almost ready, but if I'm going anywhere off road- from FIRE ROAD to Cairngorm Plateau it's the KTM E-MTB....(I've got a Carrera Vulcan 26er with 100mm of travel, does exactly what a "gravel" bike can do without the sore wrists or pretentiousness)
Nice tire pumping form
Fair play, Manon! Superb content.
Watch out for blackberry bush vines, one wrapped around my cranks and pulled my bike backwards! Crashed and still hurt two weeks later.
Thankfully not a mistake I made but one I have seen a lot of people make. It is not cleaning the top of their bottles after riding through rain or other runoff near a ranch or farm. Nothing like a side of pesticides and/or manure with your hydration mix.
0:06 for the sound of pure absolute speed
Does Dan know there are breweries you can ride to on a gravel bikepacking ride?
I say gravel riding without at least a front suspension is a form of masochism. change my mind
Helpful, butt why so down on bags. Have a trunk bag, and a small bar bag.. tubes, tools food during fall spring time extra shed clothing. Maybe a danish or a nice pastry. Didnt know i was the cool kid, wow feels good.
Think it's more the idea of people overdoing it with all the equipment and thinking it means if they don't have three plus bags on their bike they can't go for a ride over a certain distance. Bags are convenient. But for most stuff a handlebar bag will do fine for day rides. You could even get all your equipment in your pockets for most rides, if we are honest. Bags can be very convenient, though. But they aren't the be all or end all of participation in long distance gravel.
@@statosphereonline2008 ok i didnt know the bag riders and the no bag riders were opposed to each other. I drop my bags for speed runs. Sorta makes sense.
@@willmo1725 yeah idk I think bags or no bags is fine. It's whatever works for you. I wouldn't say opposed but I think some people can over accessorise, you know? Get so hung up on fitting all their equipment they forget to just go out and ride their bike. I realised on my road rides I used to take two water bottles for hour long rides but then I noticed once that I never even drank from the bottle on hour long rides. Now I ditch the bottles and take a 200ml runner's squeezable pouch bottle thing that fits a pocket on the back of my jersey.
Now I am two bottles of water lighter on my speed runs. :) Just don't need em but was always worried I would get thirsty. Same applies to gravel when it comes to having more bags than you need I reckon.
Each to their own, though. If you want lots of bags for your gear that's also great! People Just need to not let it interfere with whether they ride or not.
Broke my collarbone turning onto gravel from a road in the new forest 4 years ago and I still haven't got my confidence back properly on the loose stuff...
You mentioned to keep a check on bolts. Also check drivetrain more often as well. The grit and grime seems to wear on chains and bottom brackets. Especially if ridden in some places like I've been where the dirt is really fine.
Don't forget a paint stirrer if there will be any muddy sections. You'll be glad when you have to clear the mud between your wheels and your frame or derailleur
Guilty of wrong shoes, lose bottle cage, and over inflated tires.
One GCN may have forgotten because they normally have support: WATER! I did a 40 miler recently with only two bottles and ran out of water. I was in this super lonely road. No one around for miles. So yeah, make sure you carry extra water and/or plan your route through a town where you can re-supply.
My biggest gravel riding mistake was avoiding it, thinking I'd need a gravel bike or mtb to ride those routes.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not racing, and of course a gravel bike will be more confortable and faster, but if you always avoid gravel routes you never learn that they're often way more fun than the boring smooth straight asphalt roads. 😁
My biggest mistake was assuming a road bike cannot do (light) gravel. Not only possible with 28mm but especially with modern road bikes with bigger tire clearance like 32 or 35mm you can get even some comfort on light gravel.
One might even be able to win a gravel world championship on one…
2:32 How to corner on gravel is a tip I could have used earlier this year. I took a corner too fast, too loose and with too much air in the tyres. 7 stiches.
manon is just facts!
Manon needs to see some of the roads I have seen in the US. I would be happy to show her a few that are not exactly smooth.
most important bring extra water with you on road you can stop in cafes but on gravel, you can go for miles without drinkable water
Facts. Can also tire yourself out a lot more quickly due to the more unforgiving terrain, despite going a lot slower. Can quickly work up a thirst and a sweat and realise you need more water than you thought.
I felt that gravel corner one. A few months ago I decided to take a shortcut trough some gravel, I did not take into account the speed I had trough a corner. Paid for it with a lot of skin.
Ouch 🤕
Once hit the dirt on a freshly graveled path. Turns out they probably ordered too much, because there was a good 10cm of gravel on the path, and when turning into the path, my back wheel plowed through the gravel like a speedboat through the water.
Biggest gravel mistake was taking a different route home from work on my road bike and ended up going down a mountain bike trail 😩
For the trails you are using you really need nice, fairly light, but suspended, XC bicycles.
They managed just fine with rigid in the 80s and 90s.
Nope
Tyre pressure can be tricky. Most routes will have a fair amount of tarmac roads, so often you need to find a balance I've found.
Depends on the rider's weight too
It's a real trial and error type of thing - it depends on the surfaces, the rider weight and they tyre width!
Also depends if you're running tubeless or not! Too low with tubes and you're risking a pinch puncture.
@@runeyt I went 3 years without a puncture, now I've had 3 in 3 months. Think I'm going tubeless over winter
@@nk-dw2hm well worth it but use Stan's or Orange Endurance sealant. Also worth carrying Stan's darts. In 2.5 years I've only had one cut that didn't seal - was about 5mm. Stan's dart sorted it.
Guys, surely “Dan does Dirt” is a new miniseries already in the pipeline, which will see Dan doing various gruelling gravel events all over the country/world? Could include his musings on the finishers’ ales at the end of each episode too!
Dirty Dan and the Brews
I forget about the older crew because they never let them on camera anymore. I miss those guys 😞
Not for a family audience
1:44 - "It's probably not relevant to those of you who live in America that have the nicest, smoothest gravel roads in the world." -- She seems to be imagining that all gravel/dirt roads in America are like the ones she rode on in Colorado or other places out West. I'm from Maine and we have nothing like that here. Our dirt roads turn to mud in the spring and most of them aren't well maintained. For a couple of years I lived on a dirt road that I could barely drive on with an ordinary car, even in the middle of the summer when it was all dry, because I didn't have enough ground clearance to deal with the deep ruts and large rocks embedded in the ground. And in the spring, forget about it. One time I walked down that road and saw a Jeep CJ-7 with a lift kit and brand new 35" Super Swamper tires on it, buried in the mud up to its rocker panels. They had to get a skidder to drag it out of there.
Loose gravel is always a problem and I find myself thinking, perhaps a mountain bike would do better. Then again, most of the road on a trip is on tarmac.
That's the best thing about a gravel bike - it's a do it ALL!
MVDP is taking careful notes from this video ahead of his first gravel race
Nah, he’s more preoccupied with choosing the right hotel to stay in
Suggestion for next video: Mannon’s 8 Mountain Bike rookie mistakes to avoid.
A frame bag of some kind would be handy for some tools for fixing the odd problem like er oooo I don’t know, a loose water bottle cage maybe 😬
Tight bottle holder bolts have little effect if you only have one bottle (like in the video) and follow the true spirit of gravel riding (ie going for a +-200 mile ride).
This is like a video from the early 90s explaining how to ride a mountain bike off road 😆
Use blue thread locker on your bolts, and then tighten to spec.
Cyclocross is as far as I go. I am happy to ride gravel on a CX bike, but my limit is at 33 mm tyres. After that, it’s mountain biking
i love the " bum bag "
My newbie mistake years back was not checking the topography for a super short distance at the end of my ride to get to a state park where I planned to camp off-trail. The park was right next to the trail so I didn't even bother to route it or map it. Yes it was right next to the trail… at the top of a cliff 👁👄👁
Ah... oh no! how did it work out in the end? 👀
TI frame and suspension stem sorted
The first gravel riding mistake to avoid is riding gravel. 😂
Seems to me, a gravel bike should have some suspension, both the smooth out some of the bumps and maintain better traction.
As an old MTB'er (60 years old and riding dirt since the early 70's in BMX) I welcome this video and anyone onto dirt 🙂
But am slightly confused about your comment on the bags @5:35... what's up with that?
Do people really think they need bags to ride gravel? 🤔
It's the thought they're ready for anything - be it puncture, loose bolt or very bad weather. Gravel bike is good it can be used as a touring bike. Depends on the user's needs.
Over here, in my city, most bikes are MTBs, have at least one bag, and a case for smartphone on top frame tube (probably navigation?). Though good half of bikes are already e-bikes...
And you can argue you don't need anything on MTB either, to have it as light as possible.
@@Hawky2947 Yeah, on my MTB (and depending on the length of the ride) I carry mostly water and a few tools, but that's only a little backpack.
Never have I bolted a bag on the bike, I feel any extra weight hinders manoeuvrability
I like a carbon seatpost or even a suspension one for all those bumps. I spend a good deal of time up off the saddle, but you can only be up so long.
I'm sorry, I didn't hear a word you said. My eyes were fixed on that bike. Man, I think I need a moment to myself before I watch this clip again. 😳
Ook!!! If your following a cycle rout! But if your on road tracks that your sent down a gravel track with an an off bike , what are you supposed too do???? But what about punching????😮😮😢😢❤❤❤
bottle cage for me. I ended up crashing pretty hard because I was trying to fix my bottle. Wasn't pretty. Yes tighten everything before an event for sure.