gomango 

Jeesh, there are so many great bikes in this thread.

We ride off road constantly. I am in the process of shopping for a gravel road bike for the AGRS series this spring and summer.

I won't show pictures of most our mtbs we ride on fire roads near the cabin, but here are a few that get constant on and off road use.

My ss Miyata Trail Runner



My former 1986 Bruce Gordon Rock n' Road with "skinny" all road tires. I usually had 700x35 cyclocross tires on the bike.



My 1991 Casati Gold Line S. This bike gets ridden constantly in all kinds of conditions.



My former 2003 Bianchi Axis cyclocross. One stiff frame, but a great all road rider up at the cabin. The guy I sold it to has raced cross the last three falls. There isn't much left of it at this point.

gomango 

I use my PRs mostly on roads and have had good luck with long distances. Some occasional fire roads, so not nearly as tough of conditions as Cino Heroica I'd imagine.

They are wide though, and barely fit in the stays on my Hollands.



and a pic of the tread.

Drillium Dude 

^ Damn, that is a beauty Grady!

Too nice to be getting all dirty on a fire road

BTW, does your Ti post creak much? Mine does...maybe I need to smear a little more Phil grease on it...

DD

thirdgenbird

im always outclassed by grady

gomango 

Thanks. I'm in love with that bike.

The post?

Not so much as a squeak.

The tension adjustment bolts on Swifts.

Constantly.

Has turned into a routine maintenance piece like filling up the tires before a long ride.

I can't stand funny noises on any of my bikes, whether I paid $25 or $2,500.

Yep, let her have it with Phils. Problem goes away!

gomango 

Not true for an instant.

You've got boat loads of great bikes, and I'm sure at your age could ride me into the dirt.

I am getting getting skinnier and faster though, so try me by August.

thirdgenbird

i wouldnt call it a boat load, but i do have more than i need (4) and they are all nicer than i probably deserve. my winter has been busy with marriage, traveling, a new job, and some family events. right now i probably couldnt hang. hopefully i can turn things around quickly.

Drillium Dude 

I guess I'm safe since I'll be in MN and riding in early July

Going to town with some Phil...

DD

Sixty Fiver

I have found that most of my vintage road bikes handle rough roads with more grace than one would expect but then, many were made in an age when the roads were not the same as we have now and when many urban roads were not yet covered in pavement.

For going anywhere I like my vintage Moulden XC bike (c. 1990) the best as on many a given ride I will ride on road, trail, and singletrack and I like the versatility of the 2.0 semi slicks Schwalbe Hurricanes.



There is a path in there...







It opens up and turns into this...

RFC

Thanks to all of you for contributing to what is becoming a very interesting thread. I have a feeling that one of the reasons gravel grinding popularity is that, for those of us living in large metro areas (and those living in rural areas for opposite reasons) we are looking for variety in our riding. I do grow weary of riding the same road bike loops over and over in my area. Gravel grinding increases the choices for the ride/workout, and keeps us going. BTW, with all due respect to the universe of C&V members, I think this is a "riders" thread. And, I do lust after a Salsa Vaya Ti. In the meantime, here are the rest of my gravel grinders.

rothenfield1

I like the practicality of this bike much. With your experience as a wrench and a rider, I’m surprised some smart bike maker hasn’t consulted you.

Beautiful country BTW.

Sixty Fiver

I really love this bike... it is all steel and hits the curb at 23 pounds.

A smart bicycle manufacturer did contact me and we became partners and he has been teaching me how to hand build bicycles...

I have several people interested in a custom much like the Moulden (he retired from building) and there was a time when some of the larger bicycle manufacturers sent their people here to see what people were doing and some of those earlier designs or aspects of them found their way into many mainstream bicycles.

My neighbour worked as a designer for Rocky Mountain and a number of larger manufacturers in the 90's and developed a lot of early carbon fibre frames and components as well as for professional road racing... believe he can claim to have built the first CF wheels

It would be cool to work for a larger company in design and fabrication... my body is too busted up to be a test rider.

bibliobob

Holy crap, that's gorgeous. I'd be scared to take her on gravel for fear that it would chip the paint!

rat fink

I regularly ride significant distances on fire roads and trails with 23c tires:





When I get another set of tubulars I might try a slightly larger size of lightweight tire on the fuji, like 28. There's some pretty good videos of this (gravel grinding) from the clothing company Rapha that you guys might like.

XLR99

That's what I've been thinking looking through this thread. Lots of very nice bikes!!

20grit

This has become the plan for my Peugeot, I've just not gotten around to doing the build. The New River Trail is very close and is about 46 miles of fine gravel. This sort of bike is perfect for that trail.

mainstreetexile 

I usually just ride my Miyata 210 do-nearly-everything-bike with 32mm tires.

Here are some pictures from an "s24o" on the Pine Creek Rail Trail with my girlfriend this fall (I know, non-drive-side photos..)

mainstreetexile 

Nice bike, I like the setup/style. What make/model/year is it?

scozim 

Really interesting thread.

I'll ride my "driveway/road" with my Moto mixte and 27 X 1 1/4" Paselas but with the rock it can get pretty squirrely. The converted to drop bar Trek 800 Antelope is more stable with 26 C 1.75" Forte Gotham tires.

When I head to the hills around here it's all fire roads and gravel roads. In some places the rock is large and thick so I tend to stick the Scott mtb and Klein mtb and not take a road bike. However, I might have to rethink that this summer. There's A LOT of climbing there and my gearing might not be low enough to really enjoy it (39-28) is the lowest.

RFC

Thanks. It is a 1991 Bridgestone RB-T. The paint was shot so I had it powdercoated.

Drillium Dude 

Funny that you say that - because that was almost the point of this ride! I got the frame cheap at a swap meet and had it refinished, but it was always going to be my all-around weather/terrain bike because my initial investment was so small.

And in fact I did get a few "battle scars" on this ride - now I don't have to worry about it anymore

DD

plodderslusk

My plan for next summers gravelgrinding is to set up a very beatup 87 Team Miyata frame with a set of old Record hubbed tubular wheels with 28 mm Tufo CX-tires. I hope there is room enough. Not yet decided on drivetrain but will need quite low gears since I have some serious hills to climb. I,ll keep you posted on progress.

RobE30

I ride my whatever I'm on wherever I'm going. Some bikes do better on dirt, gravel or single track than others but all my bikes have been offroad @ least once. Here are a few pictures (because that's what this thread is about!)
74 International

90's Bianchi Volpe

74 Ted Williams 531

Bianchigirll 

WOW nice bikes in here. someone already said but I agree I can't believe you guys would take some of them off the paved roads.


Canals!! this reminds me of Yuma.

fender1

God, I hate Yuma........