Mixed “Surface” Rides
 

I love these mixed surface rides, where I have an idea of a direction I’m heading but make last minute decisions on the specific route. Probably my favourite riding!

I know a picture is worth a thousand words, but I didn’t take my phone on today’s mixed surface ride (and this was more than a variety of surfaces, maybe the other term is locations? You can help define). I’ll list the locations and surfaces on this short (25k ride):

- rolled off my driveway onto my paved local street in my neighborhood
​​​​​​- main road was busy so I jumped a curb up onto the sidewalk for 1km (38mm Barlow Pass about 5x more comfy than my 25mm road tires)
- cut through an auto body parking lot that was empty
- onto a smooth paved path that runs along an industrial road
- onto a street out of town (passing last street light I would see until I return)
- 2km on a crushed stone trail running alongside a forest
- cobble path running along a road in an upscale neighborhood
- 15% climb up a twisty, gravel road (closed winter months)
- left onto a small section of an established trail system, mix of gravel, dirt, wood chips, wooden bridges, pine needles, single track with easy to avoid rocks and roots, small grass section running along a touristy farm house (that is occupied but public allowed in the area)
- paused in a forest leaning my bike on a sign with information about the trees in that area
- reversed the route home but went through a gate to a water reservoir seeing some deer and lots of birds, up a steep grass/dirt climb onto my street and then home

Sure I could do this on any bike, but my allroad bike eats this up 😁

It would seem that most of us - BF riders who classify themselves as 'gravel' riders because we ride 'gravel' type surfaces and with bikes between the 'road' and 'mtb' idioms, ride mixed surfaces.
Certainly there are riders who might live on a dirt road and their tires can go round without touching 'pavement/tarmac/concrete' for an entire ride, but most cover 'mixed' surface.
It's a great story (as are all bike rides) which rarely gets play in the online forums. Sometimes a pic or 2, but rarely a whole 'story'.
I very much enjoyed @Noonievut 's post/story in words, fully enjoying put my own metal images to the sections.
But I would also enjoy having a poster's images in place with the verbal imagery of the story.
It's rarely done and really the locus and focus of our rides, the equipment, the 'feel' of what we experience.
It would be great to have a 'Thread' - sticky thread - devoted to 'A Ride Story'. Something which brings across the ride, the feel, the experience, in words and maybe 5 or 6 images, and whatever else fits/helps.
A 'Short Story', done for gravel riding. 'O. Henry' for the bike...
It might not be an easy thing, but when one does something like this, they get to do the 'ride' one more time; in the recollection and the telling. It also focuses the attention more acutely on future rides.
I'll try that for some future ride...
In the meantime...
Hey Mods for CX and Gravel Forum - why not make the "Gravel RIde Pics' a sticky, so it's always up top, for all of us to see, admire, and remind...
Ride On
Yuri

Yah, I've created some 36mm Conti GP5000 tires that rule on a fast group ride, yet eat up class 1 & 2 gravel and horrid chip seal. Its been a long time grail to have a bike as fast as my track bike, yet doesn't hold me back on any outdoor ride due ride surfaces. at 38psi they are nice and cush, yet have about 1/2 the rolling resistance of a typical gravel tire. I can have the fun of mountain biking without driving to a trail head! :-)

How wide of an internal rim do you need to get 32mm GP5K to push out to 36mm?

29 internal. The rim is rated for 35mm, and the tire measures just under 36 - its nice and snug. Never had so much fun on a non mountain bike. Some day Conti will make a 35mm version (fingers crossed).

I've read so many people having issues with those tires, specifically the tubeless version. Have you had any problems?

https://www.continental-tires.com/bi...and-prix-urban
35mm, black or tan wall, only 15g heavier than GP5k S TR 32, and almost the same measured rolling resistance.

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...and-prix-urban

Yeah, I don't care if this is called gravel, urban, mixed, or whatever -- for me, it's called "a typical bike ride," and I love to do it on 650b X 47, with or without gears.

It's my favorite kind of riding, as well. :thumb:

Schwalbe makes a 34mm of the Pro One FWIW.