My new "adventure bike"
11-02-16, 06:59 AM
#26
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Your gearing is the first I have seen that would be acceptable. A lot of the gravel bikes seem to
have 48/46 large and 36 small CW, which with an 11-28 cassette is a bit steep for off pave
around here. 46/32 would be a nice compromise with an 11-32, although a 12-34 might be
even better. On the road 34CW/32 cassette is all I need but gravel is a bit steeper than most
paved roads. Holding off on pulling the trigger but gravel really looks attractive, except for
the fact that most gravel close in tends to be private property and one has to drive 30-50
miles for national forest gravel, of which there is a huge network (but no services of course).
At 73, a minor concern is lack of cell service and population on the forest service gravel so
any misadventure might be a problem. Local gravel group does 50-80 mile rides on gravel/
pavement mixes.
have 48/46 large and 36 small CW, which with an 11-28 cassette is a bit steep for off pave
around here. 46/32 would be a nice compromise with an 11-32, although a 12-34 might be
even better. On the road 34CW/32 cassette is all I need but gravel is a bit steeper than most
paved roads. Holding off on pulling the trigger but gravel really looks attractive, except for
the fact that most gravel close in tends to be private property and one has to drive 30-50
miles for national forest gravel, of which there is a huge network (but no services of course).
At 73, a minor concern is lack of cell service and population on the forest service gravel so
any misadventure might be a problem. Local gravel group does 50-80 mile rides on gravel/
pavement mixes.
11-03-16, 05:04 PM
#27
Road Runner
Thread Starter
Living in a more "rural" state, I'm in a heavily populated suburb, but can ride about two miles and find myself on a gravel road network that stretches for miles northward from here. There are sufficient paved roads, but the best sights to be seen are back on the gravel backroads that thru motorists avoid. Everything from cottages and shacks to luxurious estates and horse farms. The photo in my OP is typical of the wooded areas.
11-04-16, 07:19 AM
#28
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Gravel bike popularity, style, and perhaps the growth of our aging demographic seem to be swinging the pendulum towards more compact cranks being on the market. I'm hoping that by the time I'm ready to make a purchase, maybe even FSA will offer a 46/30 on the crank spec'ed for the VR5 so Felt can continue to hit their price-point.
11-04-16, 07:48 AM
#29
don't try this at home.
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Wow, that's a nice gravel road. Scenic! The bike looks great.
I wanted a "do it all" bike a few years ago, but decided on two bikes instead. Each does it's own job very well, with no compromises.
I have a carbon road bike, lightweight and fast, for group rides. It's a blast to ride.
And a Ti bike, an all-day road / gravel / rail trail / light touring bike. It has fenders and a rear rack, and can fit anywhere from 25c to 40c tires. The bars are set a little higher than my fast bike.
The Campagnolo triple is 52-39-30, and I usually have a 12-29 11-speed cassette. On the roads, I can sit on long 10% grades, going slow with fairly light pressure on the pedals, no standing needed. (On flat rides, my other cassette, 12-25, is really nice, with very close shifts while staying in the 39 chainring most of the time.)
For long solo rides, I have fenders, extra water & food, and storage for layers. I use 28c tires on the road at comfy low pressures. Terrible paving or chip-seal roads just don't matter! With fenders, I'm more likely to start a ride that has a chance of rain or has wet roads. It's a new experience to go completely self contained like this.
On loose gravel roads with 40c tires, the 30F-29R low isn't really low enough. I bailed on a long 10% climb on loose forest road gravel, it was just too difficult. It takes a lot more energy to plow through the gravel. Even 5% or 6% grades were very hard.
Gravel Roads
SW Ohio and N KY have essentially no gravel roads, boo. Our quiet lane-and-a-half-wide farm roads are all paved, so I keep road tires on the Ti bike.
I'll mention gravelmap.com The URL changes as you pan and zoom, so you can bookmark that view.
Wow, look at Michigan! Gravel everywhere!
Anyone can post a gravel route to this map. Some of these are crushed stone rail trails, some are steep, rough forest roads, or anything in between. Click on a yellow route to get the details.
I wanted a "do it all" bike a few years ago, but decided on two bikes instead. Each does it's own job very well, with no compromises.
I have a carbon road bike, lightweight and fast, for group rides. It's a blast to ride.
And a Ti bike, an all-day road / gravel / rail trail / light touring bike. It has fenders and a rear rack, and can fit anywhere from 25c to 40c tires. The bars are set a little higher than my fast bike.
The Campagnolo triple is 52-39-30, and I usually have a 12-29 11-speed cassette. On the roads, I can sit on long 10% grades, going slow with fairly light pressure on the pedals, no standing needed. (On flat rides, my other cassette, 12-25, is really nice, with very close shifts while staying in the 39 chainring most of the time.)
For long solo rides, I have fenders, extra water & food, and storage for layers. I use 28c tires on the road at comfy low pressures. Terrible paving or chip-seal roads just don't matter! With fenders, I'm more likely to start a ride that has a chance of rain or has wet roads. It's a new experience to go completely self contained like this.
On loose gravel roads with 40c tires, the 30F-29R low isn't really low enough. I bailed on a long 10% climb on loose forest road gravel, it was just too difficult. It takes a lot more energy to plow through the gravel. Even 5% or 6% grades were very hard.
Gravel Roads
SW Ohio and N KY have essentially no gravel roads, boo. Our quiet lane-and-a-half-wide farm roads are all paved, so I keep road tires on the Ti bike.
I'll mention gravelmap.com The URL changes as you pan and zoom, so you can bookmark that view.
Wow, look at Michigan! Gravel everywhere!
Anyone can post a gravel route to this map. Some of these are crushed stone rail trails, some are steep, rough forest roads, or anything in between. Click on a yellow route to get the details.
Last edited by rm -rf; 11-06-16 at 07:17 AM.
11-05-16, 06:57 AM
#31
Road Runner
Thread Starter
Gravel Roads
SW Ohio and N KY have essentially no gravel roads, boo. Our quiet lane-and-a-half-wide farm roads are all paved, so I keep road tires on the Ti bike.
I'll mention gravelmap.com The URL changes as you pan and zoom, so you can bookmark that view.
Wow, look at Michigan! Gravel everywhere!
Anyone can post a gravel route to this map. Some of these are crushed stone rail trails, some are steep, rough forest roads, or anything in between. Click on a yellow route to get the details.
SW Ohio and N KY have essentially no gravel roads, boo. Our quiet lane-and-a-half-wide farm roads are all paved, so I keep road tires on the Ti bike.
I'll mention gravelmap.com The URL changes as you pan and zoom, so you can bookmark that view.
Wow, look at Michigan! Gravel everywhere!
Anyone can post a gravel route to this map. Some of these are crushed stone rail trails, some are steep, rough forest roads, or anything in between. Click on a yellow route to get the details.
This also opened my eyes a bit on the limitations of what are being promoted as "gravel bikes." I rode my Specialized Crosstrail instead of the new bike and am really glad that I did. It had rained a couple days previously, so many of the dirt roads had some slick mud on them, and all of the roads were "soft", which only added to the drag. On top of that, they were generally very rough, not to mention hilly. So the Felt with the stock untreaded 28s would not have done well, and even with proper tires would probably have been jarring to ride. In fact, of the 15 people on the ride, at least half were riding 29er MTBs with knobbies, and I'm not sure how anyone could enjoy this ride without at least having front suspension.
I'll have to do some more of this riding next year on the Felt to see how well it does in better conditions or on smoother gravel roads.
11-06-16, 07:35 PM
#32
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I have the heavier precursor to your bike, the Salsa Vaya with a 2x10 and clearance for 42s if needed. Very versatile and fun. Any road any time...
Good houce, enjoy!
Good houce, enjoy!
11-09-16, 06:49 AM
#33
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At 70 yo, I'm not sure how many new conventional bikes are in my future, so I've been waiting a while for the"I gotta have one" bike for me to come out. When I read Felt's description of their new VR series, I almost couldn't believe it; if you had asked me a few months ago to spec out my ideal-but-nobody-makes-it bike, it would match this model just about 100%! I wanted to keep it under $3K,so went with the VR5, which always leaves room for some future upgrades...
Your opening sentence struck a particular existential chord with me. I’m a few years younger than you, but in the Medicare generation. Back in 2012,Iwas in a serious bike accident, and started to feel my age, and realize most of my cycling years were behind me. My beloved Bridgestone RB-1 steel bike was totaled,and I posted,
…For years, I rode a steel Bridgestone RB-1,costing about $650 down from about $800 as an end-of-year model when I bought it in the early 1980’s. I came to learn it was considered a classic.After the introduction of carbon fiber bikes, I always wondered if the premium prices of CF, which I considered to be about $2000 was worth the presumed enhanced riding experience.
The Bridgestone was totaled in 2012 in an accident from which I was not sure I would ride again. Well I did, and decided to get a CF. My trusted mechanic said here’s the bike you want, knowing my riding style. Well the MSRP was $8000, but he got it for me at half off…
Personally, I can afford it, and it was an offer I could not refuse. Cycling is that important to me and I’m fortunate to be able to continue the lifestyle, so that puts it in perspective for me.
The Bridgestone was totaled in 2012 in an accident from which I was not sure I would ride again. Well I did, and decided to get a CF. My trusted mechanic said here’s the bike you want, knowing my riding style. Well the MSRP was $8000, but he got it for me at half off…
Personally, I can afford it, and it was an offer I could not refuse. Cycling is that important to me and I’m fortunate to be able to continue the lifestyle, so that puts it in perspective for me.
Several years ago, I had lunch with a couple of MD's and the discussion turned to the vissicitudes of life, such as sudden death, and trivial symptoms that are a harbinger of a serious disease.The conclusion of our conversation was that old chestnut to live life everyday to the fullest.
As we were leaving, the surgeon, a marathon runner said, "Well, anyday with a run in it is a good day for me." I was already a serious cyclist for many years, but it suddenly clicked for me; any day with a ride in it is a good day for me.
Ever since then, I make a definite effort to ride my bike every day and I'm lucky to have a nice year-round cycle commute.….
As we were leaving, the surgeon, a marathon runner said, "Well, anyday with a run in it is a good day for me." I was already a serious cyclist for many years, but it suddenly clicked for me; any day with a ride in it is a good day for me.
Ever since then, I make a definite effort to ride my bike every day and I'm lucky to have a nice year-round cycle commute.….
...Bikes are getting hard to classify these days, and this is sort ofbetween a road bike and a hard-core gravel bike--what they are calling an"adventure bike". With a carbon frame it weighs about 20lbs and has some interesting frame design features that give it a compliant ride for the rougher stuff. It came with 700x28 tires and them rates it at 700x30 max, but it will easily take 700x35s. Hydraulic discs of course, and 105 series shifters and derailleurs….
Anyway, on my first couple of rides I've tried it out on smooth and rough pavement as well as some local dirt-gravel roads and hills and it performed like a champ! This will replace my two other road bikes and become my do-everything bike for this type of riding.
The only bad thing is that I'll be lucky to get a handful of more rides in before I have to put it away for the winter.
Anyway, on my first couple of rides I've tried it out on smooth and rough pavement as well as some local dirt-gravel roads and hills and it performed like a champ! This will replace my two other road bikes and become my do-everything bike for this type of riding.
The only bad thing is that I'll be lucky to get a handful of more rides in before I have to put it away for the winter.
…After 40 years of cycle commuting on a year-round minimal one-way 14 mile route, I have this year finally assembled IMO, the perfect bicycle fleet:
- One nearly year-round dry, clean-road bike (carbon fiber road bike,except for deepwinter with lingering salt)
- One year-round wet,dirty-road bike (aluminum road bike, just recently acquired; see picture below)
- One winter bike for anything (steel mountain bike withMarathon Winter studded tires always on, for the least possibility ofice; I could use it for trails without the studs, but I don't do that kind of riding).
Sounds great! Since I'm not a particularly high-mileage cyclist (spend a lot of time running), I was aiming to simplify things by condensing two bikes into one. Also, my wife and I keep talking about moving into a smaller place, and when I look at all the "stuff"I have in my basement and garage that I'd have to move or get rid of...
… BTW, I have to keep one of the three bikes in storage because my wife only wants two in the condo. So I’ll switch the CF and mountain bike, with studded tires, in December and March, and the Diverge will be year round, depending on road conditions (no ice, no hardpack snow)….
[Sadly, yesterday I just learned that my excellent LBS of over 20 years, where I had bought all three bikes, is closing soon. When I came home and told my wife,she sincerely sympathized with me. But I couldn’t resist telling her I bought four bikes on closeout
(just kidding).]
[Sadly, yesterday I just learned that my excellent LBS of over 20 years, where I had bought all three bikes, is closing soon. When I came home and told my wife,she sincerely sympathized with me. But I couldn’t resist telling her I bought four bikes on closeout
(just kidding).]Living in a more "rural" state [Rochester Hills.MI], I'm in a heavily populated suburb, but can ride about two miles and findmyself on a gravel road network that stretches for miles northward from here.There are sufficient paved roads, but the best sights to be seen are back on the gravel backroads that thru motorists avoid.Everything from cottages and shacksto luxurious estates and horse farms. The photo in my OP is typical ofthe wooded areas.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 11-11-16 at 10:17 AM.
04-04-17, 06:32 AM
#34
Full Member
Hey Doug, I finally got my VR5, took them a while to get to the East coast.
Have you made any more modifications to yours?
I noticed that mine does not have the double seat post binding. I was a bit disappointed.
I haven't really put it through a long ride yet. Any wisdom to pass along?
Have you made any more modifications to yours?
I noticed that mine does not have the double seat post binding. I was a bit disappointed.
I haven't really put it through a long ride yet. Any wisdom to pass along?
04-05-17, 12:40 PM
#35
Senior Member
I have been looking at the Trek 920 but nobody locally has one to test ride.
04-06-17, 06:23 AM
#36
Road Runner
Thread Starter
Hey Doug, I finally got my VR5, took them a while to get to the East coast.
Have you made any more modifications to yours?
I noticed that mine does not have the double seat post binding. I was a bit disappointed.
I haven't really put it through a long ride yet. Any wisdom to pass along?
Have you made any more modifications to yours?
I noticed that mine does not have the double seat post binding. I was a bit disappointed.
I haven't really put it through a long ride yet. Any wisdom to pass along?
04-06-17, 06:25 AM
#37
Road Runner
Thread Starter
I was interested in the 920 when it first came out a couple years ago, but couldn't find a dealer in the area who had one or was even interested in getting one in (unless I paid for it in full in advance). Waiting for the VR5 was a good move in the end!
04-06-17, 07:16 AM
#38
Full Member
No real modifications yet (other than the Brooks saddle) and none planned since I haven't been able to ride it since last November, although things are starting to look up in these parts. Yes, the seatpost binding is not that great to work with, but I didn't have too much trouble with it when I changed the seat over the winter.
By the way, what bottle cages are those?
04-06-17, 08:36 AM
#39
Road Runner
Thread Starter
I got those at the local Performance Bike. I didn't plan on that particular (expensive) one, but couldn't resist the matching blue accent color.
Forté Corsa Carbon Cage
Forté Corsa Carbon Cage
04-06-17, 11:36 AM
#40
Full Member
I got those at the local Performance Bike. I didn't plan on that particular (expensive) one, but couldn't resist the matching blue accent color.
Forté Corsa Carbon Cage
Forté Corsa Carbon Cage
, But dang they're nice! well, let's see how long before I give in 
04-06-17, 09:16 PM
#41
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Just got my new adventure bike as well- my LBS finally finished it. Its the 2016 Specialized Diverge elite DSW. I customized it a bit following my knee replacement. Its got a 165mm 50/34 crankset, 11/36 cassette on back for more granny gear spinning, a taller stem angle for my arthritic neck, went up to 32s on the tires, and an upgraded saddle- fitted to my sit bones finally. I'm excited to take it out asap! And the weather took a crap here tonight with high winds, snow squalls, and temps not getting above 37 tomorrow- but hopefully the weekend will be good to go!
Last edited by ironknee; 04-06-17 at 09:21 PM.
04-07-17, 06:46 AM
#42
Road Runner
Thread Starter
Just got my new adventure bike as well- my LBS finally finished it. Its the 2016 Specialized Diverge elite DSW. I customized it a bit following my knee replacement. Its got a 165mm 50/34 crankset, 11/36 cassette on back for more granny gear spinning, a taller stem angle for my arthritic neck, went up to 32s on the tires, and an upgraded saddle- fitted to my sit bones finally. I'm excited to take it out asap! And the weather took a crap here tonight with high winds, snow squalls, and temps not getting above 37 tomorrow- but hopefully the weekend will be good to go!
04-07-17, 04:04 PM
#43
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