Road bike off-road?
01-14-16, 11:39 AM
#27
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+1. My Roubaix has suffered a few off-road indignities. Other than a couple of slow-motion laydowns, only mishaps have been the large chainring striking the ground. Makes sense - 52t, lower BB; still came as a rude surprise, each time.
01-14-16, 01:21 PM
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No. Road bikes are not built to handle rugged terrain. They're meant for pavement riding.
The new breed of gravel road/adventure bikes is the jack-of-all-trades bike and they can really go where the pavement ends.
Keep your road bike for road use.
The new breed of gravel road/adventure bikes is the jack-of-all-trades bike and they can really go where the pavement ends.
Keep your road bike for road use.
01-14-16, 02:59 PM
#29
Fresh Garbage
01-14-16, 03:24 PM
#31
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01-14-16, 11:45 PM
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Mr. Frog's ride in Murphys, CA has a few sections of gravel that I love to ride. They are shallow climbs, so the speed is low enough not to get loose, but they aren't steep enough to spin the back up the climb. Great fun. After taking my cross bike on all kinds of nonsense, I feel more comfortable taking the road bike through some non-tarmac if the speed is reasonable.
01-15-16, 01:09 PM
#34
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There are also quite a few gravel roads in the Delta that I'll occasionally take for a shortcut or just for fun. Here's one where the gravel itself isn't the challenge, it's the washboard effect.
This was on a Ridley Excalibur with 32 spoke training wheels and 25mm Michelin Pro4 Endurance tires.
This was on a Ridley Excalibur with 32 spoke training wheels and 25mm Michelin Pro4 Endurance tires.
01-17-16, 05:00 PM
#35
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@FBinNY is pretty much correct. Just gotta take it a little slower and choose your line. Traction on steep climbs is actually the biggest challenge with skinny tires.
Large chunky stuff tends to cut up nice tires though. I try to stay to the well groomed stuff. .
Large chunky stuff tends to cut up nice tires though. I try to stay to the well groomed stuff. .
The "road" was a wide goat track "paved" with loose chunks of broken pavement, gravel, loose dirt and litter. As you descended our tires would dislodge some larger chunks which would roll down past us so we could run over them a second time. The irony was that in all the years I ran that ride, nobody ever flatted in that mile.
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WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
Last edited by FBinNY; 01-17-16 at 05:03 PM.
01-17-16, 07:09 PM
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His tire is noticeably skinnier at the end for the town and boardwalk fence balance bits
01-17-16, 08:13 PM
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I did 50 miles Saturday with about 5 miles gravel through a Wildlife Management Area west of Atlanta. The gravel sections were the most peaceful part of the ride - no angry motorists, no harassing dogs, no cars pulling out, no broken glass... The only challenge was 23c tires on two or three of the steepest descents - just had to be a little careful, take it a little slow in those sections, that's all.
The video is 3 1/3 minutes.
The video is 3 1/3 minutes.
01-17-16, 11:35 PM
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I gather you've never done this. I say that because none of those of who posted about our road bike off road experiences reported any such issues.
Of course, a road bike is not a mountain or off road bike, but it is very possible to "ride light" and use good bike handling and common sense to enjoy off road with the lightest of road bikes and tires.
Of course, a road bike is not a mountain or off road bike, but it is very possible to "ride light" and use good bike handling and common sense to enjoy off road with the lightest of road bikes and tires.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
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FB
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
01-18-16, 09:46 AM
#41
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c_bake: great pictures, especially since I live in CO too and just got a Crux. Please share some intel on your rides and tell us which roads they are. More pics would be great too.
In general, I love seeing these types of pictures and mountain bikes can be a bit too inefficient on these smoother gravel roads. Definitely not taking my Tarmac or Roubaix there, now that I have my Crux but subscribing to see more pics. I'm honestly impressed that so many of you would ride these with 25/28 road tires. I'd be a bit apprehensive to do that.
In general, I love seeing these types of pictures and mountain bikes can be a bit too inefficient on these smoother gravel roads. Definitely not taking my Tarmac or Roubaix there, now that I have my Crux but subscribing to see more pics. I'm honestly impressed that so many of you would ride these with 25/28 road tires. I'd be a bit apprehensive to do that.
01-18-16, 11:21 AM
#42
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c_bake: great pictures, especially since I live in CO too and just got a Crux. Please share some intel on your rides and tell us which roads they are. More pics would be great too.
In general, I love seeing these types of pictures and mountain bikes can be a bit too inefficient on these smoother gravel roads. Definitely not taking my Tarmac or Roubaix there, now that I have my Crux but subscribing to see more pics. I'm honestly impressed that so many of you would ride these with 25/28 road tires. I'd be a bit apprehensive to do that.
In general, I love seeing these types of pictures and mountain bikes can be a bit too inefficient on these smoother gravel roads. Definitely not taking my Tarmac or Roubaix there, now that I have my Crux but subscribing to see more pics. I'm honestly impressed that so many of you would ride these with 25/28 road tires. I'd be a bit apprehensive to do that.
01-18-16, 12:04 PM
#43
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I signed up for more dirt this year. Registered for Spy Optics BWR ride again. Said route is 144 miles/12k vert and 40ish miles of that is on dirt split into 14 segments.
I'll be testing new 28c Gravelkings today
I'll be testing new 28c Gravelkings today
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01-18-16, 02:34 PM
#44
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It handles like a gravel bike. You can't really make tight corner with this bike since it's not meant for cyclocross but it's incredibly comfortable and climb as good as the supersiX. I've done a century with this bike and I felt completely fresh afterward unlike when I was on my supersiX.
01-18-16, 04:22 PM
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Years ago I used to run a local century ride, and as was my tradition, it had a "special" section that people could remember me by. This one was a long climb on a beautiful well paved road, followed by a steep descent on a road that had been closed and neglected for some 20-30 years. Mind you this was a bunch of guys riding high end road bikes, mostly on tubulars or 25mm tires.
The "road" was a wide goat track "paved" with loose chunks of broken pavement, gravel, loose dirt and litter. As you descended our tires would dislodge some larger chunks which would roll down past us so we could run over them a second time. The irony was that in all the years I ran that ride, nobody ever flatted in that mile.
The "road" was a wide goat track "paved" with loose chunks of broken pavement, gravel, loose dirt and litter. As you descended our tires would dislodge some larger chunks which would roll down past us so we could run over them a second time. The irony was that in all the years I ran that ride, nobody ever flatted in that mile.
01-18-16, 07:18 PM
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I did 50 miles Saturday with about 5 miles gravel through a Wildlife Management Area west of Atlanta. The gravel sections were the most peaceful part of the ride - no angry motorists, no harassing dogs, no cars pulling out, no broken glass... The only challenge was 23c tires on two or three of the steepest descents - just had to be a little careful, take it a little slow in those sections, that's all.
The video is 3 1/3 minutes.
The video is 3 1/3 minutes.
Fun video. Thanks!
01-18-16, 07:42 PM
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Most difficult? Sycamore Canyon in So Cal (between Pt Hueneme and Malibu off Ca 1). In particular the Overlook Trail rather than the main trail. But that was on a 53/39 that was killing me so eventually I switched to my touring bike with a triple and 28x28 low. That made it doable but the hardest was descending because I had to get in the drops to get enough braking power and my wrists would tire out.
scott s.
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scott s.
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