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Are you just getting started with gravel cycling? In this video, we share 5 things I wish I knew before starting gravel cycling to help you save money, avoid common beginner gravel cycling mistakes, and get the most out of your gravel bike setup.
Buying a new gravel bike can seem like a bit of a minefield but have you considered these common gravel cycling mistakes? Gravel cycling can be great when you get it right so we share some tips on gravel bike tyre width, the best gravel bikes for your gravel cycling, what to take with you when gravel cycling and much more.
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My first gravel bike was rubbish. My first gravel bike rides were rubbish, but after a fair bit of
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trial and error, they are now regularly my favourite type of bike rides. So, here's the
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shortcut to enjoyable gravel bike rides and seven things that I wish I knew when I started gravel
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cycling. Something that I learned the hard way is not to copy your road position when riding
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off-road. You need A, a shorter stem and B, wider bars. There's no point being aero on most gravel
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Yes, there's a few people who like gravel racing and there's plenty of brands selling things like
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aero gravel wheels and stuff like that. Actually, I do have a set. They're very nice. But your
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position, you need to be confident on descents and over rough stuff. Otherwise, you're going to
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have a pretty crap time. Some people come to gravel cycling from mountain biking and then
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others of us, like me, come to gravel cycling from the roadside. After years of wearing skin suits and
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narrow skinny handlebars, I thought that I had to do that off-road as well. But I've been a lot
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happier since I changed my bike fit on my gravel bike to be a bit higher at the front end, a bit
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shorter at the front end. And I also, this one's going to be controversial
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put my saddle height down a little bit. Now you can let me know if you disagree or agree with me
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with that down in the comment section below. But I like to think of my saddle position
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as a, not a set point, but a golden zone. Even on the road that zone changes slightly whether you climbing or time trialing or crit racing and gravel i think that zone moves ever so slightly down gravel is less about solid state efforts
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and more about well attacking tip number two tire clearance and tire width is everything and look
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I'm practicing what I preach. Have a look at those. They are mighty wide
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Now, admittedly, you don't need to go that wide, but there's a hell of a lot of bikes still out there
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that I think don't offer enough tire clearance. They haven't caught up with the times
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My first gravel bike was seriously limited in where I could ride it because of the tire clearance
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And in fact, I tried to fit a set of 38s and wore through one of the chainstays
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when it got a bit muddy which I wish I'd learned that that lesson a little bit sooner because it
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was a lovely bike it was technically a cyclocross bike which was the main issue now if I'm looking
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for a new gravel bike I would look for at least 45 miller tyre clearance you can get away with 42s
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on some well graded gravel if that's where you want to ride but I don't think there's much
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disadvantage to going wider and wider. If you want to see a video all about using wide tires on gravel
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then click the link up there and we'll pop one in the description below. I'm watching there. Make
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sure you subscribe to the channel. Tip number three, tubeless is a must. Now, I learned this
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the hard way as well. There's a gravel event that I like to do down in Devon. It's called Devon Grit
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it not a race but I like to go there with my mates and it normally gets a bit competitive Now the first year I went and did it I double flatted I had inner tubes in my tyres and hit a rock on a descent and pinch flatted both
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of them and ever since then I've used tubeless on gravel. Now say what you want about tubeless
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on the road. On gravel it actually works. The pressures are lower, you're more likely to be
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riding over thorns and things that will puncture your tyres and many a time have my gravel rides
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been saved by tubeless and also you reduce that risk of pinch flattling which is a positive
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and that leads me on to another tip which is to always take more spares than you think you need
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gravel cycling is wonderful because you get to see places where you wouldn't normally get to see
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you get to ride off the beaten track and get to explore some really remote areas
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What that means is it's much harder to come and pick you up from the side of the road
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So you need to be a little bit more self-sufficient. What I carry is I've got some bacon strips
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They are like, well, they look like bacon strips. And they plug your tube
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if tubeless doesn't seal a hole then these you can plug your holes in your tires i always take
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some spare tubes as well i've got them packed neatly under my saddle also a spare quick link
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from a chain because there's a lot of torque involved in gravel cycling and also sticks and
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things that might get in the way of your derailleur and it's always helpful to be able to
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put your chain back together if something does go wrong um what else always take enough food food important and also some patches for my tires as well Point number whatever we on now
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hydraulic disc brakes are so much better than cable pull disc brakes and I will take that to
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the grave. Yes hydraulic disc brakes cost more but I really think that this is a case of buy once
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do it right. My first gravel bike had cable pull disc brakes. They worked all right when they were
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brand new. And then as soon as you introduce a bit of, a bit of muck, a bit of dirt, and
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inevitably ride through quite a lot of puddles, the cables rust, and then they don't work as they
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should. And they just don't release. And they made me hate gravel riding because every single
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ride you had to meticulously clean every single little part of your brakes and you spent longer
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doing that than actually out enjoying your bike ride so hydraulic disc brakes for me are a must
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and my final point if you are going to if you are looking at buying a new gravel bike or you are
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looking at going on a gravel bike ride then bear in mind that gravel is a absolutely massive category
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so a BMC Caius is a very different bike to this Laussegler and this Laussegler is a very different
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bike to a Surly with a million mounts on it and they're each designed for very specific purposes
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so yes there's gravel racing there's also multi-day bikepacking adventure gravel riding
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and the right bike for you will depend a lot on what type of gravel riding you want to do
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Let me know anything that you've learned whilst gravel cycling down in the comment section below
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remember to like hype and subscribe to the channel and we'll see you next time
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