5 Things I Wish I Knew as a Beginner Gravel Cyclist

Let us know in the comment sections what your tips for new gravel riders would be

The following companies (that you'll see in my content) support me either financially or with free stuff, so huge thanks to these guys for helping the channel thrive:
Attacus Cycling,
SCOTT,
MET Helmets,
Shimano,
fidlock,
Hutchinson Tyres
Sungod
Tailfin
GT85
Garmin
Parcours Wheels

#cycling #bikes #bicycle

[Cade_Media]

RE-UPLOADED
coz premiere pro decided to delete half my video, here it is again!
If you fancy watching this on multiple devices all the way through that would be great k thx

[kruemler]

Did a 5500km bike trip (sleeping in a tent, so quite a lot of weight) all around Sweden last year and ran tubeless - when it worked it was great. But I had several situations where sealant failed to seal small holes or the tire flew off the rim and that was an absolute nightmare: Spent so much time deflating, refilling with sealant and reinflating with often no success. Putting in a tube without a water hose around is just a pain - sticky tubeless milk everywhere. Still got stains of the dried milk on my frame to this day.

Might have been the kind of sealant (muc off) but I’d prefer just changing tubes when I’m on a long distance ride than having to fear this ‘ultimate failure’ when the sealant doesn’t work.

[tomalexander]

Ive always added some glitter to the tubeless milk, helps seal a little bit bigger hole and when it does explode you look spectacular

[tommyrunsfar]

Currently in the market for my first gravel bike.
Have watched more than 50 videos on the subject and this video...is by far the best.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[elwoodzo]

I use latex tubes on the road, it’s the best of both worlds... they have amazingly low weight and rolling resistance, as well as incredible comfort and I never had a puncture - they are incredibly resilient but you do have to pump them up daily so they are no use for tours. Tubeless all the way for offroad though.

[shanehenderson]

I rode a mountain bike trail in Ireland on a gravel bike. Fantastic fun but tough on the hands coming down without suspension.
Slow tight bends were tough too. Had a ball though. When I first turned up, I asked the bike shop that was hiring bikes, was the course suitable for a gravel as I was the only one, and his reply was ‘I’m sure you will let me know when you get back down’

[flyingdutchman]

Growing up in Michigan, USA, "gravel" roads were just called dirt roads. Gravel is a buzzy buzzword around here.

[Wingnut]

As an ex Nineties & Noughties Mountain Biker I treat my gravel bike, when riding on the hoods, like riding with bar ends, only you can actually cover the brakes?!! Winner!!! Tech is loads better too. Running tubeless tyres is a massive boost too. I love mine but I am closer to 60 than 50 these days!!! 😁 Can’t risk broken bones any more hence the switch to Road/Gravel. There’ll be some other people like me. 👍 Great vid.

[trcsf]

I ride tubeless on all of my bikes, mountain, gravel and road. Flatting is almost a non-issue. Sometimes difficult to set up depending on tire/wheel combo, but worth it.

[randycallow]

this is full circle completely awesome.. people buy a light bike and then load it up w 20lbs of junk..lots of gravel events look like mass bike camping trips. Silca pumps used to be history and it's looking like a comeback!! like cyclocross and mountain bike racing..sure you start in a group but then it's solo punishment w nothing or nobody to draft off of until you finish!! I love watching footage of guys and gals dropped in the 1st few feet that ride alone for hours until they finish.. and the best thing about off road.. little to no coasting so suffering never stops until you do

[torreslondon]

I ride an old CX bike with tubes and canti brakes! Variety of terrain, including very rocky in my part of the word. Although tubeless would probably improve comfort a bit, I have no real issues with punctures on my now-old fashioned inner tube tyres. I do 200 to 250k a week on these.

[davehoover]

I come from mountain biking, so have years of running tubeless with no issues. Really enjoy gravel and bikepacking these days. I run 700C x 38mm slick for mixed riding and swap to 650b x 55mm “medium tight” knobbies for bikepacking, single track and muddy or rough gravel. Tubeless Rene Herse tires on an OPEN WI.de. Rode the Oregon Outback trail from California to Washington state on an unsupported 380 mile long route. Very fun trail with all types of gravel and the 55mm were great - cushion and grip!
You might do a future episode on sidewalls and how supple casings can give you comfort and still keep your speed up.

[pchykins]

I bought a gravel bike and sold it after a few rides...it's basically an MTB on drops with rigid fork...so I'd rather have an XC 29er bike because it's more capable and more comfy to ride specially if it has a pack load of suspension....I still prefer my good 'ol Cyclocross because it's more nimble to ride - just a personal opinion... GRAVEL BIKES are hybrid bikes advertised in a very "hype" way.

[faceinthecrowd]

In 1922 my grandfather rode a non-gravel Harley Davidson on the dirt and gravel roads of middle America. When I was 7 my friends and I rode our balloon tire coaster brake bikes on the dirt trails in the woods. Today I have an EMTB, a short travel full suspension MTB, a flat bar gravel bike, a hard tail, a vintage steel road bike. Bikes change, roads not so much.

[JBthePAdashC]

I use my gravel bike for commuting. Before I went tubeless I had 3 flats in a week. The roads in atlanta are awful and littered with glass and trash. I went tubeless a year ago. One time since then, I heard hissing from my tire after I finished a ride. I spun the tire a little bit, it went away and I haven’t had a problem since. I’ll NEVER EVER go back.

[nickpatten]

Gravel - what my mates and I used to do as teenagers in the UK on our normal road bikes back in the late 70s before specific road bikes, mountain bikes and gravel bikes were categorized. Basically anywhere we could get with our bikes and still pedal them. 🚴🏻😳

[abstractgroove]

Exact same experience for me on road v gravel tubeless. More trouble than it’s worth on the road bike - the sealant just squirts out everywhere, you get covered in it and it doesn’t even seal the puncture. Love it on my 650b chunky gravel tyres though.

[malcontent_]

I'm glad Tony freely admits he's not normal. 😉 I mean that man is _daft_ after all ... plus freakishly talented on a bike!

[connorpenfold]

Tubeless 40mm Goodyear Peaks on my gravel bike are a god send for the 'gravel' we have here in the UK. Tyre choice is so important, I've spent a lot of time (and money) trying to find the perfect combo, but I think I'm finally there! Nice video, Francis. Informative as always!

[jean-francoishebert]

In my experience, riding tubeless hasn't been worth the time and hassle! Went tubeless last year and had issues seating the tyres by myself. Went to my local bike shop where they did it for me. After a month, i got two flats in a week. The sealant never worked. I think the issue might have been my wheels, I read online other people had issues with the WTB like i did. Switched backed to riding with tubes and I never had issues with punctures, even when riding pretty hard terrain. I'm not completely closed to tubeless but i didn't see much benefits.