5 Tips For Setting Up Your Gravel Bike

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

[flyingdutchman]

James is the most refreshing voice when talking about bikes. Weeds through the marketing BS that most other vloggers (not Francis) eat up. Thank you for keeping these going!

[scottharris]

After 4months bikepacking, SPD sandals were actually my #1 favourite purchase. Seriously the best thing I had on the trip for comfort and versatility

[Hook-N-Ladder]

My local bike fitter (that I've not seen yet but have talked to on the phone) is shocked at how long gravel bikes are. Trek's Checkpoint ALR, for example, at 407mm reach on a 56, and 411 on a 58.

I'm looking at moving to a gravel bike from my hybrid for the ergos and gear options in a 2x, and am so happy you're doing this content. The question of stem length on a gravel bike is one I've been asking myself and haven't been successful at finding a good answer. Seems everyone talks MTB or road bikes, and the city bound rail trail riders like me have to extrapolate from those conversations.

[esk]

Just to offer a perspective from a short rider: 650b is great to get more clearance for bags. I run 40mm on the back and 47mm on the front which allows me to have more fun on trails while still being able to carry the bags I want.
A 60mm stem is perfection.

Keen Whisper sandals and Crankbrothers Stamp 7 are a glorious combo in Summer, btw. ;) When it's cold I wear flat pedal shoes by Northwave

[pbandjosh]

Great stuff! This really ties into what I've found with gravel bikes - shorten the stem a bit for bikepacking / touring comfort and to keep the steering a bit snappier (80mm for me on a 56 instead of the 100 it came with), and run a bar that has the same width between the hoods as you would run on your road bike, but with flared drops. The benefits of a bit shorter reach also comes into play when you're on anything other than super clean terrain, you naturally are going to have your head up more and be looking around / ahead more. Fully agree on 1x vs 2x --> both work, but most people I see with gravel bikes are riding mostly on tarmac and smooth gravel, and might be happier with 2x than 1x. Local bike shops always have 1x SRAM gravel bikes in stock, but 2x GRX bikes sell instantly.

[beyoncehadoneofthebest]

FINALLY! I missed seeing james so much! we need another trip.

[brs]

You can't imagine how much helpful this was for me! That info about lenght of a stem on a gravel bike in relation to it's geometry literally helped me understand the way my bike works. Thanks guys!

[biggertree]

As a guy who often encounters river crossings and enjoy the occasional dip in a random waterfalls, a stiff hiking sandals can't be beat.

[malcontent_]

6:35 haha that face that snark
Very nice seeing James again

[owensnicholas]

So glad this series is back. I’ve learned so much.

Absolutely agree that shoes are more important than other equipment. I bought a pair of really nice shoes and I can’t believe how they transformed my riding. I was struggling to do more than an hour and a half in the saddle, and now I can do several hours.

[oscsun]

I have really missed James and BFT! Awesome content as always!

[cb]

Thanks Francis and James....I own James' favorite, Synapse, and 2 others . I learn quite a bit from watching you, a lot of excellent tips for an older/newer rider . Just ride, eh ? Peace

[StickmanAirsoftPH]

I missed James. I just bought a Gravel bike as well. Perfect timing!

[monrezee]

STOKED!! You and James are going on an adventure. Hopefully you bring the dog(Lawrence).

[DonnieX]

China gravel tour maybe?? 😉 Also love that Bikefit Tuesdays are back, perfect start for a Wednesday 👍️

[KtheAblam]

Pinching myself seeing James on the channel again hinting at another epic bike trip.

[michaelmenzel]

After watching many BFT I put a 90mm stem on my gravel bike, I then went further down to a 60mm. Now I have a great position on the bike and the handling also remained good. Next to lowering the saddle height those made riding much more enjoyable for me.

[donmann]

I purchased a gravel bike mainly for tire width options not available on my road bike. I mainly use it for commuting and some bike packing. After experimenting with saddle adjustments and stem length, feeling good with my own bike fit.

[onenotesolo]

Ref. stem length: if you’re coming from a road bike, you may also wish to go a touch longer if the geo feels a bit too upright, so you can tuck down more comfortably in a headwind or be a bit racier on tarmac. Ref. gears: 1x is lovely for its simplicity. I went for a mullet setup as well. Make sure to get a decent-sized chainring for half decent top speed, and yes you do feel the bigger gaps on a group ride (much less so riding solo, in my experience).

[Miekzz]

Good to see James, excited for your adventures!