5 THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE

Gear for the road less travelled

By EAT MORE LARD

May 29^th, 2018

People often ask me what gear I use and how I stay comfortable on one of the longer rides, so here are my thoughts on some of the gear that I love. I’m not going to talk about the stuff that doesn’t work and I am unapologetically going to be bias towards gear for gravel and offload because that’s where I have the most fun on two wheels.

Handlebars

For years I used 3T Ergonova bars on the road. I’m tall and skinny and I like to ride a narrow bar. Off-road however, narrow bars can be problematic especially when trying to stay under control on a sketchy descent. All this lead me to become intrigued with flared handlebars. I didn’t like the extreme flare that put the hoods at an odd angle so I was very interested when some options for a more conservative flare were released.

I’ve settled on the Easton EA70 AX as my go to choice (and I have no doubt that the carbon version, the EC70 AX, is just as good). The flare is the goldilocks angle for me, allowing a narrow bar on the hoods that flares a full 7cm when in the drops. They offer fantastic control on descents or when going hard and are comfy too - I reckon after the 24hr Oppy I would have noticed if they were not. For under $80, it’s hard to choose anything else.

Saddle

Who remembers the Flite, a veritable game changer in the world of saddles? I loved those saddles. I bought a Charge bike nearly 5 years ago that came with their Spoon saddle. It has a dropped nose and a kick in the tail. I couldn’t get on with it for a bit until I looked at it again. In profile it looks like a Flite so I set it up like I used to for the Flite with the nose and rear level, offering a little hammock dip in the middle where you park your sit bones. It was a revelation!

Shortly afterwards, Fabric spun out of Charge and the Scoop saddle was released. It was a further refinement of the Spoon, ligher and with even more comfort thanks to the shell and the evolution of the shape. In the shallow guise, it’s my go to choice. I have it on 4 of my 5 bikes in the steel, titanium and carbon rail versions. The only reason it’s not on all of them is that the other saddle is the rainbow stripe Fizik Arione on my old racing bike which I have kept for nostalgia’s sake as is.

Tyres

For years I was a Continental man. Then I switched to Schwalbe and I still use Schwalbe Ones on my road rig but I’m not here to share my thoughts on road tyres! I care far more about the tyres on my gravel rig,

For over a year I ran Schwalbe G-Ones, in the tubeless 40mm version. They never let me down although they wore quickly and I wouldn’t run them any other way but tubeless as they proved to be less than robust. I wanted, however, to have something with more tread. Last year’s Ol’Dirty clay fest convinced me that the light tread wasn’t going to cut it for me on the gravel.

I've landed on WTB Resolute in 42mm, again running tubeless. 40 to 45mm really feels like a sweet spot for gravel riding, offering enough float without tpo much drag. After 1500km, I’m really enjoying how they ride, They are supple. I can feel the tyre flex on low level corrugations once I'd spend some time to get the tyre pressure dialled in. Tyre pressure and running tubeless are essential to comfort, control and not walking out on long gravel rides so spend some time to experiment and get it right for you!

The tyres roll surprisingly ok on the smooth stuff or the blacktop. Don’t expect to win the sprint for the town sign but they aren’t boat anchors either. Grip is very good in the loose and dry stuff, not so awesome in heavy mud or clay where they get a little overwhelmed. Is there a tyre than can really roll fast on the smooth or dry or loose and still bite in the mud? I love the tan wall look, too!

Shoes

Despite using the same pair of shoes (until recently) for 10 years, I feel like I’m a faffer with shoes and I have gone through a fair few pairs until I settled on something that really works for me.I don’t need Giro crushing stiffness or aero. I do need something that just works, are stiff enough, are comfortable and like it a little rough - and on the gravel bike, there's a fair chance of a little walking required, so something that feels a least a little natural for walking is essential!

Say hello to the Shimano XC5, the finest off road shoes I have ever used. If you don’t like laces on bike shoes, look away now. They aren’t as stiff as my previous mountain bike shoes but they allow me to ride as hard as I need. They work in the hot and cold and a little hike-a-bike or dance around the pub won’t leave you hobbling for days or with blisters in odd places. The insoles are rubbish. Just replace them. Why do bike shoes have such flimsy insoles? After almost 3 months of use, they are still looking pretty good and they’ve certainly been taken through the rain and mud!

FRAME BAG

Yes, this may put me but a beard, apron and single origin coffee away from being a hipster, but they are damn useful things!

I first got an Apidura frame bag (and the saddle bag) back in 2014. Yup, before all the cool kids started with the bike packing thing. I bought them both for some overnight trips in the UK including the coast to coast. Although it was credit card style touring, staying in pubs, I thought being able to pack a change of kit and some off the bike clothes so I didn't scare the kids was a good idea. The frame bag was bought on a whim and, to be honest, I didn't think that I would use it that much. Over 4 years later, I use it almost daily. It's part of my commute setup holding a rain jacket (always handy in the Macedon Ranges), battery, tools and underwear for the office - don't judge, my office really is an office, not on the bike like I imagine!

It's been a great piece of kit for the longer rides too - a very handy place to stash food and extra layers for all day and all night rides. It's almost unnoticeable when you ride, as long as you have a larger sized frame. With smaller frames, you will struggle with water bottles and a frame bag. My other tip is to protect the frame. Those big, fat velcro straps don't look like they would damage the frame but after a short while it will mark the paintwork. Invest in some helicopter tape to protect it or buy a raw titanium frame and forget about it!