Life In The Saddle

The Washburn gravel tyres from Teravail are designed to be a fast-rolling gravel tyre; built for dusty hard-packed summer trails, but also at home on the backroads and cycle paths of a city commute or mixed-surface cycle tour. The Washburn tyres feature a slick central strip that minimizes rolling resistance for greater speed. On the sides, transition knobs and raised side lugs then help to supply cornering traction and grip. I have been testing the 700 x 38c version of the Teravail Washburn, and have been impressed by the speed, light weight (600 grams), durability, and the resilience to punctures. I have been running the tyres tubeless at around 42/45PSI pressure. The Washburn proves to be the ideal tyre for real mixed-surface summer riding. They feel fast on the road but can also manage the rough stuff—finding traction on loose gravel and compacted mud. My testing has been mostly on dry summer trails, and I can foresee that the Teravail Washburn would struggle if things were to get ...

A set of wide-profile carbon wheels is the biggest single upgrade you will likely make to your gravel bike; saving weight, adding comfort, and improving handling. The Reynolds ATR 700C Wheels are a market-leading and pioneering product in the carbon gravel wheelset market—highlighting the notable advantages of wide carbon rims, high-quality hubs, and a wheelset composition designed specifically for gravel and off-road use. I fitted a set of Reynolds ATR 700C Wheels to my Kona Private Jake for testing—they replaced a set of reliable alloy hoops from Stan's NoTubes ( Stan's ZTR Crest Wheelset ). I was eager to see what the reduced weight, improved vibration absorption, and wider rim profile could add to my gravel riding set-up. The answer, was a lot… Reynolds pioneered the 'super-wide' carbon rim with the original ATR wheelset. They were well ahead of their time introducing a carbon rim with a 23 mm internal width and a 32 mm external profile; add in the 40 mm aero teard...

The new WTB Raddler Gravel Tyres are the bigger brother of the well known WTB Riddler Tyres. They feature larger knobs and side lugs for improved grip and better traction on loose or muddy trails. On my recent XPDTN3 Algarviana bikepacking adventure in Portugal, I put the 700 x 40c tyres through their paces on the challenging terrain of the Algarve. I have used the WTB Riddler tyres in 38c volume on a number of test bikes over the past few years. For light pea-sized gravel, they deliver the perfect balance between fast rolling speed and traction on forest tracks and dry dirt trails. Where the Riddler begins to struggle though, is when the rock size increases to more fist-sized gravel, or when the mud and slippery roots increase in number. This is where the Raddler enters… The WTB Raddler uses larger depth knobs and larger side lugs, to provide more grip and traction for the tyre. The slightly larger 40c volume also provides more cushioning from impacts, and more comfort on rough...

Nobody can deny that 'Gravel' adventure cycling is no longer a 'fad' – it has evolved into a mainstream cycling discipline. The fortunate reality is that many component parts of both road cycling and XC MTBs can be repurposed for 'Gravel Grinding' – the Stan's NoTubes ZTR Crest S1 Wheel Set is one of those superb evergreen creations. I have been using a set of original Stan's NoTubes Crest rims laced onto Hope Tech Pro3 hubs on my mountain bike for over half a decade – they are impressively durable, and the easiest set of wheels to mount up with tubeless tyres. Stan's NoTubes have evolved from just being a producer of rims, rim tape and tubeless kits though; they now produce several own brand wheelsets, which offer great value performance. The Stan's NoTubes ZTR Crest S1 Wheel Set is listed as an entry-level cross-country mountain biking wheel Set, most likely because of its high spoke count (32 front and rear) and wide rim profile (23 mm i...

A gravel biking tyre is distinctly different from a mountain bike or a cyclocross tyre – it should be at least 40c in volume and have a tread pattern that is capable of handling both rock strewn trails as well as gravel and sand. The new Goodyear Connector Tubeless Tyres are a great example. I fitted the Goodyear Connector Tyres to my 3T Exploro – set up tubeless on a set of Stan's NoTubes S1 Crest wheels. They were quick to mount up and felt robust and well made from first inspection. The tread pattern on the Connectors is a fine 'micro-diamond' design, and not as aggressive as some gravel tyres that I have tested, such as the Vee Tire T-CX, or the WTB Nano. The clear virtue of this is that the tyres are notably faster rolling and better for asphalt and light gravel sections than many, though predictably it does mean traction is slightly lower on slippery and loose surfaces compared to more aggressively knobbly competition. The added volume in a gravel tyre means it ...

The Dolomites always deliver. I have ridden in the area on a racing bike, cross-country MTB, and passed through the region on both the #7Countries7Passes and #RoadsFromRome tours. One area I have yet to explore though, is the opportunity for GRAVEL... On my #5MaratonasChallenge I stayed at the great Ustaria Posta in Badia, and the owner Igor talked of the opportunity to create an amazing multi-day off-road route linking up alpine huts. That pipe dream is about to become a reality... The #XPDTN3Dolomites will be a three day bike-packing trip; travelling from Ustaria Posta into the UNESCO World Heritage site, and exploring the road less travelled. These are paths normally only scouted by walkers in the summer, and alpine ski tourers in the winter; we will be taking to them on gravel bikes. My choice of weapon is the 3T Exploro. The full story will unveil itself on Instagram over the next week — follow #XPDTN3Dolomites   For now, here is a look at the kit that i...

I have always been a bit of a tyre geek. Tread pattern, width, pressure and grip—they are all things that make a massive difference to the performance of a set of wheels and ultimately to the performance of your bike. At the Dirty Reiver 200km Gravel Race , the chat about tyres was abnormally strong: the challenging mix of terrain meant that there was a diverse mix of rubber on display. I admit that the chat (and some pre-race course riding) got to me, and I made a last minute switch from a set of Schwalbe G-One tyres  to these Panaracer Gravel King SK Tubeless Tyres. Damn, it was a good decision. Mounting The Panaracer Gravel King Tyres are available in a wide spectrum of widths , and a few different tread patterns. I tested the 38/40c Gravel King SK TLC version, mounted up on a set of  Campagnolo Zonda C17 Disc Wheels . The tyres mounted up easily using a Lezyne Digital Pressure Overdrive Pump  (it has a charger chamber, so acts like a compressor). I used Oran...

I'll admit that I wasn't quite sure how the Kona Rove Ti would turn out, when I first started building it. Would it be a 'Gravel Bike', a touring bike, or just another cyclocross bike?  The answer has been a satisfying yes, to all of the above. This bike is incredibly versatile, and incredibly capable. From the Dirty Reiver , to bikepacking expeditions ; it is a bike is built for adventure. I haven't quite got the set-up dialled to how I want it yet, so there is quite a mix of components in the below specifications. I'll post an updated profile once the set-up is nailed.  Bike Specifications: Frame: Kona Rove Ti 56cm (Large) Fork: Lauf Grit Carbon Headset:  Chris King Inset Stem: fi'zi:k Cyrano R1 Road Stem Handlebar: USE Summit Carbon 44cm Front brake:  SRAM Force HydroR 160mm rotor Rear brake:  SRAM Force HydroR 160mm rotor Rear derailleur: SRAM Rival Clutch Mech 11spd Shift levers: SRAM Force 1X HydroR Cassette:  SRAM PG11...

5am. The sun glistens on the reservoir, and bounces off morning dew. Kielder Forest - the largest forest in the UK, sits silent; its paths and tracks ready to welcome the largest gravel event in the UK - The Dirty Reiver 200. A Reiver was a border knight - an armoured horseback rider, patrolling the border between Scotland and England. Today, 800 riders will take to the same trails and tracks that were ridden by the Reivers; except these riders will be on a plethora of cyclocross bikes, 'gravel' bikes and mountain bikes. 200 kilometres of flat-out dusty racing… The Dirty Reiver starts at Kielder Castle The Ride Massed in front of Kielder Castle, the pre-event kit chat continues; as it has done for the preceding months. What tyre width are those? How's that Lauf suspension fork? Have you double wrapped your bar tape? Personally, I'm more concerned about how many flapjacks I can wolf down at each feed station, and whether I have enough supplies in my ba...