@pete asks:
Q5. What is 'gravel'? 😂
#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite
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Discussion
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Discussion
@ascentale @pete @bikenite A5. I remember the days, when so called 'off-road cars' were seen on our streets, and they were always clean as if they had never seen any dirt.
@ascentale @pete @bikenite A5 - Anything that isn’t a road!
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@AsphaltandEarth @ascentale @pete @bikenite
Come to North Yorkshire, some of the roads can be classed as gravel...
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@yorkie @AsphaltandEarth @ascentale @pete @bikenite You mean this 'bike lane'? (Seen in Germany. The blue traffic sign indicates that the path is mandatory to be used by bicycle or on foot.)
@ascentale @pete @bikenite
#BikeNite A5:
Usually crushed rock, or any surface that isn't paved but isn't mud, loose dirt or sand.
But gravel varies heavily, and even the same material varies based on season, weather and amount of traffic. Some midsummer heavily traveled gravel roads here can be almost as hard and smooth as pavement. Then there are surprises, like getting on a road with freshly deposited crushed granite. That can eat any tire! I once had to dismount and walk the bike.
@ascentale @pete @bikenite
A5.
It sounds awful to ride in! The trails we ride are very well mannered; paved or groomed with fine rock dust. The loosest is the shoulders when we cross roads.
Does gravel vary regionally? Around here, it's limestone pieces, about 1-1.5cm. Everything here is limestone, though, so I don't know if that's universal or more of a Limestone City thing.
@ascentale @pete @bikenite A5: Some cyclists love gravel riding, but I find the surface can vary widely from hard-packed earth with just a few loose stones, to coarse, sharp stones 2-3” deep.
I’m not a fan.
And I still don’t understand the difference between a gravel bike and a mountain bike.
@ascentale @pete @bikenite A5: I don't get it? I feel like I'm missing an in-joke.
But if you want to talk actual gravel:
There are some trails here that use small-rock hardpack gravel as a surface (parts of North Creek, large areas of Eastrail), and they're perfectly fine. It's similar enough to pavement as to make no difference and I think most importantly handles tree roots better than asphalt.
But loose gravel is a nightmare, at least on my thin-tyre bike :(
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@moira @ascentale @pete @bikenite #BikeNite A5 follow-up: Yep, wasn't sure if that's meant as some in-joke about the scene not being able to agree on some common definition of a gravel bike (but not gravel itself) or so.
@ascentale @pete @bikenite #BikeNite A5: A loose type of road surfacing. 😇🤓
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A5. I took a hard fall in a newly lain gravel path (temporary detour for a cycling course that was being repaved), going roughly 0kph, by turning the front wheel and having all the gravel suddenly become ball bearings. Gouge in the helmet from that one, in addition to a full complement of road rash.
I can enjoy a bit of smoother gravel and trail as part of a ride -- done well it can be better than broken pavement. I've got a bike that's suitable for gravel (although not really marketed as such), and the tires for it. But in the end I'll take smooth pavement when given the choice.
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@oheso @ascentale @pete @bikenite
What is worse than natural gravel is crushed rock with rough and sharp edges. A number oi years ago I rode a long section of abandoned rail line on the crushed rock that was under the rails,. After about 20 km I took a road route home, Fortunately since then the old right of way was converted to a rail trail with proper stone dust surface,