Category: Reviews

In recent times we have noticed that there are more and more folks looking for a gravel bike. They are seeking advice and looking for tips on how to go about this. In this post, and the following, Grannygear walks us through the process of how he and Mrs. Grannygear found a gravel bike that would work for Mrs. Grannygear’s needs. Then we will also get a look at what upgrades they made to tailor the bike for her.

The RX8 does what a gravel bike does. It takes what was a road thing, for smooth paved surfaces, and it makes it into a rough road, dirt road thing. Gravel riding is not mountain biking, (despite the cross-over at some points), and the demands of road riding are a bit closer related to what we do on gravel “roads” than what people need to have for single track. Therefore; it is my opinion that a slightly modified road shoe is what will do the job best, and Shimano has knocked it out of the park with the RX8

When the label says “When performance is a priority and water fastness isn’t”, you know they are speaking my language. In So Cal, from fall into winter, we can get rain of course, but mostly we get cold winds. So having a layer that is wind blocking is key to happy riding.

Anyone with a love for the classic ‘feel of steel’ will be delighted with the ride quality and feel of the Ritte Satyr. It accelerates quickly, with steel’s characteristic liveliness under heavy pedaling. It feels alive in a way that few carbon frames do.

Once again I was impressed with how the unique spoking of the Rolf-Prima Sojourns gave the wheels a lively feel, the weight per cost is quite good, and the width buys you more tire volume and the potential for lower tire pressures without giving away handling. And for $699.99, that ain’t hay.

So, with many wheels in this price range what sets these Eroica GP’s apart? That wider internal width, decent weight, and the unique feature of the bead interface all are great features here, and do make your tires a bit more versatile.

So here is the thing with drop bars. We have been used to riding bars that are basically round tubes bent into a shape and formed for their intended purpose. Now the reach and sweep and width and drop, etc, may vary, but what you are grabbing with your hands is basically a round tube. And that is both good and bad.

What do I expect from these new bits of rubber? WTB has a nice casing on their tires, or at least all I have been on. They ride well and have decent durability, running well tubeless. I expect the Byway to be a solid all-road tire, the Venture to be a grippy little thing on hard dirt and I have a 70 mile mixed surface loop in mind with tons of climbing that the 36c Exposure ought to be excellent for.

Without a doubt, one of the hottest stories of 2019 in the gravel world is the introduction of Shimano GRX. Today, we’ll share Guitar Ted’s impressions of the 1x GRX group he’s running on his Noble GX5, and I’ll give my thoughts on the 2x mechanical and Di2 versions of the group.

I just do not feel that they hook up exceptionally well on dirt paths, although as a mixed surface tire, and on smoother surfaces, they do OK. The strong points of the Overide are what seems to be a long life to the tread and a fast rolling nature.