Riding Gravel

With its massive 30 degree flare and 35 degrees of sweep, the new Discover Big Flare handlebar from PRO Bike Gear is one of the more radical gravel drop bars available today. Guitar Ted and I received early samples for testing, and here are our impressions of the bar after two months of riding.

I could feel that I was a bit more “connected” to the bike, if that makes any sense. You cannot roll your foot laterally without pressing the pedal platform whereas on an SPD pedal, there is some free movement there. The cleat had some float, so this felt similar to the SPD’s I was so used to, but in terms of control laterally, the Cyclo 6 was a more secure feeling pedal.

Put these tires on if you have a lot of paved road in your gravel loops, or if the bike you have needs to do double duty as a commuter, or touring bike. Give the Strada USH smooth, dry, dirt of finer crushed rock to run on and you won’t be disappointed. In these scenarios the USH is at home. Plus, with the choice of a tan sidewall, it can class up the look of just about any bike.

So, does WTB’s “Fit Rght System” work? Can you really measure your wrist, answer a few questions, and get a saddle for a bicycle that works well for you? Really? It sounds weird, until you dig into it, and then, it actually kind of starts making sense. I’ll leave the details to the scientists and professional bike fitters. All I know is that – yes. It does work.

The Recon HL 1600 is in a hotly contested category in the bike lighting market place. New contenders are out there with similar, and sometimes better, feature sets. As always, ‘caveat emptor’ when looking at this category, but the Recon HL 1600 is a solidly built, reliable light. While it has a basic feature set, (unless you own the proprietary Giant computer which opens up more features), it holds its own at the asking price of $126.00USD.

The Rocktown Rambler is a celebration of riding backcountry roads in the Shenandoah Valley. There will be gravel, some climbing, some descending, some singletrack, and a lot of fun! We welcome everyone that wants to have a good time – whether that is by racing, riding, or partying (or doing all three at once)! The Rambler is yours to enjoy!

Now then…the ride quality. It is smoother under sharp impacts than any alloy bar I have used. It is noticeable.

We’ve been talking about Shimano’s new GRX components for nearly five months now. Back in September, we introduced you to our review of the GRX 800 mechanical (2x) group. Now, it’s time to give you the first installment of our GRX Di2 groupset review, which we have installed on our 2020 GT Grade Carbon Pro test bike.

So far they have been what I remembered them to be…solid performing wheels. Pick up is not the snappiest thing I have felt, but I am comparing them to wheels 300g lighter and almost twice as much money. Compared to the stock wheel set, they are like pulling off logging boots and stepping into sneakers.

As is often said, the best apparel and components simply “disappear” while riding, leaving you to enjoy the ride. The RX8 shoes from Shimano are the definition of such an apparel item. While either walking a gnarly, muddy dirt road or riding up and down hill and vale, the RX8 just got out of my way and let me do my thing.