Hi guys. I am from SW Iowa. I primarily ride gravel when I am not riding urban trails in council bluffs or Omaha. I also enjoy mountain biking (my first love). I got into gravel because I got tired of having to drive an hour or more to go mountain biking. I got gravel all around the town I live in. I will admit that the gravel around me gets monotonous as I have driven them all in a car for the last 18 years and have by now ridden a lot of them as well lol. I am busy with a wife and 2 kids (one being a senior). They both play sports so between ball games and work I don't get to ride too often. I strive for 1 ride a week. Sometimes I get several and sometimes I may not get any. I thought I would share pics of my 2 main bikes and a 3rd I don't own anymore. I have others including an entry level Jamis mountain bike which just sits now and a vintage Panasonic road bike I found in a junk pile and turned it into a SS urban trail cruiser. The Soma B Side was my first frame up build 2 years ago. I built my own wheels using Hope Pro 2 evo hubs and Stans rims. It now has Jones bars and frame bags to carry extra stuff. The Vassago was my 2nd frame up build last January and I also built the wheels for it as well using Shimano XTM8000 hubs and Stans Grail rims. Both bikes have Race Face cranks, narrow wide front ring, and are 10 speed rear. The Soma has Shimano SLX drivetrain and Shimano Hydro brakes and the Vassago had Sram x7 clutch drivetrain and Avid BB7 road brakes plus Cowbell 2 bars. I wanted something a bit more stable and more comfortable on gravel so I sold my Fisticuff frame and fork 2 weeks ago for the same price I paid for it 11 months earlier. I had my LBS order me a Soma Wolverine and I transferred all my parts to the Wolverine. I would highly recommend a Wolverine for anyone thinking of a nice gravel rig! This bike is super sweet and so buttery smooth on the road and gravel! Anyways I am sorry I am so long winded. Just so much to talk about. Cheers!!
I'm originally from SW Iowa (years gone by) but haven't ridden there at all until this Fall, when we got on Wabash Trace for 30-ish miles between Mineola and Shenandoah. The crushed rock was a little wet and soft, so we were happy to be on gravel bikes. I'm sure you've ridden this trail, but I wanted to mention it as an option for high speed gravel with just enough bridges, washes, and soft spots to make it interesting. Malvern has a couple of great cafes too!
I am sorry it took me so long to reply. Life's crazy right now and I forgot I posted this lol! Anyways yes the Trace is a nice ride. I have done several rides on that. Over a year ago a bunch of us unloaded at Shenandoah and rode to Silver City and back. And yes Malvern has some awesome cafes!
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