- Riding gravel is brilliant.
Getting away from tarmac, getting away from cars,
and just generally adding a little bit of spice
to your riding.
It is, however, worth trying to pick up one or two tips,
just to really help you get the most out of it.
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If you're coming from a lifetime spent riding on the road,
then let me prepare you with one key fact,
riding on gravel is harder.
Now, it's simply just a case of greater resistance
from the surface and therefore it does mean
you end up going slower.
It doesn't mean that gravel riding's not as fun,
far from it, in fact, it is often far more exhilarating,
but, you do need to be aware of it
for one very important reason, and that is that
when you're planning a gravel ride, you won't be able
to go as far as you would do on tarmac in the same time.
Perhaps 65 or 70% of the distance,
although it does very much depend on
what type of gravel road you're riding on.
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Ah, yes, because not all gravel is created equal.
You will quickly learn to recognize the different types
that there are.
Pea gravel, slippery on corners
and when braking, otherwise fine.
Sand, moist and compact - fine,
dry - difficult to corner, deep - best avoided.
Grit, grippy, good.
Rocks, not much grip, chance of punctures,
avoid where possible.
Each type has different characteristics to ride over,
but the golden rule is to always look for
the firmest and smoothest gravel that you can ride on.
It's going to be faster, it's going to be more comfortable,
and it's also going to give you more grip
when it comes to things like cornering and breaking.
Now, it might be that the whole road is like that,
in which case you can treat it just as you would
a tarmac or pavement road.
However, when the surface is inconsistent or loose,
you're going to need to adjust
your riding style to accommodate for it.
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Always scan ahead to make sure that you're riding
on the best surface that you can.
Generally, it will be the path most traveled,
whether that's by cars, or bikes, or even feet.
The more traffic that rolls over it,
the more likely the surface will be polished free
of loose stones, giving you more grip, and more control.
Now, as well as looking out for sections with more grip,
you'll also be more likely to spot hazards,
like holes or, indeed, rocks.
Now, in terms of actually where you want to look,
avoid looking to closely towards your front wheel,
because that way, you're not going to have enough time
to react to anything that you do see.
However, in terms of an exact distance,
it varies, depending on how fast you go,
so instead of thinking of it in terms of an absolute,
why not think of it in terms of time?
So, look two seconds ahead of you down the trail,
and that will mean that you don't have to remember too much,
when you're going really fast,
but it will give you enough time to react,
change lines, and slow down.
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The knock-on effect of looking for the smoothest,
grippiest sections, is that you might actually not be able
to take your usual line through corners,
like the racing lines, starting wide, clipping the apex,
and then going wide on the exit,
and that's because you may well find that you have to cross
a really loose section of gravel
just when you're cornering really, really hard,
meaning that either the front end will wash out,
or it will leave you running wide on the exit.
So, instead, the alternatives are,
perhaps, to cut all the way through on the inside,
that would certainly be the simplest option,
or, more advanced, would be to actually unweight the bike
as you're going over the really loose section,
meaning that when your weight compresses back through it,
you'll be maximizing the traction that you have
at your disposal.
The same principles apply when climbing,
except that instead of needing grip to turn or to break,
we need grip to help us actually keep moving forwards.
Avoiding the looser sections is a great place to start,
but you're also going to need to think about
your actual technique on the bike.
The difference in grip that you get
between climbing in and out of the saddle
is really, really significant,
so avoid climbing out of the saddle where you can.
Instead, you want to keep as much weight
over the rear tire as possible,
although you may find that on super steep climbs
your front wheel starts to lift.
If you are struggling to keep the front end down,
then just bend your elbows
to get your chin as close to the bars as possible,
and then shift your weight forward on the saddle.
We haven't touched on equipment yet,
but I do find that climbing is one of those instances
where I'm really glad of having a bit of tread on my tires.
I actually don't mind cornering, even on complete slicks,
but when you're trying to get a little bit of grip
to move forward, then something on your tires
will definitely be of benefit.
Even if it's just a file tread like I've got
on these Continental semi slicks.
(electronic music)
Ooh, it is going to take you a little bit longer
to slow down on gravel,
there is a very real risk that you either
get a rear wheel skid, or, in fact,
a front wheel skid as well.
Now, we always advise against
breaking during cornering when on tarmac,
and on gravel it's even more important than that.
You will quite quickly find that your back end can step out,
give you a little bit of over steer,
or, worse still, that your front end washes out as well,
so, the golden rule about breaking on gravel,
is do it in a straight line and do it carefully.
Actually, who are we kidding?
Sometimes it's great to get the back end out,
skids are cool, skids are definitely not for kids.
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Please skid responsibly, only skid in areas
that are not ecologically or geologically sensitive,
remember to replace all gravel after your skid.
We've touched on one aspect of equipment already,
your tire choice, but actually lowering
the pressures inside them will also give you more grip
as well as improve your comfort.
However, you might want to consider fitting bigger tires
if the trails that you're riding are particularly rough,
otherwise you'll find yourself
quite susceptible to punctures.
Running tubeless is always a good option on gravel as well.
Another aspect to consider is your gearing,
we touched on it at the beginning,
that riding on gravel roads does tend to be slower,
and you'll also find that actually the climbs
are probably going to be steeper as well,
because they're not on well-made, well-governed roads,
so, to combat that, you might want to fit
a larger cassette at the back,
so up to a 36, maybe even a 42,
and also consider running
a super compact chain set at the front.
So, this one is a 48/32, but you can go smaller than that,
46/30, and maybe even a 28 in a ring as well.
Now, this whole video has been about riding on gravel,
and with good reason,
more and more people are buying gravel bikes,
there's a burgeoning gravel racing scene,
but you shouldn't feel that you are limited
to just riding on gravel.
Far from it, in fact, any surface is fair game,
be it hard-packed dirt, or grass, and, of course, pavement.
Although, I will say, if you get super gnarly,
and yes that is actually a word,
you would probably be better off on a mountain bike.
Anyway, back to gravel, those golden rules
that we've talked about in this video do hold true,
no matter what type of gravel you're riding on.
You should always look ahead, look for the smoothest,
fastest, and grippiest lines,
and be prepared to actually change your riding technique
from what you would do on tarmac,
be that cornering, or breaking, or climbing.
Do make sure that you give this video a big thumbs up,
if you've been enjoying riding on gravel,
and get involved in the comments section, as well.
Tell us what other gravel content you would like to watch.
And, if you're in the market for another video right now,
why not check out something a little bit different again,
bikepacking in Morocco.