- Riding gravel is fun.
Crashing on gravel is not so much fun.
Earlier this year, I got a stone in my kneecap,
and I had to get it removed surgically,
like I had to be put under,
and they had to take it out of my kneecap.
If that's not the most hardcore thing out there,
then I'm not sure what is.
I feel like tattoos, piercings, all that does not compare
to having a rock literally under your skin.
So I think rocks are the next big thing,
if you want to be a hardcore gravel rider.
I've thrown together some tips
that I think are going to help you crush your next gravel ride,
that I have learned from over the years
of riding much skinnier tires,
and it wasn't on a gravel bike,
hopefully to help you not crash,
and keep rocks out of your knee.
(rhythmic techno music)
All right, now I want you
to use your imagination a little bit.
Imagine you're riding on a smooth,
practically perfect pavement road.
You're enjoying the rivers that you pass,
the wildlife you're among,
and in a split-second, it's boom!
Loose, crazy gravel.
Rocky stuff all underneath your tires.
The first thing you got to do, don't panic.
Do not tense up, be loose, float,
letting the bike absorb the rocks,
and go where it needs to be.
Today, I'm running Continental Cyclocross Speed 35c Tires,
which is more than enough tire,
especially with a little bit of finesse.
It rolls fast, it covers bumps like these with ease,
but if you're going to crush the gravel,
you need to know about tire pressure.
Now imagine an ice rink with marbles all over it,
and then try to ride your bike on it.
That is what too much pressure on gravel like this would be,
and I would say anything over 50 pounds
of pressure is going to give you that effect,
where your tire is not moving at all,
and it's just getting shot all over the place.
Just deflect, deflect, bleah.
You want to have more like 30, 35 pounds of pressure,
where your tire is acting like a little bit of suspension,
it's moving with the ground
so that you don't slice or pinch flat.
(humorous music)
(rhythmic techno music)
So we're talking about cornering.
Now, especially on gravel like this,
but really on any gravel, but this smooth stuff
like this, you never want to be
turning your front tire (bike skidding)
because it is a great way to get a rock in your knee.
Instead, when you're riding gravel, you want to be thinking
about how you're going to set up for the turn.
For this I want to be as long as possible,
so I make the least amount of turn.
Lean with the bike, and go through the turn
without making any sharp turns,
where I'll lose my contact patch.
If I just do a long line, and I lean the bike,
I'm going to have a nice shot to go
right through the apex of the turn,
and there'll be no crashes.
So what do you do if things get bad?
Well, a tip of the hat to my good, old friend,
actually I don't know him at all, John Tomac,
but he is my childhood idol.
I always credit John with being the guy
that taught me about how to tripod,
meaning getting your leg out in front of you.
Basically, if it's a oh boy moment,
you've got to get a leg out, because it'll protect you
when you're going to go down.
It'll keep you up and you can
kind of kick your way through something.
In all seriousness, beginners should even try
to master the technique of tripoding because,
in a situation like gravel, or an off-camber,
or another thing that you'll come into
with off-road, or gravel, cyclocross riding,
learning how to tripod is one of the essentials.
Riding in the drops on any bike,
but really on your gravel bike, is awesome.
It's a beautiful thing, I mean, all of your friends
that are riding mountain bikes that have the wide stance
and the suspension forks, that's cool, but
(bike skidding)
being able to modulate your speed in the drops.
I always hear, "Oh, I never use the drops."
Having that lower center of gravity,
allowing you to get your bum way behind the back
of the bike, keeps your bike stable and in full control.
Obviously, being on the hoods, great for just riding along.
Being on the tops is awesome for when you're climbing,
especially on gravel, or really on anything,
but being in the drops is for full crush mode.
Do you think you are ready to crush some gravel now,
after all those tips?
If you like the video, leave us a comment below.
If you want to see more awesome gravel videos,
check out over here on the right,
and if you want to subscribe to GCN,
click right in the center.