The Gear

Equipment

What is a gravel bike and do I have to purchase one?

It goes without saying you’ll need some type of bike for gravel cycling, but lets review what types of bikes are common. Does it have to be a specific “gravel only” bike by name? No, not necessarily, though there may be some advantages to a trendy gravel bike depending on your terrain. The name “gravel bike” is more encompassing of an all terrain bike or adventure bike additionally, a mountain bike is perfectly suited as a “gravel bike” and some people even prefer a hard tail mountain bike to a drop bar gravel bike. Additionally if you are just dipping your toe in the water on very hard packed dirt roads a hybrid bike fitted with larger tires(32mm and up) could also work great, you can even blaze light paths with a single gear beach cruiser if you so desired. The most important factor here is you need a bike that you are comfortable on that has large enough tires and gearing that you can manage on your chosen paths.

Some bike specifications to consider

Tire size – depending on where you are riding you may want larger tires but for most terrain a 35mm – 47mm tire is the most common among gravel bikes(and typically what you will receive standard on a new “gravel” bike). I currently use 38’s as my all around Florida tire that work great in most places.

Saddle and Bar positioning – You want to make sure your bike is setup for a comfortable ride for a long adventure outing. Doing some short rides around the neighborhood to really dial in your positioning of everything with your pedals as well is likely a good idea so you can focus on enjoying your adventure.

A more detailed blog post about bike specifications with a much deep dive is in the works and will be linked here.

Support Gear

If you are coming from the road OR are a complete beginner one thing to keep in mind is you need to be self sufficient. Whether exploring a new route in the middle of nowhere or one closer to the city you will likely be pretty far from any support. This means you need to be ready to handle whatever is thrown your way to get your bike up and running again. From fixing a flat to something rattling loose and even keeping yourself fueled, it’s a good idea to be prepared.

Things you should carry include:

• Plenty of water
• Snacks/Food (eating each hour of riding is typically a good idea)
• C02 or micro bike pump (or both, I carry both)
• Navigation (Example: bike computer)
• Cell Phone
• Spare tire tubes ( a good idea even if you have tubeless tires)
• Tire patch kit (if tubeless)
• Multi-tool (there are some junky ones out there, make sure yours has relevant tools)
• Sunscreen
• Cash

Where does all of this stuff go? Well, you have a couple options. You can either fit most of this stuff into a saddle bag, a bike keg container (pictured left at top of image), your jersey or a fanny pack. Just somewhere you know it will be handy when/if you need it.