Riding gravel roads promises less traffic and you get to geek on different bike gear. Plus, all of the usual benefits of cycling are sprinkled on top of a lovely gravel cupcake.
The Oakley DRT5 is a brand new mountain bike helmet and is packed with thoughtful features like a sweat guard and sunglasses clip.
Any group looking to develop mountain biking -- whether it's at the local or national level, for tourism, industry, or athletic development -- can learn from what DMBinS has accomplished so far.
The Drop is a new mountain bike apparel brand based out of North Carolina that was built by two brothers, Jon and Josh Bomba
First impressions of the Orbea Rallon enduro bike, which will see a long-term review.
A mountain biking pack that keeps water cold and looks great. We check out the first-ever hydration pack from Hydro Flask.
Colorado-based non-profit Sacred Cycle is working with survivors of sexual trauma, and part of their therapy methods include taking clients mountain biking.
Garmin adds a host of mountain bike specific features to their latest GPS units, and even offers a mountain bike bundle with optional accessories.
These are five of the best beginner mountain bike trails in the Phoenix area.
The Patagonia Nine Trails 8L Waist Pack includes a hydration bladder and room for two bottles for all-day MTB shreds.
The GT Force Expert is an all-mountain bike that is eager to pop off whatever you point it at. With 27.5" wheels and 150mm of rear travel, this all-carbon, aggressive trail bike retails for $4,000.
We check out a Singletracks reader's customized bike. This Scott Contessa is decked out in pink and ready to race.
Pietra Ligure: Come for the beach, and stay for the mountain bike trails! Plus, an epic report from a surprisingly snowy enduro race.
We check out Pearl iZUMi's 2019 mountain bike line up, including rain jackets, bib liners, shorts, and jerseys.
Riders know the obvious dangers of mountain biking, but the woods harbor insects that carry all kinds of diseases. One bite from the lone star tick can cause the victim to develop an allergy to meat.
Matt takes a brief test ride on the Santa Cruz Megatower on the singletrack mountain bike trails just outside Santa Cruz headquarters.
Sea Otter recap: The mountain bikes we tested, the new and wacky products we found, and what Sea Otter means for mountain bike culture.
Jill Kintner shares her outlook on how mountain bike races are won, gives cornering tips, and dishes on her favorite places to ride.
The Axis hip pack from Mission Workshop is a simple, sturdy pack designed to carry just the right amount of trail gear.
The first two races of the 2019 NAES series visit Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and Revelstoke, Canada, leaving all of the celebratory duties to the final event at Snow Summit, California.
This was the weirdest looking new product at Sea Otter. We had to take it for a ride to see what this front end linkage mountain bike is all about.
Brands like Rotor and e*thirteen are finding new and innovative ways to add more range to one-by mountain bike drivetrains.
A stand up mountain bike, full suspension gravel bike, vintage telescoping fork, race day tire sealant, and more from Sea Otter 2019. Or maybe it's 3019?
Remot Bikes are igniting their brand new fire with a carbon trail bike for under $4,000 that looks ready to party.
CushCore has new product with wider applications, and some science they say backs up their claims.
The Raleigh Tokul 3 hardtail mountain bike ticks most of the right boxes on the spec chart and looks great too.
The MRP Ramp Control PRO gives riders even more adjustability than the MRP Ramp Control. We also check out the new Raven mountain bike fork.
We round up 6 notable and interesting hardtail mountain bikes from Sea Otter 2019, ranging from steel to carbon and titanium. Every one of them sports at least 120mm of front travel.
A few new items around Sea Otter including shoes with impact-resistant soles, waterless bike wash, and lights by Knog.
Giant launches a brand new flat pedal mountain bike shoe, the Shuttle Flat. Here's what we know so far after wearing them for a couple days.
Go big or small on your mountain bike rides with these bags from Ortlieb and Evoc.
Walmart's Viathon M.1 mountain bike is a racy, XC bike being marketed as fun, comfortable, and practical which begs a few questions.
US distributor Cycle Monkey brings German Brands Nicolai and Tout Terrain to the states with Gates Carbon Drive and Pinion gear boxes.
In this episode of the Singletracks podcast we talk about what enduro is, and why it matters to the sport of mountain biking. From athletes and races to bikes and gear, enduro is a reflection of how many of us approach riding.
This multi-sport GPS watch has a ton of features, but it misses the mark in a couple key areas.
We test out Patagonia's 2019 mountain bike line which includes the Dirt Roamer short, Nine Trails jersey, and Endless Ride bib liner.
Hutchison's pro mountain bikers asked for a faster gravity tire, and worked alongside company engineers to create just that.
The Urge Archi-Enduro RR full face mountain bike helmet was designed by the most qualified enduro experts in the business.
Oak trees are native to six of the seven continents on earth, so chances are you have mountain biked among them. Learn more about this magnificent tree species.
Updated Norco Revolver XC bike comes with 100mm or 120mm of rear travel. Plus, there are new forks from Cane Creek and Marzocchi, moto-inspired MTB rims from Zipp, and tall tires for wet and loose conditions from WTB.
The Vee Flow Snap is an enduro mountain bike tire from the Thai company. It's a little on the heavy side, but seems to be a great aggressive trail tire.
The Mountainsmith Cycle Cube is a bike-specific duffel bag meant to manage lots of awkward and stinky bike gear.
Deborah Meghen and Niall Davie talk about the development of new mountain bike trails all over Ireland.
The Bluegrass Eagle Armour Lite D3O is a lightweight and simple vented spine protector.
A San Diego mountain biker finds a barbed wire trail trap and a rider in Colorado leaves the scene of another trap with several broken bones.
There's a lot of hype about the new WaveCel structure in new Bontrager helmets. Competitor responses came just as quickly, and it's hard to recognize who's right in the end.
We check out mountain bike multi-tools from top brands like Pro, SIlca, Pedro's, Topeak and Pro Bike Tool.
New 12-speed hub options, alongside a more affordable 4-piston brake and 203mm rotor option, show Shimano's dedication to entry-level riders.
18
![[caption id="attachment_261331" align="alignnone" width="1170"]<img class="wp-image-261331 size-large" src="https://images.singletracks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/gravel-flip-1170x780.jpg" alt="" width="1170" height="780" /> This Surly Karate Monkey single-speed is my go-to rain whip.[/caption]
We grew up on rural gravel roads, riding whatever bike had enough air left in the tires.
It was late summer in the Selkirk mountains of Priest Lake, Idaho, and mosquitos streamed from the cabin's septic tank cover that served as their rightful mothership. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's latest tune blared through the shade of native western red cedar, bouncing off their towering trunks, taller than all of us ratty river-kids combined, and older than our greatest-grandparents.
An early memory of balancing between two wheels sits atop my grandma Gladys's brown mixte, on a graveled county road outside that cabin. The generator light on grandma's bike likely had more heft than the frame of its modern equivalent. I was pedaling with all of the kid-angst and excitement I could muster, to lock up the rear tire and whip-skid into the driveway in front of my sister or cousin who were waiting for their turn on the bike. I try to remember that kid and to have that kind of fun playing in the dirt today.
Those first whip-skids led to a lifetime of playing on bikes that I feel fortunate to continue. I went on to race cyclocross, road, and mountain bikes, and joined a supportive community of people who are equally infatuated with the rush of balance and traction. Most of the bike racers and riders I know have their own narrative of riding gravel-packed roads. Some folks grew up in rural areas, where gravel streets were far better than the dirt and mud roads that preceded them. The size-specific stones in the road help the surface drain and keep dust and mud in check. The bits of broken tarmac highway served as a spine for their broader gravel rib cage, but that smoother spine was too dangerous to pedal along.
[caption id="attachment_261330" align="alignnone" width="1170"]<img class="wp-image-261330 size-large" src="https://images.singletracks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/angles-gravel--1170x780.jpg" alt="" width="1170" height="780" /> The quiet place for base miles.[/caption]
The advent of "gravel bike" marketing over the past several seasons has made me giggle on a regular basis. I imagine someone at a bike company that makes fine cyclocross frames proposing to their marketing team, "we all love epic dirt-road rides, so why don't we repaint our cyclocross bikes and sell them as gravel bikes. Who knows, It might just become <em>the</em> new and cool genre of cycling." This <em>someone</em> was rightly laughed out of the room, then eventually the idea was given further consideration, and now we have a burgeoning industry segment of cyclocross bikes with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRe3rMyw5F8">slightly lower bottom brackets and wider tires</a>, ready to ride where no one has ridden before. On gravel roads.
[caption id="attachment_261417" align="alignnone" width="1170"]<img class="size-large wp-image-261417" src="https://images.singletracks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/gravel_tire-1-1170x780.jpg" alt="" width="1170" height="780" /> photo: Jeff Barber[/caption]
The reasons why mountain bikers and road cyclists enjoy riding gravel are many and good. You can still ride while the singletrack dries out, there is often less traffic when you leave the pavement, the auditory feedback from tires on slightly shifting stones is fantastic, you have a reason to use larger and cozier tires on a road ride, you get to geek out on different gear, and all of the other benefits of cycling are sprinkled on top of this lovely gravel cupcake.
Do we need specific bikes that bear the "gravel" moniker for rolling over the same smashed stones we have always pedaled on mountain bikes, 'cross bikes, or road bikes? There are plenty of cycling genres that require purpose-built machines to improve the riding and racing experience, but the gravel scene hasn't made a strong case for its gear. Until convinced otherwise, I am going to chalk the gravel-hype up to exceptionally adept marketing, and continue to have a laugh at the "latest gravel tech" news.
On rainy days, when the trails are too wet to respectfully shred, I ride my trusty hardtail or cyclocross race bikes on dirt and gravel roads to maintain fitness. I also ride my long travel mountain bike on gravel roads, sometimes climbing for 3-4 consecutive hours to reach some of the best trails available. So, are all of my bikes gravel bikes? When I ride them on gravel -- I suppose they are.
[caption id="attachment_261332" align="alignnone" width="1170"]<img class="wp-image-261332 size-large" src="https://images.singletracks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/through-wheel-gravel--1170x746.jpg" alt="" width="1170" height="746" /> Get your vitamin-G on whatever bike has enough air in the tires and makes you stoked to ride it.[/caption]](https://images.singletracks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Barb_Wire.jpg)
