When does it become underbiking? I did my first, full-fledged gravel ride on my Sam Hillborne v2.0, Gravel Mode.
Weather was 50-60 degrees, sunny, perfect. I road up the mountain north of Frederick MD (locals will know it as the Mountaindale right fork up Gambrill Park Rd). I won’t describe it extensively as others on the web have already done that including James from Analong (formerly Gravel & Grind). <https://gravelandgrind.com/frederick-forgotten-explore/#more-2485> My 36t cog saw a lot of action for the first time today! Combined with a 30t chainring up front, gearing didn’t leave me yearning for just one more gear during my unloaded ascent up 1100’ of dirt road that is in need of some attention following winter. Potholes filled with muddy water, large rocks exposed through runoff, and some recently downed trees & branches made it interesting. At the top, a plateau along the ridge was waiting for me. Short trees, no signs of humans, no sounds of birds, and not a speck of green from Spring at that elevation. Desolate. Even a little eerie, like the scene at the start of Planet of the Apes where Charlton Heston is wandering, looking for signs of life. The descent was the reward, the pinnacle of today’s ride. Half because of the reprieve from 1100’ of continual climbing, half because of the thrill of picking a line and heavy braking, half because of the sound and sight of the rapids flowing parallel to the road. As Jerry Seinfeld said “How can you go wrong?" Totally worth the effort. I don’t know if I was underbiking or just biking, but my Sam proved worthy of the challenge despite the only other bikes up there being suspension MTB bikes. My newly-wrapped green Albastache bars worked brilliantly helping to dodge & weave to keep to the smoothest line possible. My hands never cramped, never went numb as I shifted hand-position often like I do on drops. My 2x9 with a 30x36 low gear got the job done and should be adequate for most anything I encounter in the Mid-Atlantic. The 42mm Cazaderos, sluggish on the pavement, took everything I threw at them on the gravel as if to say “That all you got?" Maybe a heavier frame and a wider tire and different geometry would've made things a bit easier, but I didn't feel limited in any way on my Sam. I am newly impressed at all that this bike can do. Ultimately, I had a peaceful, enjoyable spring day of exploring places I’d never gone. And I was able to avoid my 45-year-old body accidentally coming in sudden contact with 2 billion-year-old stone. Not bad. Not bad at all. Photos from today added to the top of my Sam Hillborne album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/LZDRZ23JhgI4lXd52 Austin Bishop Sykesville, MD -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
