AustinBike

8 hours ago, circuitbreaker said:

i know they've been on Strava for years. So it makes sense that they've been built up over time.

I don't have any personal experience. 

There is a section called "Oxbow" that is east of the path. Basically about 4-6 sections between just north of the elevated portion past 183 and the cut off for the Y. I ride them all the time because concrete gets boring.

Also, the apocalypse:

This is why the cheap stuff is a real problem. guessing those $10K e-bikes from the big name guys, but the cheaper ones could be an issue. This is why we do not leave my wife's bike plugged in after charging.

I will say that cranking up a 4-mile climb on a fire road that was about as steep as Jester and courtyard, my 36T cassette was no match for the guys on the e-bikes.

I can understand the allure (and usefulness) in some areas, but not here in central TX. Especially with the weight to torque ratio being out of whack.

I'm still in the traditional camp.

That looks a lot like what I will end up with. Ultimately I will have 2 forks (rigid and squishy) and two Wheelsets (gravel and MTB) so I should be able to swap things around.

I doubt I will do much gravel in TX because Texas gravel does not appeal to me. Most of my gravel will be in California and New Mexico during 2-4 week vacations that are becoming the norm.

Being able to travel with a second Wheelset and fork would give me 2 bikes without having to haul a second bike out there with me.

My current theory is get home from CA and start with the Vassago:

• Cut down the current Pike to 120MM from 140mm, cut the steerer tube
• Gravel tires
• Move the batwing bars and grips from the urban bike

Next step:

• Try out the rigid fork that I already have
• Update the drive train to an 11-T 42T cassette and new derailleur
• Play with multiple front rings 32T through 42T

Final step:

• Maybe get a carbon fork
• Maybe just go get a gravel fork

This ride included a brief break where we could look at the ocean. Overlooking Point Mugu between Newbury Park and Camarillo.

The glorified dog hauler takes a ride on the beach.

Looking through comments, it looks like this could also be an option. A little more expensive (and a dodger manufacturer) but probably a lot lighter and better damping because it is carbon:

https://www.amazon.com/Handlebar-External-Handlebars-Traveling-640mm/dp/B0BJTVLHFC

Right now my urban singlespeed has an Origin8 bat wing bar with Ergon handle grips:

Maybe the first step is to swap these bars to the gravel project and see how that goes. I've done at least two 100-mile urban rides on this bike and did plenty of MTB trails in New Mexico that were very rocky. This would give me a little more flexibility and more hand positions than a flat bar.

26 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

I might not have been in the scene long enough to know there's an old one.

And, in unrelated day drinking notes ( from Tarantula Hill brewing in Ca) Ian Hunter is 84 years old  old. 
 

Also, to stay on target, the initial thought will be flat bars with bar ends.

20 minutes ago, Bart said:

My buddy has the new Giant Revolt X with a 40mm front suspension, a dropper, 53mm tires and the Sram wide range 1X. This bike literally shreds easy singletrack like the Nut. He brought it out to Terlinqua and said it was a blast.

That is an interesting option.

I think my current trajectory is to look into conversion of my current Vassago. I have a steel rigid fork already so throwing some gravel tires on this bike with the Surly Corner Bar might allow me to have an inexpensive entry into a gravel bike without a ton of compromise. Then, if that works out I can tackle the drivetrain next.

7 hours ago, CBaron said:

That Surly Corner Bar is genius.

-CJB

This looks really interesting, might be just the kind of kluge that I need while I work this whole project out.

Playing around with Geometry Geeks, I have the following comparison of the Vassago to a Specialized Crux, which seems like a reasonable gravel bike:

It seems like the for length, axle to crown is a real issue (and assume another 20mm as I have it right now...)

The slacker head angle and seat angle probably have a large impact as well. I was surprised at the shorter chainstay, I had actually slid the sliders out a little more to maximize that before the ride assuming that it would help with the climbing to have a longer wheelbase (to help compensate for the over-specced fork...)

5 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

I rode the Texas Chainring Massacre on a Soma Juice one year and wrote about it here: https://sidewallthorn.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-versatile-soma-juice-steel-hardtail.html

Sorry, the photos died. I'll try to fix that.

I did the Castell grind on a Soma Juice singlespeed before I actually bought one. Not 100% sure since I did the race a few times, but I may have won my category on that bike.

4 hours ago, JRIDER said:

my drop bar bikes climb much better than my mountain bikes even though the mtbs have lower gearing.  I suspect its mostly because of the rigid fork and less tire volume which results in less energy loss when pedaling slow and hard.  The skinnier tires also have less friction which would result in slightly less resistance.  

 

I did the chainring massacre a few weeks ago.  was a lot of fun.

This sounds similar to my issue.

To begin with, the Pike is big and heavy. It is spaced at 140mm and the bike (Vassago Verhauen) is really specced at 120mm max, so I am really raked out. Despite the fact that the rigid fork would have had no travel, I might have ended up better with a rigid fork that had less total fork height.

The other thing that concerns me is the drive train. In a max, it is 32T to 36T. When I look at gravel bikes, their max is 42T to 42T, so how, with less leverage (100% vs 112.5%), are they able to climb better? Is there a "secret sauce" tied to the front chainring size that I am missing?

Also, I know that the tires were pretty heavy; the more aggressive knobs of the Ardents did not help in getting traction on the gravel portions (and definitely did not help on the streets...)

3 hours ago, hurronnicane said:

The only recurring nightmare I’ve had in the last 30 years involved getting my bike stolen.  

That was why I obsessed so much about the bike choice for this trip. Tried to get the best (cheapest) combo. Ended up just building out the best bike and that turned out to be a faster choice to build (fewer hassles) and mostly a more fun bike to ride.Weather is getting drier and I hope to be able to hit trails this week.

I rode this weekend in California with some riders, mostly road, but some gravel. They were on gravel bikes. A couple were on e-MTBs. I got my ass handed to me on the climbs. Yeah, most of it was because they have been riding these routes for years and I was not ready for it.

Anyway, it got me thinking, what if I turned my steel hardtail into a gravel bike? It has a nice King/Stans Wheelset. Put a nice carbon fork on it, maybe some drop bars, some gravel tires, would it be an effective gravel bike? Or would I just be fooling myself because the geometries are way off?

Long term I may move out here and for the month of Santa Fe that we do every year might be just as good on a gravel bike, today I use a full rigid steel hardtail.

One thing I did not understand was their drive trains were basically 42T with 11-42T in the back. I was on a 32T with 11-36T in the back, so technically I was in an easier gear (but had 2.4" Ardents on the back...)

Any thoughts or input here?

A little bit of bike, maybe this should be on the dog thread. Really big dogs. Outside a former celebrity's place, Hidden Valley Ranch.

Put it on the website, too bad I can't be there. Hope you get a good turnout.

Just got to CA.

Wife's e-bike made the trip. She's excited about riding along the ocean. The other bike in the back is hoping that the trails dry out in time.

8 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

I was wondering why you were so concerned about theft. are you taking the bike to a theft-prone place? Are you going to leave it outside every night with a shoestring for a lock? common sense measures like using a good lock when you need it, and keeping the bike indoors and out of sight should keep any bike as safe as is practical. anyone who is really determined to steal a bike will find a way, but they're far more likely to go after the easiest target, even if it's a crappy bike.

What are you brining?

Friend here in CA recommended locking the bikes in the hotel room. That is too much for me.

My Kona would have been ok if it were stolen, more worried about the Vassago, but at this point it will not be out of my sight.  Big concern was visiting brother in law in Santa Monica, but we will most likely not take bikes based on weather.

Santa Fe 7K is highly recommended, along with their Java stout.

What I learned for this trip is a. Don’t worry about bike theft and b. Focus on not cheaping out.

I was trying to bring the cheapest bike instead of the right bike because I was worried about theft. As we are going to have the bikes in the room with us, I decided to use a good fork and the right wheel set. After fighting for 2 days on cheap wheel options, new Ardents with a King/Stans wheel got me set up in 15 minutes.

Now I just need the weather to cooperate. 

Cool, I will drop them by the next time I am out there.

H Mart for lunch today

Spicy squid and pork. 
 

PSA:

The South Gate of the Pickle center is closed off right now so you can't cut through there from Gnarnia.