What is a ‘gravel bike’?
Not heard the term before? Don’t worry, it’s still fairly new. But it seems to be gaining popularity very quickly as it’s such a good idea.
In simple terms, a gravel bike is a hybrid bike which has wider (although moderately smooth) tyres and disk brakes like a mountain bike. But like a road bike, they tend to be relatively lightweight (especially when compared to many hybrid bikes) though still strong enough to venture off-road, and have drop-handlebars, which make longer distances (on and off-road) much more comfortable. (If you haven’t tried them and think they don’t sound comfortable, it’s well worth giving them a go. You may well be surprised!)
They also bear more than a passing resemblance to a cyclocross bike, but where the cyclocross bike’s gears and geometry are optimised for an hour’s race around a muddy field, gravel bikes are intended for all-day and multi-day use across a wide variety of terrains.
Gears
Many bikes with drop handlebars come far too highly geared for mere mortals on the average steep hill – let alone when overnight luggage weight is added to the equation! This being the case, you have two options. The traditional advice is that you don’t ride challenging routes until you’ve built up the necessary leg strength on flat and then gently increasing hills. However, this requires significant time and very frequent riding, which, sadly, can put people off before they’ve even started.
For many people, the best solution is to first of all change the rear cassette (set of cogs) for a mountain biking cassette. If this still doesn’t give low enough gears, change the front derailleur for a MTB triple. (Note that this is likely to require specialist help from a bike mechanic if you’re not a confident bike fettler, and may mean that 11-speed gears are no longer an option – but 30 useable speeds spread across three rings are far better than 22 across two rings that are too high!)
Alternatively (and this is my current preference), some gravel bikes come with the new SRAM 1x11 setup. This gives a rear range of 10–42 teeth with just a single front derailleur, which is lighter, easier to use and removes one derailleur from the trouble-making equation! I’ve swapped the standard 44-tooth front ring for a 38-tooth ring. This does limit my top-end pedalling speed, but means I rarely have to walk up a hill, even fully laden. And gravity means I can still reach speeds of 45mph on a decent descent!
Saddle height
Low saddle height may initially give confidence to a new rider, but it significantly reduces pedalling efficiency and leads to sore thighs and backs, particularly when riding uphill. It’s best to raise the saddle so that your leg is fractionally less than straight when sat on the saddle (with leg extended with the pedal at the bottom of its stroke). But if your knees end up locked-out, you’ve taken it too high!
Saddle
The best saddle is the most comfortable one! However, this is very hard to judge, especially when you’re new to cycling. As a general rule, men tend to need slightly narrower and longer saddles than women. For everyone, counter-intuitively, too much padding is as bad as too little as it soon deforms on longer rides and doesn’t give the required support.
Talking of support, it’s worth bearing in mind that the reason a saddle is called a saddle rather than a seat is that in normal riding your weight should ideally be spread equally through pedals, saddle and hands, with the core muscles preventing your body weight from resting too hard on the saddle.
The best way to find the right saddle is to try out a few and gradually hone down what your personal preferences are – ideally before committing to a multi-day route!
Looking back up Perry Dale (Route 14)
Cycle hire
Details of bike hire centres in the Peak District can be found at www.peakimages.co.uk (under ‘Cycling’ in the main menu). Proof of identity and a deposit may be required, and helmets may or may not be provided – check with the individual centre for more information. A pump and (perhaps) a limited toolkit (enough to change a punctured inner tube) should also be provided but you may need to ask for these. Prices vary according to spec of bike and location, and change over time.
Cycling technique
If you’re new to cycling, and particularly off-road riding, the following tips may help.
Off-road uphill
When riding uphill over rough ground, the most important factor tends to be maintaining just enough speed to overcome gravity on each rough rock or pebble. This can be fatiguing, especially if your gears or saddle are set too high or low respectively. Try and remain firmly sat on the saddle (weight here is an advantage against rear wheel spin, which is more of an issue if you stand up on the pedals), with legs spinning as fast as possible. As getting going again is much harder than keeping going on ground that you could have (just) kept moving on, try not to stop at all! If you do need to re-start, try using your second- or third-lowest gears, to avoid wheel spin.
Off-road downhill
There is no doubt that sharp brakes and wider grippy tyres add significantly to downhill confidence and comfort, but you can also help yourself with where you look and your position relative to the bike.
Always look where you want to go – not at the rock, rut or other obstacle you wish to avoid. The bike tends to magnetically follow your viewpoint, so staring fixedly at the thing you wish to avoid is almost guaranteed to result in hitting it, whereas staring at the line you wish to take regardless of obstacles to the side usually works well.
Stand up on the pedals with your knees bent flexibly, balancing your weight equally but fluidly between your feet. Move your centre of gravity backwards so that your bum is at the back of, or even partially behind the saddle, with your thighs loosely gripping the saddle for a bit of control. Keep your arms in a loose and flexible grip on the handlebars: the more you can allow your body’s position to compensate for the bike’s movement as it bounces underneath you, the more stable and relaxed the descent will feel (in other words, keeping your body stiff and rigid is a bad thing!) The bike knows where it’s going (well, mostly!) and if you let it get there you may well be surprised at what it (and you) can actually do!
Oh, and try to avoid turning and braking at the same time! Individually is best, but if you need to do both, try braking in a straight line then turning with the brakes mostly released and pedalling gently, then brake some more if needed.
On the High Peak Trail near Brundcliffe (Route 2)
On-road
Confidence comes with practice, but the following advice may help.
You should normally be cycling roughly 50–100cm from the kerb – ie ‘a drain and a bit more’ away. It may feel counter-intuitive, but this is much safer than being right in the gutter next to the kerb! Not only does this position keep you out of the worst of on-road debris and slippery drain covers, it also improves driver awareness of your existence.
You should not normally need to ‘claim the lane’ (where you make it impossible for other road users to pass) as this can antagonise drivers needlessly. However, if someone trying to pass would put you in danger (typically at busy junctions and in urban areas), this can be the safest position to ensure you have a clear route to complete your turn in. This is advanced technique, but worth looking up or getting tuition on if you’re