I find it interesting to observe the chasm between parties engaged in a conversation, particularly in response to questions being asked. I’m thinking, at present, of the question, “How many bikes do you have?” My feelings in response are nothing short of complex and maybe a bit confused; reservation that I feel I should have a more well-rounded stable, love as I picture each machine, longing as I immediately then also imagine riding it, some regret at the realization that I’m not riding it at that moment, and a touch of consternation as to whether I should include in my count the partially-built machines hanging in the basement. Their feeling, in contrast, is composed of one-dimensional and unveiled shock.
Several years ago, the VMH and I got lost while out Mountain biking north of Cle Elum and spent the better part of four hours riding our mountain bikes on gravel roads. It was one of the best days we’ve had on a bike, and as a result I’ve been increasingly obsessed with the notion of hitting the gravel mountain roads in the North Cascades on a bike tuned for gravé. These small roads liter the mountainsides and offer access to parts of the world where a road bike can’t go, but provide a range that would be untenable on fat-tired bikes.
A Graveur differs from a road bike in the sense that it has cantilever brakes and wide tires. It differs from a Cyclocross bike in the sense that the rider’s position is tuned to fast riding over relatively smooth terrain. A friend who I met at the Portland Cogal turned me onto a small Portland frame builder, Veloforma. Apart from building fantastic frames and having a great reputation locally, the owner is similarly obsessed with fast gravel riding as he lives in the boonies beyond the reaches of asphalt. A few chats with him and his infectious passion for his bikes, and I was sold completely. It goes without mention that I couldn’t resist the option to have the frame painted in Velominati colors.
I placed the order for a Veloforma Team CCX in November and immediately set about collecting the bits I would need to build it. A few weeks later, the owner sent me a mockup of the proposed paint scheme. It immediately became my desktop wallpaper and hardly a day has passed since then that I haven’t contemplated at length the various flavors of Awesome that were sure to pass beneath the tires of this machine as we explore the bounties of the Cascades. The VMH obviously also required a Graveur and her will was quickly done.
For those of you wondering how I’m preparing for my Hour Ride this weekend, it includes generous amounts of “natural interval training” on the CCX Graveur in the local park. There is zero flex in the tapered steer tube (my first), and VF’s proprietary BB66 bottom bracket is absurdly stiff; I can’t flex this thing for shit, which means more of my V winds up on the road instead of in the tubes where it does nothing productive. And paired to the Café Roubaix Arenbergs with Dugast 32m file tread tires, I practically need to tie it down to keep it from floating off.
As far as specs go, I’m riding the XL with a 14cm 17 degree stem, which gives me precisely the same position as on my road bikes. The fizik Cyrano Carbon seat pin holds up a custom black and orange Arione CX. I went with a 50T outer ring (it’s only a BIG RING when its over 52T) paired to a 38T inner ring on a 130BCD spider. The 50T will get more use than would a 53T given the increased drag, and the 38T shortens the gear just enough to keep the legs turning over on long gravé climbs. For CX racing, I’ll glue on some nobbies, go to a 10 degree stem to lift the bars up a touch, and drop the outer ring to a 44T or 42T.
[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/frank@velominati.com/Graveur Robber/”/]
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View Comments
@G'rilla
I always hear 6-12 months. The point is to let the tread harden due to the natural rubber aging, for puncture resistance. Seems like less of an issue with knobby cross tires than thin-cased road tires, but it probably doesn't hurt.
@VeloVita
Aw, BikeSnob is a hater because something cool is coming out of the Midwest. I agree that having a gravel bike AND a cross bike is a little silly, and it was pretty hilarious to read two separate article saying opposite things about what an ideal gravel bike is within a week or so. Go out and race, if you want something different, go build it. There are plenty of people who do what @Frank is doing, build up a road bike with clearance, there are people who ride touring rigs complete with fenders, monstercross, fatbikes, American- and European-style cross bikes, tandems, etc. Plus, Rule 12. I like having a quick-handling cross bike for rough b-roads, and the tandem kills the smoother stuff. There are always guys on the side of the road digging mud out of repurposed roadies, and the really aggressive position (see @Frank's) will ya over 100-200 miles racing.
@Nate
The tubular becomes more supple with age not harder.That's the whole point of ageing them.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DKfz0tkYin4&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DDKfz0tkYin4
@G'rilla
IIRC Francois ages the rubber for at least a year before a tire is made out of it so your set is very good.A piece of advice-since I can see u're becoming a pretty serious cat when it comes to cx so try getting tubulars a year ahead of the season.So now you should get tubulars for next year.Good luck with races.
@Balexander
My favorite thing in the world is people who ascertain the aggressiveness of a rider's position by looking at the bike only, not having seen the rider on the bike.
Did 14 hours on the Graveur a week ago, no worries.
@TommyTubolare
I've got my eyes on a set of their Sprint tires in 34. Loving the wideness and the relative smooth tread.
http://www.fmbtires.com/fmb_cotton_Sprint.htm
@frank Nice! The owner of my LBS sets up his gravel rig (including GW tandem rig) the same way, and I roll my eyes at him every time I see the ridiculously long stems he digs out. Don't take it personally. My roadie is set up similarly, but the CX/gravel rig has a high headtube that precludes too much drop, so it might just be jealousy on my part that your Graveur is so amazingly well-suited.
@Balexander
I always like someone who can take a sharp remark strongly. But please stop talking about tandems. I'm super cereal.
But maybe that's my jealousy analog to your bar drop jealousy speaking, seeing as riding a tandem with me and the VMH would be instant separation.
Seriously, though, a Graveur should be tuned to your normal road position, whatever that is, and not a CX position; that's the only real difference between a Graveur and CX rig. Tire clearance, width etc are all secondary factors.
For what its worth, I'll switch from my 17 degree stem to a 10 degree when I race it offroad (although I've been perfectly happy riding it on my usual CX route as-is, but I'd like to be able to unweight the front tire just a bit more for CX.)
@TommyTubolare Whether they get a bit harder or more supple, they do get more puncture resistant, no?
@frank I've probably missed this...but what pedals are you running on your gravel bikes?
@frank
I just saw this now, and maybe you don't care, or like it that way, but those brakes come with a 120 degree noodle for when you're running DS cable to NDS noodle.