Hello gravel community! The thought of
Biking around the island I live on has been in the back of my head for years and as I’ve gotten deeper and deeper into my health, fitness, and wellness journey I finally purchased a starter gravel bike!
I had a few questions regarding gear and any must have accessories you’d recommend for someone new to the space.
Do I need a special pair of cycling shoes? Even with these more standard pedals I have and not the small ones? It looks like on some of the cycling shoes they have a slot to attach to a smaller pedal? Any starter recs would be great.
What’s the two most important pieces of gear? Padded shorts? Shoes?
Any highly recommended shirts/shorts/accessories would be sick!
Thanks so much and happy riding!
by PatrickBanksy
4 Comments
Were you fitted to the bike yet? Upon purchase? The best thing you can do is start a relationship with a good local bike shop and have them help you get fitted to the bike. Comfort is key to riding quality and ability. Be it enjoyment, endurance, strength, relaxation, etc – a good fit is necessary. Sounds corny.
Welcome! Great looking bike.
“Need” vs “nice to have” is a big discussion. And it’s easy to spend infinite money on kit and accessories. Set a budget first, and acquire stuff as you go.
Things I’d prioritize:
– Bibs: quality bibs make life so much better and enable longer rides. Everyone has a different preference (I like rapha). Expect to spend $100-$200 for a pair. Get some shammy buttr to keep things comfy.
– Pedals and Shoes: Yours will work. Getting pedals you can clip into can make riding a lot better and more efficient. As your bike shop for pedals. Shimano SPD-style are a good starting point. You’d need cycling shoes, make sure to try them on before buying. (I like Lake or Shimano)
– Bike Fit: paying for a professional fit will make rides better and help avoid injury. It feels like money wasted, but it absolutely pays off.
– Saddle: every butt is different. Odds are, your stock saddle might not be what fits you. Ask your bike shop to recommend one and if you can try out and return them.
– Tires: Good, wide, tubeless tires make gravel so enjoyable. Ask your local shop for what you can fit and what they recommend. This topic is a deep rabbit hole.
– Gloves: nobody likes cramped hands or ulnar nerve pain. Get some gloves with effective padding. Pearl Izumi works for me.
Im not picky about jersey brands. Get what looks cool and makes you happy.
What kind of gravel are you riding? If you are riding chunky/really rough gravel and not smoother dirt roads you might consider bigger tires, those look like 38’s and youll be fine on them, but bigger tires tend to help a lot on gravel. I dont think you have to go crazy though. I have 50’s now and they honestly feel like overkill.
Essentials are shoes, pedals you like, clipping in feels pretty crucial on gravel to me, but I know plenty that manage just fine on flats.
Get another bottlecage so you can carry enough water for longer rides.
Get cleaning supplies(a clean bike and drivetrain is a happy bike), cleaning your drive train regularly will save you a lot of maintenance. I at least re-oil/wipe down my chain after every ride on road, but for gravel id wash at least the drive train after every ride to help cut down on wear.
Get a saddlebag for all your emergency tools and spare tube. If this isnt a tubeless setup I’d honestly look into one, they are incredibly beneficial on gravel imo.
The second brickyard water bottle posted on Reddit today haha. The first being mine. Not in a position to dole out advice as I’m just starting out as well but I’d say for vineyard biking in order of importance (subjective of course): convert your tires to tubeless (Greg will be happy to help with that), padded shorts make riding exponentially more enjoyable, clip shoes and pedals increase your pedaling efficiency, good helmet with mips, decent set of lights because even on a gravel bike you’ll have to dive on and off state road/north road etc. and you want to be ultra visible especially in the summer with more traffic, polarized sunglasses, and least important but nice to have is a head unit because the gravel roads are numerous and can be quite confusing. Maybe I’ll see you around on trail! Happy riding
Edit: I see you have lights already