Some of the surfaces I rode on. Sadly I didn't take a picture of what I now call the "Spine Fucker", in other words one of the worst paths I've seen: rocks, gravel, mud everywhere, 2km of a super steep downhill.
The worst part though, I had to hike. It was a 10% incline on average for 3km, in the sun, with a bunch of rocks or 25cm deep ruts. It was so hot (38°C at 1PM) that I couldn't get a picture.
Highly recommend the Hutchinson Touaregs btw.
by Sirocco1093884
31 Comments
Going up is fine, going down is sketchy but still fun
Good. but where is it?
Pics 5 and 6 look absolutely heinous.
with a 50mm tire, anything is possible
See you on the other sub. This looks like the wettest, most brutal gravël
It’s slower but doable for sure. Also painful 😂
These are all roads
All of the trails in the pictures look pretty solidly in the gravel bike category. I wouldn’t hesitate to ride any of them and they look like some great trails. As for the part you didn’t take pictures of, maybe not. And that heat on the trail would be pretty brutal.
That was me! Thanks for the shoutout, helpful context for me.
Hope the arse recovers ✌️
But did you have fun? It looks like a beautiful area.
PP.S for those interested:
My route was about 52km long, I climbed around 1300m.
It’s situated in the Ardèche région of France, starts around Saint Peray (Valence for me but it’s right on the other bank).
It’s quite rocky for the most part and has got some deep ruts almost everywhere.
The ruins are from the chateau de Pierregourde.
[Here is the route, I do not recommend the last section though.](https://www.komoot.com/tour/3044881382?ref=aso&share_token=aUe5t0PKERrarQeefXdDqlhdV3HXPMwHAIsE8LTfWLnkNZN3Fv&t_s=referral&t_cid=route_share)
Green and Blue MTB trails are doable on a modern gravel bike, yes.
Shredable and fun compared to an actual XC bike, questionable. Can be more like survival, just like riding a rigid MTB back in the day.
Shortly after I got myself a gravelbike I moved out (it wasn’t planned ahead). The area where I ended up was full of hills, rawdy trails and gorges, definietly not the place where gravel bike would be my first choice. But I had what I had and… it ended up a hell lot of fun! Underbiking can be quite an adventure.
Not trails but roads. Gravel bike wouldn’t do our trails here in Colorado but gravel bikes do have a place on mild trails and on fire roads like the pictures above. I wouldn’t find the roads above comfortable without a full suspension so if those are the norm the better tool would be a xc full suspension bike.
I would totally ride that with 45 mm tires. I do as much or worse on my local singletrack trails. You should look at your bike fit though. Your saddle appears to be pitched downward significantly, which is probably contributing to your aching back, sore arms or shoulders, as well as any raw saddle soreness you may experience. Level that guy out and increase your comfort on long rides.
None of these are mtb trails. This is literally all gravel..
Looks totally doable
These are not MTB trails lmao
everything is doable it just depends what can you tolerate and what brings you fun. Most of the time you’ll be underbiked or overbiked imho
In the US 🇺🇸 this type 6 gravel 😂
Looks like California sparking wine
Are the MTB trails in the room with us?
That would still be gravel for me. Even blue trails with some roots are possible – and Gabriel Wibmer even went as a far as hitting jump tracks on a gravel (https://youtu.be/oX4V0F4e6Ss).
It‘s not that the bike won’t handle it – it‘s just not fun for me. Underbiking is fun but only to some extent. Wide XC tires at low pressure transform a gravel bike but it won’t compensate for the lack of suspension. Also, you’ll notice that wide flat bars with a slacker geometry typical for MTBs is just superior on technical terrain.
Even when I‘m riding gravel with XC tires, I‘ll happily choose the gravel trail uphill and on flat sections – but you‘d still see me on the road going downhill. I can handle it, but it‘s just not a lot of fun for me and I feel like I‘m overly stressing my bike for no greater reason
Who asked this. Pretty sure anyone riding gravel bikes knows you can pretty much ride anywhere.
Sorry that’s gravel or even endurance with a 38mm tire riding not mtb.
Looks like quite the adventure! Where is this?
A MTB would be a better bike for some of that. There’s a point where a gravel bike isn’t going to be faster on the chunk.
The photos are definitely gravel, though, not single track MTB or even really rugged double track forest roads.
This is not the flex that you imagine it to be…
Jeez, please do not tell anyone where this is. It’s freaking dangerous out there. Stay safe!
It is just too brutal to possibly contemplate.
Are the MTB trails in the room with us ?