Gravel roads & Death March

I got my very first taste of gravel yesterday, though it wasn't far at all. I was volunteering at the Death March - basically it was orienteering on bikes within the Hoosier State Forest and the 188 riders had to use maps to figure out how to get to check points at historic cemeteries & take pics of each other - one had to be part of a 2-person team that started & finished together. There were multiple choices of where they could go, several of which were mandatory.

No one out of all of the teams did just the minimum. If they chose to go to all 6 check points they rode about 60 miles on an assortment of gravel roads, trails, and a small amount of pavement. Most of it was gravel roads/trails, and the gravel was quite fresh and deep. A lot of the riders told me that it looked like it had just been laid. As muddy as all of the riders and bikes were, there were obviously dirt trails as well.

Anyway, after the start we knew it would be some hours before anyone returned, so I headed off on my bike. I had intended on sticking to the roads since I was by myself & hadn't ridden gravel yet - but I found myself going uphill on a gravel road! Wheeee! Well, not quite that, but my tires are wide enough it wasn't a problem, but the gravel was so deep and loose that I couldn't hold anything like a line.

Then I started thinking about coming back down...and as deep and loose as the gravel was I wasn't sure how to handle that. So I stopped and walked my bike back to the pavement and continued on my ride. It wasn't a long ride as I didn't want to get lost, but it was fun.

My hands did start hurting a little on the gravel - but I suspect a death grip on the bars. The parking lot and drive to the road was all packed gravel with just a little loose stuff and that was just fine. MY LHT almost seemed more happy with climbing on that packed gravel drive than pavement - she is a cushy tank so perhaps this is where her stability was helping me.

I need more gravel experience - so what IS the best way to descend on deep and loose gravel? A pointer or two would be nice for the next time.

One of the event organizers runs the Midwestern Women's Mountain Bike Clinic - and I am really excited about going! She was the one who encouraged me to try a little gravel, and I am glad I did :D

Catrin, try and pick your line on a hard packed area. Sometimes it's where the tire tracks are, sometimes it's more on the shoulder. Loose, thick gravel will cause you to fight it or lose control of your bike--especially if you are on skinny tires. With practice you'll soon learn how to read gravel and react accordingly.

Would knobbier tires help with gravel? My Conti City Contacts are certainly wide enough, but I wonder if a knobbier surface would help with traction. I didn't notice a real problem with that yesterday, but it was a short ride, especially the gravel bit.

A couple of things:
When going through any gravelly or technical bit, try and see where other tire marks are. This is a good indication of which line to pick.

If the gravel you're referring to is anything like the pea gravel we have here in Western Australia here are a few tips:
Don't brake through it as it'll slow you down anyways.
If you're fishtailing, keep pedalling!!!...
Move your body weight around a smidgen bit to get traction

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Originally Posted by Catrin

Would knobbier tires help with gravel?

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Are you running 700x28's? If so, your tire width is 1.1 inches wide. The trick to riding gravel is to use a fat-ish tire with a psi of 30 or so. The more tire contact you have, the more control you will have on gravel and sand. Think of dune buggies--they don't run on skinny tires, they use fat, wide tires to get the right traction on the sand. Same thing applies with snow bikes.

One choice of tire that I use for gravel travel is a WTB Vulpine, 29x2.1. The tread is fast rolling and not as aggressive as say a Kenda Small Block 8.

My Continental City Contacts are 26x1.5 and 70 psi. There is a fair amount of smooth tire with some tread on the sides. I will look at your links and talk to my lbs about good choices for gravel and limestone. Thanks!

Your current tires should do well on crushed limestone. Gravel--at least thick gravel--is a different animal, but short of the Death March, I'm not entirely sure I understand why or when you're all that likely to encounter it on your road or bikeway rides, Catrin. You will likely run across some chip and seal in Indiana, but your current tires can handle that, too. If and when you start MTBing, you might encounter rocks and gravel, but by then you'll presumably have an MTB with knobby tires. So, I guess I don't understand why you're worried about gravel for the time being. Maybe I'm missing something, though. It wouldn't be the first time. :)

My question was simply for future informational purposes - I do that :) I knew my tires were not appropriate for the conditions I found myself in Saturday - and I had not planned to ride in deep gravel of course.

I really was rather impressed with how my LHT felt in those conditions. I was also quite impressed at how it did on a couple of very steep hills once I returned to the pavement - it was nice to not spin on the little chain but even on my easiest gear I was able to dig in a little. My bike felt much better than it ever has in the granny gear - probably because that was the first time it was appropriate to BE in that gear :o

Catrin - glad you had fun. Tania told me about your enthusiasm and how Jonathan helped you with your fit. We had great fun at the Death March thanks to volunteers like you! Keep up the great work. Our bike of choice for the day was our cross bikes and it was a good choice. A 29'er hardtail would have been a good choice too. Damn that Callahan not being on the right trail as shown by the National Geographic map. I'm sure I'll get to meet you in person at the clinic as I'm one of Tania's coaches.
Jeni

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Originally Posted by TrekJeni

Catrin - glad you had fun. Tania told me about your enthusiasm and how Jonathan helped you with your fit. We had great fun at the Death March thanks to volunteers like you! Keep up the great work. Our bike of choice for the day was our cross bikes and it was a good choice. A 29'er hardtail would have been a good choice too. Damn that Callahan not being on the right trail as shown by the National Geographic map. I'm sure I'll get to meet you in person at the clinic as I'm one of Tania's coaches.
Jeni

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I heard the newer National Geographic maps had Callahan in the wrong place - that certainly didn't help! I felt sorry for one team who took more than an hour to find it but then their picture didn't "take" properly. As upset as they were over it I am quite sure they were there.

I remember speaking with you - you mentioned the cross bikes. I had fun and will also volunteer at Super-D and the Breakdown :) I am really looking forward to the clinic and seeing you there!