September rides

[north woods gal]

wnyrider, that's a Banjo Brothers bag. They're a small outfit out of Minneapolis. Very good bags at very affordable prices. Just happened to notice them at a local bike shop, this summer, and thought I would give one a try. Liked it so much went back and bought another. Amazing bag for just $30.

Cranking, any MTB will do well on normal gravel roads as in the first pic. It's only when you try the really abused, neglected or remote gravel roads as in some of the other pics that you need to get more bike specific. Don't think you'd like those nasty gravel/sand roads, anyway, since you'll have to deal with the same fear factor. Like you, I'm cautious by nature and it took a lot of practice, not to mention psyching myself up, to get where I'm comfortable with the rough roads.

Since I'm also a road biker like you, I would strongly suggest a 700x35 or 700x40 class road bike if you don't already have one. Definitely gravel worthy as long as the gravel or dirt is at least somewhat hard packed. A 700x35, though, is also very useful on pavement. Handles rough pavement better than a standard 700x25, carries a load better and does better in rain. I've even used a 700x35 with studded tires in the snow. As long as the snow is only a couple of inches deep, actually works good. Makes for a great commuting bike. Have even used it on firm, smooth single track. To be honest, I ride my 700x35 Salsa Warbird much more on pavement than my 700x25 Domane, mostly because I have more options as to what roads I ride and was weather I might encounter.

The Warbird is advertised as a gravel road, road bike and most other brands have versions, too. They have a more comfortable geometry than cyclocross bikes, but they still give you great speed. My average speed on the Warbird is the same as with the Domane. Don't confuse these with hybrids for casual riding. These are serious road bikes.

My Salsa Warbird