Great Gravel riding in Oregon

[Wahine]

Hi Ladies!

I've been having tons of fun riding gravel over the last few years and I came across this article today about gravel riding in the John Day area of Oregon. I've loved my road riding out that way and now I'm inspired to do a gravel trip.

Just thought I'd share.

[smittykitty]

I would love to ride the tamer versions of the routes in this great article. Wahine, what kind of bike would you recommend for "tamer" mixed gravel? I'm not ready for mountain bike trails, but this is what I actually pictured us doing when we got back into cycling. And with a daughter living in Bend, well need I say more?! (Ok, you have me thinking we should just "drive"up McKenzie Pass!!)

Don't get me wrong, still love road riding, but this also looks so fun.

[Trek420]

I was thinking the same thing, love to do a version with less mud. My Salsa Vaja would be great on a ride like that!

[Wahine]

I would love to ride the tamer versions of the routes in this great article. Wahine, what kind of bike would you recommend for "tamer" mixed gravel? I'm not ready for mountain bike trails, but this is what I actually pictured us doing when we got back into cycling. And with a daughter living in Bend, well need I say more?! (Ok, you have me thinking we should just "drive"up McKenzie Pass!!)

Don't get me wrong, still love road riding, but this also looks so fun.

First off, don't be scared of MacKenzie pass. It is an amazing ride under the right circumstances and the ride is much easier from the Sisters/Bend side. I did the ride last year from Sisters on a nice day and it was one of the highlights of the season.

As for a gravel bike. There are soooooooo many options out there. Any cross bike can be used for gravel. Really, any road bike can be used for gravel with tough and wider tires. If you plan to ride when it's wet then you might want fenders in which case you need a bike with adequate clearance for fenders. You're looking at touring bikes or cross bikes for that. I prefer steel, it rides nicely and it can sustain hits from rocks being kicked up. Here's an example of a good solid bike that could be used for gravel. Or this. Both of the bikes I've posted have disc tabs, and I love my disc brakes.

[smittykitty]

Thanks for the info.

[Sky King]

Chiming in, we have spent all spring riding in the Owyhee desert and expect to be in the John Day area this summer as the desert gets to hot. Love that area. Great article by Path Less Pedaled, thanks. I have been caught in the mud, with my fendered touring bike and it was not any fun. Prior to my new Surly ECR, I was riding a Disc Trucker with a 26 x 40 tire and for most of the gravel/dirt roads it does great. The straggler is also awesome. Our group has a huge mix of bikes, primarily Surly's and Salsa's and we strongly recommend the widest tire your bike/brakes can accommodate. For years I took my Rivendell with 650bx40 tires on numerous gravel, dirt roads and did fine unless it got extremely sandy.

[TrekDianna]

YES! McKenzie pass is awesome. I've done it twice this year. It's opening to cars on June 16th so get out there quick!