Cycling
Gravel bike tires compared- WTB Nanos and Hutchinson Touaregs
Since late July I’ve ridden just over 3,000 miles on the Poseidon X. The first 1,500 or so were on the 700c wheel set using 40c WTB Nanos which were an upgrade over the stock 35c stock Kendas that I never rode. The second 1,500 were on the 650b wheels with the Hutchinson Touaregs. I thought I’d offer up a mini-review/comparison of the two tires.
First, the Nanos. I rode them on gravel and pavement, about 30% to 70% respectively. I chose them knowing that I’d be riding at about that ratio and they performed exactly as I’d hoped. They role fairly quietly and well on pavement thanks to the fairly solid center tread. But they have enough knobby structure to do well on gravel and dirt/gravel. When and if I go back to the 700c tires I’ll use those again. If they were made for the 650b wheel size I’d definitely consider them but at the moment they are not. No punctures. I kept them at about 40 to 45psi with tubes so, not a very cushy ride.
The Touaregs, 47c tires, have been excellent on the 650B wheels. Smooth rolling on pavement thanks to the tiny, closely spaced knobs that make up the center tread but grippy enough on gravel that I’ve never felt out of control. Now, to be honest, I tend to be a slow, conservative rider. Not sure how either of these tires would do for more aggressive riding on gravel. In recent days I’ve been doing all my riding close to home which means a mix of trails, gravel and road. My 8 mile loop is about 4 miles trail, 2 miles gravel, and 2 miles of pavement. I’ve been using the Poseidon for much of this riding and while the Touaregs do great on the dry dirt they do slip a bit when it gets wet and they get really squirmy when it get really muddy. There’s just not a lot of tread for the thicker, stickier mud and so they clog up. That said, they tend to shed that mud pretty quickly once ridden on the gravel.
A few other things to note about the Touaregs. Since riding my mixed 8 mile home loop I’ve lowered the pressure down to experiment. I’m not tubeless and was concerned that with lower pressure and bumpy trails I might get some pinch flats. Well, that’s not happened yet and I’ve been running at about 28 to 30psi for days. It’s a fantastic improvement over the 40 I was running on the longer gravel rides. Certainly not fat bike levels of comfort but so much cushier than 40psi. Perhaps with some bigger bumps and more aggressive riding I’d get a pinch puncture but so far it’s not happened.
I have had 2 flats but both of those were large thorns picked up off the side of the trail and I can’t really complain about that!
Final notes about installing Touaregs and flat fixing. The initial installation was difficult! I broke 3 plastic tire levers trying to get them on the rims. They were tight! That said, it might have been poor technique as it’s been awhile since I’ve worked with tight fitting tires. Also, being clincher tires and tubeless ready rims, they’re slightly different in that as they air up they look off kilter until they get about 45psi in them and then they begin to “seat” on the rim. At about 55psi they seat evenly all the way around. Took me awhile to figure out that I had to pump in more air to get them to seat evenly.
With that tight fit I was worried about flat fixing on the roadside. A fatbike or mountain bike tire tends to go on and off pretty easily. The WTB Nanos on the 700c wheels were pretty easy too. The Touaregs took a while. That said I hoped that after riding them for a month they would stretch/loosen up a bit and I think they did. When I got my first thorn puncture popping the tire off and getting it back on was MUCH easier than the initial install.
Also, I think working with clincher tires on tubeless ready rims just requires slightly different technique and experimentation in terms of how the tire seats and how you go about breaking that seal when you need to take the tire back off. Mostly it seems to be a matter of finger strength and really pushing the tire down and away from the inside of the rim. Once the seal is broken in one spot you just work all the way around the tire breaking the seal on that one side.
In putting the tire back into the rim, I tried a technique that was mentioned on a youtube video which was to NOT focus on using the thumbs to get the tire bead back into the rim but to first use the palms of your hands to sort of stretch the whole tire back over the rim. Pushing first with the palms, almost massaging the tire backwards and then using my thumbs to do a final push of the beat over the rim. Using that technique I was able to get 95% of the tire back on and only used the levers for the very last bit. It’s all good now that I’ve done it a couple times.
Comparing the fit and trail riding experience on the gravel and fat bikes
First, a bit of backstory… I’ve had issues with my left knee since a junior high injury over 3 decades ago. It plays into my bike riding experience and is the reason I stopped riding twenty years ago. My hope is that by being careful my newfound ability ride bikes again will continue for many years but with that hope comes a caution regarding how I ride.
[caption id=“attachment_1778” align=“alignleft” width=“225”]
Fat Bike - look at those big, cushy tires![/caption]
I’ve been riding the Poseidon daily since the last week of July and have put on 2,700 miles of road and gravel riding. This past couple of weeks I decided to stay closer to home and return to some trail riding. Naturally I used this as an excuse to pull the fat bike out of the shed for a ride and what a blast! It’s such a soft, cushy ride! But after three or four days I started to get an occasional tension in my left knee. I’d felt this over the summer too when I rode but was careful and adjusted my seat, riding position and a few other things which reduced the problem somewhat. At least enough to keep riding. Then I started riding the Poseidon X in late July and the problem went away. I didn’t even think about it really. Then I started riding the fat bike and the discomfort returned. Hmmm.
[caption id=“attachment_1780” align=“alignright” width=“225”]
Gravel Bike - can narrow tires handle the trails?[/caption]
My first thought was to try to figure out if it was the fat bike or the nature of riding trails. So, to test I decided to try riding the trails with the Poseidon. It wasn’t too bad. Not as cushy as the fat bike which also meant taking it a bit slower. I figured if I could manage a few days I might see if the discomfort persisted. If it did I would chalk up the different kind of riding required by the trail to be the problem. Lots of standing then sitting and standing and sitting. And more torque and strain on the many little hills, twists and turns. It’s an over-all slower speed but I think more pressure on the knees. If the problem decreased or disappeared I figured the problem would point to some aspect of riding the fat bike specifically. After three days the discomfort had decreased and nearly disappeared. After an additional two days of riding there was no discomfort at all.
So it seems the problem may be the fat bike and I think I figured out that it is the width of the bike to accommodate the fat tires. Wider hubs, chain stays and, most importantly, a wider bottom bracket which means that the pedals stick out further too. The final result is that my feet are also out to each side a bit further and at somewhat of an angle. In the bike measuring world this is often called Q factor or “stance width” which is the better, more descriptive term. I noticed the difference when I got back on the fat bike after 2,700 miles on the narrower gravel bike. I actually felt it in my legs that my feet were farther apart but it didn’t occur to me that it would be a problem until it was a problem. Bummer because I do love riding that fat bike on these trails.
Okay then, to move onto the question, can a gravel bike, specifically the Poseidon X, be a trail bike? After riding the X on the trails for the past two weeks I’m feeling increasingly confident and comfortable using it as a trail bike. In fact, I have to say that I’m enjoying it more with each ride. Comparing it to the fat bike, it feels more agile and gets going more quickly. It feels faster. The fat bike with it’s heavier wheels requires more effort at the start and overall feels more comfortable but also less lively. In the first few days I rode the X with more caution and a bit slower. With less tire cushion and volume comes an overall bumpier feel especially at higher speed. I’d say that I feel a bit more focused when riding the X though as the days go on I’m increasingly more comfortable riding the trails at higher speeds.
I’m still experimenting with tire pressure, currently keeping it at 30 psi and will discuss further in the upcoming review of the Hutchinson Touareg tires and recently discussed the switch from 700c to 650b wheels. But for now I’ll conclude that trail riding (at least my trails) are very doable on the X with this wheel set and these tires.
Aside from tire volume and width of the tires, another notable difference is that the fat bike has a more upright position with higher handlebars which I prefer for comfort and feel. I was already thinking of changing to a shorter, steeper angled stem on the gravel bike to bring the bars closer and raise them up a bit. So, that’s next on the list.
Adventure Bike Wheel Sizes- 650b or 700c?
The Poseidon X comes with 700c wheels with tires that have a width of 35mm. Those tires, Kenda Small Blocks, are pretty knobby so I never even rode them because I have a lot of pavement to get to my gravel rides. I put on WTB Nanos which have a pavement friendly center tread and are 40mm wide. After 1600 miles the tread on the Nanos had worn down quite a bit so I went ahead and ordered a 650b wheel set and some new Hutchinson Touareg 48mm tires that were on sale. I thought I’d offer a brief review of the Nanos and go over the difference in wheel/tire sizes for anyone interested in this kind of cycling.
First, the Nanos. I’ve been running them at about 45psi. They’ve still got some tread after 1600 miles. I could probably ride them another 500 miles so they’ll stay on the wheels and be my back-ups. I don’t expect to put the 700 wheels again anytime soon but the Nanos will be there if I need them. They’re great tires. No flats, fairly low rolling resistance on the pavement, and decent traction on the terrain I’ve been riding. I’d buy them again if I were sticking to that wheel size.
So, what’s the deal with gravel bike wheel sizes? Coming from a road bike heritage gravel bikes have historically been based on road bike wheel and tire sizes but just a bit wider for off road use. So, instead of 25mm wide (and slick), gravel tires are wider, usually 35mm or wider and with much more tread. 700c wheels are also referred to as 29” and are the standard size for road bikes. And worth noting, they are run at very high pressure giving ride that is, in theory, faster and which feels fast given the tiny amount of contact with the pavement. With a road bike you feel the details of the pavement. The idea is that by minimizing the amount of rubber in contact with the pavement there is less rolling resistance to slow you down.
Enter gravel bikes. With gravel roads, dirt and surfaces other than pavement, suddenly more traction is needed and so, wider tires and grippier tread patterns including knobs were created for the 700c wheel size. But that’s just the beginning because riding on surfaces other than pavement means roughness, vibration, discomfort and less stability. A wider tire helps but even better is more tire volume and even more width. 650b wheels are 27.5” and also offer more width for even wider tires so more volume which means even more contact with the road.
Then there’s the recent change in thinking about tire pressure generally which is that less air pressure (even on road bikes) seems to generally allow for not only more comfort but the same speed. A lower pressure tire absorbs road vibration that would otherwise be energy transferred to the whole bike which, in theory, means a loss of energy and speed. Tests seem to back this up.
I’ve had the new 650b wheels and tires on for 1,000 miles now and without a doubt they offer a softer, more comfortable ride. It’s not a huge difference but it’s better. My ride times and average speed have stayed the same. Initially I felt as though I was going slower because it’s a cushier ride but my speed and calories burned are the same so my conclusion is that it’s just a change in how it feels. I’ve been riding the new tires with tubes and kept the pressure at around 40 to 42 psi to avoid pinch flats. Until last week.
Running lower pressure with tubes? In recent years many have switched to tubeless tires. Basically, a specially designed tubeless tire tightly seats into a specially designed tubeless rim and a sealant is added added. This set-up allows for running lower pressure and a more comfortable ride thanks to a more cushy tire. With tubes a certain minimum pressure is required to limit pinch flats which is caused when a large rock, hole or other obstacle causes the wheel and tire to compress together and pinch the tube causing punctures.
I’m not quite ready to go tubeless but since I’m riding closer to home now (always within 3 miles on my current gravel, pavement trail route) I figured I’d experiment with lower pressure. I’ve lowered the psi from 42 down to 30 and without a doubt it’s a huge improvement on the gravel and better on the trail too. I’ve only ridden 4 days at this pressure, no pinch flats yet (I did actually have a flat but it was due to a large thorn and not something caused by the lower pressure). My plan is to continue at about 30 psi for the next week. Then drop to 28 then 26. I’ll spend a week at each to test the comfort, perceived rolling resistance on the pavement and wait to see if I get any pinch flats.
About that thorn… another benefit of tubeless tires is that small punctures caused by thorns or similar objects are generally supposed to seal up on their own. Once the object is removed the sealant seals the hole (assuming it’s not too large a hole). Certainly worth thinking about. But there are also downsides (tubeless can be messy, costly and sometimes difficult to set-up and repair on the road). I’ve not ruled it out but for now will stick with tubes.
Exploring on two wheels
I’ve been thinking about my journey these past 12 years since moving to Madison County. The first 4 years focused on the homestead project, building the cabin and the gardens. Then several years focused on astronomy, looking through an eyepiece up into the night sky and thinking constantly about the universe, trying to develop a better understanding of the cosmos and my short time in it. And that brings us to now. I’ve spent the past 8 months having mini-adventures, daily explorations on two wheels around the local countryside. From trails to paved roads to gravel roads, I’ve been riding through farmland and forests and everything between.
A common thread throughout the past 12 years here seems to be a mix of adventure, exploration and a seeking to understand the world I exist in. In the first few years I was focused on my immediate surroundings as I created a home, gardens, and generally sought to fit into this landscape. The adventure was extremely local. Most of my time was spent within 1/4 mile of my cabin and thinking about the life within this 1/4 mile radius. Most of my days were spent doing garden work or something related to creating or building the homestead. My free time was often spent walking and observing.
Then I began a transition to spending more time looking through the eyepiece of the telescope. Looking into the cosmos and finding the beauty there. To some smaller degree I kept up the garden but my mind and my thoughts were oriented outward. In the day I read and pondered what I was seeing at night as I looked at galaxies, nebulae, planets, and star clusters. I would stay out 5 to 8 hours every night that was clear of clouds. I can’t explain what led me to that pursuit. But I think it’s interesting that my thinking, attention, time and effort shifted from what was immediately in front of me, plain and simple, to distant astronomical worlds and objects, and thinking about the complexities of cosmology, physics and related sciences. Not that I understood everything I read but I made the effort to dive deep (or what seems deep to me).
Likewise, I’m now spending hours every day peddling a bike around the back country roads of Madison and neighboring counties. I’m not quite sure how this happened. I bought an electric bike and rode it to town the first day I had it. Then I rode it to town the next day and the next. A few weeks later I started looking at the map and rode further into the county and the next county over. By February and March I was taking two and three hour rides just to get out and breath the air and to see what was going on in the woods that these roads were built through. Over the summer I retreated to our own woods as I built trails through them for cycling and walking. And now, again, I’m back exploring further out on 40 and 50 mile rides.
I’m not sure what to make of it really other than to say it feels good. Part of my motivation is personal health. For most of the past 12 years I’ve made it a point to get out for daily walks. At the end of 2019 my walking time increased dramatically, almost double my usual. I’m not sure why but perhaps the cycling was my mind searching to go further afield. I don’t think it was a conscious thing but it’s what happened.
Like most kids I had a bike and rode it a good bit. As an adult concerned about climate change the bike was my main transport during my college years and after. From grocery trips to laundry to work to random errands, I cycled most of the time. And then I had a knee injury in 2000 and my cycling became painful, uncomfortable. Now that I’ve discovered that I can cycle again I feel like I’m making up for lost time on the bike. 20 years away from my two wheeled friends! I have to remind myself to be careful, to not ride too much or too hard. I’d like to think that if I’m careful I’ll be able to ride for a good long while. We’ll see but for now I’ll just accept it and remain in gratitude that I’ve returned to peddling forward with two wheels beneath me.
Poseidon X Review Follow-up
As of 8/29 I’m exactly one month in with the Poseidon X adventure/gravel bike and what a month it’s been! I’ve ridden just a bit over 1,000 miles and I’m really very happy with the bike. It’s exactly what I hoped it would be: a fairly efficient road bike when I’m on pavement (about 50% of the time) that is capable of going off onto fairly rough gravel or even just dirt forest roads.
9/8, another 300 miles and a couple things to add to the review based on 1,300 miles. I’ve had the chain drop off the front chainring maybe 8 times in the 40 days I’ve been riding. I’d mentioned this in the first review and after reading, it seems this is fairly normal for 1x drivetrains. Obviously not ideal but not too terrible.
I’ve got 650b wheels coming and when the WTB Nano tread is done I’ll switch over to the new wheels. At the current rate of riding and tire wear, I’d guess I’ve got another two to three weeks of tread left. Which makes me wonder, is 2 to 3,000 miles about the norm for bike tire tread lifespan? The reason for the switch to 27.5” wheels? First, hopefully a softer ride provided by the wider, larger volume tires. The 700s are a bit harsh which I expected but a softer ride would be nice. Along with the wider tires and more volume I’m hoping that when riding on wet gravel they’ll sink in a bit less. And, last, the bike will sit a wee bit lower to the ground and there will be a bit more room between the front wheel and the pedals and frame. The bike provides clearance for tires up to 1.9” (48mm) and that’s what I’ve ordered.
The On-One Geoff bars have been great, exactly what I’d hoped for: lots of positions for moving around. And yes, that’s a bubble-padded shipping envelope serving as a temporary bag attached to the handlebars. I’m using it for carrying snacks with the original intent of experimenting with making something better or purchasing one. I wanted to see how that configuration and location worked before committing to anything. I ended up ordering a bag and I’ll likely post about it when I’ve got it on the bike.
The Spoon saddle is a keeper I think. I struggled for a few days as it’s a bit harder than the WTB saddle I was used to riding on the fat-bike, but I think it’s going to work out. Saddles are tricky and I’ll consider myself lucky if the first saddle I tried works out. Riding 50 miles really requires the right saddle. I’ll have more to say as I bump up to 60, 70 and 80 miles.
A last thought. I’m realizing that what I really want out of a bike is the ability to take long rides. I don’t need or want to go fast. I just want to be able to go long. I’m not in a position to go on multi-day camping trips but my tiny house is ideally located to be able to go out on day rides that can range from 40 to 80 miles or more depending on my schedule. A 50 mile ride typically takes me 5 hours. An 80 mile ride would likely take 8 or more. As I use and customize the Poseidon X it will be from the perspective of that goal. Casual, long adventure rides. So far it seems to me that this bike (and my fit to it) is fully capable of delivering that. I might have more adjustments to make but it’s riding pretty well thus far. After I get switched over to the new wheels and tires I’m going to consider a stem that will get me slightly more upright. Still thinking on that one.
If you’re primarily interested in trail riding I’d suggest a fat-bike. But for anyone looking for a bike to take out on road and gravel bike adventures the Poseidon X is a bargain at $600.
Going slow...
Old Man Gravel, one of my favorite bike-oriented bloggers writes The Slow Road Leads to Health. Loved this bit:
You don’t have to go fast to become strong. You don’t have to push to become well. Be like Eddy. Just ride. It is the easiest thing in the world.Please share this message with the people you love. Share it because this is the true path towards health and wellness. It is not paved with sacrifice. Wellness is not pain. Wellness is health. Wellness is joy. Wellness is easy. It is the most natural thing in the world.
Just ride.
Poseidon X Review
Right off I’ll just say that I was attracted to this bike in part because of the company. It’s a small company that sells directly to consumers like several other small bike makers are doing. Of course, at less than $600 the price was excellent for the specs of the bike and I’m on a tight budget so that was important for me personally. But it also struck me that the company seem to be specifically catering or marketing to people of color. In recent months, as the Black Lives Matter movement has been growing there’s been acknowledgement that on the recreational, outdoors side of cycling (mountain biking, bike packing, camping…) there is a lack of access and representation for people of color. The marketing, sales, pricing, etc have, for decades, been oriented towards white middle and upper-middle class cyclists. Perhaps it’s just marketing but I really like this from their website:
Have you ever wanted to get away for a short time? Clear your head for some peaceful moments as you explore the town you have lived in with a completely new perspective. Poseidon Bike takes its name from the God of the sea, a place where you can find serenity, stillness, and at a moment’s notice discover the strength the sea has.We produce our bikes with all of this in mind using a long family history of custom bicycle manufacturing. You deserve a bike that will not break on you after a few rides and a company willing to be part of your riding journey. We want to change the tide of cycling by making high quality bicycles affordable for everyone. There is no reason for this type of peace to be unattainable, and there is no reason why you cannot have quality and affordability.
If you are feeling down or overwhelmed then let the bike be your stress reliever. Allow your legs to work through what is bothering you as the wind hits your face and the beauty around you opens up. Find a coffee shop you never knew existed, or a youthful feeling you thought was gone forever, discover a trail with trees surrounding you and remember that the world isn’t as scary as we always see. We want you to feel what so many others are feeling. Change the tide with us.
And it’s true that they are selling an excellent bike at an affordable price. Sure, it costs more than a Walmart bike which is about as cheap as can be had but this is a far, far better bike. From what I can tell a comparable bike sold by the larger manufactures such as Trek or Specialized would likely sell for two to three times the cost.
So, about the bike. It’s the Poseidon X, flatbar configuration. It’s what might be best called a gravel or adventure bike. It’s what you get when you cross a mountain bike with a road bike and similar to what would have been called a hybrid 20 years ago. The difference being (as far as I can tell) hybrids always seemed to be a compromise in a bad way. They didn’t seem to be a priority for the companies making them and they seemed to be without a mission. The best I could determine is that they were a slightly more rugged road bike for mostly on-road riding. The gravel bikes of today seem far more capable, more serious. They’re often referred to as adventure bikes or all-road bikes meaning that they are meant to tackle a broad range of road-like terrain. The cut-off point seems to be the kind of rough single track that is really intended for mountain bikes.
Just a quick scan of specs begins to tell the story. The frame is 6061 double butted hydro formed aluminum, internal cable routing, full carbon fork. The frame and fork have an abundance of attachment points for adding water bottle cages and racks, useful for touring and bikepacking . It’s an foundation for a bike that will last.
The components are equally excellent and better than would be typical. This is where the bigger brands would cut corners offering downgrades to keep costs down. But here Poseidon is providing MicroShift’s very well reviewed, highly praised Advent X shifters and 1x10 drivetrain. Out of the box the shifting was nearly perfect. In the first 245 miles of riding I’ve had the chain come off the front chainring twice. That’s the only problem I’ve observed and apparently it’s the most common problem with 1x systems. Both of those chain drops happened on the third ride and I’ve not had the problem again in the 130+ miles I’ve ridden since then.
Before I go any further I should say that the miles I’ve ridden thus far are about half pavement, half gravel. I expect most of my riding to be that same mix going forward. The gravel ranges from silky smooth, hard-packed dirt with very fine gravel to hard-packed with larger, rougher gravel to super smooth dirt to roughly rutted, washed out gravel. These back county roads I ride are generally a great riding experience but they do change and from day to day, week to week, I encounter roads that have been damaged or are being maintained. Sometimes they’re in the middle of maintenance which is to say they can be very, very rough with the dirt churned up and the gravel thickly applied. It get’s quite messy at times. Case in point, today Perry county was grading one of the roads I ride so, suddenly, a very different experience from the past few days of riding. Tomorrow will likely be different again as the maintenance often goes on for a few days with something new being done each day.
The brakes are pretty standard with mechanical disc brakes by Tektro and Tektro levers. The seat post, seat, handlebar, pedals and wheels are either generic or Poseidon branded. These bits are the compromise on this bike but not really a problem because these are the parts that most often get personalized first by a cyclist. The seat and handlebars especially. The tires are Kenda Small Block 8 at 700x35. Fine tires but for the kind of riding I knew I’d be doing they were the first thing on my list to be swapped. I also changed out the seat and handlebars.
The Kenda tires would have been okay to ride on but given my expected mileage and knowing I’d likely be on a lot of pavement as well as rough gravel I changed to WTB Nanos which are 40mm wide and have a center tread that rolls very well on pavement. The added 5mm width is going to be much better when I’m not on pavement.
The saddle Poseidon includes would likely be fine for 10 to 15 mile rides but I’m doing 30+ miles per ride, daily, usually 3.5 hours or more. I swapped the stock seat for a Charge Spoon which has good reviews for being a comfortable but still light, minimal seat.
Perhaps most importantly, I swapped the nearly straight 6° sweep handlebars for On-One Geoff bars. They are a nearly identical knock-off of the more expensive Jones Loop H-Bars. The reviews on the cheaper Geoff bars are good so given the savings I went with those. They are a very different kind of handle bar in that they have 45° of backsweep and have a 2nd bar, a loop, that extends off the front. The benefit here is that this bar provides a great variety of hand positions for not just more hand and wrist comfort but really whole body comfort allowing for sitting more upright, stretching down and forward, shifting shoulders and arm positions. In fact, I went with the flat bar version of the Poseidon X over drop bar version specifically because I planned to switch to this handlebar.
My upgrades are done for now. I expect that any future upgrade would be new wheels, either a better set at the current 700c size or a change to a smaller 650B wheel set that allows for even wider tires. I’ll be sticking with the stock wheels until they need to be replaced which will be awhile and by then I’ll know whether I want to change over to the 650B or stick to the 700c.
I also added a Rhinowalk seat bag which has already come in handy for bringing some ride snacks and an extra shirt. It has a 5 liter capacity so not as large something for multi-day bike packing but perfect for long day rides when extra clothing, snacks are brought along in addition to the usual roadside tools, air pump, etc.
So, what’s it like to actually ride the Poseidon X? I’ll compare it to riding the 38lb Gravity fatbike I’ve been riding since mid April. The Poseidon X weighs in at about 25lbs so right off, it’s a lot lighter overall. It’s wheels and tires are significantly lighter. The result is that the Poseidon X is much faster on flats and riding up a hill. In general, with the thinner width tires it feels like a faster bike on pavement. On gravel, especially downhill, the fatbike feels faster and more stable which makes sense given the width of the tires. The fatbike, again due to the fat tires, also has a more plush ride, and almost feels like it has suspension. The 4” fat tire is forgiving of hitting larger rocks in a way that the much smaller 40mm tire is not. And on any gravel downhill I especially find myself being more cautious and riding the brakes more. Riding the Poseidon X on gravel (and I’m guessing this is true of any other gravel bike with similar width tires) requires more care and focus.
The 1x10 gearing is perfect for my terrain. The front chainring is 38T and the range on the cogs is 11 to 48. Compared to the Gravity fatbike it’s high gear is a good bit higher for a faster ride on the downhills and it’s lowest gear is very near to the lowest on the Gravity. I’ve now tackled the steepest hills I’d previously ridden on the Gravity and Rad Rover and had no problem climbing. And I’ll add that I don’t find any of the jumps between gears to be too much. It’s both mechanically very smooth but also close enough that I have no problems finding a gear that I’m happy with as I move through the landscape.
Any negatives? One annoyance is the right rear chain stay which bumps out just enough that I find I hit it with my foot if I’ve got my foot too far back on the pedal. Not a huge problem just something I’ve noticed a few times. That’s it for now. I’m sure I’ll check back in after I get another few weeks riding it. I’ve also gotten an idea for another post I think I’ll be writing in the next week or so which will explore the idea of what an all-road or adventure bike is beyond what I’ve touched on here. But I think I need more time on this bike and a bit more time mulling over what it is I may be wanting to write about.
1,000
Three or so weeks ago I posted that with only 5 days into the month I was on track to ride 900 miles in July. I wasn’t all that certain that with 26 days left I’d actually ride that much. But as has been the case for the past 6 months, I’ve been excited to ride everyday and so I rode 30 days in July and as it turns out it wasn’t that hard for me to average 34 miles per day. As the month went on it was looking like I could actually ride 1,000 miles for the month so that became my new goal. As of today, July 31, I’ve got 1,034 miles. All but three days of these miles were ridden on the Gravity fatbike The last three days were done on the new Poseidon X (which I’ll be covering in my next post).
| Date | Duration | Miles |
|---|---|---|
| 7/6/20 | 168m | 31.90 |
| 7/7/20 | 160m | 31.00 |
| 7/8/20 | 222m | 41.60 |
| 7/9/20 | 200m | 37.47 |
| 7/10/20 | 180m | 35.23 |
| 7/11/20 | 220m | 41.00 |
| 7/12/20 | 175m | 33.80 |
| 7/13/20 | 216m | 39.90 |
| 7/14/20 | 191m | 33.70 |
| 7/16/20 | 168m | 30.00 |
| 7/17/20 | 225m | 40.00 |
| 7/18/20 | 198m | 38.20 |
| 7/19/20 | 242m | 45.30 |
| 7/20/20 | 195m | 37.00 |
| 7/21/20 | 183m | 36.50 |
| 7/22/20 | 128m | 21.30 |
| 7/23/20 | 193m | 36.40 |
| 7/24/20 | 196m | 37.40 |
| 7/25/20 | 183m | 35.30 |
| 7/26/20 | 192m | 36.40 |
| 7/27/20 | 192m | 36.40 |
| 7/28/20 | 97m | 16.00 |
| 7/29/20 | 215m | 32.60 |
| 7/30/20 | 221m | 34.10 |
| 7/31/20 | 172m | 34.50 |
Bike and Trail Updates
First, the trail updates...
I’ll start with trail update and it’s just one. I’ve put in a new trail by the creek at the southeast corner of the property. This is the creek that flows with water the longest though it too usually dries up by mid to late summer. The trail is a short one that connects to the trails I put in during the spring and allows for a nice ride or walk right along the creek edge (well, there’s a few feet of buffer but it’s close enough to feel that you’re on the edge). It’s about an 8 minute walk or 2 minute ride. And I’ve put in a couple chairs and a table at the spot which seems to hold water the longest. It’s a nice place to sit and watch the few small fish that live there.
The rest of the trail put in or re-established this spring is looking pretty good. Maintenance has thus far mostly consisted of riding it a lot and the occasional trimming back. I’ve ridden about 600 miles on the trail during May and June which is a good amount of traffic and it shows. The trail looks very well used.
Now for a few bike updates...
I’ve got 1200 miles on the Gravity fatbike over the past 2 months. Assuming my current pace It’ll have at least another 400 miles on it before the end of July. Most of my riding in May and June was trail riding where the fatbike is a blast to ride. It’s perfect for trail riding.
The Origin8 Space Off Road II Handlebars I added back in May have been a great addition to the riding experience allowing for 3 different hand positions though one of those positions is only useful for faster riding on the road. I’ve also added some grippier RockBros pedals and they’re better than the pedals I’d taken off the Rad Rover. Also, a small but very helpful addition of the Moosetreks Bike Handlebar Stem Bag has been very nice for carrying small things such as the dog spray, dog horn, cords, phone, etc. Last, the change from the stock tires to the Maxxis Mammoth tires has been great. The stock Mission Command tires were fine, these are better both in terms of the ride which is a bit softer thanks to the higher TPI and also in the weight as the Maxxis tires are a good bit lighter.
All that said I’ve bumped up against a barrier with this bike which is my desire to get back to doing some longer road and gravel riding. I can certainly ride the fatbike on the road and have been. 413 miles of mostly road riding in the first 12 days of July alone. Compared to the 80lbs of the Rad Rover the 38 lb Gravity seems like a nimble featherweight. But those 38lbs and fat tires, while fine on the trail, make for a fairly slow road ride. I’m not racing anyone and am generally okay with a slower ride with one exception: dogs. My ride to town and my longer ride out to the gravel roads of Perry county both take me up hills that also have dogs that chase. I’m not willing to ride uphill on a heavier bike when I’ve got a dog that I don’t trust living at the bottom or anywhere along that hill. I have no problem peddling the Gravity up a steep hill but I do slow down on such hills. An aggressive dog chasing me in that situation would not be good.
The solution is, of course, yet another bike. In this case, a much lighter gravel bike. I’ve ordered a flat bar version of the Poseidon X which weighs in at 24 lbs and has fairly nimble 700x35mm tires. It’s still a fairly inexpensive bike compared to the big brands but the frame is excellent and the included components are fairly nice. That’s 38% less weight than the Gravity and substantially faster tires. While my current average speed is 11.8 mph for road rides I should have no problem maintaining 15 mph or more on the Poseidon X. Uphills will be substantially faster. And it’s a gravel bike which means that it should do fairly well on the gravel roads as well as the paved roads. It’s slated to ship my way sometime this week. After that I’ll be happy to be able to get back to some 40 mile rides at the far reaches of Madison county and into the neighboring counties. I won't be entirely dog proof but I'll have a much better chance at outrunning any that I encounter!
4am
As the summer heat has moved in I’ve been getting up earlier so that I can get a good long ride in before the sun gets too high in the sky. At the moment that time is 4am and I really like it. Early mornings are similar to late nights in the sense that it’s still dark outside and it’s quiet. It’s the time that the birds are beginning to wake and sing.
My routine seems to work fairly well. Wake at 4 and have oatmeal or an oatmeal, peanut butter and banana smoothie. Then a sandwich with peanut butter and preserves. I check the news and charge my watch then step out at 5am almost ready to ride. Check the tires and add air. At that point the sky is just starting to lighten up a wee bit but the sun is still 30 to 40 minutes from actually peaking over the horizon.
About halfway into my ride on my current route the sun is just rising above the horizon and this is the view from the bike…
Apparently my life now revolves around bikes
I expect to post in the next day or two about some trail updates, a few upgrades I’ve made to the fatbike and a new bike on the way. Until then, some photos from recent rides and mileage updates.
Total miles ridden on the Gravity fatbike for May, June and July is, as of 7/5, 1092 miles. While most of June was trail riding I’ve decided to move back to mostly road riding in July in the mornings and trail rides in the evening. Thus far, only 5 days into the month, I’m on track for 900 miles in July which is my goal. That means 30 miles a day, for 30 of the 31 days. My ride time for July is up to 181 minutes per day thus far which meets my goal of 3 hours a day.
As much as I love trail riding I think 2 hours of road riding and 1 hour of trail riding is probably better for my knees. It seems that any knee issues I have or am likely to have are more likely with the constant sitting/standing that I do when I’m trail riding. On the road it’s almost all sitting and steady spinning. Will see.
Another consideration is the disturbance I seem to cause to the deer back on the trail. I’d like to try to minimize that as much as possible. Rather than 2 or 3 trail rides during a day I’ll try just the one for about an hour. We’ll see how it goes.
The past couple weeks of rides:
| Date | Duration | Miles |
|---|---|---|
| 6/21/20 | 157m | 16.40 |
| 6/22/20 | 168m | 20.90 |
| 6/23/20 | 127m | 14.60 |
| 6/24/20 | 100m | 11.80 |
| 6/25/20 | 141m | 16.50 |
| 6/26/20 | 131m | 15.20 |
| 6/27/20 | 120m | 14.00 |
| 6/28/20 | 177m | 23.40 |
| 6/29/20 | 160m | 28.20 |
| 6/30/20 | 159m | 27.40 |
| 7/1/20 | 195m | 31.70 |
| 7/2/20 | 150m | 27.30 |
| 7/3/20 | 181m | 33.60 |
| 7/4/20 | 191m | 34.90 |
| 7/5/20 | 192m | 34.10 |
A month of trail riding
| Date | Duration | Miles |
|---|---|---|
| 5/28/20 | 95m 0s | 18.80 |
| 5/29/20 | 90m 0s | 17.80 |
| 5/30/20 | 145m 0s | 17.40 |
| 5/31/20 | 37m 0s | 4.50 |
| 6/1/20 | 143m 0s | 16.20 |
| 6/2/20 | 123m 0s | 13.70 |
| 6/3/20 | 88m 0s | 9.30 |
| 6/4/20 | 135m 0s | 14.00 |
| 6/5/20 | 90m 0s | 9.40 |
| 6/6/20 | 178m 0s | 18.30 |
| 6/7/20 | 75m 0s | 7.80 |
| 6/8/20 | 151m 0s | 15.40 |
| 6/10/20 | 156m 0s | 20.30 |
| 6/11/20 | 177m 0s | 15.30 |
| 6/12/20 | 124m 0s | 14.40 |
| 6/13/20 | 148m 0s | 16.80 |
| 6/14/20 | 150m 0s | 17.50 |
| 6/15/20 | 153m 0s | 16.50 |
| 6/16/20 | 145m 0s | 18.00 |
| 6/17/20 | 154m 0s | 19.20 |
| 6/18/20 | 100m 0s | 10.00 |
| 6/19/20 | 128m 0s | 13.50 |
| 6/20/20 | 117m 0s | 13.50 |
Ride, ride, ride
[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“4032”]
Pretty country barn along my route[/caption]
[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“3375”]
Foggy morning ride[/caption]
[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“3024”]
Farm road[/caption]
Daily Totals
| Date | Duration | Miles |
|---|---|---|
| 5/16/20 | 101m 0s | 18.20 |
| 5/17/20 | 100m 0s | 19.70 |
| 5/18/20 | 120m 0s | 23.40 |
| 5/19/20 | 86m 0s | 17.60 |
| 5/20/20 | 108m 0s | 21.30 |
| 5/21/20 | 140m 0s | 25.00 |
| 5/22/20 | 177m 0s | 26.00 |
| 5/23/20 | 156m 0s | 19.30 |
| 5/24/20 | 151m 0s | 17.80 |
| 5/25/20 | 148m 0s | 16.50 |
| 5/26/20 | 145m 0s | 16.20 |
| 5/27/20 | 98m 0s | 16.60 |
Road Ride
It’s been a few weeks since I took a road ride but we’ve had a lot of rain here the past week so I decided to give the trail a break today. I did fit in a 1 mile ride this morning before today’s rain rolled in on me mid-ride. Then later a 4 mile ride on the gravel road and over to the pond across the way. But I wanted to do a longer pavement ride. I’ve got my sister and various nieces, nephew and their significant others here visiting so I sent a group text inviting folks to do a ride. My two nieces rode the ebikes and I rode the Gravity.
We did an 11 mile ride in just under an hour with an average speed of 12.2 mph. I was pretty happy with the ride. I’ve had several one hour trail rides on the new bike but this is the first one hour ride on pavement. The steady cadence with several rolling hills, a couple longer, lower intensity hills and one very steep hill felt really good on this bike. The steep hill was a good bit of work but I made it up without too much fuss. I’d pumped the tires up to about 18 psi to avoid self-steer and decrease the rolling resistance and they performed pretty well on the pavement.
My family have all been using the ebikes and are having a blast on them which has been great as my family are not cyclists. There’s little doubt that in this case having the electric assist has added the zip they needed to get started. That said, for the most part, they’re all happy to offer their own effort with the peddles which I’m happy to see. From what I can tell they are getting used everyday that is not too rainy.
In the woods
I’ve been living in the cabin for most of the past 12 years. The first four were spent mostly outside gardening and clearing the area of tornado-downed trees.The fifth was a lot of time outside at night looking through the telescope and then I left for two years. When I returned in the fall of 2015 I never quite got back into the rhythm of gardening or my time at the telescope. I was still outside a lot but not in the steady, mission-driven way that I had been before. My time outside became more casual and meandering.
The simple act of just getting out into the quiet woods during the springtime has been a privilege I wish more people had access to especially in these times of the Covid virus. I’m used to having outside time and space so it’s not really new for me but a lot of people are struggling with what to do with themselves.
[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“2780”]
Wood Betony, a favorite spring food source for bumble bees[/caption]
Riding the trails
The recent ride journal: 4/28 11.1 4/30 11.5 5/1 13.6 5/2 15 5/3 12.6 5/4 12 5/5 12.9 5/6 10.7 5/7 11.7
Gravity Bullseye Monster Fat Bike Initial Impressions
Like many bikes sold over the internet it arrives mostly assembled. Like the Rover, I had to attach the handlebar to the stem, attach the front wheel to the forks, attach the pedals, tweak the rear derailleur and brakes then air up the tires.
There were only two negatives worth mentioning. First, the pedals that come with the bike are too small and my feet slipped off them a few times. After a couple days I switched them with the Rover’s larger, sturdier Wellgo pedals. Much better. Also, the head tube is said to be limiting as to fork upgrades because it is not tapered. In my case, I’m not concerned as I don’t expect to be adding a suspension fork, but it’s worth mentioning. It’s only been a few days so I’ll likely report back in another couple of months but I don’t expect there to be any problems.
I have no intention of making any upgrades anytime soon. As things wear out I’d likely consider replacing the stock parts with improved components but I don’t feel any need to do that until they wear out.
I’d have no problem recommending this bike for anyone looking to get their first fat bike.
Rides over the past two weeks.
4/12 4.00 4/13 4.00 4/14 4.00 4/15 4.00 4/16 4.00 4/17 4.00 4/18 5.50 4/19 4.00 4/20 4.00 4/21 4.00 4/22 6.20 4/23 8.00 4/24 4.50 4/25 7.20 4/26 4.00 4/27 11.1
Trail Building Fun
I’ve changed things up a bit! For the time being I’ve redirected most of my riding time, normally 3 to 4 hours to trail building around our place. I’ve gotten in a bit of riding as well but most of the time has been spent raking, clipping and mowing a new woodland trail. Funny, I’d not at been planning to do this, it just sort of happened. Once the thought occurred to me that I might put in some trails I just went with it and once I started in on the work the enthusiasm took over. 4 days later and I’m pretty happy with the progress. Thus far the trail, which starts with an older trail my brother-in-law Greg put in 10 years ago, contains about a one mile loop with a longer option to my parents’ place. If I take the longer ride to my parents the loop is about 1.6 miles.
The thinking behind all this (as much as there was any actual thinking involved) is that it would be nice to have a riding experience other than my current 35 mile route on the roads and gravel. While I love those rides they are shaped and changed by the county maintenance schedule and practices. It makes sense (I think) to spend some time and effort to better utilize our own land and get to know it better. I’ll keep my impact to a minimum which is to say that the paths are not going to be very wide. For most of the trail I’ll have a width enough for two people to walk abreast. Some segments may be more narrow. I’ll let them evolve a bit based on how they’re being used. My hope is that family will use them and I can adjust based on usage.
Over the past few months I’ve been riding 3 to 4 hours, 35 miles, on the county roads and I plan to transition much of that riding time to these trails just looping around. I’ll end up with fewer daily miles because trail riding speed will be more like 4 to 6 mph rather than my usual 12 average. But ride time will be the same. With daily 3 hour rides I suspect that I’ll have the new trails pretty well packed in just a couple weeks. In just the 4 days of building and preliminary test rides they are already starting to look like used trails. There’s something so comforting and reassuring about a well used woodland trail. These trails have the added element of being on family land and so almost feel like a kind of gardening.
Enter the pedal only, non-electric fat bike. It’s been on my mind for a month or two that I’d like to have a “regular”, non-powered mountain or fat bike. After a couple weeks of research I ended up ordering another fat bike. This will be sized between the Rover and the XP as it has the same size wheels as the Rover but a much smaller frame. At about 36 lbs and a stand over height about 3 inches less than the Rover I think it will be much better suited for trail riding. It will be here later today, I’ll post photos and a review soon.
Chunky gravel and punctured tubes
4/5 13.8 4/6 13.8 4/7 26.3 4/8 13.8 4/9 27.6 4/10 27.6 4/11 27.5
Latest Video:
My sister and niece are visiting so I’ve been keeping my rides shorter, mostly riding in the morning when it’s cold. We’re keeping our visits to outside porch visits because our cabins our small. Normally we’d just pile in but social distancing and all that.
A last note: 2000 miles for the year thus far. I’m not sure I’ll maintain my current pace through the summer and really, I’m trying to not have any goals. Just ride and enjoy would be the extent of my plans.
Outside for the season
3/18 25.9 3/20 38.7 3/21 32.2 3/23 41 3/25 41.6 3/26 45.6 3/27 39.2 3/29 41.9 3/30 45.8 4/1 44 4/2 47.5 4/4 38.8