Challenging Cycling in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona

[@todddonovan9780]

Welcome to Arizona... My 42mm tire gravel bike doesn't get much use here - mostly after it rains. 50mm gravel tires or hardtail MTB with 2.2 tires help, but smooth and flowy in AZ is chunky and rutted anywhere else. Thanks for the detailed look at this route.

[@GravelCyclist]

Thank you, Todd. I was definitely underbiking so to speak, during the later parts of this ride.

[@jamesmckenzie3532]

Thank you for the visit. Nice area to ride and I hope you have fun. Lots more Gravel adventures around the Tucson and Patagonia area. Thanks to the folks who host the Dirty Freehub site for the many routes they post.

[@lazlo2511]

Hey JOM, many riders complain about snake bits but you’ve refined this terminology now, I can’t unsee this…LOL.

[@GravelCyclist]

Hey there, I've heard no reports from riders, maybe they didn't live to tell the tale? Between myself, LGC, and a close mate, we've saved at least six snakes from likely death as they sun themselves. If you think about it, a snake bite is a serious concern depending on where you are riding.

[@jordiw3692]

The Dirty Freehub route library is such an amazing resource for the region.

[@GravelCyclist]

100%, they put in so much work to route development.

[@sadhu6740]

It took 25 yrs but the Tucsonistan area finally wore me out. Moved back east this past August and am now looking forward to riding the Ohio to Erie bike path this spring. Enough of being scorched in the Sonoran. You did heroically well on that route on a gravel bike. Well done sir

[@GravelCyclist]

Many thanks! I enjoy visiting the desert, but I certainly could not live there. I hope you complete the Ohio to Erie bike path ride. Have you seen the C&O Tow Path canal from the DC area to Cumberland, MD? I rode that a few years ago and recorded the experience on the channel, and took the Amtrak back to DC from Cumberland. Videos if you are so inclined: C&O Day 1 - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6WkaWSXi7OGg6c C&O Day 2 - kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYi9lWd9pbuqrNU Finally, you can extend this adventure by riding the GAP Trail to Pittsburgh from Cumberland. I would like to complete that journey another time. Good luck with everything on the East!

[@bonkasaurus_wrecks]

Bravo for keeping your composure and not rage quitting the ride! Great video evidence of underbiking!

[@GravelCyclist]

Thank you. Complaining isn't usually my style, but I wanted to highlight the difficulty of this route, particularly later.

[@bcm1013]

I found the Dirty Freehub through your vids several years ago JOM. Used some of their routes when I was out in Tucson back in Covid days. Like you, I had not read into the details much just grabbed the route when I got to town. Pickly Pear was the route. And exactly like you experienced, I was definitely under biked...or at least under tired. Had 38mm and see that they now recommend 2.1..Ouch. Like others have said, their site is a great resource. Cheers and thanks for another fun video.

[@tmayberry7559]

Those bits of single track and sand, rocky descents were general madness. 😂. You gave a new twist on the phrase" here's mud in your eye" In your case here's a whole lotta bloody sand in your shoes😂

[@GravelCyclist]

A crap ton of sand and small pebbly bits in my shoes. On the positive, I did make it to the Penske Racing Museum before closing time :)

[@tmayberry7559]

@GravelCyclist hey that's all that matters. 😁 Besides it was nothing compared to Indiana (that non stop rain storm ☹️ I hope you do a short complication of the worst bits of 2024 that would be a good one

[@jrae5085]

Seems like a great route! Classic Arizona gravel riding. The one thing about being out there - distances are greater and climbs are tougher than they look.

[@GravelCyclist]

100%. The rocky terrain which I expected, did catch me by surprise towards the end of the route. I felt underbiked so to speak, on those parts of the course. I seldom squawk in videos, but I wanted people to be aware of riding in this area, vs areas that are considerably easier to ride. Appreciate you chiming in!

[@jrae5085]

@@GravelCyclist Yeah man! Love your show.

[@A_SingleSpeeder]

Great video. The AZT is a trail that runs the entire length of AZ from Mexico to Utah. There's a race every year. Some parts are super techy and an MTB is always the way to go. Theres so much riding out past Florence and only a short drive so I'm hoping to talk some buddies into riding out there but definitely not this same route on our gravels. Definitely not the Patagonia trails as you've ridden in the past. 😁

[@GravelCyclist]

Thanks for chiming in! Patagonia is a snap vs this area of Arizona. 100% on the MTB, this ride really tested my skills, 700c x 45 was not cutting it later in the ride.

[@greg1083]

Expected to see a segment on flat repair during that ride.😯

[@GravelCyclist]

Somehow, no punctures!

[@etthealienouttheresomewher1296]

Pretty typical Sonoran Desert riding, sandy roads and sandy washes, lots of rocks. I ride it all the time in the PHX area, I do treat desert gravel riding more like MTB, if I ride alone I have a small pack with 2 liter reservoir and I carry a Garmin Inreach in areas with spotty phone coverage. In AZ you learn that the most important item is H2O, like a lot of AZ cyclists I do ride in the summer.

[@GravelCyclist]

100% on Garmin Inreach if I rode here regularly.

[@bengt_axle]

(3:18) The snake wanted to know how it riii-iiides.

[@hansschotterradler3772]

this is another way of getting a snake bite flat.

[@Mr_Zzzeee]

Dodging venomous snakes and cacti is so vastly different from my my riding in Canada lol

[@GravelCyclist]

The cacti wasn't a worry, but snakes could be an issue depending on your luck. Despite having a lot of experience riding all manner of terrain including rocky stuff as seen in this video, this area really tested my skills, bike, and tyres. Definitely could have used wider tyres for the later part of the ride.

[@Mr_Zzzeee]

@@GravelCyclist Got crazy rough there for a bit. I'll have to make a trip to Arizona one day, looks beautiful.

[@lazlo2511]

This is the raw footage so you don’t have too.🤓

[@Retarded_Skunk_Weed]

Arizona is an amazing yet deadly place to live. The sun, heat, wildlife, and vegetation all hates you. LOL. This looks like a fun ride that I'm going to check out. Side note....those ranches are usually people who want other people to stay way away from them. There's some weird people living way out there.

[@GravelCyclist]

Parts of Arizona remind me of the mid north of my home state of South Australia, which is the gateway to the Outback. 100% on those ranch dwellers, don't go riding down their driveway.

[@lazlo2511]

… snake could have said.. ahh …here comes 23..23 LoL!

[@Rolf-EricBirknes-ql5kx]

Hi JOM, can you say when your reveiw of the No.22 will be coming out? And the reveiw of the XPLR wheelset?

[@GravelCyclist]

Hello Rolf, the No. 22, I expect late January... the XPLR wheelset, I may post that early January. I've been swapping it between the No. 22 and the latest variant of the Pivot Vault. Thanks for the question.

[@anthonyharris483]

"I did not die today"😂

[@GravelCyclist]

Live to ride another day!

[@hansschotterradler3772]

with conditions like that, thigs can go from bad to worse in no time.

[@benconnor4848]

How did those wheels perform?

[@GravelCyclist]

The wheels, no problem (review coming later), but for the later parts of the route, I really need wider tyres to cope with the very rocky terrain.

[@jean-frederickjacques6780]

Hey JOM, Given there is no cell service in spots are you carrying some sort of satellite communication device?

[@GravelCyclist]

Hello there, I would definitely be buying a device like that if I was way off the beaten track on a regular basis.

[@jean-frederickjacques6780]

@@GravelCyclist Yeah because you mentioned you can't afford to have a crash out there given some of the terrain. I had a similar experience on similar terrain with longer downhills and very few people about, along with no cell service. So I am looking at the Garmin Inreach device.

[@anthonyharris483]

Can't afford to get f'd up😂

[@GravelCyclist]

Keeping it real!

[@DaneKromer]

IMHO, not a gravel route!

[@lazlo2511]

…. Okay, what category does it fall into?

[@johnbodenchuk514]

Actually a bull snake. They look a lot like rattlesnakes bun harmless.

[@GravelCyclist]

Thank you!

[@J.S.Weimer-qw3xk]

Lots of complaining in this one!

[@GravelCyclist]

Indeed. Not my usual style, but the latter part of the route was difficult AF, an MTB with wider tyres would have been a better choice of bike. Regardless, good for the coming review of the No. 22, which did well considering some of the rocky AF $hitty terrain. This is not a route I recommend you ride solo, and definitely reverse it... you want the easy stuff towards the end, not the beginning.

[@erich8258]

@@GravelCyclist With all that sand, you may even want a fatbike! It's a shame about the ATV use, though; I hate how they have access to hiking/biking trails in a lot of places.

[@GravelCyclist]

Haha, it may have helped. I'm thinking 2.2" MTB tyres would have sunk in that very pebbly sand, but they would have helped immensely on the rocky terrain in places. This route is deceiving because it is not challenging at all during the first 20ish miles.