Do you need Suspension on a Gravel Bike?

[@EverythingsBeenDone]

📲Shall we Instagram?: bit.ly/DkleinIG

[@SrHide-iz7pf]

The groupset is not the chain wheel and cassette?

[@ROBinJVILLE]

gravel trails starting to look like mtn bike trails.

[@toetaster]

Welcome to Bham

[@Marxone]

So, single track on a gravel bike feels better when you turn it into a MTB by swapping for suspension fork and wider base wheels. Who would have thought :)

[@sebastianb251]

i kinda hate this comparison since u read it under almost any gravel vid... it still is the faster and funnier bike on gravel than the mtb. I personally didnt have any mountain about 300k around, hills at least 50k away, so there is no use for a mtb, but bumpy roads, gravel, forrest roads and stuff like that allaround. And thats the big difference. Years ago, there where ridgid carbon forks on factory hardtails just for the weight. Nowadays hardtails are almost gone because the xc bikes with there 120 mm forks and courses in the worldcups are almost like an enduro 10 years ago... so just more "need" for a gravelbike.

[@ef8725]

At this point, wouldn't it just be easier and cheaper to put drop bars on a 29er mtb?

[@whirving]

Whoa!!! I just woke up from a dream where I was riding my 1992 Brigestone MB 4 on trails, now I'm all sweaty.

[@childofeternity]

After umming and ahhing (more money, maintenance, weight), I ordered a gravel bike a couple of days ago (Sonder Camino) with the Rudy 30mm instead of the standard fork. It's all about comfort for me - I don't need it for any technical stuff, more for riding over lumpy fields and bridal ways, which aren't fun when your bones are rattling!

[@Tony247_v2]

I hope it makes a difference. I think I'm slowly suffering from "Doug knees" and "Doug backs" with 51yrs and at some point am going to need a bike which takes the bump out of the bumps.

[@EverythingsBeenDone]

Now with bump to bump reduction

[@cyclingjack]

Ride on a normal tarmac road? E.g. become a roadie. 😉

[@frankblais2627]

The line between road, gravel, touring, hybrid and mountain bikes is harder and harder to draw tbh

[@martinkent333]

Frank do you obey traffic laws when street cycling? Most cyclists and drivers don't obey the law. Do you have time to chat?

[@davideisemann3335]

@@martinkent333 Some don't and some do. Besides streets are designed for vehicular traffic.

[@martinkent333]

@@davideisemann3335 Where are you and what is the percentage of law-abiding cyclists and drivers? I am working on Autonomous Traffic safety as a volunteer and am interested in "deweaseling" the driving and biking community. Thanks!

[@Simon-df2ku]

I’m interested in the wheels and the dropper fir my Chamois Hagar for a touch more comfort but I can’t understand why I would want an xplr cassette rather than an eagle, especially when riding off road. Also there really comes a point where if I need a suspension fork on my gravel bike then what I really need is a mountain bike. What I like best about my gravel bike is that I don’t have to service any suspension or fix it when it breaks.

[@MichaelGranataDivorceLawyer]

So I had the same thought process Simon but then had a bikepiphaney (that's a real word btw). Die hard mountain biker that enjoys riding to the trails as opposed to loading up my car and driving to the trail head so started logging more and more miles on my xc bike and it started turning into 4+ hour rides which included 75 minutes each way (or more) to the trail head. After an hour on 2.25 tires it gets old. Enter the gravel bike built for part time single track. This is the bike Dustin is basically demo'ing in this video. The gearing ratio is very wide but has very wide spacing, a dropper, and a fork. If you aren't riding singletrack on your gravel then (imo) you would stay away from this type of gravel bike and look at something like an Allied Echo (full rigid, tight road cassette gearing, non-flared bars, no dropper, 2x) where you basically spend the entire ride on an actual dirt road/paved road. I live in a city so I want to ride my bike out into the country and get on country roads so I have a 2x gravel bike. I also vacation in the high mountains where you can climb for over an hour or so, link up to actual singletrack and then descend for 20'ish minutes or so. The later ride is the bike Dustin has in his video. Basically the climbs are way more fun/easier on a gravel bike but at the same time you can rip pretty hard on the descents on a gravel bike with the right set up - it's also really refreshing to underbike on technical descents which a drop bar bike (even with suspension and a dropper) allows you to do. I love my mountain bikes, but man is it refreshing to basically never have to service a gravel bike. This my .02's.

[@ktakashismith]

Well there's an option for you! If you want something that gives that little bit more comfort but doesn't add a ton of complexity to your bike, the Redshift suspension stem and seatpost both work really well and are proven to be durable. It's pretty crazy how many widgets and doodads there are just for gravel bikes, but it seems possible to build that n-1 bike that you can ride to wherever the road ends, do your thing, and ride back home.

[@Simon-df2ku]

@@ktakashismith I’m rocking a 40mm stem and need a dropper so wouldn’t really work for me but I’m riding at the mtb end of the gravel spectrum

[@MichaelGranataDivorceLawyer]

When I see gravel bikes with droppers, suspension, 42+ wide tires and 27mm internal wide rims it makes me think it's for the rider who wants to ride too singletrack/trail head on his bike, ride singletrack and ride home afterwards on his bike without having to pack up a car to drive there. If you are riding road/non-singletrack gravel I think of basically a drop bar bike that can mount at most 40mm tires that has 2x cranks and a road cassette. The bike in this video is the former. Both types of bikes are dope but I think they serve very different purposes even though they are labeled 'gravel'. Of course there are other types of gravel bikes but if you regularly watch Dustin's videos you are probably like him and do a mix of both. Amazing time to be a cyclist.

[@HollyBoni]

You can ride a full on MTB to the trails, on the trails, after the trails, between the trails as well. Depending on the surface (and your setup) it can be just as fast or faster than a gravel bike with suspension, dropper, wide tires etc. I know when you say MTB nowadays you think about singletrack, sending it, fist bumps, that was totally sick bro, enduro bikes, Maxxis Minions etc. but MTBs are and always have been pretty darn versatile. People just forgot that for some reason, and XC bikes became kinda uncool. The whole reason I switched from a gravel bike to an MTB was because I rode my gravel bike everywhere on longer (for me) rides, and I got way too beat up on stuff like undeveloped, rough doubletrack roads (which I ride to get to the good bits and connect the good bits like mountains and singletrack). I can also plan routes with more confidence on totally unknown terrain where I have no idea what i'll have to face. Yeah I could have gotten a gravel bike with a tiny dropper, 2" tyres, 30mm suspension. But IMO with this kind of stuff you get most of the "drawbacks" of a full on MTB but you get way less benefits than a full on MTB. For example with a gravel sus fork you have most of the weight, but the travel, comfort, capability is light years away even from an XC fork. A SID Ultimate with 120mm travel is like 400g heavier than the Rudy Ultimate and they're almost the same price... An XC frame can be just as light as a gravel frame. XC tyres can be so darn fast as well (but you can use narrower gravel tires if you really want, but they would be barely any faster and only on certain surfaces). Not hating on this stuff tho, i'm sure there is terrain on planet Earth where a gravel bike with 30mm suspension hits just the sweet spot. But I think after gravel bikes came along people kinda forgot how versatile even a plain old XC hardtail can be if you ride (truly) mixed terrain (I fell in that trap as well).

[@MichaelGranataDivorceLawyer]

@@HollyBoni I think we are mostly saying the same thing and I was comparing my XC bike (not an enduro bike) but didn't state it. I do disagree that most things being equal, an xc bike is going to be as fast as a drop bar bike especially if you put any type of wind into the equation - this was mostly my point. If you have a biggish pedal (1 hour+) to the trailhead then you are probably not riding an enduro bike with 2.4 tires, possibly a coil spring, and 160mm of front/back travel and not riding trails requiring that type of bike and thus the debate is what do I need the video bike for if I already have an XC bike. There is also the beauty of being underbiked which tilts the equation in favor of the video bike slightly. Overall I agree with you it does seem rather limited the need of the video bike.

[@scottcottontx]

2:34 "That's what she said!" I yelled as noodles flew out of my mouth.

[@oliverhayesthecreator4988]

I feel like gravel bikes have just become roadies’ secret admission that they also like mountain biking

[@cocochanel9291]

this is a fact.

[@mipko]

That is why I didn't bother with a Gravel bike and got myself full on full-suspension Trail MTB as a roadie... Much more fun going downhill, still great going uphill, bit slow on asphalt though

[@matthewphelps1330]

I like the idea of gravel bikes and own one myself but with a suspension fork you are basically riding a stiff hardtail mtb

[@Lousysuperior]

And that's a bad thing?

[@EverythingsBeenDone]

What if its something something totally its own?

[@martinkent333]

Matthew, do you obey traffic laws when you ride on the streets? Most cyclists and drivers break traffic laws. Do you have time to chat?

[@matthewphelps1330]

@@martinkent333 obviously not on my phone whilst cycling just wondering why engineers are going through the hassle of basically reverse engineering mountain bikes. Nothing wrong with it just saying I probs would not spend money on it

[@PuffinPass]

Great vid Dustin but I gotta tell you being in the drops on those tech descents will make things so much better on you. Hit the dropper and get into the drops for gold results. It is uncomfortable the first couple times but after a while it is the only place you will want to be because of the level of control you get from it.

[@sebastianb251]

that is a thing i only see on gravel"nerd"videos... and on pages of brands which sell those handlebars. One look to the pros, like Cyclocross. These guys really can ride a bike and u will see that NO ONE EVER had there hands of the hoods. I tried that so often just to understand it, and it makes shifting nearly impossible, braking is odd asf because u need constant hold on the lever or they are too far away. i dont know, i dont see the benefits, i ride almost everything with my hands on the hood and i had never any issues. Also, and thats my biggest concern, that deep to the front, downhill and a little bit too much on the brake, u flip over like a coin. On that hand it will get better after a while but the rest still is a problem, at least for me.

[@PuffinPass]

@@sebastianb251 I ride dropbarmtb and can tell you from experience that the hoods are the point of least control on a dropbar bike. It takes a little to get used to being that far forward but it is easily adapted to. If you don't have a dropper or at least lower the seat then you are going to be a lot more limited.

[@sebastianb251]

@@PuffinPass that has nothing to do with a gravelbike in my opinion, thats realy a mtb with dropbars and that is for me almost useless, slow on the road compared to a gravelbike and slow on the trail compared to a mtb. it might be fun to ride, but thats not gravel, at least for me. and to lower the saddle just to steer... my knees hurts just by reading :D

[@PuffinPass]

@@sebastianb251 you were the one who engaged me and I simply replied with practical knowledge of what gives best control for a situation as well as where I got the info. You didn't like that you are wrong so you decided to try and degrade me and the reply by insulting the way I choose to ride. Pound sand.

[@sebastianb251]

@@PuffinPass i think there is no right or wrong, i thought i made it clear what works for me -aside the thing with cyclocross of course- and thats why i asked. you said u ride a mtb with dropbars, and thats, at least for me, not a gravelbike, the hole geometry is different and that may be the reason why it works well for u. But on my bike, a casual cyclocross/gravel frame, even with dropperpost, its almost impossible to ride like that. And thats maybe the reason why cyclocrosser didnt ride like that and these guys are pretty quick in the mud, so i think they know what theyre doing. Also i never felt unsafe with my hands on the hoods, so why change to something that feels so odd, i tried it severel times.

[@DilbertMuc]

Uhmm... can I put some dropbars on my old 29er carbon hardtail and join the ride? Rockshox once said about suspension: 90mm > 30mm. So I should be good, right?

[@shaun1900]

question is, over that loop how much quicker and stable would it be, or not against a decent hardtail MTB such as a BMC Four Stroke, Epic HT?

[@HollyBoni]

This! I feel like people kinda forgot about XC bikes, and it's all about long and slack, aggressive tires etc.

[@johnnydoe66]

I grew up on a gravel road in the 70's and 80's riding a balloon tired 20" bike....tires alone can make a huge difference in ride feel, but frame compliance with a minimal travel fork definitely has its advantages.

[@martinkent333]

John do you obey traffic laws when riding in town? Most cyclists and drivers ignore the law. Do you have time to chat?

[@johnnydoe66]

@@martinkent333 Just real quick before I have to leave, but yes I do obey the traffic vehicle laws. We actually have several nearby cities whose Police will give out warnings and some times tickets.

[@DerHackbart]

By the end of 2017 I was totally sold on gravel bikes and still love them. But for me,it seema that the industry, especially SRAM at this point, is trying to sell us things, which only a very few of us "need" Not every gravel ride ist kanza/unbound. For me a gravel bike is a fast freedom machine. Go far, fast and without traffic around you. And therefore it's not necessary, that it performs like a xc Mountainbike on Trails. I'm afraid the term gravel will get a total sellout until everything is a full sus MTB with drop bars.

[@EverythingsBeenDone]

You don't have to buy anything you don't need. ITs more about comfort then performance

[@DerHackbart]

@@EverythingsBeenDone You are right, but I have the feeling more and more riders seem to think they need all the burly stuff, cause it's everywhere. I don't criticize the product. It's the marketing.

[@satchelofdoom1564]

Is there any point having a short travel fork. I feel like if you are railing it, you may as well just not have it. You’ll either be blowing though it or have it so progressive that it becomes a rigid fork.

[@EverythingsBeenDone]

Sounds like this fork is not for you.

[@satchelofdoom1564]

@@EverythingsBeenDone probably true, I’d go higher volume tyres, running lower pressure.

[@joelrichards4965]

You're aweome, love the videos, thanks for doing what you do. I was once a 3 or more bike guy, now I own one and just ride what I want when I find it. No need for labels, categories or sub-categories, it's a bike.

[@daledubose3032]

"WTF Ridlers" lol

[@zappenduster7]

More options more better. Everyone can choose to specify their bike for the terrain they most likely encounter. Of course, nobody needs 40mm of travel on the fork, you can ride this trail on a fixie with enough dedication. But we all know bike lanes where a fully would make sense as well. Nice presentation- keep 'em coming!

[@alexsheehan4617]

All Hail Chris M! Behind the scenes bike industry Legend and all time good dude!

[@pookienumnums]

Soundtrack: Vibes Gravel Fork: Less Vibes-rations

[@EverythingsBeenDone]

LMAO!

[@ericdanielson4177]

Thinking hard about some type of suspension, as lots of riding on Olympic Peninsula foothills gravel has bruised my left nut.

[@seancolwell3815]

The bike reminds me of the John Tomac Raleigh Signature MTB from the early 1990's.

[@billoneill6114]

I can definitely see the benefits of these components for comfort and control, for what I ride they would be overkill, but I wouldn't say just get a mtb overkill.

[@andrewturner943]

#BringBacktheBombtrack. XPLR'd out.

[@SiopaoSauc3]

Is it just me or did he bring the camo fork from the Bombtrack he put the Fox fork on last year for this ride?

[@hevdread]

Need a comparison of the dead sexy lauf fork and this new gravel rudy fork.

[@Ben_Eagle]

Dustin + Zipp = match made in heaven

[@duranharoldroldy]

Need a video on those glasses!! How you made them prescription? Price? Feel?

[@Theyrun]

Excellent video, really liking that suspension fork. Did you go to Bellingham because these two are from SRAM in Vancouver?

[@SiopaoSauc3]

Why is my biggest takeaway from this is that one of SRAM's testers is running GRX Di2?

[@EverythingsBeenDone]

Good eye. That’s called market research 🧐

[@svensshed1564]

How much weight does the suspension fork add?

[@MrChuckmart]

Dustin- could you please tell me about the digital tire gauge you use in this video? It looks interesting.

[@roamingwolfpack]

So how does the RS fork compare to that Fox you have?

[@CojaPawa]

#everythingsbeendone couldn’t be more appropriate. It’s funny how we are looping in that evolution pattern of the road bike taken to rougher roads then becoming a mountain bike. Same story, different decade..!

[@tednruth453]

Lauf frame but no Lauf sus forks...🧐....pretty sure you'd like them.....try them! They're fab!

[@ryanjohnson4193]

Depends on how much gravel ya see. Love to ride the gravel but many roads leading to gavel are paved. Nice to get there in a timely fashion, cause fashion is what I'm all about. 😛 Enjoyed your vids for a long time be safe.

[@dariolofino]

I don’t know if i’d use that fork but the wheels are really cool! The guy with the purple bike is he riding a URS? did he try xplr parts too?

[@garypostell5268]

Good looking test track 💯🇺🇸

[@murrayhiggins3061]

either way i didn't sweat it because all the due credit is to your fantastic edit....(s)

[@CrazyOldCreature]

Hey, I like that cap on your head. Is that new?

[@pault477]

Love the dinosaur affect. : )

[@tankieboy2]

I like your cap, where can I purer chase such a cap as yours?

[@helldorado1489]

This was a SRAM/Zipp informecial trying to sell us stuff that’s in search of an actual need. Dustin, you’ve strayed from the true path and now sound like one of so many other influencers in search of corporate patronage. Sad.

[@themoodyteam]

‘Sold out to SRAM’ never looks good on a resumé 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@Ben_Eagle]

How is it sad that he's making a living and earning an income by doing what he loves and endorsing cool brands?? Stop hating. This is how content creators pay the bills!

[@themoodyteam]

@@Ben_Eagle Is your name a bit of product placement? 😃 I’ve been subbed for quite a while now, but this vid came across as most un-Dustin like; just an infomercial. No hate here.

[@cocochanel9291]

Next step after the fork and the tires......a flat bar?

[@nilramos8196]

The best music, always!

[@alolympic]

These changes will clearly make the bike more comfortable and controlled in the chunk but at that point, a lighter carbon hardtail is going to be even better isn’t it?

[@neilstoddart00001]

Fractionally more professional with each vid! Is this comment posted???

[@charlesholland6851]

So no more wahoo elemnt roam?

[@scottamy404]

The tech is interesting and all, but I think the biggest take away here is that Dustin rode a "Bike Bike" on all these rides. That is so Clear.

[@BikeandSkiGeoff]

Those wheels are calling my name

[@ThisAintBentonville]

Daaammmn, were you riding Galbraith on gravel bikes?

[@Serge545]

first you turn MTB into gravel, now gravel turns into MTB. unexpectedly ))))

[@garypostell5268]

The suspension fork adds more weight!

[@OriginalGabriel]

Riddler 45s at 32 is sooooooo cush

[@palicar]

Steel drum welcome.

[@MrMr1ish]

rad vid

[@bnzboy]

I mean... he could have shared just one bite!

[@themoodyteam]

‘Suspension forks, wheels dropper post, gear ratio…’ = 🤑🤑🤑

[@BrunoCostaBarreto]

What a place. 😎

[@EverythingsBeenDone]

It really is

[@davi3070]

Why not just get a MTB? Are there any advantages?

[@tevemullins8156]

Bringing speed vs comfort closer together. Love it! Shredding with the Pros from SRAM is solid!!

[@daledubose3032]

Yeah but single wall?

[@kenny_kaos]

Not hating but being ex-mess family guy I can’t swing any of this stuff even EPing working part time at a shop, but it’s rad either way. I mostly mountain bike either way.

[@Filthy_Rich_556]

Reminder.... You don't NEED any of these things. Don't be afraid to go ride what you got. These are all enhancements. In the words of DK, "Marginal Gains" While a front fork is likely more than a marginal gain, you can still have fun without it.

[@EverythingsBeenDone]

Totally agree with you. I did end up getting to ride this suspension fork again, thinking it would be meh...I was VERY impressed with what it did for the ride. I was honestly shocked by it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGitqaGGh96eerM

[@aaronedgeart]

Thumbs up, way up.

[@jasonisaac1]

WTF Riddlers… 😎

[@davideisemann3335]

Umm I didn't see any gravel?

[@ozgurinsan]

is this a commercial or an honest review?

[@ccdin1]

TAKE MY MONEY!!!

[@yurismono]

I think if you need a front fork for your gravel bike you'd be better off riding a hardtail

[@EliCriffield]

Lets test Gravel stuff, no gravel in video

[@pspensieri]

"Player Chris"

[@akissparaskevopoulos]

Why not get a proper mtb and even a FS and really, I mean really have fun in these tracks. Ps. Yr body will thank you too. I’m just saying, don’t listen to me.

[@romanpramuka2703]

Why da hell are you testing gravel groupset on MTB trail?????

[@CiptoCuy]

Hi Dustin ...?

[@cb6866]

Sorry.....No IG'er here sir.

[@laxplaysu91]

These parts are an absolute joke. If you’re riding terrain that requires this just get a mtb. We are about to come full circle with design.

[@SeanKWhite-lk5zf]

Adore this channel but this commercial is sad.

[@ahmadzuhairi]

This is A 6min ad.

[@felicetanka]

Not good to see you begging for the rich.

[@ElKittyo]

Yes or no, who care just ride it

[@nerigarcia7116]

And each piece is getting you closer to a MTB

[@ryanboland4496]

That fork is so cheap looking, just be better on the bike

[@brettdalpozzo8363]

Advertorial 👎🏻

[@HAL-xu2ds]

mtb is mtb;)))