How To Avoid These 8 Gravel Riding Mistakes

[@davidmiller3927]

Yesterday I was on a road bike ride and passed a gravel road. I pulled a u-turn and decided to try out my endurance bike (Giant Defy Advanced) on the gravel for the first time. It was great (I didn't ride fast)! Smooth, predictable, no issues and it took me back to a remote pond that I never would have gone to. It reminded me of when I was a kid and had one bike that I road everywhere. We humans tend to get a little too specialized sometimes and forget that maybe our bike is a little more versatile than we think. Get a bike and ride it everywhere you can!

[@rourkeyliiid4769]

Agreed.

[@robertwaldren6206]

100% this. The greatest joy for me is being able to just go exploring, and IMO there’s no better tool for that than a gravel bike.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

I love riding my regular road bike on maintained gravel. I love riding my gravel bike on trails that are a bit too timid to have fun with on my mountain bikes.

[@ianprice9563]

what's 'maintained gravel'? (I live in Cumbria! :-) )

[@josephlevacher995]

Hey GCN. You guys and gals should come and ride our 200km gravel trail called " Le Ptit Train du Nord " located 30min north of Montréal, Québec Canada. It's the old railroad track that helped colonise the Laurentian mountains north of Montréal. It is now a gravel trail dotted with small towns and for Manon's happiness, cafés. It stretches between Mont-Laurier to St-Jérôme. Beautiful trail in the forest following the "Rivière du Nord". I commute on it everyday. Come for a visit.

[@joerenner8334]

Tabernic! Sounds great!

[@aroryboreallen]

Mont Laurier to Tremblant is paved but Tremblant to St Jerome is fine crushed rock

[@bistrotgravier]

@joseph Levacher Très intéressant, merci pour la découverte! Tu l’as fait ?

[@MissPandolfi]

This was my first ever gravel ride. Amazing views and lovely people along the way! Highly recommend too

[@event4216]

Old railroad track makes nice bike path - gravel used under rails packs into hard and smooth surface, especially if grass keeps it together. Usually gradient is quite friendly even for single speed bikes and old stations are around villages or small towns so access to water and food is possible.More fun than riding hot tarmac with cars passing you right by shoulder.

[@Tobias611]

For the loose bolts get some locktite blue and get it on the bolt before screwing it in, it'll keep the bolts in place even during the rattliest of rides! Plus since it's only blue locktite you can still remove bolts as necessary.

[@JakeWoolmer]

I've bought a Cannondale Gravel bike and I absolutely love it! Thanks for your tips for the beginners like me!

[@alexanderh2715]

Topstone 4?

[@ChrisGuarraia]

From my former running coach in DC with Capital Area Runners, with most all distances above 5k races, the mantra is always “Start slow, finish strong.”

[@rachelharvey71]

Dan definitely needs to complete a gravel ride, this week he said he needed to get back on his bike, it’s a perfect time of the year to be gravel riding 😊

[@Hawky2947]

Found my first gravel bike I fell in love at first sight with (Rock Machine Gravelride 500) in one shop just two months ago, after 3 months of occasionally visiting bike shops (shortage of bikes over here). Started rides in 20-30 km range, the last one was 60 km and I felt it was maybe 10 km too long for my fitness yet. But I do enjoy it which means a lot to me - a person who just physically works and the rest of the day sits at a computer during workdays and rests over the weekend.

[@DaveCM]

Good job! Keep at it!

[@StormKingPNW]

Regarding cornering, you can still bring speed in and avoid washing out if you counter steer with your body weight a bit. The point is keeping your center of gravity over the bike and weight down on the tires rather than having your weight off the bike to the inside and not enough traction to keep the tires on the surface. Hard to explain, but hope that's helpful. I learned this the hard way mountain biking and a buddy helped me figure out the weight transfer.

[@eternalmonsoon8103]

Got my 'first' new bike in 22 years today. Mostly set up other than the expected adjustments.... They had kindly pumped my gravel bike tires up to 85 psi. I thought that was wrong and clearly it was! Otherwise very happy and have immediately realisedIi need to work up to long-distance again! Love the content and keep it up :D

[@trifonasbitsakos5527]

The tire pressure and the choose your terrain carefully tips can make a huge difference. The wider the tire the lower the pressure it can support and it makes a huge difference over the rocky road BUT it increases the risk of a snake-bite puncture... I once hit a small rock on a double track on 30km/h, 40 minutes (on the bike) away from civilization on both directions... After I replaced my tube, when on tarmac again trying to catch up on the lost time in a great descent the was this massive crater of a hole in the road and it cut my newly installed tube right through 🤣🤣.... Fortunately enough a friend picked me up after that.

[@gcn]

Thanks for sharing! What an adventure 😬 Glad you got home safe!

[@paavoviuhko7250]

Should I change my mountain bike for a gravel bike. I do mainly highways and paved side rows to walk my bike to a secret place in the woods where I lock it up and hike to my canoe. Can I be your virtual grandad. I am 73 and have no car. The bike is my only form of transit. I have to say it is heavy with a steel frame. I am thinking of aluminum frame to reduce the weight by ten pounds. Do I need clipless pedals. Right now I use convertible pedals.

[@bennetthasty7886]

I do 56km gravel races - it may not seem giant to most but it’s long enough for me to get my heart rate up, get sore & push it a bit more than a casual ride. You don’t have to do 500km & totally break yourself like GCN to have fun

[@MtlBroad]

She literally said they did other rides (more casual ones) besides the long 500 km ones 😂

[@BrianRPaterson]

Good advice. I just got back from a rattler than usual ride. You guessed it - I'd lost a rack mount bolt. Luckily I have a few soares and a new bottle of loctite. But next time, I'll defo check em all before I set off. Cheers

[@lgarcia67]

Guilty of wrong shoes, lose bottle cage, and over inflated tires. One GCN may have forgotten because they normally have support: WATER! I did a 40 miler recently with only two bottles and ran out of water. I was in this super lonely road. No one around for miles. So yeah, make sure you carry extra water and/or plan your route through a town where you can re-supply.

[@chris1275cc]

I use Sealey SCS271S Stud Lock "High Strength" on all my off-road bike bolts. Its Sealey's answer to red Loctite but is nowhere near as strong (kind of crap in comparison really), it falls somewhere between Loctite Blue and Red and closer to blue. But I almost never have bolts rattle loose anymore and its no issue to remove. When my Loctite blue runs out I will probably start using it on all my bikes to be honest because its like £7 a bottle Vs. £18 for Loctite Blue and it does a better job.

[@bombasticbissell]

In the USA, if you want to find UK style gravel, you should visit the the wet side of mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Always wet, very rocky, very roots, lots of single track, only use endurance casing tires.

[@pacificbeachbumb]

Yeah I was like what?! But then I just finished a ride in the lost coast of Northern California. That was some steep rutty trails!

[@cb6866]

Thanks Manon and crew...first race , slammed a hole , lost both bottles...kept going. Got dropped ..lost , in woods ! Yep...LEARN the route , or get a good map . The race ended up being ten miles longer than I was told , and my friend , guide , experienced rider......never showed up ...yep It was a very very long day. BUT..ended at a Brewery!

[@unidon009]

グラベル初心者です。とても良い動画で、これからのライドの参考になりました。ありがとうございます😊

[@edinelsonramirez5656]

I'm so very happy my racing days are over!! Been there, done that ...

[@rokibuca]

most important bring extra water with you on road you can stop in cafes but on gravel, you can go for miles without drinkable water

[@statosphereonline2008]

Facts. Can also tire yourself out a lot more quickly due to the more unforgiving terrain, despite going a lot slower. Can quickly work up a thirst and a sweat and realise you need more water than you thought.

[@veithweissnich]

Always wondered, why Manon rides a road bike with "only" Ultegra mechanical. Now we can see where her budget went, and let me say Congrats! You can see the energy and happiness she got from this beautiful bike.

[@robertwaldren6206]

No, you don’t need to bolt on a dozen different bags, but consider bringing more water, food, and tools when leaving the tarmac. Drinking fountains and other aids aren’t as plentiful or accessible in the backcountry, so the little things can become really important (like having a zip tie to fix a loose bottle cage)

[@brianwright9514]

Over where I live, most of our gravel rides are still at least 50% paved. So I run my Speedplay Zeros for most gravel rides. But let me tell you! Getting clipped back in after putting your Zero cleat into mud is... Challenging! 😂

[@tomdevlin9442]

Guys, surely “Dan does Dirt” is a new miniseries already in the pipeline, which will see Dan doing various gruelling gravel events all over the country/world? Could include his musings on the finishers’ ales at the end of each episode too!

[@ImAnEmergency]

Dirty Dan and the Brews

[@nk-dw2hm]

I forget about the older crew because they never let them on camera anymore. I miss those guys 😞

[@ABlanch]

Not for a family audience

[@simonappleton5742]

Watch out for blackberry bush vines, one wrapped around my cranks and pulled my bike backwards! Crashed and still hurt two weeks later.

[@reidwagner1508]

Ive not done any gravel rides, but i do like to go from road to gravel just for fun . I like the ability of some versatility to my riding. I may try a short gravel some day. I run 30-35 lbs on the Spesh TL Pro series. Very comfy

[@freedom2012inworld]

Thank you my favourite Brit for the sound advice.

[@geoffreyhoney122]

Great video Manon! All great points! Super content and we know from the Paris to Ancaster and Steamboat Gravel videos that you have the chops! No problem to get Dan to try Gravel: just tell him that mirco brews sponsor many and there is beer at the end!

[@geoffreyhoney122]

BTW I have found that water skiing some time in life is the best training for the light but controlled touch you need on bars, saddle and semi crouch position. Gravel needs similar handling to going over in and out of motorboat wake.

[@outtrigger]

i would love to see dan lloyd do a gravel race

[@gcn]

We would too!

[@kathysarmcandy1992]

Love to see Manon do the Tour Divide?

[@wescheslak9408]

😂

[@kymbo72]

@@ax1066a-ghd2 we probably wouldn't see him again 😀

[@suzuki06g]

@@gcn "YES!!" make Dan do a gravel race!

[@ДмитрийМонастырев-х5л]

Aussitôt reçu (en avance) aussitôt testé et approuvé ! Je recommande ! Merci

[@peterslater7791]

"wow!" at 0:06 - i laughed so hard. thanks manon. :)

[@LakeDistrictcyclist]

What Orbea bike is that, gorgeous 🚴‍♀️👍

[@janmatz]

In case you didn't find out yet and you're still interested, it's a terra. 😉

[@LakeDistrictcyclist]

@@janmatz thank you, yes been looking at getting one 👌

[@carlosfallas2169]

Not me coming from trail and enduro riding and using the gravel bike as if it were a cross country and dropping both cross country and roady mfs… after climbing a 16 kg full suspension trail bike on a lot of tarmac, my gravel bike feels like a feather. Love it

[@channelbill2933]

Would buying an aftermarket bolt kit make the bike look much better and help with keeping the bolts in place. Especially if it comes with matching spring washers?

[@greenwaybikexploring]

Helpful; I'm just beginning with the Priority Apollo 11. I've done some gravel riding with commuter geometry, but I still need to get out on those rides with my new gravel bike to feel the difference.

[@dipdip7250]

You missed out. Should’ve waited for the Gemini.

[@greenwaybikexploring]

@@dipdip7250 It stings so badly that they released the Gemini only one year behind. I haven't had much riding following a relocation, so I truly wish I had known well enough to wait. I would be thrilled to have a gravel pinion.

[@gatorglenn2892]

Love the super duper. Great info. My wife said she needs to see you more,on the network.😊

[@gcn]

Have you worked though all the other Manon videos? 👀

[@Svenskadoktorn]

2:32 How to corner on gravel is a tip I could have used earlier this year. I took a corner too fast, too loose and with too much air in the tyres. 7 stiches.

[@sportyitguy]

In my day the (90s) this terrain was for MTB and we called this country mountain biking. How cycling has evolved

[@SY-ve5qm]

Good information!! More importantly, get Dan back on the bike on camera!

[@toosas]

I say gravel riding without at least a front suspension is a form of masochism. change my mind

[@bluegull1541]

You look like You have The Perfect Build!!

[@willmo1725]

Helpful, butt why so down on bags. Have a trunk bag, and a small bar bag.. tubes, tools food during fall spring time extra shed clothing. Maybe a danish or a nice pastry. Didnt know i was the cool kid, wow feels good.

[@statosphereonline2008]

Think it's more the idea of people overdoing it with all the equipment and thinking it means if they don't have three plus bags on their bike they can't go for a ride over a certain distance. Bags are convenient. But for most stuff a handlebar bag will do fine for day rides. You could even get all your equipment in your pockets for most rides, if we are honest. Bags can be very convenient, though. But they aren't the be all or end all of participation in long distance gravel.

[@willmo1725]

@@statosphereonline2008 ok i didnt know the bag riders and the no bag riders were opposed to each other. I drop my bags for speed runs. Sorta makes sense.

[@statosphereonline2008]

@@willmo1725 yeah idk I think bags or no bags is fine. It's whatever works for you. I wouldn't say opposed but I think some people can over accessorise, you know? Get so hung up on fitting all their equipment they forget to just go out and ride their bike. I realised on my road rides I used to take two water bottles for hour long rides but then I noticed once that I never even drank from the bottle on hour long rides. Now I ditch the bottles and take a 200ml runner's squeezable pouch bottle thing that fits a pocket on the back of my jersey. Now I am two bottles of water lighter on my speed runs. :) Just don't need em but was always worried I would get thirsty. Same applies to gravel when it comes to having more bags than you need I reckon. Each to their own, though. If you want lots of bags for your gear that's also great! People Just need to not let it interfere with whether they ride or not.

[@dems_mtb]

Awesome, thanks for the insight!

[@ThomasNing]

Omg the 'wah' in the intro is too good 😂

[@bonevgm]

I felt that gravel corner one. A few months ago I decided to take a shortcut trough some gravel, I did not take into account the speed I had trough a corner. Paid for it with a lot of skin.

[@gcn]

Ouch 🤕

[@AlexandarHullRichter]

I had my bottle cages come loose on my gravel bike too. I had thought I didn't install them properly, or that using anti-seize (it's also my winter commuter and doesn't get to dry off for a month at a time) was a problem. I never had that happen before in such a short period of time, but didn't make the connection to gravel riding.

[@marcuswong1797]

4:29... she says 30psi, but the tire says minimum 36psi. I own same kind of tires, and always wonder what to do? I can't find any information on the internet, would GCN be able to clarify? This been a problem for me all season long. It seems like only Pirelli tires have this problem. All the gravel experts like Manon says 25-35psi, but Pirelli says other wise. Is it safe to go lower than what Pirelli states?

[@stevenbushong9181]

For bolts also check the chainring. I lost 3 of 4 bolts and had to use a zip-tie repair to get to the shop. Proud for the repair but embarrassed i hadn’t checked the bolts sooner. Wont happen again (until it happens again)

[@chrisbaum998]

Send Dan Lloyd to Gravel Worlds!! Lincoln, Nebraska He will love it and there is beer waiting for him a the finish!!

[@yankeejim5725]

Excellent thank you!

[@paulwestwood3895]

Well done another enthusiastic clip with common sense advice from Manon. Now, Where's me wellies for my gravel ride??

[@gcn]

Wellies?! That might be worse than using road shoes on gravel...

[@geoffwaymark465]

@@gcn Steve Jones from EMBN would like a word...

[@paulwestwood3895]

@@gcn The puddles have fish in them around these parts in the Autumn 😂😂

[@barriobarranco]

Gravel Schmavel..... Now the winter is here my trusty road bike is on the turbo, the winter road bike is almost ready, but if I'm going anywhere off road- from FIRE ROAD to Cairngorm Plateau it's the KTM E-MTB....(I've got a Carrera Vulcan 26er with 100mm of travel, does exactly what a "gravel" bike can do without the sore wrists or pretentiousness)

[@DonutEndurance]

Thankfully not a mistake I made but one I have seen a lot of people make. It is not cleaning the top of their bottles after riding through rain or other runoff near a ranch or farm. Nothing like a side of pesticides and/or manure with your hydration mix.

[@briandarnell1809]

My thoughts: 1 Don't grip too tight. You'll want to steer against the bumps but trust your bike wants to go straight. 2 When drafting keep your mouth shut. Gravel will be flying. 3 gravel consumes a lot of watts. Prepare to be humbled. :-)

[@daviddemoise3526]

Solid advice!

[@uknowbass]

Nice tire pumping form

[@frankr.jassir2397]

Thanks for the FYI as I am getting a gravel bike..

[@khaledsrrr]

An academic teaching business at university to a real-world businesswoman is like a penguin teaching a seagull how to catch fish in the ocean. Just like a Peloton rider who's never felt the thrill of gravel under their tires! 🐧🚴‍♂🤣 Nice video

[@jasondoust4935]

Thanks! Now it's time to jump on my gravel bike and invent some new mistakes. : ) P.s. in my road shoes. (MTB shoes are ordered...)

[@Bacciagalupe]

Thanks Manon!

[@AussieInJapan]

Does Dan know there are breweries you can ride to on a gravel bikepacking ride?

[@Joseph-jy5lz]

Nice hints.

[@curtvaughan2836]

For the trails you are using you really need nice, fairly light, but suspended, XC bicycles.

[@skepticalbadger]

They managed just fine with rigid in the 80s and 90s.

[@synthmesc]

Nope

[@phearnden]

Biggest gravel mistake was taking a different route home from work on my road bike and ended up going down a mountain bike trail 😩

[@tenzoorbeta3538]

manon is just facts!

[@a1white]

Tyre pressure can be tricky. Most routes will have a fair amount of tarmac roads, so often you need to find a balance I've found.

[@nickh3533]

Depends on the rider's weight too

[@gcn]

It's a real trial and error type of thing - it depends on the surfaces, the rider weight and they tyre width!

[@runeyt]

Also depends if you're running tubeless or not! Too low with tubes and you're risking a pinch puncture.

[@nk-dw2hm]

@@runeyt I went 3 years without a puncture, now I've had 3 in 3 months. Think I'm going tubeless over winter

[@runeyt]

@@nk-dw2hm well worth it but use Stan's or Orange Endurance sealant. Also worth carrying Stan's darts. In 2.5 years I've only had one cut that didn't seal - was about 5mm. Stan's dart sorted it.

[@stefanwagener]

My biggest mistake was assuming a road bike cannot do (light) gravel. Not only possible with 28mm but especially with modern road bikes with bigger tire clearance like 32 or 35mm you can get even some comfort on light gravel.

[@ChrisinOSMS]

One might even be able to win a gravel world championship on one…

[@ad419]

Bold of GCN to give gravel tips when they bag on it every chance they get

[@ImAnEmergency]

0:06 for the sound of pure absolute speed

[@artsanerd18]

Don't forget a paint stirrer if there will be any muddy sections. You'll be glad when you have to clear the mud between your wheels and your frame or derailleur

[@markp8418]

Broke my collarbone turning onto gravel from a road in the new forest 4 years ago and I still haven't got my confidence back properly on the loose stuff...

[@easternbrown]

MVDP is taking careful notes from this video ahead of his first gravel race

[@PaganiZondaF650hp]

Nah, he’s more preoccupied with choosing the right hotel to stay in

[@mx2000]

Once hit the dirt on a freshly graveled path. Turns out they probably ordered too much, because there was a good 10cm of gravel on the path, and when turning into the path, my back wheel plowed through the gravel like a speedboat through the water.

[@JoeBManco]

Use blue thread locker on your bolts, and then tighten to spec.

[@hemaccabe4292]

Seems to me, a gravel bike should have some suspension, both the smooth out some of the bumps and maintain better traction.

[@edwinwong9547]

Great video! Would you recommend suspension stem and/or seatpost for gravel, and why?

[@BradSumrall]

Suspension stem is a plus if you suffer from upper back discomfort. Suspension seatpost good investment if you ride rougher roads that may create hard impacts.

[@esenel92]

My biggest gravel riding mistake was avoiding it, thinking I'd need a gravel bike or mtb to ride those routes. Don't get me wrong, I'm not racing, and of course a gravel bike will be more confortable and faster, but if you always avoid gravel routes you never learn that they're often way more fun than the boring smooth straight asphalt roads. 😁

[@matt_m126]

For the shoes comment, it all depends on the type of gravel ride you are getting into. I have done multiple rides (even long ones) where I never had to put a foot down. I have both SPD shoes/pedals and Look cleats/pedals and normally pick the better one based on the route and weather conditions. Road shoes and cleats are way more efficient, but agree they are sketchy to walk in on gravel.

[@phillipcowan1444]

5-10 Impacts and pinned flats. Ditch the cleats altogether. You won't be sorry.

[@njbiker72]

Manon needs to see some of the roads I have seen in the US. I would be happy to show her a few that are not exactly smooth.

[@brndnryn]

That last advice feels like life advice 👍

[@mathewrose2951]

Cyclocross is as far as I go. I am happy to ride gravel on a CX bike, but my limit is at 33 mm tyres. After that, it’s mountain biking

[@janetburrows137]

Ook!!! If your following a cycle rout! But if your on road tracks that your sent down a gravel track with an an off bike , what are you supposed too do???? But what about punching????😮😮😢😢❤❤❤

[@thewestdepererunner8423]

How do you prevent inhaling gravel dust when riding with large groups or on the same roads as vehicles?

[@DaveCM]

You mentioned to keep a check on bolts. Also check drivetrain more often as well. The grit and grime seems to wear on chains and bottom brackets. Especially if ridden in some places like I've been where the dirt is really fine.

[@stasacab]

Loose gravel is always a problem and I find myself thinking, perhaps a mountain bike would do better. Then again, most of the road on a trip is on tarmac.

[@gcn]

That's the best thing about a gravel bike - it's a do it ALL!

[@automation_remarks]

What bike is on the video?

[@colinricketts1415]

This is like a video from the early 90s explaining how to ride a mountain bike off road 😆

[@markmoreno7295]

I like a carbon seatpost or even a suspension one for all those bumps. I spend a good deal of time up off the saddle, but you can only be up so long.

[@Bonky-wonky]

0:57 how about bringing a multitool so if something works loose you can actually tighten it?

[@Ianherriot83]

Bike looks awesome 👌

[@djsaunter]

New to gravel + foot out on gravel + running + a bit more flexible.... I think Manon is 1 small step away from advocating flat pedals with MTB shoes. Don't be scared, they won't make you an outcast. Would love to see a gravel test with REAL mountain bike flat shoes and proper flats instead of the usual tennis sneake and cheapo pedal tests GCN tries.

[@rah4981]

High quality flat pedals with proper shoes made for them, is the best. I use it on my road bike also. Will never compete in the Tour De france, so I don't care.

[@qtbearqt]

I wish this video came out two weeks ago. Crashed taking a turn too fast. Result: road rash, bruised hip, stiff neck, cracked rib, caught covid bringing my bike to the bike shop.

[@kaupo80]

Tight bottle holder bolts have little effect if you only have one bottle (like in the video) and follow the true spirit of gravel riding (ie going for a +-200 mile ride).

[@justbeinghuman1261]

what is the minimum thicknes of a gravel cycle'S tyres?

[@jp93309]

You may not need bags but you definitely will need tools since some gravel routes will take you beyond any human support or contact. Tubeless puncture kit and a spare tube of sealant at minimum.

[@Mavrik-60]

Bravo bravo. Great info well presented. Yeah gravel That's my new curiosity. Very very interesting Must look more into this phenomenon of gravel. Hmmm. Edit: oh yeah almost forgot Great video question is can you keepemcoming

[@sylviedaoust7007]

bottle cage for me. I ended up crashing pretty hard because I was trying to fix my bottle. Wasn't pretty. Yes tighten everything before an event for sure.

[@andresdelaguardia1536]

Suggestion for next video: Mannon’s 8 Mountain Bike rookie mistakes to avoid.

[@jacquesm120]

I'm sorry, I didn't hear a word you said. My eyes were fixed on that bike. Man, I think I need a moment to myself before I watch this clip again. 😳

[@christophmuller2528]

i love the " bum bag "

[@number1since71]

The first gravel riding mistake to avoid is riding gravel. 😂