THE ART OF SLOW: The Chill Side Of Gravel Cycling

The Art Of Slow: The Chill Side of GRAVEL CYCLING. Does the perfect gravel bike ride exist? On this day, in this cycling paradise, with this crew...my answer is yes. There's this place that exists, where the gravel cyclists wind through bucolic farmland and verdant green hills. Where red covered bridges span over emerald, green rivers that flow through towns that feel like time and the modern world passed over. It's a place that a gravel bike rider will feel as if they've entered into a cycling dream, because it truly doesn't seem real. But you have to be careful because it's so good that it may ruin gravel cycling for you because there's nothing that tops it. You've probably never heard of it and almost definitely, have never been here unless you're one of the small populations that call it home. I'm truly not kidding when I say it's better than anywhere, you'll ever ride a gravel bike. It's perfect. We couldn't make it better if we tried. You've researched all the gravel route hotspots, looking for that perfect ride. You've probably concluded that there's no such thing. Well, it exists and it's here in a tucked away corner of New England where two states merge, and that perfect ride exists in not just one but many routes. You could spend a lifetime riding here and never do the same route twice. Yes, there's that much dirt to be ridden, general stores to be visited, and swimming holes to be plunged in and coffee shop promises to break ha ha, you'll see what I mean by that in the video. All of it is possible on the simple, noble gravel bike. Let's Roll!
Much Love, TMM
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[@RottenlyMoodyChild]

Hey, happy birthday to you and your mom, Caleb! 🎉 Heck, happy birthday to Nikki too, early or belated! Hope you all had a good one and a wonderful ride! Not sure when you filmed this, but it was just my birthday recently as well, on the 18th of June 😊 Justice for Nikki and her iced coffee 😅 That swimming hole really is idyllic, so beautiful and quintessentially American looking (from an outsiders perspective). Was that snapping turtle just casually munching on a leaf? 😂 So beautiful up there. I can imagine it must be a wonderful feeling really experiencing the season changes and being able to appreciate and be present with them. It's the middle of winter here in South Africa and 25°C and sunny blue skies where I am 😅 nothing like a good Durban winter 😂 Hope you all are doing well, have a lovely weekend. Thanks for another amazing video 💚🚲

[@ThatMountainMoment]

Thanks for the birthday wishes, we filmed that only a couple weeks ago. Typically we film the week prior and I spend about 8 hours on Thursday's editing the footage to be released the following wednesday as long as im happy with the results. Sometimes I scrap the entire thing and start over if I'm not happy with the finished video and it's posted 2 weeks from the ride. Yes that turtle was actually quite far from the little creek but I think he was using that rock pile to blend in perhaps. I thought he was just a stone at first. I really need to stop making ice coffee promises ha ha! That swimming hole is one of my favorite spots, the old wooden dam water fall and covered bridge feels like it's out of a story book. Oh we definately experience a change of seasons here ha ha. Six to eight months of bitter cold winters never lets us forget how incredible spring is and our fall foliage is like nowhere else on earth. I always say that spring feels fresh and rejuvenating and fall is literally like being transported to another planet. The colors are so vivid that one's eyes almost can't fathom that it's real. Summers are very pleasant and the mountains are so verdant and lush. Our clean rivers might be my favorite thing about living here though. Always cold enough to be refreshing and crystal clear. Your Durban "winters" sound like a great place for us new Englanders to escape the cold right around when month 7 or 8 of our winter is approaching ha ha. Thank you btw, for such a beautifully written comment. Hope your day is going well.

[@coffeeandpancakes1790]

This was such a beautiful and inspiring video. You two have really been doing a great job putting out such high quality and happy content on a consistent basis. The peach door comment was truly eye watering, still laughing at it. Thank you!

[@ThatMountainMoment]

Thanks I'm still laughing too. They are quite the duo when we all gather as a family.

[@marklawrence4596]

Love the New England footage. You’re down close to my neighborhood in western Mass and along Green River Road. A perfect bicycle and adventure motorcycle road! Thanks for sharing the region with an excellent video.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

It's a beautiful region that feels very intimate and tucked away from the rest of the world. My mom lives just up the road in Jacksonville,VT so it's a place we really love to explore. Motorcycle touring would be awesome aroumd there for sure! Thanks for commenting and taking the time to watch.

[@bentrider]

What a great video! I really enjoyed the scenery. However, I really don't NEED a gravel bike. I like my recumbent trike too much to change now!😊

[@ThatMountainMoment]

I think whatever bike you get enjoyment from is the best bike. Thank you for taking the time to watch. Did you get out to ride your trike today?

[@tompelham7035]

Having been a cyclist for many years, I’m older now:) commonly heard remarks, at least your still riding “ ;)

[@ThatMountainMoment]

Ha ha, the bike and outdoors keeps us young at heart both mentally and physically. I hope I'm always healthy enough to "At least still be riding." Ha ha

[@71co0k]

This was a great watch. One day I'll get up there. Hey what bike are you riding? Have you done a video on your rig? Thanks.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

Thanks for the kind words. Our bikes are Salsa Journeyman 650b version. We've had them for 6 years and thousands of miles. Can't say enough good things about them and how reliable\versatile they've been. I need to do a video on them soon. Great idea!

[@AlexAdventuresNewEngland]

There looks like Greenriver rd, between MA and south guilford VT

[@ThatMountainMoment]

You got it! Beautiful area. My mom lives just up the road in Vermont.

[@jonathanbenn2241]

Swimming hole is location for the lunch stop for D2R2 in August each year. Great area to ride!

[@ThatMountainMoment]

That's about the best lunch stop around. D2R2 is is such a cool looking event! I love the premise of it.

[@soarstar]

It's fun watching people admire my home state. Another great thing about those roads: They really hone your driving skills. I miss blasting around sideways at night (to see oncoming cars) pretending to be a Group B rally driver. Can't do anything like that in MA. Too. Many. People.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

Ha ha, yes I remember days like that as a kid too. My mom lives in Jacksonville,VT just up the road from our ride. I will say, western mass(which we did cross into on this ride) has a lot of good "rally roads" as well ha ha.

[@lisaoconnor1854]

Western Mass has so much gravel riding along beautiful rivers. Many little known towns

[@Galactico42]

Daaaayyyum! This popped up while I was literally looking at real estate around here in another tab. I swear, if I end up moving to New England, it is about 60% your fault.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

Ha ha, if you move to new england let's go for a ride and then you'll also never want to leave. My mom lives a few miles down the street from that ride. And I'll be honest in saying that it is astronomically better in person than on camera. There is this sense of calm and quaint-ness that this part of New england has that I've not experienced anywhere else. You feel like it has a force field from the outside world without living in the muddle of the boonies and still retaining a sense of community. neighbors are friendly and caring. The barter system is well And alive here. People trade maple syrup, crops, labor, cannabis, and baked goods like it's a currency ha ha. I hope you find a place. You won't be dissapointed.

[@Galactico42]

@@ThatMountainMoment my family and I need more quaintness and friendly neighbors for sure.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

@Galactico42 it's also a very very safe area.

[@daveebert7747]

"I'm not a fast rider but I love a good adventure" great line, this is me as well and why gravel bikes are the Swiss Army knife of cycling. Happy birthday to you and your mom. So nice to see all three of you enjoying such a beautiful day in the out of doors.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

I'm finding that most people I interact with that are cyclists in general, do it for some other reason than just trying to hammer out mileage as fast as possible. There are racers obviously but when I worked in the bike industry I found that the percentage was quite low in comparison to the overall cycling demographic. A Grave bikel really is the ultimate scenery seeker. I also find that it's more enjoyable with others when riding at a scenic pace. Thank you so much for the birthday wishes. Did you get out and ride this week?

[@daveebert7747]

Yes I did, a gravel ride to a small town with a great bakery coffee shop, yum.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

@daveebert7747 perfect ride! What town?

[@daveebert7747]

I live in Ontario Canada. I rode to a small town north east of Toronto called Goodwood.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

@daveebert7747 very cool. Sounds like a nice day

[@mowglivapes7887]

Washed off in Green River after a sweatlodge about 4 houses upriver from the bridge in March. That water is cold in March.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

Ooh I bet that felt good though!

[@mowglivapes7887]

@@ThatMountainMoment legs turned red immediately and dunking under felt like my skull was shrinking. Got out as fast as possible but it did feel good.... to get out lol. That was cold! Thanks for the tour BTW 👍

[@ReeferCheifer13]

I’ve had a flat bar road-bike as my first, recently acquired a mountain bike. But NOW, now I want a gravel bike. Seems like the best of both worlds! Right up my alley i’d imagine

[@ThatMountainMoment]

Yes and there are many Adventure Based Gravel Bikes that can double as both. I'd recommend something that can fit at least a 50c 700\ 2.0 650b tire like the Kona Sutra LTD, Salsa Journeyer(great affordable bike) like ours, Niner RLT 9 AL, State Cycles All Road, Canyon Grizl. These can fit mtb tires, a dropper post if wanted, and the geometry is compatible with a gravel suspension fork.

[@IowaNinersFan]

A gravel bike is the best of both worlds. I hit gravel to get away from other cyclists lol.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

@IowaNinersFan ha ha it's one of the better vehicles for solo or group settings. Love it!

[@ThatMountainMoment]

I think with the right tires for your specific terrain, a gravel bike is the most versatile bike out there. I'm shocked at what we've put ours through over the years and they just keep going.

[@billysbikesbrews7183]

Love Vermont 💚 That swimming hole is almost worth the trip by itself 🙂 I was just about to ask about Cafe.. when you mentioned it was closed.. 🚴‍♂️😎

[@ThatMountainMoment]

That swimming hole is in a really intimate, tucked away part of New England. It's on the border of mass and Vermont. The area is worth the trip for sure. Mom's house is just up the road. Ha ha the cafe being closed sparked the route name, Broken Promises.

[@WilliamMcCannMurphy]

One bike to rule them all, the gravel bike is the ultimate freedom ride, love the music in the video, maybe the mystery cafe was through the peach door 😀, enjoy being alive in such a beautiful place.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

Ha ha the Peach Door Cafe has a nice ring to it actually. I'm glad you liked the music in this one. It's actual one of my biggest focus points when editing. I feel music drives the emotion of a video almost more than the video itself. Thanks for noticing that!

[@chrispoplawski9286]

I do this route all the time (plus a few more miles), some good climbing that sometimes feels like it will never end lol

[@ThatMountainMoment]

It's a route that has so much beauty compressed into a fairly small radius. That class 4 leading out of that man's yard is awesome. That little corner of New England feels so protected from the rest of the world. It's magical

[@ThatMountainMoment]

Have you ever climbed Pennel Hill Rd. Or Cow Path 40 rd. It's solo steep. Even the cars struggle ha ha. There's some serious hills in that area.

[@chrispoplawski9286]

@@ThatMountainMoment no but not I want to! I started stringing together some routes from Shelburne falls into Vermont but I haven’t done it yet, now I’m going to include Pennel hill rd lol

[@ThatMountainMoment]

@chrispoplawski9286 check out our RideWithGPS profile. We do a lot of riding around there since my mom lives right in Jacksonville,VT. H.O. Cook State Forest has some really sweet roads.

[@chrispoplawski9286]

@@ThatMountainMomentdefinitely will! I’m also trying to find some epic routes around the white mountains

[@CreativeFishDesignsCharlotte]

love the work , but this is ALL OVER I live in VA 50miles from roanoke , all OVER

[@lisaoconnor1854]

I have been to Virginia It is beautiful, especially Northern VA. but I think what he is saying is Vermont is home to 8,550 miles of dirt roads and boasts only 7,213 miles of paved roads, according to the Vermont Agency of Transportation. That's the highest ratio of dirt to pavement of any state.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

Yes that's correct. Most gravel of any state. New England has over 10k gravel roads total combined. Virginia is beautiful and has loads of gravel. I've been to both states and it's uncanny how much gravel is in VT. You can ride the length of the entire state and never touch pavement except to cross over it to another gravel road. Check out the route known as the VTXL.

[@princepage632]

awesome!! please keep the videos coming

[@ThatMountainMoment]

Thank you so much! Working on the next one as we speak. Did you ride today?

[@brianyoungberg8750]

Mom is awesome! Looks like a great route.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

She is! She's a fantastic mother and bestowed in me the values I have for the outdoors and the little things in life that make it worth living. Turned 70 that week.

[@amserj]

This looks like an amazing route. What tires are you running? They look pretty knobby. I run Gravelkings SS 38 mm which are pretty fast on pavement and do great on all but the most gnarly single track (which I avoid anyway)

[@ThatMountainMoment]

Oooh great question. Nikki runs 650b 56mm(2.1") Terravail Sparwoods and I have WTB Nano in 650b 55mm which are now discontinued. Both obviously quite high in volume but they provide a lot of supple comfort and confidence on all terrain and roll far better than I would have thought. Most of our routes include some rugged class 4 or 6 roads or even some singletrack so it's a great setup for just about everything. The higher cushion volume while bikepacking really shows it's merits on longer 12+ hour days in the saddle. The nano has far more traction than the sparwoods on loose or muddy corners though. I don't think we would buy the sparwoods again in comparison. I think my next tire combo will be vittoria mezcal in front for traction with a faster semi slick in rear for a bit more efficiency. The Gravel king was one if my thoughts for rear. Would you buy them again?

[@amserj]

@@ThatMountainMoment I’m never carrying any gear and I’ve got lots of pavement to contend with, so that’s how I landed on GravelKing SS. They are good for me but I think I want more grip on the edges next time so I may go to Specialized Pathfinder Pro. Whatever it is will need to be tan wall, for sure. 😂

[@amserj]

@@ThatMountainMoment also my husband runs GravelKing SK which may be a good compromise for a more slick (but not too slick) back tire in your case.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

Thanks for the info, I'm thinking the sk migh5 be a solid choice. I do live the look of a tan wall setup 🤔

[@dennisfloyd8514]

How do you research and find dirt/gravel roads? Any apps you use that you like?

[@ThatMountainMoment]

We build all of the loops we ride, in these videos, with RideWithGPS App. Best we've found for gravel and bikepacking routes. You can search routes in your area or build your own like we enjoy doing. Hope that helps. Thanks for commenting and watching.

[@lisaoconnor1854]

Aka Caleb’s mom. He built the ride in my living room 20 minutes before we left. He kept the secret from me about the elevation being all in the second half. I was on my e-bike, and I have total respect for what they get out of their bikes.

[@ThatMountainMoment]

@lisaoconnor1854 it's easy to build good routes near your house. Loved being able to ride together as a family. My favorite day ever on my gravel bike!

[@dennisfloyd8514]

@@ThatMountainMoment thanks for the advise. I picked up an e-bike for my wife who doesn’t ride as much as I do. She would always avoid riding with me because of the difference in our cardio abilities (I’m a former distance track runner). Now she feels like she can keep up and not hold me back resulting in us riding together more often. Honestly, I never felt that way and was always just happy we were riding together. The e-bike has really been a game changer. Glad you all got to spend time together, ON BIKES and in nature!

[@ThatMountainMoment]

@dennisfloyd8514 I love hearing things like that. It's a special experience to be able to share a beautiful ride with someone you love. I'm grateful for e-bikes because of stories like yours or this ride with my 70 year old mother. Nikki and I are both runners as well and find that it's a great fitness crossover to the bike. Have you found that as well?