Top Tips For Riding Gravel From Off-Road Royalty

We took former pro-peloton rider turned gravel royalty Ian Boswell for a spin around the Imber Range perimeter. Partly because we wanted to show him 48km of the best gravel in the UK, but mostly because we wanted to ask him for his top tips for riding on it! Join Ollie and Ian on their ride and discover his insights on tire pressure, handling and even the mindset needed for long distance gravel rides.
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Leave us a comment below!

[@gcn]

What are your top tips for riding on Gravel?

[@sandiegocyclingnutz]

Pacing! 100% it's pacing.

[@cyclingnerddelux698]

When you think you can't go anymore-when you think you are all done in, you are only 40% done. Keep moving.

[@chasingbirds3073]

Don't crash!

[@pe3117]

I use on my Scott 700x38 with 32 psi on the front and 37 on the rear...perfect for me

[@apm9507]

Joy in your heart, treat the gravel or rocky trail like you would be surfing or longboarding. Sort of like driving on ice. Your your brakes sparingly. Flow with the trail rather than master the trail.

[@nostromosolo7957]

It should be illegal to put “king of gravel” in the title and not have Ted King as the guest

[@Samsonmetaphysical]

I thought Ted King was the special guest rider in this video.

[@leefitler4597]

Agreed. Thought Ted had miraculously healed his elbow.

[@DaneKromer]

“King of gravel” not in title!?!?

[@pahiker6]

@@DaneKromer "The King of Gravel" is used on the thumbnail image.

[@cb6866]

Thanks Ollie ands Ian....my tip is , start slow , then taper off... Peace

[@anjobalois3808]

Yow

[@andrewwaller1948]

Ha ha ha ha ha

[@smeegain3657]

Partypace Pro right here. Dig it.

[@PK-qq1lz]

Gravel or cyclocross brings back why we love cycling... just riding bikes in mother natur!

[@richycoles]

Boswell the boss. Ollie not too shabby either. Great video guys. Been out today in the South Wales sun, the gravel bikes take it out of a 51 year old but I will keep on keeping on. 👍

[@floatingvoter8618]

Good venue, great topic and top-class guest too. The aim of the video was good too - to download Ian B's expertise as education for new and less experienced gravel riders but a lot of opportunities to do so were overlooked. For example: Wouldn't have been well worth noting that when both Ian and Ollie made the gravel turn in slo-mo they each lifted their weight off the saddle during the turn to increase their 'natural suspension' by adding their bent legs and arms to the mix? It's a really helpful technique and improves your chances of staying upright if you do hit that unexpected rock or bump around the bend. It also works really well on fast descents. But neither of these very fine riders mentioned it...? My fave gravel ride is around Rutland Water by the way :-)

[@ViveSemelBeneVivere]

@12:05 "Beer and gravel racing do go hand-in-hand..." Dan: "I'm going only gravel from now on!"

[@jeremymurillo1760]

Thanks for the historical reference on the hillside structure. This was full circle for me on a video game I recently played.👍

[@cyclingnerddelux698]

Super video! Thanks to both of you! Never too old or too smart to learn something new.

[@adrianreinneiryt]

Completely unrelated: I wish you can make a hill climb tournament between GCN Presenters, I really would like to show how powerful Ollie in Hill climbs. Maybe he could win and drop everyone off. #giveollieredemption

[@RudiDwiHartanto]

+1 this, we need ollie redemption tour

[@adrianreinneiryt]

@@RudiDwiHartanto there's another video feather in Brompton vs Ollie in orbea super bike and he lost again. 😅

[@hawjfamily321]

Perfect timing. I'm about to go on my first gravel ride this weekend.

[@sandy11thirty]

Nice to see our beer here in GCN. Cheers Ollie from the PH

[@shred3005]

“Don’t go anywhere on that side of the fence”. Do the bullets magically stop at the perimeter fence? 😁

[@armadillito]

You joke, but yes. By design they stop somehow before the fence .

[@mikemelbrooks]

No but the army sweeps for unexploded devices on the range side of the fence.

[@DrewKime]

On the outside of the fence, they definitely won't shoot you on purpose. On the inside, they *probably* won't shoot you on purpose.

[@lorenzopacho936]

"Beer and gravel racing do go hand in hand". Good advice!

[@richards.4116]

Always nice to watch Ollie acting like the common newbie rider, even though we know he is quite talented. Come to Texas, only 100° F

[@Martin-cd5so]

Thanks guys - great video. The more I see and learn about gravel riding, the more interested I become. Keep up the good work!

[@adamconquest6045]

Great video thanks 👍... be interested to know if Ian changes his 1X chainring size very often based on event terrain?

[@chrisbaum998]

Awesome interview Ollie. I would like you to come to Gravel Worlds in Lincoln, NE to get some proper gravel racing and riding in now!! Make your calendar Aug 19, 2022 for an "Over the Pond" trip Ollie???

[@umutdikim]

This video had much more potentials than what we've seen i believe :/

[@Stephen-nq5kd]

Is it time for GCN to put together a North American crew? Jeremy Powers, Kerry Werner, Ted King, Lael Wilcox, Tyler Pearce, Phil Gaimon...etc!!

[@Paganiproductions84]

I miss JPow on the channel works he still for gcn?

[@jonathanzappala]

@@Paganiproductions84 Jeremy is only going to do CX commentary, no more regular video appearances.

[@ianstewart8301]

I’m all for supporting other Ians!

[@TheGARRY666]

"Beer and gravel racing do go hand in hand".... Dan: "Hold my beer!"

[@richardpeet6829]

Just to add recommendations 1. Chain link taped to the brake cable and 2. Banana taped to the top tube.

[@chasingbirds3073]

I tape GU's to my top tube.

[@agunlogisteam]

Ian should be called Gravel Boss (get it? 😁). I thought Ted King when i saw the title

[@christophercondron5388]

Great video ollie

[@ord72]

Top tip. Don't have a slow motion fall onto sharp, flint-like gravel that required a trip to A&E, five stitches, and a tetanus shot on Sunday afternoon just gone.

[@HumaneNewt]

Good tip

[@armadillito]

Ouch. I love gravel but the idea of pushing the limits of traction in a race terrifies me.

[@ciaraedmonds5744]

Looks good and works great

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Put that outer pedal down in the corners Ollie! Neil has just done a „cornering in 5 minutes“ over on GMBN

[@timdoom]

Wow! San Miguel Beer!

[@rbonn3880]

Loved this so much! Not a gravel guy, but very entertaining.

[@veriest1]

Uh... that's not Ted King.

[@ianstewart8301]

Beer and gravel riding. What fun!

[@jasperlawson9971]

Second here, watching this on my front porch, have a wonderful Wednesday 😊!!

[@carlberto7214]

Tip number one Send it on gravel !

[@alainpfammatter8224]

Big fan of Ian. He is a great rider 👍

[@iamlyam79]

I love the arcade analogy. Cheers!

[@Wingnut65]

Excellent video. Just looking for a Gravel Bike now. 😍

[@DaneKromer]

Good video. It’s great to hear from Ian. The insight about using the inside track as a berm is refreshing. Regarding pressure, assuming you’re tubeless I’d go lower than 30psi on those 45’s. Go as low as you can until the tire feels too squishy! That could be 30, or it could be 26!

[@colinmcdonald2499]

I tend to agree. I still run tubular... So I don't go much below 45 psi ( I am also a big guy)... But some of my favorite fire roads have very prominent drops down hill ( several hundred meters of slide shoot), so if it is loose or slightly wet, I will let it out to the minimum pressure my tires will take. I carry 2 spare tubes and a patch kit for this reason. I actually have not had a pinch flat yet...Knock on wood.

[@johnlewis17]

The Imber Trail is a cracking route.

[@galenkehler]

The gunfire is cracking out?

[@japsjuinio8615]

San Miguel! Good find. Lol

[@christianborris6754]

That slide into awkward handshake tho

[@RealLifeMassMultiplayerRPG]

no stres intro love it

[@ViveSemelBeneVivere]

@8:48 wow serendipitous timing by that third cyclist with amazingly identical bike and clothing showing how to perfectly take the corner. 😏😆

[@davidlind9905]

Doing more gravel shows which is great can you discuss best GPS for navigation and how to get maps on them.

[@_itzmax_3394]

Love the video GCN. Can you guys do a video where you swap tires on a gravel bike for a road wheelset? and how does it differ from a road bike and why get a road bike that limits you from 25-28mm tires when you can have a gravel bike and swap 28 to 45mm tires.

[@armadillito]

Pretty sure there's a video (or three) on the channel along those lines. If not, someone else on KZbin will have done it

[@Digi20]

if you dont have to have the most aerodynamic TT bike for competetive raicing, than there is nothing that speaks against using a sporty gravel bike with two wheelsets. you can deal your position in to be the same as on a road bike if you want to.

[@robdon7422]

so... where's J-pow?

[@tjgato]

Oh Ollie drinks our beer SMB Iba ang pinagsamahan cheers

[@robbchastain3036]

Ollie, looking at the camera as Ian mentions they've made a few wrong turns.

[@markbatros2281]

San Miguel after a gravel ride !?? What happened to the English Ale Ollie ??

[@DwightBurditt]

I've looked into buying a new bike. Really wanted a Trek 520. Their dealer says if you pay for one now we can supply it in 2024. Then I looked at a Kona Salsa SE and it's absolutely unavailable at any price anywhere anytime. I'd like you to do a video about companies that promote bikes they don't actually have, make or offer for sale.

[@jimdelfin4935]

So Ollie likes San Miguel beer💯 orinally made here in the 🇵🇭

[@NicGalvao_Violin]

Make a video about going gravel on road bikes with road tires, it scares me! haha

[@SLAYS863]

Thanks great tipps...i think the beer would have tasted way better in that german village😉😂😂

[@geoffreynelson98]

Anyone know what kind of saddle roll that is? Cheers, and great video!

[@bx_cyclingchef]

Great post

[@davidadamus177]

what multi tool was that under the bottle cage? so cool!

[@rule3036]

90psi on a 45mm tyre🤣 Ollie you need to go MTB, I run 2.10 xc tyres on hard packed " gravel" 40psi, and they roll great.

[@br5380]

Surprised he didn't mention tubeless. With my 50c's on my gravel I'm happy with 30F32R, whereas on my MTB it's 18F20R - tubeless of course. And wider rims too.

[@TexasCovertCarry]

30-35 psi...is that tubeless or with tubes?

[@kylehagertybanana]

sick multi tool spot

[@igomez26]

This bike was really easy to assemble kzbin.infoUgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA and required very few adjustments out of the box. The wheels did not require any truing/adjustments. The frame had some small scratches, but nothing major.I did replace the seat though - the seat it came with was very uncomfortable. The tires need to be re-inflated every 4-5 days, but this appears to be quite common for the narrow 700x25 tires.Overall, in my opinion, this bike looks and rides like a much more expensive bike.

[@williamwalmsley2940]

Could you do a video on how to train longer indoors?

[@colinmcdonald2499]

Set a timer? Haha

[@ofwolfanddan]

My gravel bike (Giant Revolt 0) has a clutch on the rear derailleur. When riding uneven trails I flick it to ‘on’ and it’s great at stopping the chain from bouncing around - but is there any real benefit to switching it off again when back on the road? Most of my road riding is country lanes & they’re not particularly smooth where I live.

[@Outsideville]

You only need to turn it off when removing the rear wheel. Some suggest turning it off when adjusting the shifting. Will it last longer if you leave it off when you're on smoother roads? No idea. I'm sure mountain bike forums discussed this years ago.

[@vanjaobradovic4303]

I'm 5,6" will small fit me?

[@sheen675]

nice saddle bag, which one was that?:)

[@abedfo88]

wahey these are my local trails!

[@252Scooby]

He sounds part Irish part Yankee

[@martinhayes8490]

The unwritten tip: drink ale or craft beer not mass produced lager 🍺 (something for Oli to work on 😉)

[@elcolessio5767]

But he clearly admitted that he made a 'wrong turn' ;-)

[@Alphard_adventures]

Love to know what tyres Iain was using ?

[@ov6989]

San Miguel? Better go for local chatten 😜

[@martintramuntbikemallorcak481]

Ian - u should've brought some gaffa tape wi u.... to tape that MUPPET's gob up!

[@soggywilson]

Nothing against Ian, dude is a legend but "king of gravel" "off-road royalty" are clearly titles reserved for Ted KING. This is total click-bait! jk

[@dmv4554]

Gravel lite?

[@karolkoncovy1512]

Canyon Canyon Canyon=1💯💯💯

[@josephfarrugia2350]

And here we were expecting the KING of gravel....

[@armadillito]

Only showing cornering in slow motion isn’t very helpful. We want to see how fast it’s possible or reasonable to take the corner!

[@cdcdcd6777]

After his story , responds was "wow" and moved right onto next topic.. lol

[@tejashwarrana9834]

3:20 Forza Horizon 4 GBR

[@Biking360]

Gravel Cycling Network

[@jockdoc07]

Out standing !But I thought riding a bike was easy and fun. I guess I will skip gravel.

[@andypaul999]

GCN to Specialized : ‘ If we show one of your bikes on a feature how much money will you pay us’ Specialized to GCN :

[@frazergoodwin4945]

Its been a long old time since there was a Specialized bike on a GCN video (a Tarmac used to be the ride of choice for Matt back in the day)

[@armadillito]

We’re they even the sponsor? Komoot is a channel sponsor and was slid in …

[@frazergoodwin4945]

@@armadillito At a guess they're the sponsor of Ian Boswell and provide him with his lovely new S-Works Crux on the condition he does videos like this to give it exposure. Similar partnerships sometimes add products beyond GCN partners in their videos e.g. when Mark Beaumont has had sponsors other than GCN's (e.g. Apidura for his bags in the Bikepacking Morocco video)

[@flowformulas135]

How 'bout those bottles and the goodness inside! 😍 Ian is #fueledbyflow ...and beer, and that's why we love him. 💪🏼

[@mikemelbrooks]

Imber and "The German village" are two totally different places, Imber was a real village while the German village was purpose built in 1987 en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copehill_Down

[@scottlstone]

Isn’t it rude to toast (with a drink) but not swig?

[@colinmcdonald2499]

Better than swigging before the first toast, I suppose.

[@chadindhaka]

What would you consider the minimum tire width for a gravel tire?

[@markxkovacic]

38mm is the sweet spot for efficiency on pave and gravel roads I ride and race on. I weigh 73 kg and run 35 psi in the front tire and 40 psi in the rear.

[@cjohnson3836]

Depends where you ride. The washed and rutted out farm roads where I live you need bordering on XC tires.

[@turboseize]

25mm get you surprisingly far - if you are stupid enough.

[@Florimondable]

Gravel is the trail running of cycling

[@curlisdave]

GCN is becoming a bit of an advert channel for gravel bikes lately

[@galenkehler]

_Mugatu voice_ Gravel... it's so hot right now

[@colinmcdonald2499]

This video didn't seem to advertise any brand for a change ( road or gravel videos) which I rather liked.

[@burchds84]

0:15 blurry video quality, out of focus maybe

[@user-yx1qk4sk5t]

I feel bad for cycling enthusiasts who join gravel races as they're now part of the retirement plan of ex-pros. Everyone now has to git gud.

[@cjohnson3836]

That and now UCI weaseling their bullshit into the mix

[@DonutEndurance]

45mm tires at 60 psi!!! Ouch!

[@roaming_ren3972]

I swear there is a video where beer after a ride is not recommended.

[@suncuevas1238]

Prof. Bridgewood on WWII history...

[@mornenaude2885]

You know

[@markhancock7527]

So on tyre pressures if you are running with inner tubes not Tubeless would the pressures be the same or different.

[@rob-c.]

It would be higher - same on any surface. Would be useful to have had a rough guide here though.

[@chabum81]

normal people: normal bike ride road cyclists: OMG, it's gRaVeL!!!

[@bhpalmer]

Lucky for you Ollie...i guess Ian basically told you that getting dropped is the best way to spend your pennies. You should be a world champ at gravel then.

[@lenardgorospe1196]

wish i had a bike....

[@fmstrat2104]

Great idea, take Ted King's title and just give it to Ian with no consideration.

[@farghom]

lmao eat every few miles? is this a bike race or food buffet?

[@petinka721]

Not be dropped.

[@TheOkinawaBoy]

Somebody tell to British army that war is over.