Gravel Bike Likes

I’ve been riding my gravel bike a lot. Here are some things I have been liking:

Maxis Rambler 50mm - Even though I have been quoted before saying that anything between 44mm and 2.4” is a waste of time, I am finding 50 to be a really nice size for Bay Area riding. The Rambler is fast rolling with minimal tread and a really nice round, high-volume shape that I have been finding fast on the pavement and exactly grippy enough on chunky roads and trails. Would recommend.

Carbon Fork - I know I have preached a lot about steel forks – and I still love them, I promise – but the new Sklarbon fork rides really nice. These will be available in November, paint-matched to the new SuperSomething frames.

Enve G23 wheels - I am not a huge Enve guy in general, but these wheels are special. So light, just the right amount of compliance, and I have been riding this wheelset for 8 years which feels like a really long time and pretty great value. That is why they will be on the new high-end SuperSomething build.

SRAM Red Transmission - These new hoods are a huge improvement and the brakes are the best drop bar brakes I have ridden. So much power, great modulation. It turns out when you buy the most expensive stuff, it works well. I have mine paired with a GX derailleur and the shifting in true form to Transmission is frustratingly slow, but I don’t mind so much on the gravel bike. This group may have changed my mind on wireless shifting. It works great and charging my bike every 6 weeks is not the worst thing in the world.

Sklar SuperSomething 2.0 - Oh yeah, this ol’ thing? That is the new SuperSomething, an iteration on the classic. I think this frame feels really, really good and I am very excited to have them available later in October. I have learned a ton since the first version went into production. It's easy to assume that you just send a design off to a factory and they make the bike for you, which, TBH, it did feel like at first, but the deeper I get, the more I have been feeling like the factory is the file, or to say, to design and build a really good frame you need to know how the factories operate and how production works. The combination of my years as a custom framebuilder and my education as a mechanical engineer are really coming together here and these new frames are… very sick. I will go more in depth on them soon though.

Half frame bags - I guess I take it for granted, since this has been my riding setup for a bunch of years now, but half frame bags are the best. It's more than enough room for a day ride. Plenty of space for an extra layer or sandwich, and it keeps the weight centered on your bike and not flopping around on your handlebars or elsewhere. The zippers are simple to open and close while you're riding for easy access on the bike. IMO it's the only way for everyday riding.