BRAN Gravel: Bike Choice

In the run-up to the 44th BRAN ride, and specifically for the gravel route, I am writing up my suggestions and personal choices for bicycles and gear. I hope this will be enlightening and helpful to anyone deciding on gear for this ride or any gravel ride. 

The Bike Choice:

A "gravel bike"? What is that? You may find yourself asking those questions concerning gravel cycling. There is no definitive answer as gravel cycling varies from place to place greatly. Essentially, one could just say "A gravel bike is whatever bicycle you feel comfortable riding on gravel." It could be a mountain bike, a hybrid bike, or even a recumbent. 

Now, with this in mind, I will say there are "better tools for the job" and how one chooses, when there is a possibility for choices, can still vary greatly. Sandy, loose back roads? Maybe you have a lot more pavement than gravel? Or you ride a fair amount of single track connecting dirt roads. All these can change what "tool works best" for the job. But again, you can do a lot with several kinds of bicycles and still "grind the gravel" with anyone. 

In this article I am going to assume the reader has either knowledge of Nebraska gravel types or has listened to the podcasts about "Bran Gravel" (Here and Here) 

Black Mountain Cycles MCD

As I listened to the folks we interviewed who have either done BRAN on the gravel, or know about Nebraska gravel, it became apparent to me that there were going to be various types of surfaces to deal with. Pavement is an obvious one. However; there were sandy surfaces mentioned out in the (of all places) The Sand Hill Region of Nebraska. One person we interviewed mentioned "MMR" (dirt) roads. Then there will be a transition to "white rock" gravel, or in other words, the crushed rock you may think of when "gravel" is mentioned. 

Salsa Cycles Fargo

So, it might be a good idea to have something for a bicycle with wider tires than not, but not huge. One of the interviewed folks mentions this in the first podcast episode linked above. The trend in gravel bicycles of late is for wider tires, so if you have a late model gravel bike, you probably can fit tires with a width of 45mm or so easily. This was a recommendation on the podcast and one I would agree with. 

What would be "too skinny"? I'd say anything under 40mm, but it isn't that one could not do the ride on, say, 38mm tires. It might just be a little harder and not as much fun is all. Ratchet up the "Not Fun" and "Harder" categories as you get narrower than this with tires. 

What would be too wide/big? Well, as one person on the podcast said, a "fat bike" (any bike with 3.5" tires or wider) might be overkill. Again, you could use a fat bike, it just might not be the "best tool", that's all. 

"What are you gonna do, Guitar Ted?"

Well, I have many years of experience on different types of gravel and my choices are narrowed down to the two bicycles you see above. The Fargo has 2.25" MTB cross country racing tires on it and the pink Black Mountain Cycles MCD has 50mm wide Schwalbe gravel tires on it. Here's the difference, as I see it.....

The Fargo is a nod to comfort and a better handling bike in sketchy terrain. You might think about the sandy gravel and dirt roads that BRAN gravel may have on the course this year. The negatives would be that this bike, essentially a drop bar mountain bike, is heavier. The wheels and tires weigh more. So, this may factor into why you might not want to choose thusly.

The MCD has lighter wheels, but skinnier tires. 50mm is a LOT of rubber though, honestly, and this wide a tire should be more than enough while giving a nod to paved riding and a bit of grace in climbing. Negatives could be a less comfortable ride and not as much confidence in any sketchy, loose sections.

Sure, I have less wide tires, lighter wheels, and maybe I could go that route, but comfort over seven days of gravel kind of beats having a lightweight wheel set, in my opinion. My final choice? Well, I'm leaning toward the pink BMC now. 

 You might note I have spent a lot of time on tires and wheels because this makes the most difference in the way a bike handles and feels than anything else. The other consideration is comfort, and tires do a lot here as well. Air pressures chosen will determine a lot in this regard. I would wager most people think they need higher pressure in their tires than they actually do need. One way to find out is to use a tire pressure calculator online. 

There are two I will recommend here. The first one is from a company called SILCA. You can check theirs out HERE. The other is from another company called Wolf Tooth.  Their calculator can be seen HERE. Want one more choice? Component maker SRAM also has an online air pressure calculator HERE. 

Optimizing air pressure will help you go faster. longer, and with less fatigue while retaining a balance of good rolling resistance versus comfort and handling traits. 

As far as the rest of what makes your bicycle go, I would recommend a tubeless set up due to the reported goat heads and other pointy objects out in Western Nebraska. (Obviously, you could run tubes, but then risk the punctures.) Your bicycle should be in tip-top condition, shifting well, and braking well. Stopping is good! Besides this, overall you should choose a bicycle you are confident on and most importantly for a week long ride, comfortable on. There is nothing worse than a bicycle that hurts to sit on after a few days!

Need more beginner gravel tips? Read my series on Beginners On Gravel HERE.  

More information on the BRAN ride HERE.  Register for BRAN HERE.