Friday News And Views

The Ibis Ripmo AF (Image courtesy of Ibis' site)

Metal Frames Make A Comeback:

There were several years running that whenever a company made an announcement of a mountain bike, it was all about the top of the line, carbon fiber framed model, and oh yeah....it is offered in a cheaply spec'ed aluminum version too- but about that carbon fiber! 

Well, lately it seems that there is an undercurrent of announcements featuring.....aluminum framed mountain bikes? Yep. I wouldn't call it a backlash against the uber-spendy carbon rigs, because there aren't that many new-fangled metal framed ones out there, but there are some, and that is notable.

Ibis announced a new one based upon their Ripmo model and they call it the "Ripmo AF". (Yeah.....double entendre' and all) It's a cool idea with the potential to reach more riders who cannot afford to throw down 5+G on a bike that will be thrashed within an inch of its life. Basically, the metal framed bike could be said to be the bike for those who really use up equipment. They don't care about weight, scratches, and they don't want their bikes to be snapped, cracked, or punctured by their riding style or by the environment they ride in.

But of course, you can break anything. I get that, but if you have seen the manufacturers warnings about scratched carbon, well, that alone makes me think twice about a carbon mtb frame. Especially if I were to ride hard in rocky terrain. Heck, I wince whenever a piece of gravel smacks the downtube of any carbon gravel bike I ride. You just never know when that one hit will be the one to put your bike's frame into the trash bin. So, it is cool to see manufacturers looking to make aluminum something other than "the cheapest alternative".

One hangar to rule them all and.....oh, nevermind!

SRAM Attempts To Make A New Standard:

 Maybe you saw this? SRAM have announced the "UDH Hangar" for the mounting of rear derailleurs on through axle bikes from 2020 on. It is proposed as a "one solution" hangar that is compatible with all rear mountain bike derailleurs and could be compatible with all future MTB frames. That is- if the frames are designed around this standard.

Much like SRAM's DUB bottom bracket, the idea is to streamline the choices for rear hangars down to just this one. If you have ever noticed, there are probably well over 100 different hangars in existence for modern bicycles. Many are hard to source, and many are quite expensive, seeing as how they are simply machined chunks of aluminum.

So, while this is an awesome idea, I just don't see it panning out. It well may show up on several bikes, but if we think manufacturers are not going to make their own, proprietary hangars anymore, well then, we're stupid. I just do not see this SRAM UDH thing making that issue go away any more than I see DUB bottom brackets fixing the issues of the various different bottom bracket standards that are out and will continue to come out.

But kudos to SRAM for trying.

Impact Kanza? Yep!  Look for this next year.

 CrankTank Announces New Media Event At The DK200:

You probably know that the DK200 is a BIG deal in the gravel scene. It's far more than a race, these days anyway. It basically has become a week-long gathering of the gravel folk and now a company called CrankTank want the media in on the action. 

CrankTank has done something similar at the Kona Ironman event, (also a Life time Fitness event....hmmm....) and now they state that "With the shift to DTC (Direct To Consumer) that is currently happening in the bike market, we see brands introducing product to media and consumers in a more compressed timeline and we see inventory more aligned with media moments. For this reason it makes the most sense to integrate your brand communication strategy to include consumer events in your product marketing strategy. DK is the currently epicenter of gravel, and brands are jockeying for position in this emerging market. CrankTank makes it easier to bring new product to market in the gravel segment with Impact Kanza." (Read the full story on "Bicycle Retailer And industry News" here)


Curiously, CrankTank is taking the year off from doing the Kona event and another event in Sun Valley they have produced in the past. Apparently all hands are on deck to bring more media attention to gravel.

Geezer Ride Fall '19:

Hey ho! It's been a minute or two since we have had a Geezer Ride. A couple of years back, some fellas came down from Cresco and joined us for a Geezer Ride. They got "bitten", as you might say, and they decided to put one on themselves. (Which I allow, by the way) The thing was, one of the principals involved had knee work done last year, and since he wanted to ride, well, they put off doing a ride till now. That's one of the reasons why a Geezer Ride never happened in 2018. Anyway.......

This Geezer Ride is being put on by the guys at Cresco Bicycles. The date is SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5th, 2019. The time will be 7:00am for donuts and coffee at the shop. Ride starts at 8:00am sharp! 

The route has been devised by the fellas at Cresco Bikes and all I know is that they will be guiding us. It's going to be about 51 miles in length. THIS IS SELF-SUPPORTED! Bring what ya need for the distance! We will be going through one small town, so there might be some chance to resupply, but I am not sure on this. I was told it will have historical bits and only the first third has any hills while the rest is described as fairly flat. I know this area, and there are no real tough hills.

I also need to communicate that the route will not be released on digital platforms, there will be NO FILES to put into a computer, and NO MAP OF THE ROUTE beforehand. If ya wanna know what's up, ya gotta commit blindly. We'll all ride off that cliff together the day of the ride. If'n that ruffles yer feathers, don't plan on coming. This is a Geezer Ride, after all.

Check for any updates here, but I suspect that unless weather shuts us down, you won't see anything else other'n whatz there now. Geezer on!

Okay, that's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and ride them bicycle dealios!

Friday News And Views

The Ibis Ripmo AF (Image courtesy of Ibis' site)

Metal Frames Make A Comeback:

There were several years running that whenever a company made an announcement of a mountain bike, it was all about the top of the line, carbon fiber framed model, and oh yeah....it is offered in a cheaply spec'ed aluminum version too- but about that carbon fiber! 

Well, lately it seems that there is an undercurrent of announcements featuring.....aluminum framed mountain bikes? Yep. I wouldn't call it a backlash against the uber-spendy carbon rigs, because there aren't that many new-fangled metal framed ones out there, but there are some, and that is notable.

Ibis announced a new one based upon their Ripmo model and they call it the "Ripmo AF". (Yeah.....double entendre' and all) It's a cool idea with the potential to reach more riders who cannot afford to throw down 5+G on a bike that will be thrashed within an inch of its life. Basically, the metal framed bike could be said to be the bike for those who really use up equipment. They don't care about weight, scratches, and they don't want their bikes to be snapped, cracked, or punctured by their riding style or by the environment they ride in.

But of course, you can break anything. I get that, but if you have seen the manufacturers warnings about scratched carbon, well, that alone makes me think twice about a carbon mtb frame. Especially if I were to ride hard in rocky terrain. Heck, I wince whenever a piece of gravel smacks the downtube of any carbon gravel bike I ride. You just never know when that one hit will be the one to put your bike's frame into the trash bin. So, it is cool to see manufacturers looking to make aluminum something other than "the cheapest alternative".

One hangar to rule them all and.....oh, nevermind!

SRAM Attempts To Make A New Standard:

 Maybe you saw this? SRAM have announced the "UDH Hangar" for the mounting of rear derailleurs on through axle bikes from 2020 on. It is proposed as a "one solution" hangar that is compatible with all rear mountain bike derailleurs and could be compatible with all future MTB frames. That is- if the frames are designed around this standard.

Much like SRAM's DUB bottom bracket, the idea is to streamline the choices for rear hangars down to just this one. If you have ever noticed, there are probably well over 100 different hangars in existence for modern bicycles. Many are hard to source, and many are quite expensive, seeing as how they are simply machined chunks of aluminum.

So, while this is an awesome idea, I just don't see it panning out. It well may show up on several bikes, but if we think manufacturers are not going to make their own, proprietary hangars anymore, well then, we're stupid. I just do not see this SRAM UDH thing making that issue go away any more than I see DUB bottom brackets fixing the issues of the various different bottom bracket standards that are out and will continue to come out.

But kudos to SRAM for trying.

Impact Kanza? Yep!  Look for this next year.

 CrankTank Announces New Media Event At The DK200:

You probably know that the DK200 is a BIG deal in the gravel scene. It's far more than a race, these days anyway. It basically has become a week-long gathering of the gravel folk and now a company called CrankTank want the media in on the action. 

CrankTank has done something similar at the Kona Ironman event, (also a Life time Fitness event....hmmm....) and now they state that "With the shift to DTC (Direct To Consumer) that is currently happening in the bike market, we see brands introducing product to media and consumers in a more compressed timeline and we see inventory more aligned with media moments. For this reason it makes the most sense to integrate your brand communication strategy to include consumer events in your product marketing strategy. DK is the currently epicenter of gravel, and brands are jockeying for position in this emerging market. CrankTank makes it easier to bring new product to market in the gravel segment with Impact Kanza." (Read the full story on "Bicycle Retailer And industry News" here)


Curiously, CrankTank is taking the year off from doing the Kona event and another event in Sun Valley they have produced in the past. Apparently all hands are on deck to bring more media attention to gravel.

Geezer Ride Fall '19:

Hey ho! It's been a minute or two since we have had a Geezer Ride. A couple of years back, some fellas came down from Cresco and joined us for a Geezer Ride. They got "bitten", as you might say, and they decided to put one on themselves. (Which I allow, by the way) The thing was, one of the principals involved had knee work done last year, and since he wanted to ride, well, they put off doing a ride till now. That's one of the reasons why a Geezer Ride never happened in 2018. Anyway.......

This Geezer Ride is being put on by the guys at Cresco Bicycles. The date is SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5th, 2019. The time will be 7:00am for donuts and coffee at the shop. Ride starts at 8:00am sharp! 

The route has been devised by the fellas at Cresco Bikes and all I know is that they will be guiding us. It's going to be about 51 miles in length. THIS IS SELF-SUPPORTED! Bring what ya need for the distance! We will be going through one small town, so there might be some chance to resupply, but I am not sure on this. I was told it will have historical bits and only the first third has any hills while the rest is described as fairly flat. I know this area, and there are no real tough hills.

I also need to communicate that the route will not be released on digital platforms, there will be NO FILES to put into a computer, and NO MAP OF THE ROUTE beforehand. If ya wanna know what's up, ya gotta commit blindly. We'll all ride off that cliff together the day of the ride. If'n that ruffles yer feathers, don't plan on coming. This is a Geezer Ride, after all.

Check for any updates here, but I suspect that unless weather shuts us down, you won't see anything else other'n whatz there now. Geezer on!

Okay, that's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and ride them bicycle dealios!

Thinking About The "Rat Bike"

 A Raleigh Willard One at the shop where I work

Okay, if you've been poking around here for a while you already know what I think a "gravel bike" should be like. Not that you should have one like it, but it's been my ideal, if you will, cogitated over many, many miles of gravel and experiences over the years. That said, my ramblings struck a nerve with some folks and in another stunning turn of events, Raleigh actually took some of my ideas and turned them into the Tamland. Then they went and switched the frame and fork materials, spec'ed the bike differently to some degree, and called it the Willard.

Now, when I found out about the aluminum framed, carbon fiber forked Willard, two thoughts immediately jumped into my head- One was that my high school sweetheart's Dad was named Willard. The other was the movie by the same name. If you are familiar with that movie, you know it is a horror flick about killer rats. In my mind, (admittedly, a twisted mass of neurons), the Raleigh Willard is "The Rat Bike". Well, that's my own issue, and not what I was wanting to get into here, so......

The Ra.....er.....Willard Two!

Al-yoo-min-yum. The material chosen to construct the two models of the Willard from, is an interesting choice here. Sure.....lots of lesser expensive road bikes share this material, but they are not going on the "paint shaker-like" surfaces we ride on out here, in general. That alloy stuff has a reputation, ya know, and it may not be true, but many feel that aluminum is a rough riding frame material. I don't think that it necessarily has to be that way, but if you've ever noticed, many companies are not flouting a "compliant aluminum alloy frame" in their marketing materials. I suppose that's got more to do with that aforementioned "reputation" that aluminum has than anything else. That said, I'd like to put my suspicions to rest and see if this, or some other aluminum frame might actually be a nice riding frame set. 

I know- lots of you out there are thinking this is a stupid thing. No way an aluminum frame rides nicely in the same or similar manner as a steel or carbon frame can, right? Well, I am thinking it is a possibility, and maybe, just maybe, this here  Raleigh number can do it. If not the Willard, why couldn't it be another aluminum frame? I mean, look how much an air frame flexes, fer cryin' out loud. I would think someone could figure out how to make a bicycle frame in aluminum do that. Oh wait.......they already did. Vitus anyone?

Anyway, just some crazy thinking around these parts for today. Nuthin' unusual!

Bonus: Here's a cool video I received from a French manufacturer that is pushing the gravel scene in France

Thinking About The "Rat Bike"

 A Raleigh Willard One at the shop where I work

Okay, if you've been poking around here for a while you already know what I think a "gravel bike" should be like. Not that you should have one like it, but it's been my ideal, if you will, cogitated over many, many miles of gravel and experiences over the years. That said, my ramblings struck a nerve with some folks and in another stunning turn of events, Raleigh actually took some of my ideas and turned them into the Tamland. Then they went and switched the frame and fork materials, spec'ed the bike differently to some degree, and called it the Willard.

Now, when I found out about the aluminum framed, carbon fiber forked Willard, two thoughts immediately jumped into my head- One was that my high school sweetheart's Dad was named Willard. The other was the movie by the same name. If you are familiar with that movie, you know it is a horror flick about killer rats. In my mind, (admittedly, a twisted mass of neurons), the Raleigh Willard is "The Rat Bike". Well, that's my own issue, and not what I was wanting to get into here, so......

The Ra.....er.....Willard Two!

Al-yoo-min-yum. The material chosen to construct the two models of the Willard from, is an interesting choice here. Sure.....lots of lesser expensive road bikes share this material, but they are not going on the "paint shaker-like" surfaces we ride on out here, in general. That alloy stuff has a reputation, ya know, and it may not be true, but many feel that aluminum is a rough riding frame material. I don't think that it necessarily has to be that way, but if you've ever noticed, many companies are not flouting a "compliant aluminum alloy frame" in their marketing materials. I suppose that's got more to do with that aforementioned "reputation" that aluminum has than anything else. That said, I'd like to put my suspicions to rest and see if this, or some other aluminum frame might actually be a nice riding frame set. 

I know- lots of you out there are thinking this is a stupid thing. No way an aluminum frame rides nicely in the same or similar manner as a steel or carbon frame can, right? Well, I am thinking it is a possibility, and maybe, just maybe, this here  Raleigh number can do it. If not the Willard, why couldn't it be another aluminum frame? I mean, look how much an air frame flexes, fer cryin' out loud. I would think someone could figure out how to make a bicycle frame in aluminum do that. Oh wait.......they already did. Vitus anyone?

Anyway, just some crazy thinking around these parts for today. Nuthin' unusual!

Bonus: Here's a cool video I received from a French manufacturer that is pushing the gravel scene in France

Ride Impressions: Salsa Cycles Warbird

NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....

Okay, let's start out with some pertinent links for some perspective here: My initial reaction to the Salsa Cycles Warbird is here: My take on a gravel road rig- Musings On A Gravel Road Bike will give you some back ground on my position on what I feel makes a good gravel road bike. Okay, so with that, let's dive in...

This is not a review: I don't believe that ride tests, demos, or whatever you want to call them are in any way, shape, or form a "review" of a bicycle or component. This is merely more of an impression of mine regarding this Warbird rig. Want a review? See the guy that has ridden the bike in the heat of a race, or done significant time with a component for a long time, (my thinking is more than a couple months), and get his take. Obviously, there are very few that can say this about a Warbird now, and they are all Salsa Cycles sponsored riders and employees. (Not that they wouldn't know, but.....) I don't typically ever do a review here. I will give my opinion though. You may find something different, but be that as it may....

E-Fred's personal Ti Warbird (Note: Not to spec)

 Titanium Warbird:

I had the brief privilege of seeing a titanium Warbird prototype up close and in actual use at last spring's Trans Iowa V8. John Gorilla was the rider, and he let me take it for a parking lot spin at the finish line.

I kept that under my hat, as anything other than how it looked would have been speculation at the time being it wasn't known publicly how the bike would be positioned or spec'ed. But now I can say more, having actually ridden one on trails and on some pavement.

The Warbird I rode was a bike belonging to Salsa Cycles' Eric Fredrickson, or "E-Fred". The bike does not have the spec wheel set or fork, just so you know. (The fork is a Whiskey carbon number, as I was told.) E-Fred picked the 58cm size for his bike, which, for a 58, is quite rangy, even without the long tiller E-Fred uses. Note the seat height in the image which shows little post. That's 31" from the BB spindle to the top of the saddle for reference. The Warbird has a taller head tube, so the nearly slammed stem wasn't an issue at all from my view. I could make this size work easily with a zero offset post, centered saddle on the rails, and a shorter stem, but Salsa's next size down is a 56cm, which would look more "normal". Salsa went for a big main triangle to fit frame bags better, and to allow for easier portaging, when necessary. (More on that in a moment.)

Chain stay clearance with a Clement X'Plor MSO tire

A note on tire clearances: I made the comment early on that I felt the clearances for the Warbird marginalized the bike for a certain segment of the gravel riding fans out there. Let me say up front that I haven't been convinced otherwise. Salsa claims clearances for up to a 38mm tire, and I feel that is a very fair assessment of what you can expect to fit any Warbird- aluminum or Ti- that you see.

We had the chance to swap a Vaya Travel's wheels, shod with Clement's X'Plor MSO 40mm tires, (claimed width, actual width is slightly narrower), into the titanium Warbird and the fork, (remember- it was a Whiskey fork, not the Enve as spec'ed), cleared the tire fine, but the chainstays were tighter. Probably an okay set up for dry conditions, but obviously, not optimal for wet/mud. Well, take a look and judge for yourself.

Nuff said about that....

Ride Impression: The Warbird in titanium is a bit more like riding a steel bike than a titanium one. Salsa managed to make the titanium feel racy, not noodly, and for all out gravel assaults, you should find a solid feeling bottom bracket, but no "zing" in the seat stays that speaks of harshness. Despite the rangy frame, the front felt well composed, and even throwing it around the tight single track of Carver Lake didn't show up any flexiness, vagueness, or funny handling quirks. The geometry is really good for gravel, I think, and the Warbird is a stable feeling bike at speed and in the tight twisties, (likely where most folks won't ride it, but it holds its own there.) On the right course, a set of supple 32's at a sub 100psi pressure likely would feel like a magic carpet ride.

The ride positioning is race-like, but again, the tall head tube will preclude any Euro-racer boy extreme saddle to handle bar drop set ups unless you size down in frame size. That's as it should be anyway for gravel racing, and especially for longer events.The big triangle will certainly leave room for a Tangle Bag and bottle cages. Some have made a stink about the under the top tube cable routing making portaging painful. Well, I don't see a ton of that going on anyway, so I think it is a bit of a moot point here.

Warbird in aluminum

A Note On The Aluminum Warbird: Much of what I have written will transfer right over here to the aluminum model, but the ride feel is different. The aluminum Warbird was definitely stiffer feeling. Some may be looking for the efficient feeling, racy, no compromise transfer of power to the rear wheels and the Aluminum Warbird feels like "that bike" in spades. Tire choice and presure may mitigate that to a degree, but for those looking for a less sharp feeling ride, I would suggest the titanium bike over the aluminum one. I rode a smaller sized Warbird to get a feeling for fit here as well, and although I could have made it work, for gravel I would opt for the longer, rangier frame every time.

My Take: The Warbird is exactly as advertised- a mean, nasty gravel race bike, the likes of which hasn't been unleashed upon the public before. My feeling is the geometry is dialed, the execution is excellent, details abound which show Salsa has listened to gravel racers, but only on tire clearances has the Warbird maybe fallen a bit short. If you don't ever see the need for any tire bigger than a 35mm, then take a good hard look at this bike for gravel racing and training.

What would I like to see different? Obviously my take on tire clearances has been beaten to death, but besides that, how about a steel framed version of this?

Note: Thanks to Salsa Cycles and their employees at Carver Lake for the demo and information used in this post.

Ride Impressions: Salsa Cycles Warbird

NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....

Okay, let's start out with some pertinent links for some perspective here: My initial reaction to the Salsa Cycles Warbird is here: My take on a gravel road rig- Musings On A Gravel Road Bike will give you some back ground on my position on what I feel makes a good gravel road bike. Okay, so with that, let's dive in...

This is not a review: I don't believe that ride tests, demos, or whatever you want to call them are in any way, shape, or form a "review" of a bicycle or component. This is merely more of an impression of mine regarding this Warbird rig. Want a review? See the guy that has ridden the bike in the heat of a race, or done significant time with a component for a long time, (my thinking is more than a couple months), and get his take. Obviously, there are very few that can say this about a Warbird now, and they are all Salsa Cycles sponsored riders and employees. (Not that they wouldn't know, but.....) I don't typically ever do a review here. I will give my opinion though. You may find something different, but be that as it may....

E-Fred's personal Ti Warbird (Note: Not to spec)

 Titanium Warbird:

I had the brief privilege of seeing a titanium Warbird prototype up close and in actual use at last spring's Trans Iowa V8. John Gorilla was the rider, and he let me take it for a parking lot spin at the finish line.

I kept that under my hat, as anything other than how it looked would have been speculation at the time being it wasn't known publicly how the bike would be positioned or spec'ed. But now I can say more, having actually ridden one on trails and on some pavement.

The Warbird I rode was a bike belonging to Salsa Cycles' Eric Fredrickson, or "E-Fred". The bike does not have the spec wheel set or fork, just so you know. (The fork is a Whiskey carbon number, as I was told.) E-Fred picked the 58cm size for his bike, which, for a 58, is quite rangy, even without the long tiller E-Fred uses. Note the seat height in the image which shows little post. That's 31" from the BB spindle to the top of the saddle for reference. The Warbird has a taller head tube, so the nearly slammed stem wasn't an issue at all from my view. I could make this size work easily with a zero offset post, centered saddle on the rails, and a shorter stem, but Salsa's next size down is a 56cm, which would look more "normal". Salsa went for a big main triangle to fit frame bags better, and to allow for easier portaging, when necessary. (More on that in a moment.)

Chain stay clearance with a Clement X'Plor MSO tire

A note on tire clearances: I made the comment early on that I felt the clearances for the Warbird marginalized the bike for a certain segment of the gravel riding fans out there. Let me say up front that I haven't been convinced otherwise. Salsa claims clearances for up to a 38mm tire, and I feel that is a very fair assessment of what you can expect to fit any Warbird- aluminum or Ti- that you see.

We had the chance to swap a Vaya Travel's wheels, shod with Clement's X'Plor MSO 40mm tires, (claimed width, actual width is slightly narrower), into the titanium Warbird and the fork, (remember- it was a Whiskey fork, not the Enve as spec'ed), cleared the tire fine, but the chainstays were tighter. Probably an okay set up for dry conditions, but obviously, not optimal for wet/mud. Well, take a look and judge for yourself.

Nuff said about that....

Ride Impression: The Warbird in titanium is a bit more like riding a steel bike than a titanium one. Salsa managed to make the titanium feel racy, not noodly, and for all out gravel assaults, you should find a solid feeling bottom bracket, but no "zing" in the seat stays that speaks of harshness. Despite the rangy frame, the front felt well composed, and even throwing it around the tight single track of Carver Lake didn't show up any flexiness, vagueness, or funny handling quirks. The geometry is really good for gravel, I think, and the Warbird is a stable feeling bike at speed and in the tight twisties, (likely where most folks won't ride it, but it holds its own there.) On the right course, a set of supple 32's at a sub 100psi pressure likely would feel like a magic carpet ride.

The ride positioning is race-like, but again, the tall head tube will preclude any Euro-racer boy extreme saddle to handle bar drop set ups unless you size down in frame size. That's as it should be anyway for gravel racing, and especially for longer events.The big triangle will certainly leave room for a Tangle Bag and bottle cages. Some have made a stink about the under the top tube cable routing making portaging painful. Well, I don't see a ton of that going on anyway, so I think it is a bit of a moot point here.

Warbird in aluminum

A Note On The Aluminum Warbird: Much of what I have written will transfer right over here to the aluminum model, but the ride feel is different. The aluminum Warbird was definitely stiffer feeling. Some may be looking for the efficient feeling, racy, no compromise transfer of power to the rear wheels and the Aluminum Warbird feels like "that bike" in spades. Tire choice and presure may mitigate that to a degree, but for those looking for a less sharp feeling ride, I would suggest the titanium bike over the aluminum one. I rode a smaller sized Warbird to get a feeling for fit here as well, and although I could have made it work, for gravel I would opt for the longer, rangier frame every time.

My Take: The Warbird is exactly as advertised- a mean, nasty gravel race bike, the likes of which hasn't been unleashed upon the public before. My feeling is the geometry is dialed, the execution is excellent, details abound which show Salsa has listened to gravel racers, but only on tire clearances has the Warbird maybe fallen a bit short. If you don't ever see the need for any tire bigger than a 35mm, then take a good hard look at this bike for gravel racing and training.

What would I like to see different? Obviously my take on tire clearances has been beaten to death, but besides that, how about a steel framed version of this?

Note: Thanks to Salsa Cycles and their employees at Carver Lake for the demo and information used in this post.