Why do some walk their bikes across gravel?

[Peter Cole]

Mike Reed wrote:
> This is really surprising. I'm 35, and have been riding seriously for
> 15 years. I've taken my road bike on easy single track, gravel roads,
> etc. and never gone down. Just lucky? Dunno.
>

> I've crashed plenty on my MTB off road because I'm pushing the limits,
> but on the skinny tires I'm more conservative.

I think that MTB riding really helps develop skills that come in handy
at times on the road -- like loose surfaces.

 

[Peter Cole]

Callistus Valerius wrote:

> Had the exact same thing happen to me, but I have a better excuse, it
> was at night. Had a light but I was turning a corner slowly and didn't see
> the gravel till I was on the ground. Surprises the heck out of you. Once
> that front wheel starts sliding, you can't recover, it just happens too damn
> fast.

First rule of night riding: never out-ride you light.

 

[Peter Cole]

Jasper Janssen wrote:
> On 8 Jun 2006 06:07:34 -0700, "Mike Reed" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I people walking a lot, but I've always just ridden over gravel
>> (parking lots and such). What's the motivation to walk or even carry
>> your road bike?
>
> If the gravel is 2+ inches deep, it's nigh-impossible to ride through, you
> then need the larger contact surface area of your shoes.

I ride RR track ballast all the time, but I've never tried it with
skinny tires, MTB tires -- no problem, although it's a lot of work.

 

[Sorni]

Werehatrack wrote:
> On 8 Jun 2006 06:07:34 -0700, "Mike Reed" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>> I people walking a lot, but I've always just ridden over gravel
>> (parking lots and such). What's the motivation to walk or even carry
>> your road bike?
>
> Have you never ridden into what first appeared to be a thin veneer of
> pea gravel only to discover, as your wheel began to grab and veer
> strangely, that it was really two or three inches of the stuff newly
> laid and slick as wet leaves?
>
> However, I doubt that this was the motivation for the rider in
> question in the photo that was linked. I don't know, of course, but I
> suspect that he was just protecting against the possibility of a sharp
> stone puncturing a tire. I've had that happen a couple of times over
> the years, which is part of the reason why I avoid, where possible,
> paved or hardpacked surfaces that have loose gravel on them.

Hell, a while back a group of us was about to do an "epic" road ride, and
the meeting place was a loose-gravelly (?) parking lot. I broke my
Look-style cleat before ever saddling up.

Then the whole ride was a debacle. Another guy had no rear shifting, and
Miles -- of crash video fame/infamy -- broke his seat post binder bolt.
Only one guy ended up doing the full deal; the rest of us limped back to the
car for a VERY unsatisfactory excursion.

Bill "bought those cheap plastic cover things the next day (or soon
thereafter)" S.

 

[Lou Holtman]

Antti Salonen wrote:
> Lou Holtman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>Even with 65 euro tires?
>
>
> I'm not sure what tyres you're refering to here. I quite often ride on
> gravel roads on my road bike with typical road tyres, currently either
> Michelin Pro2 Race or Continental GP 4000. Perhaps this is some great
> disaster waiting to happen, but so far nothing has happened.
>
> -as

You don't get cuts in your Michelin Pro2's? Some people want to minimize
the chance of getting cuts in their tires.

Lou
--
Posted by news://news.nb.nu

 

[cycledogg]

[email protected] wrote:
> >
> > Yeah, gravel in a road corner is a different ballgame. I'm talking
> > about gravel roads and parking lots.
>
>
> Concering the picture with the guy with his TT bike:
>
> He is carrying his bike, so it seems he primarily does it to safe his
> flimsy tires.

TT tires are usually thin and light, only goood for a few races. Riding
them across any rough surface enhance the chance of a flat and wear on
the tire. Also, if I were in a major race, (or any race for that
matter) I would want to lessen my chances of flatting before my start
time. So I would use all precaiutions getting there, even if it meant
carring my bike to the start line.
I have had my spills on gravel in the past 30 years and know there is
always a chance of tipping over using 700x20 or 22 tires no matter how
good you are on the bike.
Cleats cost 20 bucks or so, a good race tire is 3 times that or more.
A no-show at start time is a big DNF.
Rick in Tennessee

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Mike Reed:
>I people walking a lot, but I've always just ridden over gravel
>(parking lots and such). What's the motivation to walk or even carry
>your road bike?

I can think of two reasons:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Tire damage. Myself, I'd never spend that much on a tire... but a guy
I was riding with one day declined to ride through some moderately-messy
stuff because he was afraid of damaging his muy expensivo road tires.

2) Control. On pavement sometimes I'll ride 1.25" slicks at 90 psi instead
of my usual 55mm MTB tires at 35 psi.. The slicks go through most stuff,
but on some gravel (size? shape? compaction?) they just sink in to the
extent of "No way, Jose'". I'm guessing it would be worse with 23mm or
smaller tires.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
PeteCresswell

 

[John Forrest Tomlinson]

On 8 Jun 2006 09:07:58 -0700, "Mike Reed" <[email protected]>
wrote:

> I'm talking
>about gravel roads and parking lots.

They're still scared, and perhaps worried that their tires will pop.
With good tires, they shouldn't worry, and with decent skills
(especially not tensing up) falling shouldn't be a problem. Turning
on gravel, esp gravel on top of pavement, is another story -- more
caution is needed.

JT

****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

 

[Sorni]

John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
> On Thu, 08 Jun 2006 18:59:52 GMT, "Sorni"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>
>> Hell, a while back a group of us was about to do an "epic" road
>> ride, and the meeting place was a loose-gravelly (?) parking lot. I
>> broke my Look-style cleat before ever saddling up.
>>
>> Then the whole ride was a debacle. Another guy had no rear
>> shifting, and Miles -- of crash video fame/infamy -- broke his seat
>> post binder bolt. Only one guy ended up doing the full deal; the
>> rest of us limped back to the car for a VERY unsatisfactory
>> excursion.
>
> Buck up my friend, buck up.
>
> http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stick...://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stickboiy/my_photos

You lost me...twice.

 

[John Forrest Tomlinson]

On Thu, 08 Jun 2006 14:52:41 -0400, Peter Cole
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Mike Reed wrote:
>> This is really surprising. I'm 35, and have been riding seriously for
>> 15 years. I've taken my road bike on easy single track, gravel roads,
>> etc. and never gone down. Just lucky? Dunno.
>>
>
>> I've crashed plenty on my MTB off road because I'm pushing the limits,
>> but on the skinny tires I'm more conservative.
>
>I think that MTB riding really helps develop skills that come in handy
>at times on the road -- like loose surfaces.

Yeah. And the other thing is to just get out there and ride on bad or
loose stuff with your road bike. Your skills will improve and you'll
have more terrain to have fun on.

Plus, sometimes you'll get to meet a pony:

http://pages.cthome.net/sbadger88/images/jt_horse.jpg?phFoCXDBS3tVkNqL
(scroll down for pony)

JT


****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

 

[John Forrest Tomlinson]

On Thu, 08 Jun 2006 18:59:52 GMT, "Sorni"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>Hell, a while back a group of us was about to do an "epic" road ride, and
>the meeting place was a loose-gravelly (?) parking lot. I broke my
>Look-style cleat before ever saddling up.
>
>Then the whole ride was a debacle. Another guy had no rear shifting, and
>Miles -- of crash video fame/infamy -- broke his seat post binder bolt.
>Only one guy ended up doing the full deal; the rest of us limped back to the
>car for a VERY unsatisfactory excursion.

Buck up my friend, buck up.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stick...://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stickboiy/my_photos

JT

****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

 

[John Forrest Tomlinson]

On Thu, 08 Jun 2006 23:31:35 GMT, "Sorni"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
>> On Thu, 08 Jun 2006 18:59:52 GMT, "Sorni"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Hell, a while back a group of us was about to do an "epic" road
>>> ride, and the meeting place was a loose-gravelly (?) parking lot. I
>>> broke my Look-style cleat before ever saddling up.
>>>
>>> Then the whole ride was a debacle. Another guy had no rear
>>> shifting, and Miles -- of crash video fame/infamy -- broke his seat
>>> post binder bolt. Only one guy ended up doing the full deal; the
>>> rest of us limped back to the car for a VERY unsatisfactory
>>> excursion.
>>
>> Buck up my friend, buck up.
>>
>> http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stick...://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stickboiy/my_photos
>
>You lost me...twice.

I'm just saying, get sturdy equipment, do more rides on rough
terrain/dirt/etc, and it's a lot of fun.

JT


****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

 

[Sorni]

John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
> On Thu, 08 Jun 2006 23:31:35 GMT, "Sorni"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
>>> On Thu, 08 Jun 2006 18:59:52 GMT, "Sorni"
>>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hell, a while back a group of us was about to do an "epic" road
>>>> ride, and the meeting place was a loose-gravelly (?) parking lot.
>>>> I broke my Look-style cleat before ever saddling up.
>>>>
>>>> Then the whole ride was a debacle. Another guy had no rear
>>>> shifting, and Miles -- of crash video fame/infamy -- broke his seat
>>>> post binder bolt. Only one guy ended up doing the full deal; the
>>>> rest of us limped back to the car for a VERY unsatisfactory
>>>> excursion.
>>>
>>> Buck up my friend, buck up.
>>>
>>> http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stick...://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stickboiy/my_photos
>>
>> You lost me...twice.
>
> I'm just saying, get sturdy equipment, do more rides on rough
> terrain/dirt/etc, and it's a lot of fun.

The roads in San Diego are legendarily horrible. I also mountain biked for
almost ten years before getting a road bike. And none of the three failures
I described had anything to do with the type of pavement we were on (which,
by the way, was quite nice). My cleat broke because I stepped on a loose
rock in a dirt/gravel parking lot. Other guy had a broken derailleur or
cable. And Miles, the most experienced roadie I know (and also a former
shop owner), simply had bad luck with a binder bolt breaking on his
beautiful Pinarello (I think that's right; it's yellow and old).

The other thing that mystified me was "my friend", friend.

 

[John Forrest Tomlinson]

On Fri, 09 Jun 2006 00:04:25 GMT, "Sorni"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>And none of the three failures
>I described had anything to do with the
>type of pavement we were on

Then what is the point of your story about the ride. That your cleat
broke on gravel? OK. I guess that's useful info...but what does the
subsequent ride have to do with anything.

JT

****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

 

[Mike Reed]

Yeah, I've ridden a lot of ice and snow on my road bike. I guess that
contributes to my confidence. I have pretty much refused to use a
trainer my whole life, so you have to get out there...

John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
> On 8 Jun 2006 09:07:58 -0700, "Mike Reed" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> > I'm talking
> >about gravel roads and parking lots.
>
> They're still scared, and perhaps worried that their tires will pop.
> With good tires, they shouldn't worry, and with decent skills
> (especially not tensing up) falling shouldn't be a problem. Turning
> on gravel, esp gravel on top of pavement, is another story -- more
> caution is needed.
>
> JT
>
> ****************************
> Remove "remove" to reply
> Visit http://www.jt10000.com
> ****************************

 

[John Forrest Tomlinson]

On 8 Jun 2006 18:40:58 -0700, "Mike Reed" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Yeah, I've ridden a lot of ice and snow on my road bike. I guess that
>contributes to my confidence. I have pretty much refused to use a
>trainer my whole life, so you have to get out there...

Ice scares me a lot. If I see ice on the road ahead I'll avoid riding
over it. I'm impressed if you can deal with ice -- I can't.

JT

****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

 

[john]

Tuschinski wrote:

>
> The crash itself was stupid. I had seen the gravel, so I went pretty
> slow. I cornered and my frontwheel just slipped away. BANG. And there I
> am priding myself on my bikeskills ^^ (I used to cross as a kid and
> after that 20 years roadracing in the peloton)

I like to think I'm reasonably good rider of bicycles & motorcycles,
and yet, I've had several minor crashes on gravel where the front wheel
just washes out while turning w/ the cycle at a relative high angle.
Just as you, I've been going at a slow rate in respect of the gravel. I
believe that it has to do w/ the type of gravel (size, round, jagged,
etc) & possibly random factors such as the placement of certain bits of
gravel or elevation. Don't get me wrong, It's usually been 5 - 10yrs
between these events, but I've always been very surprised. The odd
thing is that I've had very few crashes, where I was deliberately
cornering near the limit.

The type of compacted pea gravel in the picture, has never given me a
moments worth of trouble. But if I were about to ride in a TT on a TT
bike, I'd damn sure carry it over it.

Regards, John

 

[john]

Pat wrote:

> Although 4" of pea gravel combines the worst of both. When you get
> through the equivalent of deep sand, you still don't have solid traction!

Not freshly & well compacted pea gravel, such as in the picture. What
you say is correct about loose pea gravel

Regards, John

 

[john]

John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
>
> Then what is the point of your story about the ride. That your cleat
> broke on gravel? OK. I guess that's useful info...but what does the
> subsequent ride have to do with anything.
>

Very nice photos. Digital? What model camera? I'm looking @ various
small cameras for travel. Looks like the eastern US?

But, geese, lighten up on BS. I think he's just pointing out that one
can also damage cleats on gravel instead of a tire & the rest of the
ride was a disaster too. No big deal. I think we've all had that kind
of ride at one time or another.

Regards, John

 

[Jay Beattie]

John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
> On 8 Jun 2006 18:40:58 -0700, "Mike Reed" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >Yeah, I've ridden a lot of ice and snow on my road bike. I guess that
> >contributes to my confidence. I have pretty much refused to use a
> >trainer my whole life, so you have to get out there...
>
> Ice scares me a lot. If I see ice on the road ahead I'll avoid riding
> over it. I'm impressed if you can deal with ice -- I can't.

It's one of those self-fulfilling prophecies, too. I see the ice; I
tense up -- that first squirm comes, and I instinctively go for my
front brake. I have to really beat myself into laying off the front
brake. -- Jay Beattie.