How to Choose the Best Gravel Bike for Your Next Adventure

best gravel bike

 

A gravel bike may be the most versatile bike on the planet. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to go where the pavement ends or where the gravel, ruts and washboards begin, then a gravel bike may be your next n+1. You don’t have to race gravel grinders to enjoy the heck out of these bikes. First things first: What exactly is a gravel bike? And, more importantly, is it actually useful or a clever creation invented to sell more bikes?

Up Front Best Gravel Bikes

  1. Salsa Warbird: Best for Gravel Racing
  2. 3T Exploro: Runner Up for Gravel Racing
  3. Cannondale Slate: Most Comfortable
  4. Trek Checkpoint: Runner Up for Comfortability
  5. Surly Midnight Special: Best for Daily Commuter
  6. Specialized Diverge: Most Capable Gravel Bike
  7. Raleigh Willard: Best Overall
  8. Diamondback Haanjo Tero: Best Budget Friendly
  9. Diamondback Haanjenn Comp: Best Women’s Specific Gravel Grinder

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Start Cycling Now: The Best Beginner Road Bikes

best beginner road bike

 

I can give you my reviews, but buying a road bike is ultimately a personal decision. To find the best beginner road bike, it’s important to consider more than just the cost. Choose a bike that fits you well, is a joy to ride and best applies modern technology at that price.

Sounds a little intimidating, right? Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.

I’ve included easy-to-navigate guides to help you understand the difference between component groups and frame materials and to answer questions such as”do I really need disc brakes on a road bike?”

Then I rounded up the best bikes for your budget and riding style.

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How to Find the Best Cyclocross Bike + 10 Awesome Cross Bikes Reviewed

Cyclocross is a racing discipline involving a short, closed course packed with obstacles like of mud, stairs, sand, barriers, snow, hairpin turns, mud, and more mud. Heckling, cowbells, and the distribution of hoppy beverages is part of the event and culture, which hails from Belgium. If you’re contemplating pinning on a number, cyclocross is a very beginner-friendly style of racing.

Traditional cyclocross bikes have drop bars, cantilever brakes (although disc brakes are now dominant), and relatively narrow 32-35mm tires. The durability, terrain versatility, and handling characteristics of cyclocross bikes have attracted the attention of many non-racers. Cyclocross bikes are easily adaptable for commuting, trail-riding, road riding, gravel road racing, and wilderness exploring.

While this has led to a market explosion of genre-bending bikes, let’s focus for a moment on some of the best cyclocross bikes you can buy today, bikes that are versatile enough to ride to work on a Monday then rip up your local cross course on Saturday . The cyclocross bike that’s near and dear to my heart is the Raleigh RXM (but more on that later).

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Some Like it Hot: A Cyclist’s Guide to Embrocation

embrocation

 

Fair-weather riders, listen up! Cyclists have long relied on a secret salve to help adapt to the changing seasons. Embrocation is the answer to those cool fall mornings when leg warmers are too toasty, but the thought of bare skin is goose bump inducing. Want to keep your legs happy as old man winter nips at your heels? Here’s the lowdown on embrocation and reviews of a few of my favorites. 

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