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Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 3:11 pm
by kennethsime
I know I'm late to the party on this one, but I just bought my first Gravel Bike.
My only bike since 2009 or so has been a Mercier Kilo TT from BikesDirect that I've rebuilt a few times. If you don't know anything about BikesDirect, the TL;DR is they're CHEAP. Riding a track bike is pretty simple - no brakes, no gears, you just go real fast and don't stop.
Over the pandemic, a few friends have gotten into Gravel + Mountain bikes. I looked around a bit at tracklocross bikes, and single-speed gravel bikes like the All City Nature Boy, but never found anything that met the right combo of cheap/compelling. Well, this spring I got to thinking again, and found another direct-to-consumer bike company which promises to deliver premium performance for less: Poseidon. Specifically, their chonkiest gravel bike, the
Poseidon Redwood.
It's about as far from a Kilo TT as you could possibly get without having full MTB suspension. I'm looking forward to a very, very different bike experience, and will report back once I get a chance to ride it.
Does anyone else have experience with Poseidon's bikes? How about gravel bikes in general?
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 3:39 pm
by Coastal
I've been riding an OPEN Cycle U.P. for a few years. It was my first and still only gravel bike. I'm totally sold on the "gravel bike" concept. When I bought it, I was riding a Colnago road bike and a Trek MTB. I haven't ridden either since. Not one time! I still ride a fat-tired bike on the beach, but everywhere else it's the U.P.
Did you get flat or drop bars?
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 3:55 pm
by z1r
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 4:08 pm
by kennethsime
z1r wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 3:55 pm
Just got a set of tubeless rims for the nature boy.
Oh man, I am jealous of all of those bikes, but especially the nature boy. All City makes such gorgeous bikes! I have a set of their track cranks on my Kilo.
I think that a set of tubeless tires will be my first upgrade for the Redwood.
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 6:14 pm
by Bloke
kennethsime wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 3:11 pm
Riding a track bike
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 7:05 pm
by z1r
I love the Nature boy and the Macho Man the best. Their geometry is the same but my Nature boy is one size smaller so it is lighter, more nimble. Gonna fit the tubeless rims because there are so many goatheads around here.
I had a Motobecane SSCX that got me interested in the Nature Boy. I was volunteering at a community bike shop snd the distributer was blowing out the Nature Boy, at the price, I couldn't afford to say no. So the manager ordered me one along withthe Macho Man frame. I built the Macho Man from the frame.
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 8:10 pm
by VooDooChild
I liked what the Poseidon had to offer but the largest size still seemed small.
I have a Surly Ice Cream Truck that I built up as an ebike with a full luna build kit and version 1 ludicrous controller. I also have a Fairdale Ridgemont.
I like the simplicity of the fairdale but it is too small for me.
So.... I ordered a Crust Wombat XL frame and am going to buid it up over the summer. Although I will run gears.
I also have my preorder in for a Stooge Scrambler. I am very excited to build up this bike later in the year.
Ive got a list of like a hundred something different bike/frame manufacturers that I have on my phone. I was suprised by all the options when I started looking for bikes a while back.
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 9:24 pm
by kennethsime
Coastal wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 3:39 pm
I've been riding an OPEN Cycle U.P. for a few years. It was my first and still only gravel bike. I'm totally sold on the "gravel bike" concept. When I bought it, I was riding a Colnago road bike and a Trek MTB. I haven't ridden either since. Not one time! I still ride a fat-tired bike on the beach, but everywhere else it's the U.P.
Did you get flat or drop bars?
Man, that looks like a **** of a bike! I love the wheelset swap concept.
The Redwood comes with 650bs, which I've never ridden - should be fun off road! I think I might pickup a 700c wheelset to be able to swap into a more road-friendly tire like the Panaracer Gravelking or similar.
Drop bars all the way! They have a pretty wide flare, which again will be very new for me.
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 9:27 pm
by kennethsime
z1r wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 7:05 pm
I had a Motobecane SSCX that got me interested in the Nature Boy. I was volunteering at a community bike shop snd the distributer was blowing out the Nature Boy, at the price, I couldn't afford to say no. So the manager ordered me one along withthe Macho Man frame. I built the Macho Man from the frame.
That is one sweet score. I've been telling myself for about 10 years now that whenever my Kilo frame finally gives up the ghost, I'll pickup a Big Block. Unfortunately, through multiple wrecks and several rebuilds from the ground up, the frame is still pretty ok.
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 9:38 pm
by kennethsime
VooDooChild wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 8:10 pm
I liked what the Poseidon had to offer but the largest size still seemed small.
I have a Surly Ice Cream Truck that I built up as an ebike with a full luna build kit and version 1 ludicrous controller. I also have a Fairdale Ridgemont.
I like the simplicity of the fairdale but it is too small for me.
So.... I ordered a Crust Wombat XL frame and am going to buid it up over the summer. Although I will run gears.
I also have my preorder in for a Stooge Scrambler. I am
very excited to build up this bike later in the year.
Ive got a list of like a hundred something different bike/frame manufacturers that I have on my phone. I was suprised by all the options when I started looking for bikes a while back.
Man, I think you might be the Gravel King here on the forums, VooDoo. I'm not an expert on geometry or anything, but the Wombat looks like a pretty sweet frame. I'd love to build up something like that or a Nature Boy.
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 9:39 pm
by kennethsime
Bloke wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 6:14 pm
kennethsime wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 3:11 pm
Riding a track bike
Man sometimes Bloke, sometimes.
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 10:32 pm
by z1r
That Poseiden looks sweet. I had a Motobecane CX that became my dedicated winter bike with studded 700x40's. I stripped it for parts when I built the MMD.
My Cosmic Staillion can run 650x47's but those 2.3's on the Redwoood make it more like a Gorilla Monsoon but lighter! Sweet!
I recently converted a friend's cargo bike from a 3x7 setup to a 1x9 using the Microshift Advent group. She loves it and it shifts very nicely.
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sun May 15, 2022 10:22 am
by Coastal
kennethsime wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 9:24 pm
Coastal wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 3:39 pm
I've been riding an OPEN Cycle U.P. for a few years. It was my first and still only gravel bike. I'm totally sold on the "gravel bike" concept. When I bought it, I was riding a Colnago road bike and a Trek MTB. I haven't ridden either since. Not one time! I still ride a fat-tired bike on the beach, but everywhere else it's the U.P.
Did you get flat or drop bars?
Man, that looks like a **** of a bike! I love the wheelset swap concept.
The Redwood comes with 650bs, which I've never ridden - should be fun off road! I think I might pickup a 700c wheelset to be able to swap into a more road-friendly tire like the Panaracer Gravelking or similar.
Drop bars all the way! They have a pretty wide flare, which again will be very new for me.
I'm totally with you on drop bars! Whichever wheel size you use, when you have to replace tires, I suggest checking out the Rene Herse brand. In the wider sizes best suited for gravel and dirt (and in my opinion pavement, too), they are easily the best I've tried, and I've tried a lot! Their website is loaded with good info on tire theory -- long story short, run the widest tires your wheels and frame will take. For my bike this is 700c x 40 and 650B x 50. I run slicks (Barlow Pass) on my 700C wheels, and knobbies (Juniper Ridge) on my 650Bs, but their 650B slicks and 700C knobbies are awesome, too. Just like the best steels, the downside is price. Also just like the best steels, they wear forever. Good edge retention, so to speak.
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sun May 15, 2022 10:32 am
by VooDooChild
kennethsime wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 9:38 pm
VooDooChild wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 8:10 pm
I liked what the Poseidon had to offer but the largest size still seemed small.
I have a Surly Ice Cream Truck that I built up as an ebike with a full luna build kit and version 1 ludicrous controller. I also have a Fairdale Ridgemont.
I like the simplicity of the fairdale but it is too small for me.
So.... I ordered a Crust Wombat XL frame and am going to buid it up over the summer. Although I will run gears.
I also have my preorder in for a Stooge Scrambler. I am
very excited to build up this bike later in the year.
Ive got a list of like a hundred something different bike/frame manufacturers that I have on my phone. I was suprised by all the options when I started looking for bikes a while back.
Man, I think you might be the Gravel King here on the forums, VooDoo. I'm not an expert on geometry or anything, but the Wombat looks like a pretty sweet frame. I'd love to build up something like that or a Nature Boy.
Haha, no... not the gravel king. Im sure there are several people on here who ride more than I do.
I just decided a while back that I wanted a few nice bikes to choose from when I do go ride.
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sun May 15, 2022 2:40 pm
by kennethsime
Coastal wrote: ↑Sun May 15, 2022 10:22 am
I'm totally with you on drop bars! Whichever wheel size you use, when you have to replace tires, I suggest checking out the Rene Herse brand. In the wider sizes best suited for gravel and dirt (and in my opinion pavement, too), they are easily the best I've tried, and I've tried a lot! Their website is loaded with good info on tire theory -- long story short, run the widest tires your wheels and frame will take. For my bike this is 700c x 40 and 650B x 50. I run slicks (Barlow Pass) on my 700C wheels, and knobbies (Juniper Ridge) on my 650Bs, but their 650B slicks and 700C knobbies are awesome, too. Just like the best steels, the downside is price. Also just like the best steels, they wear forever. Good edge retention, so to speak.
Those Rene Herse look tires really great. When it’s time to upgrade I’ll definitely check those out. I ride slicks in my track bike, and I like the sound of your setup.
Coming from a track/road background, I always thought skinnier + higher PSI = better/faster. This will definitely be a huge learning curve, but I’m pretty stoked for it.
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Sun May 15, 2022 4:17 pm
by Coastal
kennethsime wrote: ↑Sun May 15, 2022 2:40 pm
Coming from a track/road background, I always thought skinnier + higher PSI = better/faster. This will definitely be a huge learning curve, but I’m pretty stoked for it.
I've never ridden track, but at least 50,000 miles on the road. I felt the same as you about skinny, high-PSI tires, because that's what we were told. But after reading enough differing opinions, it made sense to me that wider tires (at the same pressure), would have lower rolling resistance. I was the first in my riding group to try 25mm. Then TxDOT chipsealed most of the roads around Fort Worth, so I went to 28s, the widest that would fit my road frames. I learned to back off the psi. Finally, in 2019, I made the switch from road to "all-road." I'll never go back. 700C x 40 at 50 psi; 650B x 50 at 35 psi.
Sm-o-o-o-o-th!
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 8:32 am
by abbazaba
I've been running knobbies (Tioga Bloodhound) on single speed road bikes for over a decade as my favorite around town/bike path/fire road bike and am very curious about "gravel bikes". I used to spend a lot of time fixing up old bikes, mostly Fuji's. They accept wide knobby tires with ease and are a blast to ride with old school chromoly and springy raked forks. 27" wheels are fun to ride and eat up some of the buzz, actually larger hoops than 29ers (700c), and the Bloodhounds roll fast and grip like a BMX tire. I never liked high pressure skinnies and hate riding with cars, so I never really connected with the road bike scene. But as I get older I think it's time to get some gears back in my life... Now I'm trying to decide if I want a hard tail MTB or gravel bike to complement my new Ibis Ripley.
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 12:36 pm
by benben
You young guys can have all the roads you want, gravel or paved. I'll stick to chunky singletrack in the woods, y'all can have the cars and trucks!
Been contemplating (and buttering up the wife) on building me a new 27.5" slack steel hardtail with a 140mm Pike fork, and a frame that'll take 2.8" tires.
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Mon May 16, 2022 1:40 pm
by kennethsime
Well, got the ship notification from Poseidon this morning, should be here Wednesday. Not bad!
Sadly, I'll be away the next week or so. Let's hope the house sitter doesn't get any funny ideas... ;-)
Re: Gravel Bikes
Posted: Fri May 20, 2022 4:44 am
by SharpFrank
kennethsime wrote: ↑Sat May 14, 2022 3:11 pm
I know I'm late to the party on this one, but I just bought my first Gravel Bike.
My only bike since 2009 or so has been a Mercier Kilo TT from BikesDirect that I've rebuilt a few times. If you don't know anything about BikesDirect, the TL;DR is they're CHEAP. Riding a track bike is pretty simple - no brakes, no gears, you just go real fast and don't stop.
Over the pandemic, a few friends have gotten into Gravel + Mountain bikes. I looked around a bit at tracklocross bikes, and single-speed gravel bikes like the All City Nature Boy(
list of), but never found anything that met the right combo of cheap/compelling. Well, this spring I got to thinking again, and found another direct-to-consumer bike company which promises to deliver premium performance for less: Poseidon. Specifically, their chonkiest gravel bike, the
Poseidon Redwood.
It's about as far from a Kilo TT as you could possibly get without having full MTB suspension. I'm looking forward to a very, very different bike experience, and will report back once I get a chance to ride it.
Does anyone else have experience with Poseidon's bikes? How about gravel bikes in general?
Hi! I'm pretty sure that you'll be satisfied with this bike. Poseidon is a very decent brand and they provide free shipping on all bikes atm.
Please, share your first experience with it here.
Take care and all the best!
