By Jon Bentley
(Videos and full photo gallery at the end of the article.)
“Hole left” “Slowing” “Stopping” “Clear right”…..all part of everyday group riding. Add to that “Gravel”. Gravel?
On our first ride together (Andy, Peter, me) on Gravel Bikes we introduced a new warning shout: “Tarmac”. Yes it was in jest of course, but reminded us that we were there to deliberately seek out and enjoy local gravel routes rather than shy away from the stuff. After all, gravel bikes are designed for it. I was very pleasantly surprised at how well they performed on roads, expecting the bikes to feel heavy and unresponsive. But no.
Bikes
I am no technical expert or salesman, so take this bit with a pinch of very small stones. If we had only just got around to inventing the bike, arguably the central design would be a gravel bike. One of our own bike experts (Stand up Micky V) would advise that if you were only going to have one bike (heresy I hear you say!) get a gravel bike.
Magic up some suspension, larger wheels and knobblier tyres, and you have the essence of a mountain bike. Put on flat bars and a slightly higher headset, and you have a town bike. Put on narrower wheels and slicks, and you have an endurance road bike. Put on panniers, backloaders, frame or bar bags and you have a touring bike. Put on electrics….
Or look at it the other way round: if you have a MTB, you probably already ride gravel as part of more challenging routes. If you have a road bike with disk brakes and wide fork clearance, you can put on wider wheels and tyres and you now have a gravel bike.
The frames are differently designed to suit each core purpose of course, but you get the picture I’m sure.
They are more than suitable for Bigfoot Club road rides, although you may drop down a group or two if you are normally on a toppish-end racing bike. You may want to do this anyway to keep your racer in pristine condition by avoiding the worst of the winter roads. You’ll still get the training benefits, and better traction with wider tyres. And, as an added bonus, gravel bikes are designed to more easily take longer mudguards.
Most of the major manufacturers have a range of gravel bikes priced upwards from aluminium to carbon fibre, with increasingly more expensive components (mainly groupsets) from say £1k up to £4k+ with all the works including Di2 etc. From my limited research, they are probably a kilo or two heavier than svelte road bikes, but….some of that is overcome with narrower/lighter wheels and smoother tyres.
Mine (a Giant Revolt) came with 38mm tubeless tyres as standard. The wheels can take far larger tyres up 53mm, and down to 32mm. 42 or 45 mm also seem popular standard standard supply options. The wider tyres mean they run at lower pressures – I run mine at 60/65psi, compared to 95/105 on my road bike. Less chance of punctures, and a far more comfortable ride.
I’m in the process of buying a set of narrower wheels which can take 23-34mm tyres, so that my gravel bike can operate more efficiently and robustly as a spare/winter road bike. I plan to fit 32mm road tyres.
Gravel Routes
When we first started looking at gravel routes locally, we found some sections more suitable for mountain bikes. For example, the section of National Cycle Route 21 (which runs near Hayes from Greenwich en route to Eastbourne) near the White Bear has some parts heading over the North Downs which could be sketchy on a gravel bike, particularly in the winter. Generally, they are a mixture of quiet country lanes, paved cycle paths, gravel paths and very occasionally a bit of more challenging steep or rocky stuff. Walking short distances where prudent is definitely an option, so MTB pedals are far more suitable than road cleats.
Over the past 6 months, we have tried quite a few routes in Kent and Sussex, and I have included links to these and others below with a few notes. If you can, it is worth going further afield. My first group gravel ride was organised by Andy, involving a train to Meopham, returning from Rochester. The route between was a mixture of lanes, Thames pathway, and gravelled canal towpaths. Beautiful countryside to cycle in. We finished with a burger in the grounds of beautiful Rochester Castle. And for much of the route….no cars!!
If you widen the geographical search area on RideWithGPS with gravel as a key word, lots of them pop up. Search for gravel bike routes with your search engine. Or try this treasure trove of Gravel Routes: https://hiddentrackscycling.co.uk/pages/gpx-routes
Sustrans is responsible for the UK National Cycling Network, all traffic-free paths for bikes. EuroVelo is a network of cycle routes connecting much of Europe. Our intrepid Rob uses some of these EuroVelo routes as the core of his annual cycling trips in France and elsewhere.
And there are Gravel Sportives – one of the most popular is in Dartmoor which some club members did recently I believe.
Here are some route examples, many of which we have tried in whole or part:
Meopham to Rochester, 21 miles. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39059033
This is a nice gentle introduction to gravel riding, and much of it could be done on a stable road bike. It includes quite a few cycle paths alongside busy roads, the downside of which are lots of stopping and starting, traffic lights, road crossings etc. But the country lanes are delightful, and the sections along some quiet lanes, the Thames pathway and then the gravel along the Thames and Medway Canal make it very picturesque and worthwhile.
- Lee Valley, 40 miles. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39082037
We wanted to head up north of the Thames! This route uses Cycle Route 21 up to Greenwich, the foot-tunnel, muddles around Docklands (there are better ways to do this part I’m sure!) and then north along the canals, and lock gates and then the River Lee. We went past the Olympic Stadium and eventually around the Walthamstow Wetlands, which are stunning. Some of the towpaths near Hackney Marshes can be a bit narrow and busy, but it’s always a revelation to see so much greenery and undeveloped land near to the centre of the City. Some of the thousands of narrow and canal boats are also a sight for sore eyes.
New Addington Loop, 24 miles. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36658233
This is a local route, mainly off road, and posted by Martin. No further details here – but why not give it a go and report back?
Green Chain Walk, 29 miles. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/40383993
Many of you will know some of all of the The Green Chain Walk, is a series of connected roads and paths across South East London looping from Deptford via Crystal Palace, Beckenham, Chislehurst, Eltham and north to the Thames, with branches up to the Thames from Woolwich to Erith. Most of it is well maintained and signposted, but not all, but it is bike friendly. It is mainly off-road and fairly flat. This route runs along the Green Chain Walk from Elmstead Woods Station to the Thames Barrier at Woolwich via a series of connected woodlands. We then turned west along the Thames Pathway via the O2 to Greenwich, looping back to Hayes via Cycle Route 21. The
North Downs Way, 132 miles. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35914248
Most of the north downs way can be ridden on gravel bikes, and you can pick different sections to try either as there-and-back routes, or as sections from one train station to another. The closest parts of the route are near Titsey, Knockholt, Dunton Green, the Pilgrims Way and Wrotham, then onwards to Rochester.
Downs Link, Shoreham by Sea to Guildford, 37 miles. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39208941
Most of this route follows the path of old railway lines, sadly closed by Lord Beecham in the 1960’s, but a wonderful countryside asset for us now. Most of it is a gravel ridge connecting the south and north downs, very flat apart from a couple of connecting paths through the woods. You pass some intact platforms and stations.We started in Shoreham-by-Sea and headed north alongside the River Adur, then up the Downs onto the ex-railway gravelled embankments. The route here finishes at Guildford train station.
Great Worth and Forest Ways, 20 miles. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39257235
This route mostly follows the Forest Way along National Cycle Route 21 through lovely countryside including the Ashdown Forest. We chose it to be accessible and link two rail stations, Three Bridges and Ashurst. You could start at either end to suit, and do a there-and-back as you wish.
National Cycle Network Route 21, 89 miles. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38699035
Here I have included a RideWithGPS route which shows the whole of Cycle Route 21 from Greenwich to Eastbourne. Here is a link to this part of the Sustrans website if you want to explore further: https://www.sustrans.org.uk/national-cycle-network/
The Cantii Way, 145 miles. https://ridewithgps.com/events/193383-the-cantii-way
The Cantii Way was heavily promoted earlier this year by Cycling UK. It connects quiet roads, coastal paths, tarmac and gravel paths in a loop around the east coast of Kent. It would be a comfortable 3-day ride, with plenty of B&B options along the way. And it is accessible for a one day ride from a number of places, including Whitstable, Canterbury and Ashford. The scenery is outstanding and varied. We did a two day version, starting at Ashford rail station, north to Canterbuy and Whitstable, east via Herne Bay towards Sandwich and overnight in Deal. On the second day, we continued south to Dover and Folkestone, and onto Hythe before heading back up to Ashford to get the train back home. With more time, we would have completed the route continuing further south to Dungeness, east to Rye, then north back to Ashford. Friends have told me that it is one of the most visually stunning parts of the route, and therefore…”we’ll be back”.
Rebellion Way, 233 miles. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41266155
The Rebellion Way has just been launched by Cycling UK, and is similar to the Cantii Way in many respects. But in Norfolk. And named to honour Boudicca. There is a published shortcut between Swaffham and Norwich: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41266154 Overall, it is mainly on quiet and flat country roads, with some gravel paths as well. It is now in my bucket list.
EuroVelo Routes: https://en.eurovelo.com/
For those interested, the link will take you to the main page of the EuroVelo website. Have a look at the extent of these signposted and maintained cycle routes across and around much of Europe. The website gives little information as to how much is on-road or tarmac, but many of us have sampled parts of the network – it certainly does suit gravel or touring bikes.
And below are some links to Gravel Bike Sportives we have come across – three examples:
Cotswolds: https://www.bagman.website/cotswoldcross/
Salisbury Plain: https://gloriousgravel.com/product/gravel-sportives/salisbury-plain-autumn-gravel-epic/
Suffolk Gravel X: https://gloriousgravel.com/product/gravel-sportives/suffolk-gravel-x-autumnb
Next Pedal Rotations
I hope you have enjoyed reading so far, and that it contains some helpful information as well as food for thought. Graham will start a post on the Forum and share a link back to the article – they can be difficult to find on a mobile device. The Committee is interested to know of the level of interest in gravel riding, so please post on the thread if that might be you. No commitment. From there, if warranted, we could build up a bank of routes as well as some kind of larger G community.
Enjoy riding, and take care out there – Jon Bentley
