"Gravel" is an aggregate laid on roads for drainage and leveling. "Gravel cycling" is cycling on primarily unpaved surfaces that includes everything up until rooted single track that would require a MTB. Gravel cycling is NOT just riding on gravel. #gravel

GM #gravel

Live from the Grand Pris du Montreal #cycling

Hidden artworks for the win #nostrides #photography

GM #nostrides

On the bike dreaming of sailing - do those on the sails look my way and dream of biking? #gravel #nostrides

Photochromic Sunglasses Bought these on a whim off of Amazon and have really enjoyed them. They go from completely clear to a fairly dark tint (where others cannot see your eyes easily). I found the biggest benefit was when the trails go through the forests. I used to pull my sunglasses down on my nose and look over the top of them so as not hit a root at speed. With these they adjust quickly enough that I don’t even notice the darkness on the trails. They are also great for finishing a ride at night. Personally, I don’t like riding with my eyes unprotected at night night and used to carry a spare clear lens. The only minor complaint is that there is a very small amount of optical distortion in the edges of the view but not really noticeable. The frames are a cheaper plastic but they have lasted over a year of riding so far. The brand is Rockbros and you can find them on Amazon easily. So cheap that I don’t mind if they get smashed or broken as I would just buy another. Sometimes cheap just works. #gravel

for the Lycra haters Lycra hides nothing so why would you try? I don't ride to become skinny. I won't ever be. I ride to be happy. It makes my mind slow down and it takes me to amazing places that I would normally take the time to stop and look around at. So take your bike and ride wearing whatever makes you comfortable. Smiles guaranteed 😊 #nostrides #gravel

Wireless shifters hacked Wow - as if we don't have enough opsec in our lives to worry about. Seems like Shimano is finding our the hard way. Personally I have not made the switch to electronic shifting as I find the use case uncompelling for the cost. If anyone is running Di2, you may want to check out the latest firmware. #cycling #gravel

A perfect pre-autumn day for exploring inter-urban trails. Love finding gem spots like this for the first time #cycling #gravel photography

Black & white get along together just fine #photography #dogs

Another local river pic while riding trails - Mississippi River (no it's not that one) in Eastern Ontario.

Does anybody have an invite code for

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Shockstop Suspension Stem - one of the best upgrades I have ever made to a bike. Made by Redshift Sports (not sponsored but open to offers 😊) This stem contains rubber type blocks that you can pair up depending on your weight and riding style. It is like magic in that removes all the annoying vibrations without it flexing noticeably. I only notice it when climbing / sprinting out of the saddle and really pulling on the bars. Even then it is only barely noticeable movement. it really works and does not waste any of your power. Long rides on old train beds feel just as comfy on the heads as pavement. The company just launched a new series of 55 mm & 75mm that I would have gotten instead of the longer 100mm that I did get.

Redshift Sports

Redshift Sports

Redshift Sports creates innovative cycling components that improve your comfort, control and safety with suspension, handlebar, aero, and pedal & l...

Gravel cycling isn't just the new black; it's the whole darn color wheel, spinning through mud, dust, and the occasional existential crisis! Seriously though - other than crits or really really knrly singletrack, gravel bikes do it all the best. Ride to the trail along paved roads and back again instead of loading up the car. Just ride and explore 🚵‍🚴‍♂️ ♀️

Flats vs clips post I swore by clipless pedals for decades and close to 200,000km of riding. mostly between SPD and Crank Brothers Candy series, both which allowed lots of float and were low maintenance. All that changed during the lockdowns when I was doing a lot of indoor riding and had time to experiment. At that time I was plagued by a persistent callus on the sole of one foot that was painful to walk on. After much trial and error it seemed like the culprit was my highend (Sidi) cycling shows. There was a very small raised gap where the insole met the side of the shoe near the ball of one foot. Over time this tiny iratant cause the callus to forms under the skin. I had switched to their wide shoes a few years ago so began a hunt of a even wider show to solve the issue. This led to a rabbit hole of flat pedals and street shoes and sandals. Coming from a road cycling background this was completely new to me but old school for bmx and mountain bikers. I decided to try and test it semj-scientifically using my indoor training bike that was connected to Zwift. I could see if power output at the pedals was being affected by the pedals and shoes. I did lots of structured interval training, long rides, long steep climbs and races. Results: I could ride in open toe sandals (berkenstocks) very comfortably and with no noticible loss of power except in full out sprinting. There was a very large loss of 20%+ in sprints (20-30 second full gas efforts) Out of the saddle climbing led to some slippage with the sandals too. Based on this I decided to try some dedicated flat pedal shoes and settled on some 5-10 (now owned by Adidas) Trail shoes. The rubber on the sole is like glue to the pedals and the shoes are comfy for all day rides and walking like regular shoes. I did a weekend tour recently of 180km per day and had zero issues with comfort, power or control. All this to say that I can never see myself going back to clips again. I would guess that over 90% over serious rec cyclists would also be better served by flat pedals but on the weekend tour with a couple thousand other riders, I did not notice anyone else riding on flats. Unless you are racing or doing narly downhill mountain biking give flats a go. the pedals are so much cheaper as are the shoes and no cleats are needed. Bonus is being able to walk like a normal person at the cafe stops or not slipping on tiles at the office building.