With a name like Rampart, you might get the impression that Teravail’s all-road tire is a sluggish, heavily armored utility model. While Teravail does offer the 650B x 47 road-plus tire in durable casing ($65 MSRP) and light-and-supple ($55 MSRP) versions, the company’s race-bred Rampart is really more at home exploring uncharted backroads, both paved an unpaved.
Continue Reading “First Impressions: Teravail Rampart Tires”
Widely praised for their comfort and versatility, Jeff Jones’ Loop handlebars are a favorite of many gravel and adventure riders (including yours truly). The bar’s unique design also lends itself to attaching accessories such as cycle-computers, navigational devices, and of course, luggage. While it’s perfectly acceptable to lash a dry bag to the loop section, purpose-built bags offer more convenient access to items like snacks and cell phones. If this sounds good, but you prefer a bag that’s as unique as your bike’s handlebars, fear not, because Nittany Mountain Works and Randi Jo Fabrications offer Jones-compatible bags in a wide range of colors and materials.
Continue Reading “First Impressions: Nittany Mountain Works & Randi Jo Fabrications Bags”
When I was a teenager (aka, the Stone Age), riders carried spare tubular tires wrapped in newspaper or old socks. Now it’s considered cool to strap or tape a spare tube to your bike’s frame or seatpost. Whether it’s actually cool may be open for debate, but exposing spare tubes to the elements (or the contents of your seat pack) isn’t the smartest choice.
In Part-I of GRAVELBIKE’s flat pedal round-up, we covered the basics of platform design and profile, materials and bearings, pin types, and installation. Now, in Part-II, we dive into the nitty gritty details of the nine pedals I’ve been testing for the past six months. My seat-of-the-pants test methodology was pretty straightforward: ride each pedal on a variety of terrain including pavement, gravel, and technical off-road trails. The test rigs included several different drop-bar gravel/adventure bikes, as well as my Jeff Jones rigid MTB. When it came to footwear, I relied on Five Ten’s Freerider Pro shoes for the majority of my testing. Weather conditions during the six-month test period included rain, snow, and countless miles of dry, dusty roads and trails. Continue Reading “2018 Flat Pedal Roundup (Part-II)”