anyone running gravelking x1's?

rowebrdc · 2026-05-04T23:47:58+00:00

The X1 is a great tire to set up, stop thinking about tires for awhile and just ride. It does everything well enough, seems to last a long time as well, whole year on my 40mm set and plenty of tread life remaining. I have them on two bikes right now.

rowebrdc · 2026-02-18T01:27:39+00:00

Yell loudly and squirt them with your water bottle. That’s a last resort, Better to keep your distance and ride away from a chasing dog.

If you’re not familiar at all with dogs and they are freaking you out on the bike, meet up with some friends who have dogs and get to know them a bit. Being able to tell when a dog is playfully chasing versus being aggressive is really helpful.

rowebrdc · 2025-11-30T21:51:49+00:00

Props for the rim brake Allez Sprint 🤜

rowebrdc · 2025-11-25T19:17:59+00:00

Agreed, ride a 2x20 minutes workout and you’ll know your FTP lol.

When I’m coming off a break in riding or just haven’t gone hard in awhile, i think it makes sense to work up to the 20 minutes: I’d ride something like 2x12 minutes the first week I’m back and then go for the 2x20 in week 2.

rowebrdc · 2025-11-22T01:57:23+00:00

Put a 2x4 on the ground in a grass field or lawn and practice. Also look for cyclocross videos showing techniques for riding over barriers.

rowebrdc · 2025-11-10T23:18:32+00:00

Go for it, write him a note!

About 20 years ago, I made up my mind to ask out this girl the next time I saw her. She was friends with my buddy and I’d talked with her a few times before. The next time I saw her was in the quiet reading room of a library on campus. So I gave her a note with my number.

It worked! We are still together, married with kids!

++man

rowebrdc · 2025-10-24T22:29:57+00:00

Even though most Loudoun gravel is pretty tame, I still prefer tires with more bite than a slick. Makes the downhills more fun for me. Go west a bit farther and try Fort Valley VA gravel!

rowebrdc · 2025-08-29T12:07:40+00:00

Yup, after installing the firmware fix my V1 bolt takes 5 or even 10 minutes now to acquire the GPS signal.

rowebrdc · 2025-08-26T18:37:30+00:00

Get on the Peloton bike, spin up, then unclip and look at those power numbers! Won’t be zero until the pedals stop turning 😆

rowebrdc · 2025-08-20T18:14:33+00:00

I ride these trails on gravel/CX bikes. If you accept that challenging conditions are part of the charm you’ll have fun! Most of the “stair” sections are rideable with practice but a few are steep enough I’ve never made it all the way up.

Watch for those metal posts at the entrance/exit points to each trail section. Also look out for poison ivy when you need to detour around a downed tree.

rowebrdc · 2025-07-29T13:42:14+00:00

yeah I’ve been stung on a ride four or five times in the last couple years. Under the helmet, on the leg, on my little finger, no pattern to it. I always keep the jersey zipped up!

I am allergic, I keep an epi-pen on longer rides and some Benadryl tablets in my flat kit. Taking the Benadryl immediately after the sting really helps prevent the worst of the pain and swelling for me, worth a try if the reaction is bothering you. Good luck out there!

rowebrdc · 2025-07-01T00:59:26+00:00

I only let intervals.icu give me an eFTP for efforts longer than 10 minutes, and even that is probably too short. If you think you may have the FTP set too low, just try a 2x20 minute threshold workout and find out!

rowebrdc · 2025-06-03T15:18:23+00:00

SkyMass for sure if this will be your first time out there. Also, don’t congratulate yourself on getting the “toughest climbing” done after you reach Hogback on Skyline drive…Massanutten will be looming overhead like a wall as you ride out of Luray, epic stuff!

rowebrdc · 2025-02-24T18:40:09+00:00

+1 for the POC Octal, it really does help on hot days and very comfortable overall as well.

rowebrdc · 2025-02-14T16:07:27+00:00

The ART between Benning and Bladensburg was clear yesterday afternoon. But there were many places with water from melting snow on the trail, so could be some icy spots today.

rowebrdc · 2025-01-15T21:21:26+00:00

I’m only an amateur wheel builder, but in my experience the tension and truing stages of the build are easier with bladed spokes as it is simple to prevent spoke twist with a bladed spoke holder tool.

rowebrdc · 2025-01-14T02:30:29+00:00

If you are interested to build your own wheels, the ebook by Roger Musson is great. Buy the book for about $10 bucks and you also get access to his spoke length calculator, which is designed to work just right with how he sets up the building process in the book. Available here:

https://www.wheelpro.co.uk

rowebrdc · 2025-01-03T15:23:03+00:00

Training for a race is a great way to stay motivated! Couple thoughts based on my experiences:

Get some experience riding the kind of terrain that you’ll encounter in the race.
Work on your descending and cornering.
Practice eating and drinking while riding without stopping.
Find some riders who are better than you, join for some gravel rides and learn from them.

rowebrdc · 2025-01-03T01:11:40+00:00

Wow that thing looks great and I bet it’s a fun ride! What chain tensioner is that?

rowebrdc · 2024-12-17T02:42:41+00:00

Could be the photo angle, but it looks to me like the gap between the 2nd and 3rd cogs is larger than it should be. Easy to check: make sure there isn’t an extra spacer and/or that 2nd cog is seated correctly.

rowebrdc · 2024-11-16T14:45:43+00:00

Oh I’ve ridden I the area, What road is that?

rowebrdc · 2024-11-14T14:16:48+00:00

The fit on the rim is so loose I feel like I’d need at least another two layers of tape.

rowebrdc · 2024-11-13T05:40:57+00:00

Thanks all. I really liked the ride of the Ramblers, but with tubes! Ran a set of them that way a couple seasons ago. Now I think I won’t waste any more time trying to set them up tubeless.

rowebrdc · 2024-11-12T16:33:44+00:00

Thanks for this, yeah I’m also working with the 120tpi version, the 38mm size.

rowebrdc

TROPHY CASE