Post your road bicycle

Not really. Look at the rake on the frontend and how far laid back the seat post is. An XC bike is very steep in both aspects, making them quick and twitchy in their handling. The Evil is setup for a 700X50, whereas an XC bike can take 2.2” and even 2.5” tires, in many cases.

There are a lot of people who DO use an XC rig for gravel races, especially DK. Set up with an aero bar, they’re quite efficient.

 

Huh. I didn’t know Dirty Kanza allowed aero bars. Interesting.

We have a pretty brutal gravel race in Iowa call that for some reason I find interesting and have an urge to do, but the mileage is absurd.


https://iowawindandrock.com/

 

Yeah, NO.

 

How bad could it be, no hills. . 200 flat miles is easier than 100 and 12K of climbing.

 

Yeah, right.

 

except it’s 340 miles lmao. And while Iowa doesn’t have mountains, we do have rolling hills. It’s not quite as flat as something like Northern Illinois.

 

I think he meant KS, with his reference to “200”. For sure, the Flint Hills aren’t in anyway flat, which is partly why the DK kicks so many asses.

The 340 would be tough for anyone. Constant rollers, but, the roads would be enjoyable to ride.

And, northwest IL isn’t the least bit flat. Beautiful terrain, up there, and I’ve enjoyed the few times I’ve visited. If you like gravel riding on a motorcycle, the start of the TWAT is at Galena and goes all the way to Lake Superior.

 

That guys is certifiably crazy.

I've been to some pretty remote and brutal places myself, and it seems sketchy even with all the creature comforts of a tractor trailer. I can't imagine riding a bicycle thorough any of that shit was anything but a suicide mission.

 

Ah okay. 200 miles is still way too much for me. 50-60 miles is about my attention limit these days.

By NW IL, I meant the northwest burbs like Aurora/Geneva. That area is quite flat. Anything north of Rockford I consider pretty much Wisconsin.

 

I've been riding the Power saddle on the trainer the past few weeks to give it another shot. Thing just really isn't for me, I guess. I seem to somehow use a lot more glute/ham in my cycling, and the Power saddle causes premature hamstring fatigue at the glute/ham attachment area, likely due to the width of the saddle. I have to ride right up on the nose of the thing to avoid it, which recruits more quad and makes me start to pedal squares. If anyone wants to try it, I'm going to sell it for relatively cheap here once I get back from vacation. It's the carbon shell/titanium rail variant. Back to the Romin for me.

 

I may be late to the party and this has been scooped up, but I wouldn't turn down a free month if you still had it!

 

sure thing. PM me your first/last and email and I’ll get it sent out later this morning.

 

I used to really be fighting some discomfort on the trainer. If I was only riding indoors once a week even an hour spin was rough by the end and sure to end up with a saddle sore. No matter when I moved around on the saddle I couldn't get comfortable for more than a couple minutes. Now I'm getting in threeish rides a week and have had no issues at all. Same saddle, same bike setup. It is a direct drive trainer so I did at least check that my saddle is level (or rather the same angle as when it sits on the road). Part of me thinks even with 'calloused' sit bones from riding plenty outside, the rigid trainer saddle isn't quite the same and I needed to acclimate to that slightly different position. It makes me think there's something worthwhile to the rocker plates that give the saddle just a little bit of sway but I'm having no issues now and not really doing more than 4 hours a week anyway.

 

The trainer isn’t as comfortable as the road, but it hasn’t been too bad for me. I would like to try one of the rocker trainers to see if it helps, but I could also see that annoying the hell out of me too.

 

Have any of you guys moved from a race bike to more endurance/comfort geometry?

I’m finding that I don’t have the control or comfort in the drops of my SuperSix that I’d like. I’ve gone down to an 80 cm stem, which has helped, but it still could be better.

I prefer to spend most of my time in the drops as there’s so much more steering and braking control with that hand position. I’m wondering if something like an Emonda ALR with it’s taller head tube or even a Domane is what I’m looking for.

 

Moving to a bar w/ less drop will be a cheaper option than a new frame.

I see your point about more control, but do you always need that much control? Embrace the chaos.

 

Yea, I could try a shallow drop bar and/or playing around with the shifter position on the bars.I also find the reach to the brakes on the Shimanos to be kind of long while in the drops - I can barely get my index finger on them and it's by no means the best finger position for proper braking control. Thanks for the suggestion.

90% of my outdoor riding is on this pretty wild trail that follows a lake. It's pretty twisty, with quite a few blind corners and of course lots of chipmunks and squirrels. With that riding in mind, I'm much more comfortable in the drops. I'd also like to do a few crits this season, where that would also be beneficial.

 

80cm stem= bike is probably too big. I found the following links helpful for fitting people on bicycles.

https://blog.bikefit.com/how-to-fit-a-road-bicycle
http://yojimg.net/bike/web_tools/stem.php

 

Is the lever all the way in? You should be able to adjust them depending on the group . Clock wise on the adjusting bolt makes the levers go in IIRC

 

Yea, this is the conclusion I’m coming too. I’m mostly legs, and the CC fit calculator said I need a 54-55 top tube. Have a feeling that’s probably right...