The field guides
Everything we've worked out on the road, written like a rider annotating a cue sheet: precise numbers, plain verbs, one wry aside per page at most. Updated when the ride proves us wrong.
BIKE SETUP · Jul 13, 2026 · 7 MIN
1x vs 2x on Gravel: Choose by Terrain, Not Tribe
1x or 2x on gravel isn't a personality — it's a terrain question. Here's the honest comparison: gear steps versus simplicity, mud clearance, range and weight, and a decision framework that picks your drivetrain by the ground you ride.
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RIDE CRAFT · Jul 13, 2026 · 15 MIN
The First Hundred: A Complete Plan for Your Longest Gravel Day
Mile 63 is where the ride starts telling the truth. A complete plan for your first gravel century — a 12-week build, fueling and water done as math, the kit that saves the day, and how to pace it so you finish strong instead of cracking in the afternoon.
BIKE SETUP · Jul 13, 2026 · 7 MIN
Why Your Gravel Bike Feels Calm: Geometry, Explained
A good gravel bike feels calm, and the calm isn't magic — it's four numbers. Here's how head angle, chainstays, bottom-bracket drop, and tire clearance turn into the planted, unbothered ride you actually feel at mile 60.
TIRES & PRESSURE · Jul 13, 2026 · 7 MIN
Gravel Tire Pressure: A Working Method, Not a Number
The most common gravel mistake is treating pressure like a fixed setting. It's a running conversation between tire width, system weight, and what the road is doing right now — here's the working method, with a starting matrix and the front-minus-two trick.
ROUTES & TERRAIN · Jul 13, 2026 · 7 MIN
Champagne to Peanut Butter: A Field Guide to Gravel Surfaces
Gravel isn't one surface — it's a vocabulary. Learn to name the six surfaces you actually meet, from champagne to peanut-butter mud, and the line and body position each one asks for. Naming what's under you is the first skill.
TIRES & PRESSURE · Jul 13, 2026 · 6 MIN
Six Months of Sealant: What's Still Liquid
'Still liquid at six months' is the wrong thing to hope for. Here's the honest take on tubeless sealant for gravel — how latex actually works, the two families, what really decides how long it lasts, and the refresh-and-backstop routine that keeps you rolling.
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The short list — see the full ranking on the best-gear page.
Panaracer GravelKing SK 700×45 Gravel Tire
$45.83
Check priceStan's NoTubes Tubeless Tire Sealant (32 oz)
$36.00
Check priceGarmin Edge 540 GPS Bike Computer
$324.49
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