Myrna CG Mibus - Idyllwild

A few weeks ago I was blogging about how scared I was riding on gravel and how I didn't think I would be able to finish the gravel race - RiotGRRRaveL - that I signed up to ride. I went through Gravel Fears ... and Gravel Tears but then managed to get my bike adjusted better so that I was more comfortable . A day before the RiotGRRRaveL ride, I was still pretty nervous about riding the 30 some miles but planned to go ahead and give it a go. My goals for the ride were pretty basic: finish the ride average 10 mph have fun Well, guess what? I finished the R iotGRRRaveL gravel bike race on Saturday and accomplished my goals and then some! Here's my RiotGRRRaveL Race Rundown: First off , I finished the race!  That is an accomplishment in itself because a couple of weeks ago I was about to give up on riding gravel. My longest gravel ride ever was only 16 miles long and my longest ride of the year so far was a road ride of 27 miles. I know 30 gravel miles is nothing to ...

I took my Specialized hybrid to Milltown Cycles a few days ago for a tune up. While it was there I had Ben and Curtis put new tires on it and a set of fenders. Replacing the tires was a no brainer - they've been on the bike since I got it, in about 1994, and the rubber was literally crumbling away. The tread was also very smooth, not just from wear but by design, and I wanted to get something that would work for riding gravel. Ben suggested a tire with a smoother tread in the center and a bit more tread - and therefore grip - on the outer edges. New tires for the gravel roads - complete with dirt from my morning ride! I decided to put on fenders because I want to seriously start riding the gravel roads near my home. Without fenders gravel, mud, and dust from the roads sprays up all over my back, my legs and on the bike. Ben suggested a nice inexpensive pair of fenders for my bike and I told him to go ahead and put them on. I dropped off my bike on Saturday and Milltown had i...