Biking Question
 

I have a Road Bike which I really enjoy riding. I am wanting to branch out a little and take up Gravel and maybe Cyclocross. I have tried MTB, and just didn't care for it.

Any suggestions, tips etc? I am looking at the Salsa Warbird and Trek line of bikes right now.

I heard Barshrud Breland likes to ride bikes.
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Check Rain Man's garage

Check out Raleigh and Diamondback too if you are thinking about a gravel bike. I picked up a Raleigh Willard 2 a few years ago and have nothing but good things to say about it. Most of my riding is trail.

I also considered the Specialized Diverge.

PM me if you want the code for the Raleigh/Diamondback corporate discount. Will knock a few hundred off most bikes.

Warbird is a great, great bike. Journeyman is also a great bike from Salsa for your purposes if you might want to branch into more bikepacking type usage.

I have a steel El Mariachi as my "forever bike" and really love Salsas.

Anyway, I don't really do much gravel grinding (I lean more toward XC and enduro), but it's huge in our area. Since you list Ozark Mountains as your region, you might check out Ozark Cycling Adventures' route list for ideas on cool rides. You can filter by distance as well as gravel/road.

I wish we had routes like those in Branson. We just aren't a bike friendly community.

Thanks for your input.

The rumor is that the Waltons/O'Reilly families (and their associated foundations) are putting together a dirt road race route that will run Square to Square from Bentonville to Springfield. If that happens, it may give you some access to better routes.

I don't do gravel but I've put over 4,000 miles on my Trek CrossRip. It's speedy and it's versatile. I researched for several months before I bought it, and at the time, it gave the most bang for the buck by far. Been very happy with it.

http://oi64.tinypic.com/9a1yjq.jpg

check with mac at the warsaw mo chamber of commerce about the trails around Benton county. it's only a couple hours north of you...

My suggestion....

I took up gravel riding late last year and really enjoy it. I would suggest looking for a used bike as you can probably pick one up at a reasonable price. I went with a Niner RLT9 and love it. As someone else mentioned, Salsa warbird is nice. I also like the All City Cosmic Stallion. Trek is now making some nice gravel bikes. One issue you might look out for on the treks is tire clearance. You might be able to fit a 35mm tire on them. The other bikes mentioned will probably take up to a 40mm maybe a 42mm.

That is what I am finding about Trek, is they don't list tire clearance. I really like the Warbird and the Raleigh 3. Where did you find your Niner? Most cheap bikes I am finding are Kona's and I just think they are too stiff.

Love my Giant Roam 2 and highly recommend.