photo Joshua Kowaleski
I am receiving more questions lately about certain gear choices for the upcoming Heck Productions events. We are happy to field these and I think our Gravel Go-To’s are just the crew to help. Please email me or one of the GGT’s for assistance.
One of the most common questions is, “what tire do you recommend for Le Grand du Nord, The Fox, etc.?” In general, I recommend going as wide as your current gravel bike will accept. Generally speaking, the extra width will provide not only better comfort but also increased speed. This trend may contradict what most of us grew up with. I am basing my theories on my own experience and also the work that Jan Heine of Bicycle Quarterly and Rene Herse have done on investigating tire pressure, tire width and tread design. (We are not affiliated with either.) In general, if you want a great resource for thoughts about these topics plus many more (like what makes a bike feel “fast,” general endurance cycling history and research on all sorts of cycling gear) his site is a great place to start.
Regarding bikepacking specific questions, in 2018 I created this video about my basic Tour Divide set up. And yes, I did win numerous Academy Awards for this, thank you. Looking back, I would still use this for a starting place for a multi day bikepacking trip. Obviously, cooking supplies are omitted and would have to be considered for a touring trip. (Our Fox and Wolf events do not require stoves or cooking supplies though I keep threatening to introduce this somehow…) Another really great place to look for all things bikepacking is, Bikepacking.com. Again, no affiliation with them, just a really solid place to go to for reviews, gear, trip ideas and stories.
What about training for our events this season? Are you new to gravel cycling or maybe have a few under your belt but are considering something longer? Here are a few thoughts from my own experience:
Start moving now. If you are able to get bike time, great. Paved miles are perfectly fine, too. Once the roads dry out, defintely focus as many miles on gravel as you can. But even I log a significant number of road miles each year, just because that is what I have time for most often.
What’s the ideal “long” day before an event. I think having ridden at least 2/3 to 3/4 of the event distance will give you a good idea of how you will do on game day. If you can ride your event distance in training, even better.
The older I get the more time I spend on both “easy” days and also shorter, more intense workouts. I run hills a lot. I do hill repeats on my bike. Maybe the science will someday back me on this, but I seem to have been able to subsist on this shorter/harder training concept over the last many years. Easy days are just that. Spin and take it EASY!
I swim, bike, ski, run and walk during the Winter. I think the mix of activities generally keeps my body healthier. It also allows me to exercise through any weather condition.
If you are new to long distance cycling, I think it’s still a good idea to begin slow and gradually build to your distance goal.
Remember! Bike fit is VERY VERY important. Please have a trained or experienced cyclist take a look at you and your bike to determine if you are close to a good fit. All bodies are different…but there are general concepts that apply to most. Make sure you are not sitting too low, too high, too far back or too far forward!
Thank you for being part of our events this 2023 season.
Jeremy
