Completely happy American Thanksgiving!

Sorry, mistaken image:

There’s a lot to be pleased about this vacation season: household, well being, you folks, and naturally my bicycle enablers. I’m referring after all to folks like Paul Johson of Traditional Cycle, who will simply ship me a motorcycle for no good purpose. Right here’s one which arrived simply this week:

This one was deeply intriguing, and the knobby tires prompt a type of gravel bikes the children are at all times speaking about. As at all times, Paul had included his distinctive calling card:

Which indicated this bike as soon as belonged to somebody named Zach who was some kind of Nationwide Champion of one thing:

So was he a gravel nationwide champion? There was one other card within the package deal as properly, but it surely raised extra questions than it answered. For instance, in 2013 gravel hadn’t even been invented but. And whereas the bike did appear to be a gravel bike, he gave the impression to be carrying it for some purpose:

Fortuitously, the opposite aspect of the cardboard was extra informative, and it seems Zach had been a champion of one thing referred to as “cyclocross:”

With nice curiosity, I started to assemble this curious specimen:

It did certainly look very very like a gravel bike, and it was even made out of crabon, however for some purpose it had–get this–rim brakes!

I’m after all keen on conventional bicycles. Nonetheless, I’m additionally a former racer and a biking omnivore, and when you ship me a professional race bike I’m very happy to experience it:

Whereas I used to be as soon as an enthusiastic cyclocross racer, I used to be additionally horrible, and I bought lapped like a saucer of milk at a cat cafe. As such, that is maybe essentially the most ironic bike I’ve ever ridden, since I’m fully unworthy of the celebrities and stripes of the nationwide champion, and I fully lack focus.

Whereas I’ve solely had one experience on it thus far, I can report it weighs lower than nothing and looks like driving a paper airplane. It additionally has all the professional bike options, like decals that describe elements of the bike:

You realize it’s a real race bike when it’s lined with real-life mouseovers:

So what is the distinction between cyclocross bikes and gravel bikes, anyway? Properly, if you must ask then you definitely actually don’t perceive bikes–and by that I imply I do not know. Nonetheless, this bike isn’t appropriate for gravel, since not solely does it have primitive rim brakes which might be very highly effective:

But it surely additionally has a entrance derailleur, and when you try and experience a motorcycle with a entrance derailleur on gravel you possible gained’t survive:

Certainly, so pernicious is the entrance derailleur that the body seems to be rejecting it like an organ transplant gone dangerous:

And but, regardless of all this, the bike felt nice, go determine:

I’ll after all share extra perception into this star-spangled plastic curiosity, however within the meantime I want you a really blissful Thanksgiving, and I’ll see you again right here on Monday.

Love,

Tan Tenovo