All-City Gravel Racer

Inspired by the Freeman Transport Gravel Racer and the fact that when done right I can route it so that I get 6 miles of gravel and 9 miles of singletrack on the commute to work, I decided to turn the original Big Block proto into a dirt road crusher.


Two brakes, a 44X17 fixed gear, 32c Ritchey Speedmax tires, XTR Canti Levers, beat to shit 612 Track Crank early samples, and a riser bar. I'm also stoked to get back on my Suzue Promax hubset, which has sat unused for a while now and is one of the favorite pieces of componentry that I own.

*for those of you out there who may care: that "Bike Jerks" spokecard says Galactic Mystery Solvers on the other side and is the first thing we ever produced that said Bike Jerks on it. GMS was my first little company*

Here are some shots of the tire clearance. The 32c's fit fine with a comfortable amount of room to spare, but I wouldn't want to go any bigger. Any larger of a tire and you'd likely collect a bunch of mud and dirt and crap.
The subtle dimpling of the chainstays gives you all the clearance you need, without big open ugly spaces

for comparison here is my new bike (same clearance) with a 25c road tire


here's a shitty pic of the fork crown with the knobby to give you the full scoop.


There are few things hotter than a track bike with knobbies on it. I guess a track bike with knobbies without brakes for one, but I need em for those hills and clipless pedals. I'm getting up early tomorrow to give her a test. I'll likely post a full review with pics on the All-City blog.

cheers