There is a scientific formula for the maximum number of bikes a cyclist needs : N + 1.

And here is the newbie:

This is a TREK checkpoint ALR 5 Gen 3 gravel bike. Now I did already have a gravel bike but when I bought it at the height of COVID it was literally the only one I could get and this is a much better option.

Of course I couldn’t accept the standard specification (!) so I upgraded the SRAM Apex groupset to Shimano GRX RX8 – SRAM fans will dispute whether this was in fact an upgrade – and also swapped out the handlebars for a better size.

I have also bitten the bullet and accepted the tubeless tyres that come as standard although I’ve had a small puncture – albeit self-repairing – on each of the last three rides I’ve done.

The hydraulic disc brakes are pretty good – my old gravel bike has cable hydraulic brakes which are not as effective as traditional rim brakes – but they are not user serviceable and developed an issue which requires a trip to the bike shop for a suspected air bubble. I prefer rim brakes in winter but they clog up with mud and debris from the road and require clearing out every few minutes so needs must.

This is my primary winter bike. The tubeless 40mm tyres will run at a lower pressure and be more comfortable and resilient (I hope!) than my standard road bike 28mm tyres when cycling on wet, sometimes flooded, potholed, gravel covered winter roads. It’s pretty quick but at least a couple of miles per hour slower than the Enigma or Cervelo.

A couple of weeks ago I went proper gravel riding while on holiday in the Dolomites not too far from Agordino. Three of us : son Elliot and friend Oli who lives in San Tomaso (and designed this website) cycled down the track by his house (below) to town and then followed the river upstream to Alleghe. Although only 32Km it was a decent ride with over 450m of climbing when we were already at altitude. Great fun!