I'm riding a gravel bike and seems that I've found the most meaningful bike for my life (doing exercise, commuting to work with joy of shortcut ways, adventure touring and even trail racing). I've been watching a lots of GCN's videos and I really like this one and this is the first time I write a comment in this (normally I just give a thumbs up). It's an educational video that cyclists should learn about. When you have enough loving of cycling and bikes, you'll start to love to learn about its histories. I also read the comments of this video and would like to say thanks to all people who contributed to build the bicycle and cycling history as well as creating and bringing more new experiences of cycling. I can see that even the technology of all kind of transportation vehicles goes from the past to the future so bicycle and cycling still exist and come along. Once again thanks to GCN for your kind educational videos and sharing knowledge.
This presenter is awesome, his natural enthusiasm makes him perfect for about every subject. He could make a presentation about micro organisms on mars and I would love the show
My little brother and I was ridding gravel roads and quarries in the mid 1960's on a Stingray bike - single speed with coaster brakes. We lived in Lake Dallas, Texas and there were far more gravel/dirt roads than paved. There were lot's of rolling hills and an abandoned quarry that the dirt bikers had cut trails all though. We broke everything on those bikes many times and always found a way to put them back together. We even took bailing wire and pliers on every ride, because we all snapped chains trying to slow down on the hills at the quarry and you could make a quick link out of bailing wire so you could get home. I think mountain biking as a thing grew up all over, but the likes of WTB started building bikes that performed better.
I met him yesterday at Jingle Cross in Iowa City and told him how cool it is to have an American on the channel. The British presenters are fantastic, but it's really nice to have someone covering the scene here, where our weather and geography are a bit different.
@@cuy50 What you've been taught to hate about Americans is what is also loved about Americans. Just embrace it, dude. Being embarrassed about it is old-school politcal bullshit.
@@dannyhanny1191 Nothing political about preferring real over fake. Jeremy is the classic fake happy American. Some people like that. Not everybody has to. In any case, it's one's own prerogative to have an opinion.
Big ups to WTB. I was spectating at a race and wasn't drinking enough water. I was super dehydrated and was wandering around the race area in a bit of a haze. An employee from WTB brought me into their tent, gave me a poweraid and a PB&J, and made sure I was back to normal before I left. I think their tires are too hard to seat/get onto rims, but other than that I have no complaints about wtb.
Clayton Markin so pretty much nothing wrong except a very important thing. Good that they helped you, but their wheels being hard to seat is an issue I’ve had as well.
I’m really liking Jeremy and the videos he is presenting in. This is a great look at a company I really like and now I’m even happier that I have a WTB saddle and WTB tyres on my bike. Thanks for the inspiration for getting out on my bike. Life, work, stresses, being tired etc can get in the way of doing what you love, but after watching this about enjoying a ride and not being such a roadie has me wanting to get on my bike. Thank you GCN!
Who needs drugs with rides like that, thank you, GCN, for taking us to the top of the mountain and down again. I am totally into the people and places of cycling history, especially the history made in California. And on a side note, Alcatraz was a memorable day when it was a school field trip. And the field trips back then were the best, kids on trips to the Cable Car Barn, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, Golden Gate Park. And one teacher took just us in her class to see a weekday matinee performance of the movie Sounder. And those were my favorite days of school, when we went somewhere. And there was a teacher who took a few of us to UC Berkeley on a Saturday morning for a science fair or something. And that was cool, that he cared enough to do that. So a big thanks to Mr. Roberts for that.
There’s something addictive about tyres and if your gonna feed that addiction, then what better place to start than WTB. I could watch this over and over all day. Thank you.
I have WTB Resolute tires on my gravel bike. Yesterday, I finally took the bike off asphalt and gravel roads and onto single track mountain bike trails. Outstanding performance. Not great for climbing on asphalt, but good in all other aspects.
I really look forward to Jeremy's content. He is an energetic, enthusiastic and fun loving presenter! GCN scored when they hired him. I wish Emma was still a presenter. Really miss her smart, humble, knowledgeable and tough as nails demeanor.
'Im in my 50's and still riding everyday if at all possible........ Me and a couple of mates were building "trackers" as we called them then, in the late 1970's in the UK !. These were modified road bikes with wide bars,fork strengtheners and the knobbiest tyres we could find, we rode them everywhere and raced them downhill on a steep path we built jumps into. Great to see the USA birthplace and hear the story behind it, ride safe guys. :-)
YOU can just tell that is some GENUINE Stoke from J-Pow after cleaning the descent. What a cool reaction from a GCN presenter. Keep 'em comin', Jeremy!!
Nice video. I didn’t know that wtb had such a history. Just last night i finished installing a set of Thickslick’s on my bike and had a wonderful ride this morning. Beautiful area to ride in San Francisco. Thanks Jeremy for a great presentation.
Glad the host was able to share his excitement at how that MTB history related to HIM. WTB deserves props for being at the forefront of MTB history. However, if you want to learn how the drop bar racing bike high pressure skinny tire mantra was initially challenged and helped lead to the "gravel bike" revolution, look up a guy named Jan Heine of Bicycle Quarterly or Rene Herst cycles.
Great video, Jeremy. Take it from an old Schwinn 20" banana bike rider from the 60's/70's, it doesn't get any better than coaster brake rides all frickin' day! The beer at the end is the icing on the cake. Who the heck eats cake without icing, anyway?
Dudes like Frank Scurlock & Hans Schneider were riding gravel on road bikes with sew-up clement campione del mundos etc in the 80s in and around College Station TX. &they showed the rest of us.
This has sealed my fate. I've been considering getting a gravel bike to handle the rougher stuff that I encounter on my usual rides. Now I see every reason to do just that.
Keep in mind, at 16:00 Jeremy has to shake his arm. That suggests the constant bumps were getting to him. As such, something with front suspension would likely be better for that ride. Gravel bikes are made for fast rough surfaces that tend to have infrequent bumps and loose dirt, rocks or gravel. Once you start getting a lot of frequent large bumps and are crawling over large rocks, stones and other debris on a trail, you are better off, comfort wise, with a mountain bike. A third option might be to go for a gravel bike with some front suspension. You know your trail. When going to buy the bike, let the sales person know. They often know the local trails and can likely suggest the best frame choice (gravel/mt. bike/cycle cross) for the trails you are riding.
You guys should do a video of riding the entire Bay Area Ridge Trail it literally circles the perimeter of the Bay Area from San Jose up the Peninsula, SF, East Bay and back. Loved the history in this video.
Jeremy, come on! We didn't call it gravel riding, we were just kids in the 60s and 70s who rode our 20" wheeled bikes with a banana seat *everywhere*... Gravel my eye.
The industry needs a historical beginning to give it credence and a legitimacy in developing and trying to maintain new market segment. Be it fact or exasperated fiction it is marketing and sales 101.
Yeah! Our bikes in the 70's & 80's went everywhere - dirt, roads, bmx tracks, malls, carparks, stairways - you name it, we rode it. It was our transport, it was hanging out with friends and it was our fun.
Isn’t it ironic how roadie snobs used to shun tourers and their triples, and now granny gear equivalents, and big tires are cool. They still had to change the name to “bike packing” though, can’t call it touring.
Definitely a convenient and revisionist history of biking in Marin. It was the invention of tarmac that allowed road cycling, otherwise there was only "gravel riding" to be had.
To be honest I'm not sure it's WTBs claim. They seem to push the fact they created the Downhill mtb scene in every other film I've seen about them. This seems more like GCN trying to make what happened on that hill relate to their views better.
So growing up in the 70’s, the older neighbor boys had motocross bikes. They made a track in the field next to our house. After they would leave, us younger kids would ride our bikes on it. For me, that was a Schwinn Varsity, metallic green. I was ‘cross’ before cross was cool. heh heh. Who new? Until this video, I did not know about WTB’s deep history. I do now. My Hakka MX (made ‘down the street’ has a WTB saddle! Cool beans. Time to repack my hubs...
my bike came with the Nano... tried it through Autumn and Winter then swapped it out in the spring for Continental Tour rides for warm weather, and Kenda Klondikes for snow. This winter I'm switching to 45nrth Gravdal studded snows.
In 1976 I had a 24” AMF drop bar ten speed that I rode everywhere including over jumps! In 1978 I broke the frame then bought my first BMX bike. We rode them HARD over everything. I can remember jumping over shopping carts.
GCN really hit gold with Jeremy. Fab video. I have WTB tyres on my CX bike and had no idea about their history and iconic status. And that ride! Pure #gcninspiration all the way!
@@sterby1 Essentially, except that no in the 80s and 90s had any desire to ride their MTB/proto gravel bikes 200 miles on flat roads. That came from road cyclists.
No lie - I still have a WTB TyrannoRaptor mtb tire that I'm using on the front of an old mountain bike. It also has a WTB headset, and WTB bottom-bracket, all of which were installed in about 2002 (both the headset and BB recently went out ... need to change them both). The bike also has a WTB saddle from back then, too, now that I think about it, as well as WTB wheels. A lot of WTB and SRAM.
This is a horrible pseudo-history made up by current WTB. The drop bar mountain bike is due to Charlie Cunningham, who used to work for WTB but apparently left in 2002 and in such circumstances that they never talk about him in this video, though you can see him in photos in their bike shop. No one at WTB seems to care enough to mention one of the founders and their biggest innovators, he invented much more powerful roller brakes and essentially invented V-brakes. One of his bicycles is presented (apparently because the guy didn't understand that he wasn't supposed to be mentioned), but not with the drop bars that he and his wife Jacquie Phelan rode with drop bars in mountain bike races. She was numerous time world champion using this setup. The worst thing about this is that Charlie Cunningham is apparently in very poor health right now.
Yhea he was the hands on genius in my eyes that made the ideas in to reality. Him and Steve Potts being pushed out and written out as much as WTB can is disgusting. Especially after all this time, at least they both get the credit they are due from those who know the real history. Not sure the guy didn't know he shouldn't mention him I reckon he knew but maybe thinks as we do.
They talk about heritage and don't even mention guys like Gary Fisher, Joe Breeze and Tom Ritchie. Gary and I were riding on dirt and gravel back in the 60s on our road bikes, when we were in the Belmont Bicycle Club. Never thought "gravel" could be an entirely new kind of riding.
although this has no reference for me watching Jeremy geek out more than SI was a joy to watch 😂👏🏼👏🏼 probably should have mentioned amazing food in mill valley area 🤙🏼😂
as kids in Georgia, we rode bikes off-road almost exclusively. it didn't have a name, but if you ask any 50+ year old if the rode on trails the answer would be yes.
GCN has done a disservice to the cycling scene of that era by putting them in a click-bait 'gravel' box. The idea that they were just riding gravel is absurd. It was/is more than that. Equally absurd is the idea that repack was the start of riding bikes on gravel. Bikes were riding gravel roads since before the turn of the century. And never stopped. You have to live in a pretty insular world to ever convince yourself gravel riding started somewhere in Western America.
Yhea it's an odd claim when the very first bikes, before they were even really what we now think of as a bike, were pretty much only used on gravel roads as all roads were gravel back then. Especially the smaller non main roads that would have been used when outside of a town or city. They maybe created the Downhill mtb scene and the start of the trying to build a bike specifically to ride in such situations but even that is highly debated as people in Australia and elsewhere were doing similar things at the near exact same time and as to who was first its far from clear or known. What they did definitely do was create a image and scene that morphed in to today's Mtb scene as it was definitely them that publicised and promoted what they were doing and started the ball rolling.
Yes I found it odd too when they claimed gravel riding started in Western America, bicycles have been around many years before that and people have been riding them on gravel most of the time, because most roads were gravel back then
I think the claim is more that Repack is home to WTB folks who improved and innovated upon bikes that weren’t initially designed for off-road use. Knobby tires and beefier components grew out of that early scene which owes today’s gravel riding to that legacy. The argument that mountain biking predates the Norcal/Marin area scene because bicycles were initially off-road due to lack of paved roads is like saying the modern tire doesn’t owe the likes of Michelin and those innovators when the actual wheel was created by the Egyptians to move heavy boulders to create their pyramids.
@@jp93309 you make many fair points! Especially re: the folks innovating bike tech on repack. What started there is it's own unique story separate from the recent gravel trend. I was part of a vibrant gravel scene in the mid- to late- 80's. Friction shifting 10 speeds with 1.25" tires. But ancient Schwinn Racers were also a popular choice. That scene existed before I came around and was still there when I moved on. Most coastal folks in the US can't comprehend how gravel connects everything throughout most of the midwest. It ain't just fire roads. And it's been around for 100 years at least.
When people talk about "gravel", they're not talking about riding bicycles on dirt roads. They're talking about a new kind of riding/racing that did in fact start in the US in the early 2000s. So, when you say people were riding bicycles on dirt roads before the turn of the century, you're not saying anything. Your claim "they never stopped" riding on dirt roads is patently false. Road racing left dirt roads long ago. If the ubiquity of 23c tires in road racing just a decade ago isn't enough to convince you, consider that two decades ago, whenever the Giro included a dirt road section, everyone pitched a bitch about it. Amateur road racers in the US took racing back on to the dirt roads in the early 2000s, in mass start events, aimed primarily at having fun pretending to be Belgian classics riders on rough dirt roads. No categories. No prizes. No licenses. No pros, really, for a long time. And lots of beer afterwards. That's gravel. And it is in fact new, even if riding bicycles on dirt roads is not.
There has always been "gravel riding". The OG's of gravel RACING are in Kansas, Nebraska and the midwest. Everybody has always ridden on gravel. The 'new thing' is the racing part of it
I'm riding a gravel bike and seems that I've found the most meaningful bike for my life (doing exercise, commuting to work with joy of shortcut ways, adventure touring and even trail racing). I've been watching a lots of GCN's videos and I really like this one and this is the first time I write a comment in this (normally I just give a thumbs up). It's an educational video that cyclists should learn about. When you have enough loving of cycling and bikes, you'll start to love to learn about its histories. I also read the comments of this video and would like to say thanks to all people who contributed to build the bicycle and cycling history as well as creating and bringing more new experiences of cycling. I can see that even the technology of all kind of transportation vehicles goes from the past to the future so bicycle and cycling still exist and come along. Once again thanks to GCN for your kind educational videos and sharing knowledge.
This presenter is awesome, his natural enthusiasm makes him perfect for about every subject. He could make a presentation about micro organisms on mars and I would love the show
My little brother and I was ridding gravel roads and quarries in the mid 1960's on a Stingray bike - single speed with coaster brakes. We lived in Lake Dallas, Texas and there were far more gravel/dirt roads than paved. There were lot's of rolling hills and an abandoned quarry that the dirt bikers had cut trails all though. We broke everything on those bikes many times and always found a way to put them back together. We even took bailing wire and pliers on every ride, because we all snapped chains trying to slow down on the hills at the quarry and you could make a quick link out of bailing wire so you could get home. I think mountain biking as a thing grew up all over, but the likes of WTB started building bikes that performed better.
Jeremy is such a great presenter, loving this US content.
Absolutely and absolutely
He should teach elocution to the Brit presenters.
I met him yesterday at Jingle Cross in Iowa City and told him how cool it is to have an American on the channel. The British presenters are fantastic, but it's really nice to have someone covering the scene here, where our weather and geography are a bit different.
@@cuy50 What you've been taught to hate about Americans is what is also loved about Americans. Just embrace it, dude. Being embarrassed about it is old-school politcal bullshit.
@@dannyhanny1191 Nothing political about preferring real over fake. Jeremy is the classic fake happy American. Some people like that. Not everybody has to. In any case, it's one's own prerogative to have an opinion.
Big ups to WTB. I was spectating at a race and wasn't drinking enough water. I was super dehydrated and was wandering around the race area in a bit of a haze. An employee from WTB brought me into their tent, gave me a poweraid and a PB&J, and made sure I was back to normal before I left.
I think their tires are too hard to seat/get onto rims, but other than that I have no complaints about wtb.
Clayton Markin so pretty much nothing wrong except a very important thing. Good that they helped you, but their wheels being hard to seat is an issue I’ve had as well.
I love my WTB Nano tires. They are quite fast rolling on and off road and have great comfort and grip off road.
I’m really liking Jeremy and the videos he is presenting in.
This is a great look at a company I really like and now I’m even happier that I have a WTB saddle and WTB tyres on my bike.
Thanks for the inspiration for getting out on my bike. Life, work, stresses, being tired etc can get in the way of doing what you love, but after watching this about enjoying a ride and not being such a roadie has me wanting to get on my bike.
Thank you GCN!
I agree I've watched him race cx and met him he is such a genuinely great guy
J Pow is awesome. Love that he's distracted by the dog and has to stop and say hi to the pooch!
Rclintgray that’s what I do I ignore people and just talk with dogs 😂😂🤪
Excellent presenting as always Jeremy. I especially liked the over enthusiastic jump on the descent that almost ended in the bushes.
Who needs drugs with rides like that, thank you, GCN, for taking us to the top of the mountain and down again. I am totally into the people and places of cycling history, especially the history made in California. And on a side note, Alcatraz was a memorable day when it was a school field trip. And the field trips back then were the best, kids on trips to the Cable Car Barn, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, Golden Gate Park. And one teacher took just us in her class to see a weekday matinee performance of the movie Sounder. And those were my favorite days of school, when we went somewhere. And there was a teacher who took a few of us to UC Berkeley on a Saturday morning for a science fair or something. And that was cool, that he cared enough to do that. So a big thanks to Mr. Roberts for that.
There’s something addictive about tyres and if your gonna feed that addiction, then what better place to start than WTB. I could watch this over and over all day.
Thank you.
The feels! OMG the feels! Loved this one.
Wtb pretty popular here in Indonesia, great to see the cool history behind it
I have WTB Resolute tires on my gravel bike. Yesterday, I finally took the bike off asphalt and gravel roads and onto single track mountain bike trails. Outstanding performance. Not great for climbing on asphalt, but good in all other aspects.
Absolutely legendary, gorgeous riding! Thanks for taking us along for the ride Jeremy and crew!
I really look forward to Jeremy's content. He is an energetic, enthusiastic and fun loving presenter! GCN scored when they hired him. I wish Emma was still a presenter. Really miss her smart, humble, knowledgeable and tough as nails demeanor.
Looks like fun 😁. I love my WTB tires here in SE Asia. Good grips, fun trips!
Rode repack rigid on 26” w/V-brakes. Sweet climb and decent for sure!
'Im in my 50's and still riding everyday if at all possible........ Me and a couple of mates were building "trackers" as we called them then, in the late 1970's in the UK !.
These were modified road bikes with wide bars,fork strengtheners and the knobbiest tyres we could find, we rode them everywhere and raced them downhill on a steep path we built jumps into.
Great to see the USA birthplace and hear the story behind it, ride safe guys. :-)
That sounds like a lot of fun!
@@gcn Yep, sure was!, these were what we built before MTB's were ever around.
OUTSTANDING !!! Thanks for the history lesson JPOW, great stuff - keep it coming. Hats off to the tech support & editing team, truly great work!
Thanks Jade
YOU can just tell that is some GENUINE Stoke from J-Pow after cleaning the descent. What a cool reaction from a GCN presenter. Keep 'em comin', Jeremy!!
Thanks for all the support Dan
16:49 Explains the term Repack. This I did I not know. Totally makes sense now! I always thought it was a road surface term🤓
Smoking coaster brakes!!! 😃
Nice video. I didn’t know that wtb had such a history. Just last night i finished installing a set of Thickslick’s on my bike and had a wonderful ride this morning. Beautiful area to ride in San Francisco. Thanks Jeremy for a great presentation.
Glad the host was able to share his excitement at how that MTB history related to HIM. WTB deserves props for being at the forefront of MTB history. However, if you want to learn how the drop bar racing bike high pressure skinny tire mantra was initially challenged and helped lead to the "gravel bike" revolution, look up a guy named Jan Heine of Bicycle Quarterly or Rene Herst cycles.
J Pow you are such a perfect fit for GCN - this episode definitely did not suck 😉. Keep bringing it amigo
Thanks Jeremy great insight of the history of wtb . Awesome presentation thank you jeremy
Gnarly, dudes! Loved the middle-aged bike industry manager fist bump somewhere in the middle part there ;)
That's my favorite style if biking.Wish had more people to bike with.
Congratulations on a very well done video - Love Jeremy really gives the US feeling to GCN Cheers!
Those old photos remind me of my youth.
Wow, looks awesome! Definitely a bucket list ride, thanks Jeremy - great show!
read the other comments but i still love these videos they are great fun to watch places i have never been keep it up
Great video, Jeremy. Take it from an old Schwinn 20" banana bike rider from the 60's/70's, it doesn't get any better than coaster brake rides all frickin' day! The beer at the end is the icing on the cake. Who the heck eats cake without icing, anyway?
Dudes like Frank Scurlock & Hans Schneider were riding gravel on road bikes with sew-up clement campione del mundos etc in the 80s in and around College Station TX. &they showed the rest of us.
Love WTB. Such a great crew.
Jeremy has so much style - would love to ride some groad with him.
any bike can be a gravel bike if it's got the right tyres. The proliferation of different type and sizes of tyres available today is great.
1st of July 1903 there was a bike race in France. It was called Le Tour de France. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it. It's quite popular.
This has sealed my fate. I've been considering getting a gravel bike to handle the rougher stuff that I encounter on my usual rides. Now I see every reason to do just that.
Keep in mind, at 16:00 Jeremy has to shake his arm. That suggests the constant bumps were getting to him. As such, something with front suspension would likely be better for that ride. Gravel bikes are made for fast rough surfaces that tend to have infrequent bumps and loose dirt, rocks or gravel. Once you start getting a lot of frequent large bumps and are crawling over large rocks, stones and other debris on a trail, you are better off, comfort wise, with a mountain bike. A third option might be to go for a gravel bike with some front suspension.
You know your trail. When going to buy the bike, let the sales person know. They often know the local trails and can likely suggest the best frame choice (gravel/mt. bike/cycle cross) for the trails you are riding.
You guys should do a video of riding the entire Bay Area Ridge Trail it literally circles the perimeter of the Bay Area from San Jose up the Peninsula, SF, East Bay and back. Loved the history in this video.
Thanks Steven, we'd love to come back and ride the Bay Area more
Bay Area--Absolute beauty
very inspiring and educational, thanks Jeremy
Jeremy, come on! We didn't call it gravel riding, we were just kids in the 60s and 70s who rode our 20" wheeled bikes with a banana seat *everywhere*... Gravel my eye.
The industry needs a historical beginning to give it credence and a legitimacy in developing and trying to maintain new market segment. Be it fact or exasperated fiction it is marketing and sales 101.
Yeah! Our bikes in the 70's & 80's went everywhere - dirt, roads, bmx tracks, malls, carparks, stairways - you name it, we rode it. It was our transport, it was hanging out with friends and it was our fun.
Yup, that's what bike riding is all about, Charlie Brown...
I rode my Schwinn Varsity like it was a CCX bike.
Isn’t it ironic how roadie snobs used to shun tourers and their triples, and now granny gear equivalents, and big tires are cool. They still had to change the name to “bike packing” though, can’t call it touring.
jeremy almost got repack at repack 17:52 😂 if that was me im sure ill be hugging a tree😂🤣
I saw that too. It is why I don't get cocky on trails I haven't ridden before.
Likely that had Jeremy's heart pumping the rest of the way down.
Yes, the sphincter clencher moment - why we ride downhill! :-)
Dude, 35 seconds in and already you can tell Jeremy is owning his role as a presenter. Moving from strength to strength, man! I love it!
Thanks Woodcock!
I was really happy to see a rigid 26er in this video.
Where it began? Probably when the bicycle was invented and there were no tarmac roads but only gravel tracks.
shhhhhh. Roadies are too young and don't think about things like that. :)
Right?! And cross country touring bikes on gravel roads in the 60s and 70s. This is more “Where fast downhill mountain biking began.”
... And don’t forget the Tour de France was mostly gravel and dirt back in the day lol.
Definitely a convenient and revisionist history of biking in Marin. It was the invention of tarmac that allowed road cycling, otherwise there was only "gravel riding" to be had.
To be honest I'm not sure it's WTBs claim. They seem to push the fact they created the Downhill mtb scene in every other film I've seen about them. This seems more like GCN trying to make what happened on that hill relate to their views better.
My first mountain bike was a Marin. That was 35 years ago.
I really wish the velociraptor would come back!! Loved ridding those as a kid.
Great video,really enjoyed it, interesting background history
@Dom Fou ?
@Dom Fou I'm new to it,sorry if I'm enjoyed it.
@Dom Fou tried yours,no luck there😱😱🤣🤣🤣
that was an awesome watch, thx
I'm hooked! Gotta find a trail now!
"alcatraz is only a swim away". That's what the few fugitives that made it outside the walls thought. :)
And a thousand triathletes a year
No Gestalt Haus???? Almost a perfect video. Jeremy is sooo good at hosting.
So growing up in the 70’s, the older neighbor boys had motocross bikes. They made a track in the field next to our house. After they would leave, us younger kids would ride our bikes on it. For me, that was a Schwinn Varsity, metallic green. I was ‘cross’ before cross was cool. heh heh. Who new? Until this video, I did not know about WTB’s deep history. I do now. My Hakka MX (made ‘down the street’ has a WTB saddle! Cool beans. Time to repack my hubs...
Another good piece from Jeremy. About time he had a jersey with National Champs cuffs for when he's producing these gravel / cross videos!
my bike came with the Nano... tried it through Autumn and Winter then swapped it out in the spring for Continental Tour rides for warm weather, and Kenda Klondikes for snow. This winter I'm switching to 45nrth Gravdal studded snows.
They hit all the good routes!
In 1976 I had a 24” AMF drop bar ten speed that I rode everywhere including over jumps! In 1978 I broke the frame then bought my first BMX bike. We rode them HARD over everything. I can remember jumping over shopping carts.
That sounds awesome
It was. Now I am 54 and I still ride both MTB and Road
Wonderful episode!
Wow did I jus saw 🤛? Respect bro💪💯🙏
I like WTB rims and tires!
Beautiful place thank you Jeremy wonderful presentation.
Dope video. More from Cali!!
GCN really hit gold with Jeremy. Fab video. I have WTB tyres on my CX bike and had no idea about their history and iconic status. And that ride! Pure #gcninspiration all the way!
Thanks Malcolm
I had those Velociraptor tires (2.1 front, 1.95 rear) on my 2000 Gary Fisher until I gifted it earlier this year.😅
Watching this made me late for work ,,,although I did watch it twice great video !
Hope you weren't in too much trouble Alan! Thanks for all the support
Maurice Garin won the 1st Tour de France on a 35 lb. fixed gear gravel bike. What a BEAST
Politicus Rex yeah someone should point out gravel riding is a lot older than this mountain bike history.
The evolution from those coaster bikes to today's bikes is just incredible! Made me wonder what bikes will look like in the years to come.....
I thought Alcatraz was the origin of a triathlon...
Umm no. Alcatraz was a high security prison back in the day
The origin of thriathlon is a head injury :-p
@@chrisko6439 triathlon makes a lot of sense to me if you get rid of the run and swim...
Pretty sure that's the joke Dale. Escaping Alcatraz involves running and swimming. Seems pretty obvious to me.
@@hardeho kind of an odd thiathlon where no one ever completed. At least if they are an inmate tryin to escape
Might also mention......eye-watering housing costs that make London look cheap.
wait London is cheap compared to here?
Great energy Jeremy Powers. There really is too much history there for one video for sure.
Thanks Gordon
Love having JPow, on he is great!!
Thanks Frank
Erm, this is the history of MTB.
Yhea bit of a GCN rewrite of history to try to make what happened there relate to their audience better.
Erm, gravel bikes are essentially MTBs, in the 80s-90s sense
@@sterby1 Essentially, except that no in the 80s and 90s had any desire to ride their MTB/proto gravel bikes 200 miles on flat roads. That came from road cyclists.
Great stuff 👍
No lie - I still have a WTB TyrannoRaptor mtb tire that I'm using on the front of an old mountain bike. It also has a WTB headset, and WTB bottom-bracket, all of which were installed in about 2002 (both the headset and BB recently went out ... need to change them both). The bike also has a WTB saddle from back then, too, now that I think about it, as well as WTB wheels. A lot of WTB and SRAM.
great energy jp!
Great video Jeremy!!, should have found a clunker for the repack!!!
Good job Jeremy!
This is a horrible pseudo-history made up by current WTB. The drop bar mountain bike is due to Charlie Cunningham, who used to work for WTB but apparently left in 2002 and in such circumstances that they never talk about him in this video, though you can see him in photos in their bike shop. No one at WTB seems to care enough to mention one of the founders and their biggest innovators, he invented much more powerful roller brakes and essentially invented V-brakes.
One of his bicycles is presented (apparently because the guy didn't understand that he wasn't supposed to be mentioned), but not with the drop bars that he and his wife Jacquie Phelan rode with drop bars in mountain bike races. She was numerous time world champion using this setup.
The worst thing about this is that Charlie Cunningham is apparently in very poor health right now.
Yhea he was the hands on genius in my eyes that made the ideas in to reality. Him and Steve Potts being pushed out and written out as much as WTB can is disgusting. Especially after all this time, at least they both get the credit they are due from those who know the real history. Not sure the guy didn't know he shouldn't mention him I reckon he knew but maybe thinks as we do.
Thanks for posting this comment Ilan, how they could not mention these facts is astounding to me. GCN just lost me, pathetic.
They talk about heritage and don't even mention guys like Gary Fisher, Joe Breeze and Tom Ritchie. Gary and I were riding on dirt and gravel back in the 60s on our road bikes, when we were in the Belmont Bicycle Club. Never thought "gravel" could be an entirely new kind of riding.
although this has no reference for me watching Jeremy geek out more than SI was a joy to watch 😂👏🏼👏🏼 probably should have mentioned amazing food in mill valley area 🤙🏼😂
Always looking forward to watching videos with Jeremy
as kids in Georgia, we rode bikes off-road almost exclusively. it didn't have a name, but if you ask any 50+ year old if the rode on trails the answer would be yes.
Great vid
My Dahon folding bike ,.. has for a long time a WTB saddle
Loving the US content. Keep it up mates!
When if Fairfax don’t miss the Marin Museum of Bicycling with the mountain bike history inside. Its awesome.
ttiwehde I'm SHOCKED it wasn't mentioned. Perhaps on purpose...
Awesome vid!
Another great JPOW vid 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
13:20 i love this bike
Split Rock Tap and Wheel ❤
Living in Blythedale Avenue must be a bit of a nightmare in the autumn.
Really enjoyed this. Any chance you could post the route on kamoot?
GCN has done a disservice to the cycling scene of that era by putting them in a click-bait 'gravel' box. The idea that they were just riding gravel is absurd. It was/is more than that. Equally absurd is the idea that repack was the start of riding bikes on gravel. Bikes were riding gravel roads since before the turn of the century. And never stopped. You have to live in a pretty insular world to ever convince yourself gravel riding started somewhere in Western America.
Yhea it's an odd claim when the very first bikes, before they were even really what we now think of as a bike, were pretty much only used on gravel roads as all roads were gravel back then. Especially the smaller non main roads that would have been used when outside of a town or city. They maybe created the Downhill mtb scene and the start of the trying to build a bike specifically to ride in such situations but even that is highly debated as people in Australia and elsewhere were doing similar things at the near exact same time and as to who was first its far from clear or known. What they did definitely do was create a image and scene that morphed in to today's Mtb scene as it was definitely them that publicised and promoted what they were doing and started the ball rolling.
Yes I found it odd too when they claimed gravel riding started in Western America, bicycles have been around many years before that and people have been riding them on gravel most of the time, because most roads were gravel back then
I think the claim is more that Repack is home to WTB folks who improved and innovated upon bikes that weren’t initially designed for off-road use. Knobby tires and beefier components grew out of that early scene which owes today’s gravel riding to that legacy. The argument that mountain biking predates the Norcal/Marin area scene because bicycles were initially off-road due to lack of paved roads is like saying the modern tire doesn’t owe the likes of Michelin and those innovators when the actual wheel was created by the Egyptians to move heavy boulders to create their pyramids.
@@jp93309 you make many fair points! Especially re: the folks innovating bike tech on repack. What started there is it's own unique story separate from the recent gravel trend. I was part of a vibrant gravel scene in the mid- to late- 80's. Friction shifting 10 speeds with 1.25" tires. But ancient Schwinn Racers were also a popular choice. That scene existed before I came around and was still there when I moved on. Most coastal folks in the US can't comprehend how gravel connects everything throughout most of the midwest. It ain't just fire roads. And it's been around for 100 years at least.
When people talk about "gravel", they're not talking about riding bicycles on dirt roads. They're talking about a new kind of riding/racing that did in fact start in the US in the early 2000s. So, when you say people were riding bicycles on dirt roads before the turn of the century, you're not saying anything. Your claim "they never stopped" riding on dirt roads is patently false. Road racing left dirt roads long ago. If the ubiquity of 23c tires in road racing just a decade ago isn't enough to convince you, consider that two decades ago, whenever the Giro included a dirt road section, everyone pitched a bitch about it.
Amateur road racers in the US took racing back on to the dirt roads in the early 2000s, in mass start events, aimed primarily at having fun pretending to be Belgian classics riders on rough dirt roads. No categories. No prizes. No licenses. No pros, really, for a long time. And lots of beer afterwards. That's gravel. And it is in fact new, even if riding bicycles on dirt roads is not.
Everything is in California!
Hi GCN I was just wandering if you had any recommendations of cameras for bikes for longer rides. Thanks!
There has always been "gravel riding". The OG's of gravel RACING are in Kansas, Nebraska and the midwest. Everybody has always ridden on gravel. The 'new thing' is the racing part of it
more of that DISC BRAKE ON WTB PHOENIX PLEASE
this guy is far and away the BEST presenter on this channel.
Super 👍