We recently rode the gravel roads of Mudgee, including the Dirty Mudgee course on Orbea Terras.
We put the Orbea Terra gravel bikes through their paces on the gravel roads of Mudgee and found them comfortable, stable and responsive on both smooth and rocky gravel.
I rode the Terra M20iTeam while my partner tested the Terra M30Team . Neither of us had ridden much on gravel before, save for the occasional gravel driveway on our road bikes, but after a few days, we were hooked.
One of the things that struck us about gravel riding is the quietness of the country roads. Very little traffic passed us in either direction over the four days as we explored the back roads of Mudgee (see destination article). We are both used to riding in Sydney’s busy inner west, so it was a nice break from the hustle and bustle, which we swapped for views of sweeping vistas, farm animals, vineyards, and a huge mob of kangaroos.
There is something very comforting about looking down on a chunky tyre with lots of grippy material when you’re about to launch yourself onto a gravel road. The tyres I was gazing at were a generous 38mm wide, a full 10mm wider than my road bike tyres, and they make a huge difference for a comfortable and safe ride on unsealed roads. Both the Terra models we rode can be fitted with up to 45mm tyres or 650b x 50 treads (mountain bike tyres) for extra durability and […]
Continue reading the original article at: bicyclingaustralia.com.au