EXPLORING THE SOUTH LAKE DISTRICT BY GRAVEL BIKE…

 

My name’s Andrew Barlow and recently I’ve been getting into Grav! Yes, typically you can find me onboard a mountain bike, or more specifically an e-MTB, a tool which I utilise when I need to get up into the Lake District fells as quickly and efficiently as possible. As someone who’s time-pushed and working hard in retail my time out on the bike is precious and so my e-MTB gets me out to where I want to be to get the very best landscape shots I can. Besides my obvious enthusiasm for mountain biking I’m a gravel bike convert too and am increasingly finding them to be the perfect bike for a certain type of adventure. Let me explain..

Both of our chosen gravel bikes feature simple but effective 1x single-ring drivetrains.

 

My main reason for gravel riding is predominantly to stay off the beaten track as much as I can; now you could argue that this would be easier on a mountain bike, however when I’m considering multi-day bike-packing trips with large stretches of tarmac or gravel track bridging the gaps between the more remote off-road stretches a gravel bike is arguably a better choice of bike. In reality, when taking on these sort of adventure rides there’s more valleys and glens than unpredictable mountain-top terrain and when you do eventually come back to stretches of tarmac you can put the power down and cover more ground in less time.

A glorious winter’s day in the Lake District calls for a multi-terrain adventure onboard versatile gravel bikes.

 

Not far from our Wheelbase HQ in the south of Lake District we have miles upon miles of bridleway taking you in almost any direction and this is where the versatility of the gravel bike comes into play; regardless of which way we head out, my riding buddies and I can take on bridleways, singletrack, canal towpaths, dirt, mud, woodlands and just generally anything that isn’t tarmac keeping our adventure vibes going.

Only a twenty minute pedal from our Wheelbase Lake District store Kentmere Valley is the gateway to bigger off-road adventures.

 

My love of a good pedal-assist bike carriers over from the mountain bike to gravel biking so I was pretty happy to get the opportunity to ride Cannondale’s Topstone Neo SL 1 gravel bike featuring an efficient Mahle ebikemotion X35 250wh motor cleverly built into the hub of the rear wheel. It provides just the right amount of pedal-assist power I need to be able to get more distance and fun out of my limited riding time! I love the feel of the Topstone Neo SL 1 which feels like a turbo-charged go-anywhere road bike just with slacker geometry, wider tyres and a much more generous spread of gears within the drivetrain. The Topstone Neo SL 1 is spec’d with a 1x drivetrain – basically a single chainring upfront combined with a wide-ratio cassette and rear derailleur with a clutch mech that prevents the chain from unshipping on rough terrain. This setup is really well-suited to meeting the demands of riding both on and off-road; that simple drivetrain combined with the Mahle ebikemotion X35 250wh hub motor has helped me conquer even the steepest, most technical off-road terrain.

Blink and you’ll miss it, but the Topstone Neo SL 1 gravel bike is actually a neat e-bike with a rear-hub drive system.

 

A capable gravel bike deserves a gravel-specific groupset. Shimano GRX 800/600 fits the bill.

 

Yes, despite its sleek looks the Topstone Neo SL 1 is a powerful e-gravel bike.

 

Part of Cannondale’s extensive Topstone gravel bike family the Neo SL 1 gives riders some welcome assistance on long adventures.

 

Leaving the roads behind, the hills of the south Lake District start to pull us further into the wilderness.

 

I headed out on an afternoon ride with one of my gravel biking buddies onboard his Cervelo Aspero Apex 1 gravel bike; the Aspero is well-liked within the gravel community thanks to its super-slick carbon frame with aerodynamic tube profiles for ‘free speed’ when the hammer goes down. This one in particular had the most stunning paintjob which my photos don’t really do it justice; shifting from purple through to gold as you move around the bike it’s a true work of art!

The paintjob on the Cervelo Aspero Apex 1 gravel bike is simply stunning.

 

The slight dusting of snow hinted towards more difficult conditions higher up on the fells.

 

Looking across Kentmere Reservoir towards Nan Bield pass. 

 

The dusting of snow further up the Kentmere valley made our local trails look even more stunning than they normally do and as we made our up to the end of this dramatic valley we moved fast and efficiently over a good mix of tarmac and gravel before challenging ourselves on some impromptu deviations onto more technical ascents and descents. This is where a short afternoon ride can quickly turn into something more fun with our gravel bikes soon forcing us to pick cleaner lines and think a little more about how and what we were riding compared to the usual scenario of blatting through rocky terrain onboard our full suspension trail bikes.

The dusting of snow made the south Lake District landscapes even more stunning.

 

Cannondale Topstone Neo SL 1 2022

• Frame: SmartForm C2 Alloy, 135mm bolt-on, tapered headtube, flat mount disc, multiple gear/bottle mounts
• Fork: Full Carbon, 1-1/8″ to 1-1/4″ steerer, 55mm OutFront offset, flat mount disc, internal routing, 12×100 thru axle
• Drive Unit: Mahle ebikemotion X35+ 250W
• Battery: Mahle ebikemotion X35 250Wh
• Charger: Mahle ebikemotion X35
• Display: Mahle ebikemotion iWoc ONE integrated controller
• Crank: Shimano GRX 600, 40T
• Rear Cassette: Shimano SLX, 11-42, 11-speed
• Rear Derailleur: Shimano GRX 812, Shadow RD+
• Shifters: Shimano GRX 600, 1×11
• Handlebar: Cannondale 3, butted 6061 alloy, 16 deg flare drop
• Stem: Cannondale 3, 6061 Alloy, 31.8, 7°
• Handle Bar Tape: Cannondale 3, 6061 Alloy, 31.8, 7°
• Headset: Integrated, 1.5″ lower to 1-1/8″ upper, 25mm Alloy top cap
• Brakes: Shimano GRX hydraulic disc
• Brake Rotors: 160mm RT56 rotors
• Hubs: Front – Formula CRX-512, 12x100mm thru-axle, Rear – EbikeMotion X35
• Rims: Cannondale Disc, double wall, tubeless ready 32h (R) / 28h (F)
• Tyres: WTB Resolute TCS, 700 x 42c, tubeless ready
• Saddle: Fizik Aliante Delta, S-alloy rails
• Seatpost: Promax SP-2032, Alloy, 27.2

 

Cervelo Aspero Apex 1 2022

• Frame: Cervelo All-Carbon, Aspero
• Fork: Cervelo All-Carbon, Aspero
• Crank: SRAM Apex 1 40T
• Rear Cassette: SRAM PG-1130, 11 spd, 11-42
• Rear Derailleur: SRAM Apex 1
• Shifters: SRAM Apex 1 HRD, 11 spd
• Handlebar: Easton EA50 AX Alloy
• Stem: Easton EA50 Alloy
• Headset: FSA IS2 1-1/8 x 1-1/2
• Brakes: SRAM CenterLine 160mm
• Wheels: Alexrims Boondocks-7D, 28h (F), 28h (R), 24mm IW, 6-Bolt, Tubeless Ready
• Tyres: Panaracer Gravel King SK Sport Folding 700×38 60tpi
• Saddle: Cervelo Road Saddle
• Seatpost: Easton EA50 Alloy

 

Written by Andrew Barlow

Photos by Andrew Barlow

 

Have you seen our Fast Bike Friday feature? Missed some of our best bikes? You can now see all of our featured bikes in one place over on Pinterest where you’ll find links to each of our Fast Bike Friday Blogs too!

Click the link below and search our archive…