TheGravelRiders
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Interested in Snoqualmie area rides?
Winter is here for the moment so lowland rides are the only ride now. Check out these local rides >
Get your gravel riding swag here
Swag for the gravel rider – hats, patches, stickers, bar-end plugs, head caps, pens, wow, just so many good things, get them here
You bored, bro?
We have videos and imagery galore
Gravel riding, northwest style
There sure is a lot of hype and effort being put into gravel bikes these days. Gravel is only sometimes gravel, it’s usually more a mix of hardpack dirt, mud and gravel so it’s really just offroad. Understand that it’s about adventure riding and getting away from traffic and the human bullshit back in the world. The crunching becomes a soothing background noise.
Being a gravel rider is a state of mind really, the moment you turn up that good road or trail, you leave the manmade world of concrete behind and everything else goes with it. Full-time gravel riders are a different breed, they are gracefully tough, resourceful, they roll dirty, they prefer solo and appreciate getting the shit scared out of them by animals once in a while They just have to see what’s around the next corner, what’s over the top of this 3 hour climb…
Being a gravel rider means having a different style sense than roadies, less about fashion and a whole lot about function. Any bike that can ride on back roads without getting you stranded every time out is going to work. In reality, dropbar gravel bikes, cyclocross bikes, hardtail mountain bikes are ideal but it’s all good. Just bring the goods to make sure you get home. It’s pretty easy to go hog-wild and create a gravel machine, but you sure don’t have to.
Spring Gran Fondos will be here soon
As the new year is approaching, that only means 1 thing – Gran Fondo season is about to start. The end of March is a perfect date to put on the calendar so those dark and wet miles seem worth it.
Around these parts, the Vicious Cycle gran fondos are hugely popular and not for the untrained.
Last year Jake and company were able to put on a Soap Lake event to replace Winthrop, so Ephrata, Goldendale, Leavenworth and Ellensburg all rocked.
Here are some gravel event calendars:
How I turned lemons into a badass magnesium gravel bike
How to build a badass gravel bike in a gravel bike-part apocalypseI had been...
Welcome to Washington’s Cascades & Foothills
That’s where this story takes place only because it’s where we live and ride. We’re interested in expansion, if you are as well, ping us.
Our gravel riding stacks up against any in the world, we have old rail lines that run through the deepest forests and through the most barren deserts and everything in between. We have gravel climbs into the mountains that will make you run home cryin’ to your mama.
If you live here, then you probably already know what’s up but if you are from elsewhere and gravel-curious, take a little trip with us.
Check out some rides >>
While you're here
Local groups
Evergreen MTB Alliance
NW Gravel Riders (Facebook Group)
Local Bike Shops
NW Bikes
Gerk’s
Ride Bikes
Bicycle Center of Issaquah
REI
Washington Gran Fondos
The crew from Vicious Cycle puts on an extremely popular gravel gran fondo series beginning with stops in Ephrata in late March. Stay tuned here for a signup announcement.
Local cycling friends / businesses
Campbell Global passes, Vicious Cycle,
Evergreen MTB, Compass Outdoor Adventures
Hotels
Salish Lodge (Snoqualmie)
Hotel America (Snoqualmie)
Hilton Garden Inn (Issaquah)
Nelson Tree Farm (Fall City)
Summit Inn (Snoqualmie Pass)
Supermarkets
Issaquah: 2 Safeway, QFC, Trader Joe’s, Costco
Snoqualmie: Safeway
Fall City: Farmhouse Market
North Bend: Safeway, QFC
Local restaurants
Beer
Snoqualmie Brewery, Dru Bru, Volition, No Boat
Coffee
Bindlestick, Huxdotter Coffee,Pioneer Coffee, Trail Youth Cafe
North Bend
Iron Duck, North Bend Bar&Grill, Rio Bravo, Il Paesano,Trapper’s Sushi
Snoqualmie
Ahaar Indian, Thai Eatery, Caadxi Mexican, Ridge Cupbop Ramen, Gianfranco, Mount Si Golf Course, The Attic, Snoqualmie Falls Brewery
Issaquah
Sunset Alehouse, Chinoise, Masa, Dough Zone, RAM, Coho Cafe
Fall City
Raging River Cafe, Last Frontier Saloon
Carnation
Ellensburg
Ellensburg Pasta Company, Fidelina’s Taqueria
Cle Elum
MaMa Vallone’s, Mule & Elk Brewing, Portals Restaurant at Suncadia
Roslyn
Roslyn Mexican Grill, The Brick,
Snoqualmie Pass
What level effort are we looking for today?
Easy = flat, as fast as you want
Medium = some climbing and distance
Hard = always involves much climbing and/or hike-a-bike. Some crying involved.
We are blessed by having 2 different converted railtrails, the SVT (SnoValley Trail) is 31 miles of gravel on flat or a gentle grade from Duvall to Rattlesnake Lake outside of North Bend, and here it connects with the Palouse to Cascades Trail, also known as the John Wayne Trail and The Iron Horse Trail. This goes across Washington to Idaho, about 300 miles of gravel. That's just 2 trails.
These are the bread and butter rides, from 20 miles to 45 miles and up to maybe about 3000 feet of vert. You don't have to climb, but of course you have to climb. duh.
Oh boy, here we go. There are some hills right out our doors and you can easily attain top of the world views. It just takes 3 hours and a beelion feet of steep gravel. How about radio towers? They don't put those at the bottom of hills. We bag those too.
Come ride with us
What:
Gravel, gravel riding, offroad riding, adventure seeking. mostly dropbar but not always
When:
Year-round, our gravel ranges from sea-level to more than 5,000 feet so there is almost always some snow-free gravel to ride. Or just take your fat bike.
Where
The lower rail-trails if there's snow, in the summer it's wide open - it's often about peak bagging and tower bagging.
it's just better here
How
Check out some of the stuff on this site, you should be able to glean enough expertly and creatively written directions here.
Who
You, if you want a better life
Why
Because people