New Gravel Bike Day

In the last few weeks I discovered the fascination of gravel bikes - versatile, exciting and adventurous! In addition to photography, accompanies me cycling for years as a balance to everyday stress. But recently I discovered a new passion: gravel biking. I recently discovered that I can spend my free weekends cycling in very different terrains. After my first few attempts at riding my daily city bike, I quickly realized that there was room for improvement. After a short research on this newfangled thing called the Internet, the conclusion was: a gravel bike was needed. I had never heard the term before.

Gravel bikes have been specially developed for different surfaces and combine the best features of racing bikes, mountain bikes and cyclocross bikes. No matter whether asphalt, gravel paths, forest paths or easy terrain - with a gravel bike you can ride almost anywhere and experience exciting adventures. Even as a beginner on loose or soft surfaces, I quickly realized how much fun gravel riding was. On gravel or solid forest floor, I easily reached speeds of over 20 km/h. Thanks to the stable frame geometry and the slightly wider tires compared to racing bikes, the gravel bike offers a high level of safety and pleasant suspension comfort.

My new companion is the Orbea Terra H40.

Orbea is a renowned bicycle brand originally from the Basque Country in Spain. The company was founded in 1840 and has had a long history in the bicycle industry ever since. Orbea is known for combining high-quality craftsmanship, innovative design and cutting-edge technology. The Terra models are Orbea gravel bikes designed for adventure rides on a wide variety of terrain. The H40 is the cheapest equipment line from the Terra.

And I'm totally grateful that there are so many good bike shops in my neighborhood Suicycle Store The other shops were happy to give me bikes from the higher price range for test rides. At Suicycle, I got a friendly "if I look at the tires on your current bike and at you, you don't need a carbon frame." Absolutely right: since Corona, I've had 5 to 10 kg too much belly fat, so the last gram on the bike doesn't matter. And as a returnee for longer tours, I don't notice the convenience of wireless gearshifts either.

The Orbea Terra H40 shines with an aluminum frame and carbon fork - a great compromise in terms of driving pleasure, weight and suspension. The Shimano GRX RX400 crank, cassette and disc brake equipment is completely sufficient for my purposes. Given my shapeless body geometry (94 stride length and a good two meter wingspan in my arms), it was much more important to have a frame that suits me. And the Orbea frame in mango gloss is a real eye-catcher. I was asked about the beautiful bike when I stopped at traffic lights.

Moving gravel bike

During one of my first laps on the gravel bike through the northern Südheide (yes, that's really what it's called) I got a wide variety of surfaces under my tires. Exactly why I enjoy gravel riding so much. Hopefully you can understand this in the little clip I created for you. In 36km I saw very few cars and a few people. Exactly the right thing for me.

Conclusion: the Orbea Terra is a great companion. Buying a gravel bike was exactly the right decision for me. I really enjoy driving away from asphalt roads and annoyed drivers. What are your favorite routes?