It was fall of last year that I bought my gravel bike — but I have yet to tackle a true gravel road.

I had been pining for a gravel bike for months. As 2017 closed and 2018’s riding season arrived, I’d been reading about this emerging sector of cycling and eating up all the new possibilities.

I wanted the disc brakes, the fatter tires, the carbon forks and frames that damped the jittery surface.

I wanted it all. Needed it all.

I ogled the Internet and compared my budget to the growing list of options and finally chose a Fuji Jari 1.3 from my local shop.

It’s not the lightest bike or most anything. You’ll not find this bike listed with many superlatives.

It’s a good solid package with Shimano 105 components. It was just what I wanted to spend on a niche bike.

And man, it looked cool.

I added day-glow yellow bottle cages to compliment the graphics on the bike and rims. The gray frame is officially listed as being satin anthracite in color.

My Fuji Jari was perfect for the High Bridge Trail. It's a hard-packed gravel surface.
My Fuji Jari was perfect for the High Bridge Trail

A few rides that are almost Gravel

I researched a few local gravel routes. In the meantime, I rode the new bike on my favorite local back roads, the Blue Ridge Parkway and did some nice weekend rides on rail-trails like the New River Trail, High Bridge State Park, and the Jackson River Scenic Trail.

I changed out the saddle even though it also had awesome graphics that matched the wheels, frame, and cages.

There are a few criteria that trump looks — and having a fit where you sit is one of them!

Left: the Jari on the trail at Carvins Cove. Right: Rocks that big are not “gravel.” I found this to be tough sledding.

I took it for a ride on one of the easier mountain bike trails at Carvin’s Cove, Roanoke’s legendary off-road destination — and honestly — I didn’t like it. The gravel bike was not at home here like my full-suspension 29er.

The gravel bike just wasn’t smooth enough.

I was disappointed. But in hindsight, I think I needed to let a lot more air out of the tires. I haven’t gone tubeless yet — but when I do, I’ll try it again at around 20-25 psi and let you know.

All of this is a long way of saying I did everything but ride a true gravel road. I was either under challenging the bike on the road or smooth rail trails, or pounding it over baseball-sized rocks at the Cove.

I still hadn’t enjoyed the sweet spot for which the bike was designed- the get away from it all, get away from the cars, let’s enjoy nature, gravel road.

It wasn’t for lack of want. Other things just kept coming up.

The Jari near the restroom area in Farmville. A stop on the High Bridge rail trail -- great place to ride a gravel bike.
The Jari on the High Bridge Trail in Farmville.

It got worse.

And then I got sick.

If you read this blog or watch me on local television on WSLS 10 — that’s not a surprise.

I’ve written extensively about riding with sarcoidosis, an ailment which, along with the dreadful side effects of the meds used to treat it, has greatly curtailed my ability to ride.

In a nutshell — I spent most of 2019 not being able to go uphill. Just about any effort that pointed up resulted in me being so out of breath, I would need to dismount until I could get some air in my lungs.

The Jari in Richmond. The Capital Trail is asphalt, not gravel. We found road bikes were a better choice.
The Jari in Richmond. The Capital Trail is asphalt, not gravel. We found road bikes were a better choice.

Going smooth. Not Gnarly.

As a result, my 2019 domain has been the nice, flat Roanoke River Greenway, and a few other such trails that Mary and I turned into destinations.

For instance, we went to Richmond twice to ride the Capital Trail.

Nothing like driving three hours to avoid a few hills.

But honestly, it was that bad.

All of this is a long way of saying — I still haven’t gotten out to do a real gravel grinder!

A stop on the New River Trail. A great place to ride a gravel bike, even if it is a bit smooth!
A stop on the New River Trail. A great place to ride a gravel bike, even if it is a bit smooth!

Gravel on the horizon

2020 is right around the corner. Doctors are weaning me off the meds that have been making me nuts, and a new medicine seems to be working without side effects. I’ve been working out at the YMCA and riding outside when time and weather permit.

Strength and endurance are slowly returning.

I’ve also dropped about 10 of the 20 pounds I gained while on prednisone.

I was pleasantly surprised when I completed the 2019 VBR Gran Fondo and feel like I might be ready to get back out there and play in the hills.

As in, play in the gravel.

So now, while it’s cold and miserable outside, my browser keeps diverting to bike-packing websites and YouTube videos of rides in Iceland. I mean if you’re going to go, you might as well go big.

But honestly, I’ll be happy to find some rides right here in Virginia that get some gravel under my wheels.

Time to stop pining and start riding. I’ve got to make up for a lost year.