I have the Terra seatpost and it works great
Gravel cycling is far harder on the body than road cycling. Your body really takes a beating getting rattled around. For me beyond getting my bike fit dialed in, cushy 47mm tires, I’ve need to do more stretching and strength training to make some of the big rides more comfortable.
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Just don’t do the 100 mile option!
I learned a long time ago that I just don’t really enjoy 6 or 8 hours in the saddle. As a result I’ve only done two centuries in 40 years of road riding. I’d much rather do a fast 2-3 hour ride.
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So her is a key question for @jmzb ….and arguably THE key question - out side of the discomfort on the bike, did you enjoy the overall experience? When training and hitting the gravel for shorter periods, did you like it?
Because if the answer is “no, not really” than I think that tells you what you need to know. Now, it could also be that the discomfort was such an overriding concern that it is impossible to answer the question, which would be understandable.
But just to reiterate the above, if it is something you want to continue doing, I would start with your fit because buying things like stems, seatposts and saddles. If your fit is wrong, you are just putting bandaids on the problem.
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Just do a 3 hour century.
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Here are my opinions on it… (yes, I enjoy gravel, but haven’t done any of these big races that are popular. I have been out for many long 4-5hr mostly gravel rides before).
Lots of people have tire pressure WAY too high. 38mm tires should be run at 30max (yes below the manufacture suggested psi). The whole point of larger tubeless tires is to dampen the feeling of the ground.
Picking lines is super important. You can’t just go straight over everything. You need to be constantly avoiding rocks and bumps, etc, to the best of your ability. Bad lines can make for a miserable ride.
Lastly, yes riding a gravel bike on mostly gravel roads probably does suck, especially if you have too high of psi in your tires and not taking good lines. Even with that stuff dialed in, it’s a serious trek, even if you’re fit and fast. As with most cycling activities, you kinda need to have a few screws loose to really enjoy
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Agree. I think this is my last year of century+ gravel races. It’s much more fun to be done in <4 hours and just be able to chill longer post race. And training wise, 2-3 hour rides are more enjoyable than having to build up a ton for big races.
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Some small differences in setup can totally change the riding experience. Last year I swapped out my bar tape on my Diverge. I really hated how the bars felt overall, and just out of routine maintenance I put on some new bar tape and it pretty much solved my hatred for the bars and made my ride experience way better. Just sayin’ that little changes can improve the experience.
As others have noted - all of your complaints sound like they point back to needing a proper bike fit. After that, having gravel specific stems/post tires/tire pressure will definitely help a lot, along with figuring out that you will constantly have to be off the saddle, or at least semi-off the saddle over certain terrain while coasting or pedalling or you’ll just beat yourself up.
This is the key question. Are you into it?
My gravel habit goes all they way back to when I was a kid and I’d haul around with my cousins on their farm. I was a proud Huffy owner back then.
More recently, It was making a decent at 37mph down the one, skinny little strip of hard pack car track on a newly graded road that cemented the fact that I love this stuff. I was either going to seriously maim myself, or I was going to enjoy one heck of a roller coaster ride.
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All of the above, plus look at time not distance. I ride road, gravel and MTB. Three hours of endurance riding on road in my hilly area is usually around 45 miles. 3 hours gravel is closer to 36 miles, 3 hours MTB closer to 26 miles. 100 miles of gravel is a tall order!
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There is no shame in being a full time roadie. All that time you spend washing mud and dust off your gravel bike you could be spending waxing your chain and legs and drinking craft beer (but just one - gotta be able to climb!). Join us - we have cookies.
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Hey now…there is WAY more craft beer consumed at gravel events than road events. Just sayin’…
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pssh doing a race IN a brewery tomorrow…
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That’s cool and all… but what beer are you “fueling the ride” with? 
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Ride on the road. We’ll take you back and forget this whole phase 
.
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im with ya. what the hell is the point? its just bumpier road riding and if the terrain is really rough im on the wrong bike anyway!
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Common “benefits”, but varies widely with location and rider preference:
- Less car/truck traffic
- Better scenery
- Potential skills use akin to MTB (surface condition, steeper climbs, etc.)
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Cheetah Speed seems like the logical choice of course
I’ve only had a few beers this year, not drinking at home*, so likely will not actually have a beer until I’m knocked out.
*unless we have guests
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To add to that, I lucked out and lived right off an access point to the C&O canal until recently and it was FANTASTIC for getting outside workouts in. Nearly flat, at the right time empty, virtually no road crossings (boat ramp access every so often). It really improved my training being able to actually get outside and remove nearly all the issues of riding on the road.
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