Gravel Bike In Its Natural Habitat

Gravel Bike In Its Natural Habitat

My old gravel bike — an original Cinelli Racing Rats set — had eaten its Campagnolo running gear, so I was due a new bike anyway. Then the government announced a fund to support alternative forms of transportation, effectively price support for bikes, so I dived in. I ordered this Bianchi Via Nirone 7 gravel bike in July and it didn’t arrive until mid-November, so only just in time for the subsidy cut-off date! Then what with one thing and another, this was the first time I actually got to take it out, but I am very happy with both look and feel.

The one aspect that is not 100% spot on is that the wheels feel disproportionately heavy. I’m not sure whether this is the Kenda tyres — I’ve only ever seen the brand on e-bikes, where weight is not the primary consideration — or the wheels, which are generic. Maybe I’ll look out for a discounted wheelset in the new year sales and try my go-to Schwalbe Marathons on them, and see what that does for me.

And the Cinelli? Oh, it’s still part of the family; I swapped the worn-out Campy drivetrain for a single-gear setup, put straight bars and flat pedals on it, and now it’s my hipster city runabout. I’ll get a pic of that on our next expedition.