Trek Crossrip 3
More gravel – Spring 2016 I finally got my dream getaway cabin in Colorado, and I sent my old trusty Giant TCR road bike there but I needed a gravel bike to keep there too. I love the Diamondback Haanjo Trail I have in NJ but the cost of shipping a bike back and forth makes it sensible to just keep a couple of bikes in Colorado. So I shopped around in the metro Denver area. There is probably no better place on earth to shop for a bike. Not only are there the usual chain stores like REI and Performance, but there are a zillion LBS’s and some of them stock lots and lots of bikes. In CO gravel bikes haven’t caught on as much as in other places. mountain bikes and road bikes rule, and fat bikes are popular in the winter. But asking for cross bikes got me a bunch of options. After looking at a wide variety of bikes in a half dozen shops I settled on a Trek Crossrip 3. It has an aluminum frame and carbon fork with a relaxed geometry so it can be more comfortable than a CX bike. Shimano 105 drivetrain including the crankset and Shimano hydraulic disc brakes. The gearing is better than the Haanjo, wider range with a much lower bottom gear – something I knew was important. The staff at Wheatridge Cyclery where I bought it was superb.
I have taken it out for two rides and the last one was a 7.5 mile climb from Pine Colorado through Elk Creek Canyon to the intersection of US285 and then back down 7.5 miles on the same road. It was the perfect mix of pavement, broken pavement, and gravel. The gravel included some ripply corduroy and the bike handled it well. If you find yourself in Jefferson County Colorado, just SW of Denver, this is a great short ride. You could do the climb on a road bike with narrow tires, but the descent would be terrifying on skinny tires. It could be combined with some other roads, but I suggest avoiding riding on US285 where you reach it because the road has no shoulder between the Richmond Hill exit west to Bailey.
Elk Creek Canyon is a quiet winding road which climbs out of the tiny town of Pine through a dramatic rocky narrow canyon and becomes pretty steep but is paved. Then the road crosses Elk Creek and gets very steep for a short pitch. But the pain of that climb is softened by your arrival in the tiny funky community of Sphinx Park and the Bucksnort Saloon. The Bucksnort is legendary and worth a stop, probably better on a descent than the ascent. The road isn’t steep after Sphinx Park. The narrow rocky canyon begins to open up and you will ride through some beautiful meadows, aspen groves and more narrow canyon. Colorado riding doesn’t get a lot more beautiful and remote feeling than Elk Creek Canyon.
