Gleneagles Gravel (bandwagon?)

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stevenshand
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Gleneagles Gravel (bandwagon?)

Post by stevenshand »

https://www.shandcycles.com/shand-partn ... vel-bikes/

If ever there was a partnership between two brands that totally misses the mark, surely this has to be up there? Gravel. Adventure. Luxury?

(full disclaimer : this has nothing/nada/zero/zilch to do with me. I have no ties with Shand at all anymore)
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: Gleneagles Gravel (bandwagon?)

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

I'm almost surprised that there's any room left on the bandwagon - as you can see from the photograph I snapped earlier of the bandwagon making its way through Llanidloes.

However, as much as it makes absolutely no sense to me, I can see that for some riders the idea of combining luxury and gravel / bikepacking / adventure would make sense. There's a lot of money out there and a lot of people who love the idea but would like the edges sanding smooth.

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pistonbroke
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Re: Gleneagles Gravel (bandwagon?)

Post by pistonbroke »

Bloody hell, Llani's changed a bit since I was last there, must be global warming. The desert of mid wales is clearly now a thing.
ScotRoutes
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Re: Gleneagles Gravel (bandwagon?)

Post by ScotRoutes »

I'm actually more interested in what/where these "modified" trails are.
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atk
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Re: Gleneagles Gravel (bandwagon?)

Post by atk »

What mark does it miss?

Fancy hotel offers nicer-than-usual hire bikes and has had local rider involved in planning routes for pleasant car-free riding experience. If I ended up in a hotel like that, I probably wouldn't say no to that. It's a little like Curve's fastpacking weekends in Aus, they take care of the route, accommodation etc. you just turn up with your bike and ride. With this you don't even need to turn up on a bike. If it gets more bums on saddles it doesn't seem like a bad thing.
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fatbikephil
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Re: Gleneagles Gravel (bandwagon?)

Post by fatbikephil »

ScotRoutes wrote: Mon Jul 12, 2021 3:34 pm I'm actually more interested in what/where these "modified" trails are.
Don't worry folks, I'll be sussing them out pretty quickly, once they are built. I suspect it will be a lap of the golf course or something.
woodsmith
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Re: Gleneagles Gravel (bandwagon?)

Post by woodsmith »

Let's hope they're flogging the bikes off cheap at the end of the season.
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TheBrownDog
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Re: Gleneagles Gravel (bandwagon?)

Post by TheBrownDog »

atk wrote: Mon Jul 12, 2021 3:56 pm What mark does it miss?
I so get that, having done a few trips on t'continent with La Fuga https://lafuga.cc/tours/ in the days when I could afford it. Just brilliant. Some of the best days I've had on bikes. Tell ya what ... a 4/5 star hotel for your B&B in Italy or France. Wonderful food. Nice wines. A guide for your warm up rides. Mechanics to service the thing the day before and replace the worn rear tyre before you descend Mt Ventoux the next day. Someone to pick you up when your worn front tyre blows a big one at the water fountain near the bottom ............... it aint bikepacking but I get it, I got it and I won't diss anyone who likes the idea.

That's not me no more but I won't be a judgey curmudgeon if someone makes that choice now.
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stevenshand
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Re: Gleneagles Gravel (bandwagon?)

Post by stevenshand »

atk wrote: Mon Jul 12, 2021 3:56 pm What mark does it miss?

Fancy hotel offers nicer-than-usual hire bikes and has had local rider involved in planning routes for pleasant car-free riding experience. If I ended up in a hotel like that, I probably wouldn't say no to that. It's a little like Curve's fastpacking weekends in Aus, they take care of the route, accommodation etc. you just turn up with your bike and ride. With this you don't even need to turn up on a bike. If it gets more bums on saddles it doesn't seem like a bad thing.
Hands up, I think my gut reaction was wrong. I was thinking about the association with a brand like Gleneagles and what that would look like to an enthusiast. I've taken it too personally I think, with Shand originally I was passionate about riders pushing boundaries (actual and personal), I'd hoped to maintain a level of authenticity, we'd been building 'gravel' (or off-road tourers as I called them) bikes since 2004 and I was terrified of being accused of jumping on the bandwagon or cashing in on current trends.

It's a different hing now I suppose and if you're going after an audience who are more likely to stay at Gleneagles than sleep in a ditch, I can see how this tie-in might work.
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stevenshand
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Re: Gleneagles Gravel (bandwagon?)

Post by stevenshand »

htrider wrote: Mon Jul 12, 2021 6:06 pm
ScotRoutes wrote: Mon Jul 12, 2021 3:34 pm I'm actually more interested in what/where these "modified" trails are.
Don't worry folks, I'll be sussing them out pretty quickly, once they are built. I suspect it will be a lap of the golf course or something.
I'm pretty sure they're done already. I think most are the estate roads and linking up to other stuff.
boxelder
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Re: Gleneagles Gravel (bandwagon?)

Post by boxelder »

A hotel buying a (small) fleet of quality bikes, with a lot of the building done locally, has to be better than a clusterfeck of cheap Taiwanese bike-shaped things that get replaced every couple of years?
Stu Allan is more adventurous than most on here (certainly me), so I'm sure it's a good thing - responsible (partly) for the Badger Divide is he not?. I get where you're coming from though Steven. think of it as fifth columnist subversion tactics? Orange Bahookie for Donald T.........?
woodsmith
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Re: Gleneagles Gravel (bandwagon?)

Post by woodsmith »

Anything that can potentially turn people away from the environmental disaster that is the golf can only be a good thing.
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