On gravel, ride in the wheel tracks, slow down long before the corner rather than in it, use more rear brake than front, and keep your eyes far down the road. The wheel tracks matter more than most riders expect: passing traffic compacts them into a firmer surface while pushing the loose material into a ridge along the crown and out to the edges. Riding the crown or the edge means riding the deepest, least predictable material on the road, which is exactly where front wheels wash out.
The rest follows from one idea. Gravel has grip, often a surprising amount of it, but it has far less tolerance for sudden inputs than tarmac does. Smooth is not a style preference here; it is the technique.
This article is knowledge, not instruction. Unsealed road riding should be learned with a qualified instructor in a controlled environment before it is attempted at distance on unfamiliar roads.
Reading the surface before you commit
Gravel roads are not one surface. Freshly graded gravel is deep and loose everywhere, with no compacted tracks yet, and it is the hardest condition of all. A road that has settled for weeks has firm wheel tracks with loose berms between and beside them. After heavy rain, a gravel road can be firmer than usual where the fines have bound together, and treacherous where water has cut channels and washed the fines out entirely, leaving nothing but rounded stones.
Corners tell you the most. Look at the outside of bends for a build-up of material pushed there by vehicles, look for the tell-tale scalloped washboard on the approach to junctions and descents, and look at where the existing tyre tracks actually run rather than assuming they follow the geometric line.
The New Zealand ACC-funded Ride Forever programme's guidance on different road conditions gives a compact list for gravel: ride where there are wheel tracks because they offer a firmer surface, avoid braking when banked over and slow early for corners, keep a generous following distance to avoid flying stones and dust, use more modest lean angles, use the rear brake more than the front in deep gravel, ride in a lower gear with weight moved rearward, stand on the footrests in deep material to reduce weight on the front, and as a last resort ride at walking pace or less with both feet down.
The technique, item by item
- Set entry speed on the straight. All the braking happens before the corner, upright and in line with the wheel tracks. RoSPA's cornering guidance makes the same point for sealed roads: adjust speed before entering the bend and avoid braking heavily while cornering. On gravel it is not advice, it is a requirement.
- Use a lower gear than instinct suggests. A lower gear gives smoother drive at low road speed and lets you adjust with the throttle rather than the clutch. It also keeps the engine away from the point where a downshift locks the rear.
- Weight back, and stand when it gets rough. Reducing front-end load lets the front wheel skim across loose material instead of ploughing into it. The position is covered in the guide to the standing riding position.
- Light hands. Let the front wheel move. A front tyre in gravel deflects constantly; gripping the bars to stop that transmits every deflection into a steering input.
- Rear brake first, front brake gently. A rear wheel that steps out is controllable. A front that washes out is not. Front brake in small increments only, and never while turning.
- Modest lean angles, wider lines. Trade lean angle for a wider, slower line. On a road with no oncoming traffic in sight, using the full width is legitimate; on a blind bend it is not.
- Keep your eyes far ahead. Ride Forever's advice not to become fixated by the hazard is exactly right. Look at the line you intend to follow, not at the rut you are trying to avoid.
- Leave large gaps. Dust obscures the surface completely and stones thrown by vehicles ahead crack visors and dent tanks.
Specific hazards and what each demands
| Hazard | Where it appears | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Loose berm on the crown or edges | Between and outside the wheel tracks | Cross it upright, straight and at a shallow angle, no braking |
| Washboard corrugations | Approaches to junctions, crests and descents | Stand, relax your grip, avoid braking on them; a slightly higher speed often rides better than a slower one |
| Freshly graded surface | After maintenance, often unsigned | Slow substantially, wheel tracks may not yet exist, expect the front to wander |
| Rain ruts and washouts | Downhill sections after storms | Cross at an angle or stop and walk the line; do not ride along a rut |
| Cattle grids and culvert crossings | Rural boundaries and drainage lines | Straight and upright, neutral throttle, no braking on the metal |
| Blind crests | Rolling gravel roads everywhere | Assume an oncoming vehicle in your tracks; move left and slow before the crest |
| Oncoming traffic and dust | Any two-way unsealed road | Slow, move to your own side, wait for dust to clear rather than riding blind |
Cattle grids and bridge decks deserve a note. Ride Forever also warns that after passing over new chipseal you should check that stones covered in bitumen have not jammed your brakes, gear change linkage or final drive. The same principle applies to mud and gravel packed around a caliper or a chain after a wet gravel section.
Preparing the bike, and yourself
Tyre pressure is the biggest single variable. Lower pressures increase the contact patch and let the tyre conform to the surface, which improves grip in loose material considerably. It also increases the risk of pinch punctures on sharp rock and changes handling on tarmac, so pressures dropped for a gravel section need putting back before you rejoin sealed roads. Work within the manufacturer's stated range from your own owner's manual, set pressures cold using the method in the tyre pressure guide, and consider a tyre pressure monitoring sensor so that the change back is not something you can forget.
Tyre choice matters more than pressure on long gravel routes. A road-biased tyre with shallow tread will work on hard-packed gravel and will feel alarming in anything deeper, and its wear pattern will tell you afterwards what it thought of the experience; the guide to reading tyre wear covers how to interpret that.
Also worth setting up in advance: rear brake pedal height that works standing, levers angled so you can reach them without dropping your elbows, and a chain adjusted and lubricated to specification, since gravel dust is abrasive and a dry chain deteriorates quickly on unsealed roads. Chain tension and lubrication figures are model-specific and belong in your owner's manual and official service manual; anything involving brake hydraulics or suspension internal settings belongs with a qualified technician. A quick pre-ride check before a gravel day should include wheel and spoke condition, since loose spokes announce themselves badly on corrugations.
Finally, plan for isolation. Gravel roads are frequently where mobile coverage disappears. Loading offline maps in advance, as covered in the notes on GPS navigation setup, matters more here than on any motorway.
Frequently asked questions
Should I ride in the wheel tracks or the centre of a gravel road?
The wheel tracks, because traffic has compacted them into the firmest available surface while pushing loose material into the crown and edges. Move out of them only to give room to oncoming traffic, and cross the loose berm upright and at a shallow angle.
Is it better to go faster or slower on washboard corrugations?
Within reason, a slightly higher speed lets the wheels skip across the tops rather than dropping into each trough, which is more comfortable and often more stable. That does not extend to carrying speed into corners or blind crests, where the corrugations are usually worst.
How much should I drop my tyre pressures for gravel?
Enough to soften the ride and improve compliance, staying within the range your manufacturer specifies. Going lower increases pinch puncture risk on sharp rock and can unseat a tyre in hard cornering. Whatever you drop them to, restore road pressures before returning to sealed roads.
What do I do if the front wheel starts to slide?
Do not grab the front brake and do not close the throttle sharply. Keep your eyes up and looking where you want to go, relax your grip on the bars, hold a neutral or very slightly open throttle and let the wheel find grip. Most small front slides on gravel self-correct if the rider does not react violently.
Can I ride gravel roads on a road-biased tyre?
On hard-packed, well-maintained gravel, yes, with reduced speed and lean angles. In fresh or deep material a road tyre offers very little and the front will push. If unsealed roads are a regular part of your riding, tyre choice does more for you than any technique adjustment.
