There are plenty of bikes that fit neatly into categories and do so to great success, but once in a while a bike comes along that defies categories and does so in such a spectacular and singular manner that it can make a person re-evaluate the categories altogether. I started chasing the idea of the perfect gravel bike back in 2014, believing any bike worth riding needed to work across different lifestyles and all terrain types. Over the next 10 years, as I tossed aside gravel bike after gravel bike, Brian Szykowny of Hudski Bikes was synthesizing his own bike journey into a singular manifestation: the Dualist.
The Dualist is non-dual: it is neither mountain nor gravel, and yet, when measured in either category it performs at a higher level than its spec sheet would suggest. Between the geo and the tubeset, the frame feels phenomenal, achieving a ride quality that is surreally good whether on long road rides, backcountry expeditions, local trails, or campground cruising. Out of the box it is something of the perfect hybrid of an XC and Gravel bike, with an emphasis on performance-cost ratios.
What’s truly remarkable is the way that a ride can take you between different surface types and terrain gradients and the Dualist doesn’t just adapt, it disappears. Every other bike I have ridden has forced me to make adjustments in my mind and in my riding style, but only the Dualist has allowed me to just ride as hard, as silly, as fast, or as loose as I want. Categories are necessary shorthand for relating to the world, but the Dualist finds its way into and through practically all of them.
I am curious if y'all are on rigid MTBs or more capable gravel bikes like Hudskis or Stooges or the other rad bikes out there. Where is the line between mountain and gravel for your riding?
I do really like bikes in this vein. This year I spent some time with my (now sold) Knolly hardtail with a custom steel rigid fork to correct for the long travel fork. It was super fun on rough gravel and mellow trails, and unlike my other mountain bike I didn’t want to kill myself on long paved connectors. Ultimately not the best platform for this experiment and I’m building up a more XC-oriented hardtail to take its place but I may still swap on the rigid fork for bikepacking and gravel rides just because.
I think my biggest issue is that with decent brakes and geo you can ride a bike like this pretty hard on smooth trails but the geo writes checks the bike and body can’t always cash. It was pretty fun on smooth flow trails and green-blue jump lines though! Like a big slack dirt jumper.
I have a Marin DSX, although it still has gravel rather than MTB tyres. It's a great bike (although current build kits aren't so great) but miserable on anything other than smooth surfaces.
I’ve been pretty curious about this bike. I have a real dislike of drop bars, ergonomically at least, but really like gravel/adventure rides where you do some of everything. Bikes are better and more capable than ever, to the point i find they make riding boring at times. Incredible to look at my $8000 trail bike and decide my beater fixed gear will be more fun. Spending too much time driving to trails, just riding trails, takes the fun out of bike riding for me. Having bikes that encourage just riding out the door and going over everything helps hit the reset button to just enjoy riding a bike.
Riding a Surly Krampus, Soma fixed gear, and a SC chameleon (either single or fixed) for these adventure rides. Fixed gear trail rides are a whole nother level. Highly recommend.
Put the rigid fork back on my Cotic Solaris Max this weekend. Have a nice mixed ride coming up in a few weeks.
I always tear or puncture XC weight tires, I'm tired of replacing them every time I want to go gravelling. Can anyone recommend some fast rolling rubber in the 2.3 range that will survive some light singletrack? I've got Spec renegades in there now, but had to put a toob in the rear, then flatted the tube yesterday . . . .
Ohhhhh, yes! Mine is a Kona Unit that has accepted all the various superseded parts off enduro bikes gone past, with the exception of Schwalbe g-one speed tires. 2.0” with micro texture tread, they actually do a damn good job on everything that isn’t real loose or wet.
Bumping around on the fully rigid makes the Bronson such a delight.
I lovingly call the Kona my road bike, and it brings me such joy to pass roadies on a climb (and then be slayed on the pavement descent.)
I agree that the hardest part is adjusting the mindset to match the bike’s capabilities. The basket helps remind me what bike I’m on, and I usually wear sandals on this bike.
Fixed gravel was what got me onto dirt!
I have to ride a lot “lighter” and make sure to take better lines on lighter tires. It is difficult though to find that sweet spot of fast and durable. My trade off is that I need these types of bikes to have fast frickin tires so it mean I have to respect the casing a bit more.
Try a Rekon?
https://www.paulcomp.com/shop/components/hubs/rear-hubs/fixed-boost-disk-word/
Fixed gear dirt riding got a lot safer once I got a rear brake. My dream is an owning a Starling Beady Little Eye that I can try riding as a fixie.
Being able to ride a diversity of bikes is an underappreciated skill. At the risk of telling people what to do, I think everyone should be able to, at a minimum, ride a hardtail. The number of riders who can’t ride a hardtail is flabbergasting. And as you pointed out, you just adapt your mindset for each bike and each ride.
Mixing it up this way makes me enjoy bikes a whole lot more than just riding trails. Trails might be part of the ride, but they’re part of a journey and not a destination.
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