Preview an article in the FREE OBED publication, Spoke & Terrain. An assemblage of stories, recollections from the trail & the race, all about the gravel community. Full Article Now Available
“Noooo….”
Content creation always starts with that one word. And it is always preceded with the annoying bleating of an alarm at an ungodly hour. Because getting the glory images; first light golden hour shots, doesn’t happen with a 9:30 a.m leisurely wake-up call from the front desk. This time, it was 4:30 a.m. An early start to say the least. Our crew was assembling in drips and drabs, focused on the pot of Stumptown coffee brewing in the kitchen.
We found that rural Polk County, Tennessee would be ideal terrain to explore. Nearby to our Chattanooga headquarters, the dirt, forest and unknown roads were all we needed. The winding road was a dream: two-lane pavement ceded to dirt roads, perfectly tacky two days after a rain. With no dust, a few puddles, and all the traction, it was going to be a fun day on hero dirt… the kind that make for great video and photos...

"Leave the road; take the trails.” – Pythagoras

Also in Stories

How I Won a Gravel State Championship on the OBED RVR
Mark Meadows won the 2025 50-59M Colorado Gravel State Championship aboard the OBED RVR endurance road bike. Mark tells us about how he discovered gravel racing, what it took to achieve one of his biggest goals, and why he picked the RVR from his stable of OBED bikes.

Choosing the Best 1x Gearing for Your Fitness & Terrain
With a 1x drivetrain, it's easy to modify and fine-tune your gravel bike's gear range just by swapping to a different chainring. But how do you figure out what size chainring you need? Gear up with this easy guide.

Austin Sullivan's Return to Transcordilleras 2025
Transcordilleras is an 8-day gravel stage race that traverses the three mountain ranges of Colombia. OBED ambassador Austin Sullivan tells the story of racing and finishing Transcordilleras for the second time on his OBED GVR gravel bike.