The Obed RVR Is My Secret Weapon When Training for Gravel Races
I originally picked up the RVR, Obed’s aero endurance road bike, back in early 2025 to handle the occasional long road ride or Gran Fondo. Over time, though, it became something much more. It became my secret weapon when training for my gravel race season. While most riders might assume you need to log endless hours on their race bike to prepare for an event like UNBOUND Gravel, I took a different approach. I already trusted my handling skills in the dirt. What I needed was engine-building—long, steady, high-volume training.
Looking back, riding my endurance road bike accounted for about 90% of my training mileage in the four months leading up to UNBOUND. The RVR was the quiet workhorse behind my gravel racing campaign, and as it turned out, adding this bike to my stable did more to improve my riding than any other. Here are three reasons I fell in love with my RVR.
1. More Comfort Translates to More Race Day Fitness
The biggest advantage for me was simple: I could stay comfortable on the road in a position that actually matched my gravel race bike.
The RVR is designed with Obed’s endurance geometry, which is slightly more upright and relaxed. This means it’s easier to do long stints in the saddle than on most aero road bikes. In fact, I found it more akin to the geometry you’ll find on many race-oriented gravel bikes. I race gravel on a tricked-out Litespeed Ultimate G2, and in the past, switching between my gravel bike and my road bike meant re-adapting with every ride. Now, rather than opposing each other, it feels like my bikes actually complement each other. They’re both designed to keep you comfortable when you’re doing long hours over rough roads.
Most of my training rides were five to six hours long, built to simulate Unbound. That meant long stretches in the hoods and drops. Not sitting up, not soft-pedaling, but locked into a steady, working position. Compared to racier, more aggressive road bikes, the taller head tube and longer chainstay of the RVR made that more race-oriented position sustainable. I wasn’t constantly adjusting or fighting discomfort. I could settle in and stay there. I was comfortable enough to stay in the ideal riding position for more hours.
That paid off in a big way.
The first two hours of Unbound were chaotic—tight pack riding, constant movement, and plenty of crashes to dodge. It was technical, fast, and demanded confidence while hammering in the hoods and drops. That’s a space where I feel at home, and the bike matched that perfectly.
After the chaos settled, the race shifted into something more familiar: small groups rotating, or long stretches of solo riding. That’s where the months on the RVR really showed up. I found the same tempo, the same rhythm I’d dialed in during training. By the final hours, I felt just as composed as I had on those long training days.
This is what I learned: You can train for a gravel race on the road—and do it well. The RVR became my secret training tool because I could do long rides on all my local roads straight from my house. Because it encouraged me to go farther and faster on these roads, it helped me dial in the feelings of intensity and speed I needed to succeed better than tooling around on pavement with my squishy gravel rig.
2. Just Enough Tire Clearance to Blur the Line Between Road and Gravel
Even though it’s built as an endurance road bike, the RVR doesn’t lock you into pavement.
With tire clearance up to 34mm, I had the freedom to explore beyond the road whenever I had the opportunity. That meant hopping onto groomed dirt, linking together mixed-surface routes, and keeping training mentally fresh without sacrificing speed.
It’s not a full gravel rig—and it’s not trying to be—but in the right conditions, it absolutely holds its own.
Mark Meadow's RVR set up for gravel racing.
In fact, I kept thinking about how well this bike would slot into certain races. Events with smoother, faster gravel. Anywhere efficiency matters more than outright tire volume is exactly where it could shine. (Our friend Mark Meadows actually won a Gravel State Championship on his RVR!)
Races like SBT Gravel, with its fast, champagne gravel roads, feel like a perfect match. Even something like Belgian Waffle Ride San Diego, with its historically road-heavy course, could reward a setup like this. With the right tire choice and confident handling, the RVR could be a seriously fast option.
It’s that versatility that makes it more than just a “road” bike.
3. It’s Not Just Comfortable, It’s Surprisingly Fast
There’s a common assumption about endurance bikes: they’re more comfortable, but also slower.
That assumption doesn’t hold up here!
The RVR is quick—plain and simple.
Endurance geometry doesn’t mean dull or sluggish, and you can see that reflected across the industry. Even at the highest levels of racing, riders are increasingly choosing bikes that blend comfort with speed, especially for demanding, long-distance events. The RVR fits squarely into that evolution.
The RVR's aero downtube shaping.
With thoughtful aero shaping—like a truncated aero downtube designed to work with water bottles for increased aerodynamic gains—speed wasn’t an afterthought. Add in a surprisingly direct front end and excellent power transfer when getting out of the saddle, and the bike feels far more responsive than you’d expect.
It’s punchy. It accelerates well. And it holds speed in a way that makes long efforts feel efficient rather than draining.
That combination of comfort and performance is what makes it such a compelling tool for high-mileage training.
The Obed RVR Became the Backbone of My Riding
What started as a practical decision—log a few occasional miles on a comfortable road bike—ended up reshaping how I think about training for gravel.
The Obed RVR wasn’t a gravel bike, yet its surprising characteristics made it essential to my Unbound build. It became the unexpected and much-appreciated foundation of my fitness. It let me stay comfortable for hours, explore just enough off-road to stay sharp—and move fast while doing it. It became my favorite bike to ride, and it encouraged me to ride more, day after day.
And in the end, that’s exactly what I needed.