2.2” rigid or 50mm with suspension? New Obed GVR tested at Desert Gravel

What gravel bike do you want to ride: one with a suspension fork and 50mm tires or a rigid bike with 2.2s? With both the Obed GVR and Ari Shafer, you don’t have to choose between fat tires or suspension. Both consumer direct brands build your bike to order. I raced the Obed GVR at Desert Gravel, where I and 1,500 others got to race in Colorado and Utah in the beautiful valley north of the Colorado National Monument. Desert Gravel: https://www.desertgravel.com/ Aero bar tops? I test those with and without bar tape in a German wind tunnel: https://www.bikeradar.com/features/how-slippery-should-your-aero-road-bars-be DT Swiss Fork deep dive: https://youtu.be/WgGLuwEwYsI Ari Shafer review: https://youtu.be/uXyel4pBbWM Sweet opening race drone shot by https://www.cirque-studio.ca/ -- The Ride is supported in 2026 by: BikeTiresDirect: https://tinyurl.com/yc7vxujh (save 10% with code 'RIDEWITHBEN') Castelli clothing: https://www.castelli-cycling.com/US/en/ Perc coffee: https://tinyurl.com/fjr7nurr (save 15% with code 'ride15') Feedback Sports stands & tools: https://bit.ly/3S9Dq8r Saris racks: https://saris.com/collections/racks# (save 15% with code 'ben15') Silca maintenance: https://silca.cc/ (save 10% with code 'theridewithbenjune2025') Lezyne radar & lights: https://tinyurl.com/4z5e3e9u The Cyclist Lawyer: https://www.thecyclist-lawyer.com/ Shimano shoes: http://tinyurl.com/ye274tep -- Want to see what I'm testing and where? Follow me on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/ben-delaney on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_delaney 0:00 UT v CO, fork v 2.2s 1:55 look! 2:18 Obed GVR v Ari Shafer 4:14 mounts 6:20 handling & geo 9:02 tires, gearing, cockpit 12:10 lockout lever 13:36 Fruita 15:38 racing Desert Gravel 19:01 post-race conclusions