Vancouver Island Gravel
with Cody ScottThe Comox Valley, BC – home to NOBL HQ in the Village of Cumberland – may be most well known for its established singletrack networks. The trails bring in thousands of visiting mountain bikers every year, not to mention racers at events like the BC Bike Race and Island Cup Enduro and XC Cups.
But pedal just a few minutes outside of Cumberland or the surrounding urban areas, and your wheels will quickly touch gravel roads and dirt connectors that take you for miles. Flanked by the Beaufort Range on one side and the inlet and distant Coastal Mountain on the other, this riding is incredibly scenic, diverse, and somewhat of a hidden gem. Few know these backroads and gravel routes better than local multi-discipline rider Cody Scott, who lives and trains here most of the year.

Meet cody
“Hey, I’m Cody Scott. I grew up riding mountain bikes on the North Shore of Vancouver and started racing through a local club about twelve years ago.
I’ve raced a mix of road, cyclocross, gravel and cross-country MTB and have travelled across Canada, the United States and Europe to compete. This year, I’m narrowing my focus a bit towards drop-bar bikes and leaning into road and gravel races with a bit less mountain biking on the calendar.
Gravel Nationals in Water Valley, Alberta, is my A-race this year, and I’m filling the gaps with tons of base miles on the road and some local gravel races to keep me on form”.

“Because of my racing focus, my top priorities for components are weight savings and aerodynamic benefits. I chose NOBL HR45 rims for their stiffness and aero-optimized shape.
For spokes, I chose bladed Sapim CX-Ray spokes. They save weight compared to rounded steel spokes and are incredibly strong while also balancing the deep rims with just a touch of flex”.


“For hubs, I chose DT240 EXP hubs. Light and simple, they’re a no-brainer gravel racing hub. With all these components, I get a very balanced, light, and snappy-feeling set of race wheels, which is exactly what I look for!
I went with simple but bold white graphics to match my Trek Checkmate frame and so the wheels stand out in any landscape. I think they look pretty good!”


HR45 rims
At 45mm deep, HR45 rims give killer power transfer. Their hookless lips are ideal for wider tires run at lower pressure, like Cody’s Challenge Breakaway 45c tires.
His 24h HR45 wheelset weighs just 1387g: pretty impressive!

DT240 EXP HUBs
DT240EXP hubs are a gravel rider’s favourite.
A 24h straight-pull set weighs just 348g, and can be run with stock 36t ratchets or upgraded to 54t for an engagement boost.
Vancouver Island is an incredible place to head out and hit the gravel. With extensive infrastructure from the logging industry, we’ve been given seemingly endless kilometres of forest service roads: it’s pretty hard to get bored of the options! The Comox Valley also boasts a wide variety of gravel, from smooth and fast, to chunky, less-used access roads and ATV connectors. If you’re feeling spicy or looking to work on your bike handling, there’s plenty of double and singletrack to scratch the under-biking itch
Some of my go-to routes hit gravel right in town and connect all the way up to Campbell River, without touching pavement or worrying much about other road users. There are even off-road ways to make it to the top of Mount Washington – popping out at the bike park with your gravel bike in the summer is a trip!
