Gravel Bikes Are Dumb? (RANT)
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- Опубликовано: 20 окт 2024
- Are gravel bikes awesome or dumb marketing spin? Thoughts and opinions.
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I was a roadie mainly for 20 years, but was diagnosed with MS. I gave up many things, including cycling and deeply regretted it. After a 20 year gap I got back via trike riding and am now on a wonderful Marin Gestalt. It totally fills my needs of comfort and easy geometry and I lust after every minute I can be on it 😊
Great explanation. I agree. I have a cyclocross bike but use it more as a gravel bike and love it. I love riding as a road cyclist and then taking off when I see fit and hitting the dirt for 10 miles then riding home. I feel like a kid when I'm on it (I'm late 40's), so it keeps me happy.
THIS: "... it keeps me happy". The most important thing!
Yep I'm late 40's too.
I’m a Roadie. I think gravel bikes are cool, bikes in general are cool. If every new style of bike gets more people out riding we are winning. Cars/petrol based vehicles are a slow death to the earth and us all. Supple....my bike is NOT supple but that’s my style. Wanna go ride gravel, I’m in. Want to go ride Walmart bikes up mountains let’s go! I think some whiners need a bit more attention because they don’t ride there own bikes enough. LONG LIVE SUPPLE GRAVEL BIKES!!!!!
I completely agree!
Otic- Post Noise Syndicate couldn’t of put it any better myself,mr words of wisdom👍all the best from 🏴🏴☔️🚴🏻
I agree except for the cars are killing earth...
agree
Besides that it is a fact?
Mostly any sports are dangerous though, if you want to unicycle up a mountain, why not? Let people have their fun.
People new to road bikes LOVE this category. The industry can call it what they want. Its opening up the sport to many people who would never consider a RACING bike.
anthony devita So true. Race focused road bikes aren't what makes most sense for the average casual rider.
For me, a road bike just wasn't an option. They're designed for people weighing about the same as a pre-teen in junior high and if you want something of any decent quality, you're paying through the nose. This is fine if you're racing bikes, but I find all that pointless for the average rider.
Any change to the industry that opens up the sport to more people is a great thing. I find people that turn their noses up at any type of bike a bit pretentious and think they're a bit too full of themselves. There's much more to cycling than just racing. Some people just enjoy going on long rides to clear their heads and get a bit of exercise in and I think that's awesome!
im one of them. ^^
was looking for a good commuter and everyday bike that i can still ride for fitness.
i chose a Specialized Sirrus Comp Carbon and couldnt be happier.
a roadie wasnt an option because i hate drop bars and the way you sit on them.
my bike is not really a gravel bike, but with 30mm tires i can still go offroad and ride almost everywhere.
i love it!
You just took your bike nerdyness to new levels with this video. Love it!
Maybe they should call it an “All Road Bike.”
People: that's just a 90s mountainbike with drop bars
Me: perfect! (Plus disc brakes and all the new tech that has emerged since the 90s)
90s mountain bikes were just too awesome to go away.
Just with different wheel size. And different geometry. And different drivetrain. And different brakes. And smoother tires. And so on...
I'm an all weather commuter and my gravel bike is perfect; it's got racks, fenders, wider tires, relaxed(ish) geometry, and is plenty fast enough. I've taken it for 4 miles trips to and from the park, and a 141 mile ride to the next major city. I love how versatile it is! Steel frame so I know it will last. Thanks for this video/rant.
It's the industry going full circle. I have a 1990 Trek 790 Multitrack hybrid that has a road bikeish geometry with mountain grouppo (Shimano Deore DX). The bike can handle up to at least 700x35 with fenders along with brazeons for front and rear racks. I even thought about putting on drop bars about a decade ago.
Agree, best thing I did with my old steel 1991 non-sus Trek MTB was put on Magura hydraulic rim brakes so works as great value gravel bike, used drops but back to straights with long bar ends
Not dumb for me. I got me a Genesis Croix de Fer last November and that's the smartest bike I've had so far. Classic, slightly understated looks, chromoly frame, decent offroad capabilities (albeit not proper mountain track), relatively fast (though not a purebred racer by any means), with enough clearance for fenders or thicker tyres and plenty of mounting holes to turn it into a proper touring beast of burden. A perfect machine for Irish weather and a mix of wet, tarmac backroads and muddy canal paths.
Hey fellow bike-geek! Gravel bikes aren't dumb, they're misunderstood. The problem is that gravel bikes require a change of mentality. Most folks who get a gravel bike are coming from a road bike background. In the road bike world it's all about minimal weight and aerodynamics which aren't the primary focus of gravel bikes. It's harder for people to appreciate the challenges of gravel when they see a bike more as a tool to complete hill repeats and interval training on. Gravel bikes are about adventure and access to areas you'd never otherwise see. The challenge is sometimes just staying upright over varying terrain or covering large distances with only the gear and supplies you have on you. Once someone experiences gravel riding it's easier to understand why gravel bikes have a place in the cycling world. They're aren't a redundant addition, they're a revisiting of what cycling was before people took it wayyyy to seriously.
My first (adult) bicycle was a Cannondale hybrid which was a compromise because my mother didn't think the 20-23mm tires on the road bikes (back then the norm) were "safe." One year later, I put drop bars and STI levers on it so I commute faster and do longer-distances on weekends. Later, in grad school, I'd swap out the tires and we'd load up my car and take it mountain bicycling (Urbana-Champaign being nearly 100 miles from the nearest hill). Other than the cantilever brakes and the bad geometry (threadless headsets hadn't hit so you getting the right stem was a challenge), that was a gravel bike.
At that time (mid 1990's), a guy named Jobst Brandt out in the Bay Area (where I live now) was already an old hand on the early online forums (USENET). A decade or two before, he had taken his modified road bike (gravel bike) onto off-road gravel to do adventuring in Europe and his backyard in the Santa Cruz mountains at around the same time people were bombing down the fire roads in Marin just north of him inventing the first mountain bikes, which if you think about it, other than the drop bars, were also gravel bikes. (Jobst is also known for writing THE book on wheel-building and inventing the first cyclocomputer.)
Gravel bikes have always been with us, but the category as it exists today owes itself to a coincidence of two things: 1) the specialization of mountain bikes making them increasingly less practical for long distance flat on-off-road touring, commuting, or just taking on the same fire-roads that inspired the first mountain bikers (my grad school roommate's MTB in the 1990s had 24" wheels and no shocks anywhere as well as a geometry you'd never see today outside a "urban" bike); 2) disc brakes on road wheels allow both clearance for the wide tires, and even the return of 650B/27.5" (and even bigger tires!).
And now the bike so many of us want which required having to buy a different bike (road bike, cross bike, rigid MTB, "hybrid") and then modifying it to turn into the bike we need, can be had off-the-rack at a fraction of the price in dollars and is called a "gravel bike" (1992 Cannondale 21-speed "hybrid" + modifications for drop bar + extra set of tires for off-road use = $1800 in today's dollars vs. my 2016 taiwan-direct 24-speed "gravel bike" commuter + wider tires for commuting = $600 new).
If anything, the gravel bike of today is the bike that Jobst Brandt, Gary Fisher, Joe Murray, and others were trying to make fully realized.
And that's pretty awesome.
Terry Chay awesome round up 😀 like you said gravel bikes have been amongst us for a while, perhaps it's the marketing guys we should thank 😉
your mum was right
Terry Chay Your story reminds me of the first road bike I got in my early teens. Ik was disappointed because it came with wide Dutch commuter tires and not those small smooth tires found on race bikes. Although it had drop bars it wasn’t seen as a true road bike.
I LOVE MY GRAVEL BIKE !!!! I literally do everything with it... Gravel, snow, trail, pavement, commute, pack, grocery shop and soon the Cross Mountain Crusher !!!
I love how passionate you are about the subject 😁😁😁
Ha. I'm just tired of answering dumb comments on videos that crap on the gravel bike without trying it or thinking about it.
Path Less Pedaled The British are loving the gravel/Adventure bike's, it's added a kick into cycle industry, everyone seems to have realised that they are missing out & now gravel is big money.
A bit hypocritical Russ? I recall you saying in one of your fatbike reviews that you never understood fat tire bikes and thought they were dumb. That is until you moved to Montana and tried one.
Call them Sports Utility Bikes (SUBs).
I like that in idea, but don't like that it sounds so much like SUV. I do wish there was a better term.
@SFseis fat bikes...now you're on the right video topic. lol rarely have I seen anyone use a fatbike for anything but what it's intended for
I love my gravel grinder... 2016 Diamondback Haanjo Trail. It's awesome.
Oh, and by the way, I also love my mountain bike.
I'm a bigger rider, so the 40mm tires is awesome and the gearing and geometry makes the bike a really fun bike to ride on roads or trails.
I'm looking to get into gravel and eyeing the haanjo 3 pretty hard for an entry point. Would you say its on the cross side of gravel? the bb drop and angels don't look as dramatic as some gravel bikes. Basically I want something comfortable enough for commuting and gravel grinding with the option to take some tame singletrack or the occasional cross race
I LOVE the Haanjo Trail!
I haven't looked at the Haanjo 3 much, but from what I can tell, it's the same bike I have with different components. Mine is a 2016 model and came with the Shimano Ultergra derailleurs and FSA cranks. I upgraded my wheels by building my own using Stan's NoTubes Grail rims and DTSwiss spokes. The hardest part of this was locating suitable hubs at a reasonable price. This might have changed over the past couple of years, but back then, it was difficult to locate hubs for that style bike. They were either the wrong width, weren't compatible with disc brakes, or had too few spokes. I wanted 32 hole hubs, but was only able to locate suitable hubs with 28 holes (Shimano CX75, front and rear).
I'm a larger rider and wanted the additional support and strength that additional spokes provide.
All in all, I say this is a great bike for anyone, and it looks like the Haanjo 3 is much cheaper than what I paid for mine. At the time, my bike retailed for $2300 and it looks like you can get the Haanjo 3 for under $1000.
I feel the same way about my 2017 Haanjo Comp Carbon. It has become my preferred ride. My carbon road bike sits on the indoor trainer and my old MTB bike has been totally abandoned. Its fun trying to stitch together a multi-surface ride in an unfamiliar area using online sources like ridewithgps.com and Google Maps, then doing the ride, getting lost, but sometimes finding even more interesting, on/off road places to explore. I think that the concept of gravel/adventure bikes may be more important than the bikes themselves. It sort of frees up your mind and allows you to think about more ways to have fun on bikes with big tires.
ya I'm a broke college student so the price point is part of what attracted me. Thanks for the info
Any idea that convinces more people to ride and helps them do it is excellent. And if it helps bike manufacturers and bike shops make a buck and stay in business, so much the better. FWIW my old-school all-steel Rivendell is strong, accepts tires up to 45mm and helps me go pretty much anywhere. Keep up the good work, Russ.
I'm just getting back into cycling after a 20 year break. I used to be a road cyclist. I ended up getting a gravel bike because I plan on doing 80% road, 20% gravel so a gravel pike seems like the perfect bike for me. I'm excited!
my bike is an amazing do everything gravelly road bike. it's a ride all year, in all weather, tubeless 650x47 tires, full fenders, dynamo light, 1x42/11-42 monstrosity and i love it. it works perfectly on nice roads, dirt roads, crappy city roads, paths, whatever.
jon robert What’s the make and model?
sorry, i didn't see this! it's a twinsix standard rando. super fun.
i guess it is kinda like a hybrid? the geometry is a touring bike that happens to have clearance for massive tires so i can be comfortable all day over most surfaces. the drop bars are awesome of course because of the so-many hand positions!
OldPlaces a high-end one. Not to mention that hybrids are mostly aluminum, and not much geometry-wise AFAIK. They've got a point in existing.
We live in an amazing time where you can have just about any bike you can dream up. I love all my bikes(road, touring,gravel, bike packing) for what each of them does well. They allow me to experience cycling in a myriad of ways. I'm not sure why folks get caught up on the labels that the industry puts on bikes. It seems better to just decide what kind of riding makes you happy and then pick a bike that does that well.
all bikes are cool..snobs need to get over it..BIKELIFE!!
For over 30 years I rode on road bikes but during the mid 90's I also wanted a bike like a gravel bike. Since 1997 I have a rigid mountain bike (a 1992-Trek 950) set up just like a gravel bike. It has been my go to bike in the past 15 years, it excels on everything (commuting, touring, rando rides, short fun rides, trail riding) except for road racing which is okay by me. I am so happy in the direction the bike industry has gone to. Wider supple tires, racks, fenders are back after a 40 to 60 year absent.... On your next buy, go for a gravel bike it will open up more cycling adventures. No sag wagons are needed! Note: I still love my road bikes but gravel bikes are a lot of fun....period!
My wife and I are the target audience for the gravel category as in the Midwest , we are riding either country rides or converted train tracks to gravel paths. Been riding god awful " Fitness " flat bar bikes for the last 6 years. My wife had enough as she was getting passed by groups of riders this past weekend on a 25 miler. I couldn't have been more excited to find the gravel bike category when i started research this It's the perfect solution for us! Great video.
I started riding bikes on a Schwinn Stingray then got a first generation BMX bike (A&A from Kenny Roberts dirt track fame) where we rode the railroad tracks right of way and mimicked Evel Knievel with homemade ramps in the front yard. College days were colored with road racing, worshiping Greg Lemond and Bernard Hinault. Like most folks I took few breaks to focus on other sports and adult obligations, but at nearly 58 years I still love the simplicity of a back roads ride with few cars and a bit of adventure, that is the essence of Gravel Riding; go easy or hard, long or short, packed or light this style of riding represents the freedom and excitement that early bicycle inventors brought to us over 100 years ago. #gogravel Keep up the great work here.
We have discovered and are onboard with the gravel bike trend because it`s a no brainer since we can go from smooth road to rough terrain. We just ordered 2 Giant Revolt 2`s for my wife and me and are really looking forward to getting out there for fitness and adventure. Thanks for posting.
Gravel bikes are great. The only thing that's dumb is that virtually all of them use road groupsets- why do you think I need a compact crankset in an adventure bike? Why go for 1x system instead of just using a decent MTB dereilleur? I don't drop my chain almost never in my MTB... And I would really appreciate having those easy gears when I go uphill fully packed, on a washboard surface. I ride my MTB since 2014 and I'm yet to experience my first problem with hydraulic breaks, do they really want me to believe that mechanical breaks are any better and they don't put them in bikes just to save money? 2018, gravel bikes are still way overpriced and they still lack basic capabilities that would make them useful for my needs. I have to stick to a good ol' cross bike. Costs less and actually does the job. Looks a bit worse though.
Hey Russ! Just want to say thank you for doing what you do and educating anyone and everyone new to this area of cycling. I believe The industry as a whole will trend toward the "gravel bike." I think in a few years the smallest tires you'll see on a bike will be no less than 32c. Especially as tire technology develops and they get lighter, 23's and 25's will be a thing of the past.
You're onto something with this RUclips channel, and I think the more people we have like you, the more the heads of the cycling industry will decide to make bikes that are more fun to ride.
Thanks again! Keep killing it man
Russ, this content is so relevant right now as Gravel continues to be massively popular. I send this link to my biddies who are trying to figure out which bike to get. It saves me from explaining everything. One suggestion is to partner up with one of the geometry comparison websites since plugging in different measurements tells you a lot even how they will ride when comparing frames.
Keep up the good work!
I just took the plunge and went from n+1 to n=1 with a gravel bike. My full sus trail MTB was way overbiked for my local trails and I’d got bored of my road bike because, after 8 years living in the same area, all I was riding were the same roads. So I sold them both and got a ‘gravel’ bike (and got my garden landscaped with the rest of the money from the sales) and I haven’t looked back. I love the versatility of the bike so I can ride multiple surfaces; it’s opened up a wealth of new routes in my local area and the underbiking is great: the MTB trails that were too easy for my trail bike are fun with a bike that’s not really meant for them. Effectively, it’s a drop-bar version of the Raleigh Massif ATB I had when I was a kid in the early 90s.
Did I invent the "Gravel Bike" 3 decades ago? In 1986 I purchased a Schwinn Sierra ATB, all terrain bike. It looked like most MTBs of the time, but with looong chain stays and mounts for racks, fenders , bottles. I saw the touring possibilities immediately. Within 2 years I had replaced the bull-moose bars with randonneur drop bars. The knobby 2.125 tires went and 1.5 multi-purpose tires came. 26 X 1.5 inches equals ISO 559 X 38mm. 38mm!! Fenders and front/rear racks were mounted. It had become my do anything bike: commuting, camping, off-pavement exploring, brevets even! Was I 30 years ahead of my time?
I'm a big fan of under biking, gravel riding, been doing it for the past 25 years. I really welcome the bike industry addressing this type of riding. I like nothing more than loading up my fargo, cross bike or monster cross bike and ride up into the mountains for adventure (pave, gravel dirt and single track mix). Do I see hints of a upcoming Salsa Journeyman review?
Just bought my first gravel bike. Fuji Jari 2.5 and I love this bike. It is great to ride on or off road. Plan on bike packing Europe on this bike 2020. Feature rich. Ride on brother.
It seems I have been trying to build these bikes for years using different Mt bikes and road bike setups. I am sold on the gravel bikes for all around riding. Who wants to be stuck just riding on the road. I think I have found the sweet spot for a comfort, single track capable, endurance ( if I ever have time) , bike packing, gravel-ish, supple slick tire road bike.....the Salsa Cutthroat. And yes, I understand it has more MT geometry than other Adventure bikes do. So yeah....
You've done a great job anticipating rider questions and needs with this channel. My first touchpoint was the Journeyman review and I found myself weighing out the benefits/hiccups of 650b v 700, so I naturally watched that video too. The blog, gear suggestions via amazon and optimized video titles position you for a ton of growth! Keep at it and holler if you're ever pedaling in AZ. I'm right near Black Canyon Trail.
I have a Niner RLT9 which I'm running 35mm slicks and fenders on at the moment which I use on rainy fast road rides and have taken it properly touring like that with a rack and panniers. I can take off the fenders and rack and throw 40mm knobbies and some bikepacking bags and take it bikepacking in the national forest here easy peasy too. Or leave the bags off and go for a fast dirt ride on fireroads and singletrack. Try doing all of that with a road bike, cross bike, or mountain bike. Really it's a burly endurance geometry road bike with braze ons and room for fat tires. I just call it my everything bike.
Sold my MTB and commuter and purchased an Addict CX which I use as gravel \ commuter. Love it. Put some money back in the bank and saved space at the house. Commuting is more fun and offroad is more challenging. The Addict geometry is not too relaxed but quick and has clearance for 40c tires
Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. I'm a commuter/tourer who rides on crap streets, pack rats, and recently changed from touring tires to 700x38 cyclocross on my old Trek hybrid. Gravel bikes sound awesome, a multi-use practical daily ride. I'm not trying to Dew the Dew down ridges or min/max my whatever piece of gear you min/max.
All that aside, a great video as usual.
Been riding road and mt bikes a long time. Love my gravel bike too. (Search XR, 40mm tires tubeless at 32ish psi.) Use it mainly for mixed surface riding and some trails. If I were forced to have only one bike, I would probably have the gravel bike because I can do so many different types of riding on it.
Great RANT! Love it.
I like the term "all road" bikes rather than "gravel" bikes.
I've done some centuries on my entry level Fugi gravel. Can't wait to buy another one.
My cannondale CAADX 105 was my first ever dip into a “road bike” (They class it as a cyclocross bike) and I really like it.
The more upright riding position and slightly more chunky/comfortable tires really makes things more enjoyable over the rough stuff.
It does seem to be the perfect balance.
I’m never going to be one of those Lycra wearing race dudes. So a gravel or CX bike simply allows for a more efficient way to travel without becoming a full on slipstream Lycra roadie Strava head.
I’m not very fit. But if I go out on mixed surface riding with my full suss mates they are envious of my light efficient bike for most of the trail.
Only when it gets rocky or rooty do I want to be back on my MTB.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I'm new to this category of riding, having been a roadie for a few decades. That's helped me to distil the concept in my mind like a fine bourbon soothes my neural pathways leading to a supple consciousness.
I´ve been riding a track bike for about four years and recently my dad got his old roadbikesinglespeedcorvesioncommuterthing converted back to geared bike. It can probably fit like a 28c tyre max. I tried that bike onetime an immediatly got hooked to the suppleness that those "big" tires deliver and also the steel frame. Long story short i sold my track bike and got an Allcity natureboy and slapped the biggest wheels it can fit on it. Yes its a cyclocross bike but man i love riding it even on cobblestones that we have A LOT were i live. By the way love ur videos!
I like the idea the guy below calling them sport utility bikes! And actually there is so much overlap among the bikes these days. the modern disc endurance road disc brake bikes can do duty as gravel bikes, accept pretty wide tires too. And my 15 Kona Superjake is ostensibly a full on ultralight cross racing bike, but it comes with screw-in optional fender/rack eyelets, takes really wide tires and has BB only 1cm higher than a typical road or gravel bike. I usually just keep 28mm road tires on it for the gravel and tarmac both, and will use it for bikepacking too. cheers
I love my light fast road bike, and I love my fat bike for winter trail riding, but until I started really getting into biking again a couple years ago my go-to bike was my old 1999 Kona Lava Dome hardtail with a set of 1.9" touring tires. It's simply a practical comfortable bike for trips to the store or over to a friends house. Not fast, but with near slick tires it rolls well on pavement, doesn't blink on dirt bike paths or gravel roads, hops off curbs easily, doesn't get flats and is geared low enough to spin up any local hill. In fact my only gripe would be that the flat bars result in numb hands on long rides. How cool that I can now get that practicality in a light, high quality bike with road bars and lots of mounting points. You can guess what my next bike will be. :)
Yup, it’s more of looking at the ride (or rides) the bike can comfortably handle. After getting my fat bike, I felt like I was neglecting my ecr. I’ve basically started changing components inspired by gravel bikes. 38t chainring, 50mm gravel king tires, looking at some salsa drop bars and hy/rd brakes. Already ordered redshift suspension stem. Can’t wait for their suspension seat post!
Not as efficient as a true gravel bike frame, but it’ll get me going on a whole other kind of rides and soon all I’ll be looking for is a solid gravel bike frame set to move these components onto.
And I’ve already got the frame bags/ racks for my ecr so that’s a huge cost savings right there!!
Totally agree these are exciting times for those of us that love riding bikes. The rise of gravel/adventure/whateveryawanttocallit bikes will get more people into (or even back into) biking which is great and should be championed. Diversity of rides and bikes are key elements to a strong and biking community IMHO. BTW can’t wait for your longer review of the Journeyman.
Gravel Bike here to stay, its a great explanation of the what gravel or adventure bike is man. swapping 700x28 and 700X40 tires is nice but I notice I seem to be faster on the 700X40 tire because it does have a bigger circumference. California fire road and the state park trail the gravel is so much lighter and faster to troll around and its fun. Did the LandRun and Oklahoma Gravel Growler two years ago, it was a true validation that Gravel Bike is here to stay.
Great vid. A lot of people were into the gravelcross bikes before they were called gravel bikes. I was a big fan but because of limited availability never had one and stuck to cyclocross bikes. I recently started building a gravel bike with my cross parts and think I'll dump my fast road bike because everywhere I go it's just too busy to fly in the summer, and in the winter I like at least 35's to absorb the terrible streets, holes, etc., I can't see as well in the dark.
Nice take on gravel biking. I myself run a Giant TCX and am able to run a 40 MSO. Perfect for the rough areas. I live in New Hampshire where there is abundance of gravel roads. Vermont is "Gravel Heaven" :)
EXCELLENT! Thank you as I am new to the "gravel" world.
I still like the term adventure road, tells you its a road bike but you're interested in going to new places than smashing strava segments. And to be fair the state of the roads around me every ride is an adventure...
Thank you! This was soooo helpful. At ACA's 40th Anniversary Celebration of Bike centennial, I took my Bike Friday Nomad-Schwalbe Marathon tires on the Couer D'alene trail. Lots of unexpected gravel there and was very uncomfortable. I've been thinking about my expanding bicycle needs, and I think a gravel bike might be a good option for me.
i was an exclusive roadie for the past 10 years but recently switched over to a 2011 aluminum trek 26" hardtail i got for $120. i did eventually get a surly troll fork to replace my beat up front suspension fork and replaced the gears to a more road ready 11-32 cassette. it's a super comfortable ride for beaten up streets, gravel, and road and didn't cost me nearly as much as a new gravel bike would have. i don't see the point in getting a gravel bike unless you have the money to waste on a slightly more versatile road bike.
I'm a ex 1980's road racer and bike enthusiast. 55 yrs. old now and just getting into mountain/trail riding. Fell into having a "gravel" bike out of tinkering and necessity. I didn't care about the specific type of bike I built. Just needed a more comfortable frame geometry and could ride the endless gravel roads in Colorado, that btw aren't loaded with traffic. (My state is so different now.) Love the new bike category. Dumb or not.
I LOVE MINE!!..... it's my go-to bike now.... The Armstrong Trail, The Alleghany Trail and the Sandy Creek Trail are Hero Gravel!
So, kind of like my Forester. I can run smooth running summer road tires and it works fine on the road. If I want I can run winter tires and it works great in the snow. I can put on light all terrain tires and do a bit of four wheeling! But it will never be a race car (unless I really trick it out and go rally racing I suppose), a sports car, a luxury sedan. But it will haul my kids, it will haul my camping gear, is comfortable, and all around just works. 😀
I enjoy my gravel bike - it does everything I want it to do, even if it is not the very best at everything I ask it to do.
Love all the people, ride all the bikes, smile all the miles! What were people riding on gravel roads before "Gravel Bikes"? Der...road bikes with slightly wider tires. I rode my Bianchi Vertigo road bike with 28c tires for a few thousand miles. I wanted disc brakes with wider tires, but I still wanted to ride road bikes. I searched, researched, read...saved. I bought an Orbea Terra with 700c wheels mounted with tubeless slick 28c Hutchinson Sector tires AND I bought a set of 650b wheels and mounted up some 42c WTB Resolute tires it will even handle some light singletrack. It's a heck of a fun rig with a multiple personality disorder. #terralacabra But...niche bikes are OK aren't they? I mean if you have all the money in the world, buy every niche bike for every niche you want to ride. Right? I'm with you. Gravel Bikes are just fine. People just like to complain. Under biking. That's a new one to me. I love it. So...when I'm riding the Terra on the Road with the 700c wheelset...I suppose I'm Under Biking. Ride on!
I've been riding my Rivendell for years with the freedom in it being a versatile bike.
Talking of underbiking reminds me of the rough stuff fellowship. Well worth looking it up if you're not familiar Russ. Basically, many many years ago, some folks on classic British touring bikes who'd been riding off road got together and formed a club. It's still going. There's a magazine.
Some of the old photos are amazing. It really underlines how lucky we are with what we've got today, while pointing out what's possible on any bike with a 32mm tyre, or thereabouts.
I did an endurance-focused bikepacking event intended for mountain bikes last year, with some friends new to off road riding, who only had "adventure" bikes. So I left the MTB at home and rode it on my Surly Straggler. When we got to the gnarly stuff (rocky downhill descents) I realised the Straggler was riding much more like my MTB than I'd expected. I got a bit of a pounding at speed over the rocks (2" tyres at least, would have been appreciated), but the Straggler was well within its capabilities.
We are indeed, very lucky with what we've got today. And in the last twelve months we seem to have finally turned a tyre clearance corner. 42mm and 47mm are no longer the upper limits! Very exciting!
A typical non-racing cycling club ride in the UK involved hills (so low gears), sections of fast road (drop bars were handy), excursions up tracks (mud, gravel, rocks, no thin tyres), plus camping trips (a rack was useful, a saddle bag universal) in all weathers (guards/fenders essential). Sufficiently skilled riders could do it all on a road bike, and strong ones on a flat bar 3-speed or fixed but a touring bike sounds very like what gravel bikes will evolve into once they get practical.
I built a bunch of bikes for the road/street. I put the biggest tires that will fit the frame/fork. I like older road bikes with 28 or even 32mm tires on them. At times I run two different sizes such as a 28 with a 32 because of tire clearance limits on a particular fork or frame. So, I am a fan of the Gravel Bike. I don't ride many trails because there aren't many near me, and I don't like taking a bike in the car just to go for a ride! The exception is going someplace, and having to kill some time between events or what not. Then I throw the bike into the back of the car for some foreign fun.
Gravel bike is real piece of cycles! Very sporty commuter, fitness bike, touring bike. It has the same abilities as road bike but more comfy. I have a cyclocross bike tho coz I found it a bit more suitable for me even I do mostly roads, some gravel trails and touring. More aggressive position makes it for me.
I agree, call it whatever you want... as long as it gets more people on a bike!!! Thanks Russ for another awesome vid...
I bought a warbird at the start of the summer and have never loved a bike more. It's as fast as I need it to be on roads but can handle single track like a dream. True love is real
First off, I am completely new to biking. I bought a gravel bike pretty recently as my very first bike. I live in Rochester MI which has an insane amount of trails which are mostly gravel. The local bike shops do not even sell road bikes, these Gravel bikes are all the rage! I love that I can hop on my bike and ride a couple miles on a paved road, then hop on a gravel trail no problem at all. I have 30mm tires that seem to do the trick in any circumstance. Flies (to a degree) on pavement and can handle slightly rough terrain no problem. I am primarily a runner, but was looking for something to be able to cross train on. This bike has definitely exceeded my exceptions.
Really well argued and I agree 100%. Ever since I heard of Gravel Bikes I wanted one cause up till now I used a normal touring bike as an adventure bike and it technically does the job - in the tamest way possible and that's really getting old. It's way too heavy, the 3x10 drivetrain is too overbuild for what it can do and the geometry prevents you from building up decent enough speed. If they had existed back when I bought the Touring Bike I would have gone for a Gravel Bike instead for sure! I'm still saving up for one and I hope that I'm not too overhyped by the time I actually get it.
I love Gravel bikes. It gives you options to go wherever you want on one bike. Problem is I'm still trying to decide on which one! lol. Keep the bike reviews coming on the Gravel bikes. Thanks. Karl, from NY.
I have a Giant Tough road. Its awesome. Massive clearance for any size tire (700c wheels) and great mud clearance. Rack and fenders mounts also. I run 40c tires. I did use the WTB 45's but had trouble using them with tubes. Could never get it onto the bead. I don't do tubeless. I'm not a fan of cyclocross bikes. I have a road bike, mountain bike, and now this one. Collection complete. I sacrifice going uphill a little slower but with the comfort, stability, and versatility I don't care. It still feels like a road bike even though it's basically a rigid 29er with drop bars. Gravel bikes rock!!!!
I'm a mtb guy. I got into mtb because I had a lot of rough road rides and wanted to bikepack before it became something you could just go into a store and outfit for. I now ride a lot more trail and don't need to outfit my mtb as a commuter.
My 2nd bike will absolutely be a gravel / adventure bike. Big tires, good ergos, luggage mounts, and drop bars for the road. This is a perfect road bike for me that I can also do fire / country roads and singletrack in a pinch (if it's what I've got when I see it). I live on a dirt road, I drive an adventure motorcycle or a Jeep. I'm used to living in a space that my vehicles are not purpose built. I feel like multi-purpose bikes make so much sense.
Awesome vlog. i 100% agree. I have 3 bikes: aero road, mtb, and gravel - All near top of the line. I use my gravel 5x more than the others. I LOVE my Gravel bike -
And i am fast/i like to "race" - mostly with myself via Strava PR's - usually i rank in top 5% on all time KOMs. i use my Gravel for training AND long rides - i never KOM on it, but freakin unbeatable for training comfort and versatility. Gravel should be everyone's first new "good" bike purchase. i'd suggest 2x10 min gears w 42mm or 47mm tire clearance.
Why? my set-up: Spec Diverge w/2 wheelsets, one for road/gravel training (38mm w 11/32 cassette), and my new wheelset for rougher gravel, trails, and tours (lighter carbon, 42mm, 11/42 cassette). KILLER setup. When i take my 2019 giant propel adv pro disc (25mm tires), i KILL IT, feels great, and my PRs fall so much easier than training only on my propel everyday. the Diverge is a much easier bike to workout on because of the increased safety/comfort, lower maintenance cost, and i have to train harder at safer speeds (because worse aerodynamics). Better yet, it is super soft on all my training rides so i can do so much more training. And touring? unbeatable. Tour on a GiantPropel? c'mon, you cant tour in the woods with my Giant. And without the cush ride and pack features the propel wouldnt be as fun to tour even on smooth roads. My SantaCruz is great too, but just for FUN... single track, jumps, etc. not a touring bike because of limited handlebar hand positions, poor tire wear, and poor top gear - all make my MTB a terrible touring bike but a great adrenaline rush for an hour or two after driving to the course...
Hi there! Great video! I also saw the one on bike fitting and the one on tire pressure. Good stuff :-)
I used to ride a rather heavy touring bike with flat bars and a suspension fork, all together at almost 40 lb. Nowdays I only use it for short trips to town or my very short commute to work.
For my pleasure and adventure rides I now use a 22lb Cylco Cross bike with a rack and fenders and a relaxed geometry.
I strongly agree with what you said about the fun factor,- even though it is clearly not as comfortable as my touring bike on all day rides around 100 to 140 km.
For safety reasons I also added additional brakes at the top-bar (frog legs). But still I do feel that this bike is more nimble and twitchy. And on long rides, where your attention may fade...I find it more dangerous with drop bars vs flat bars.
Any thoughts? What about gravel bikes with flat bars?
I haven't owned a bike for years until a week ago I bought the GT Grade. It's been so much fun riding it.
I guess that this "underbiking" thing is similar to what happened in fishing some years earlier in the form of ultra light fishing.
Perfect explanation. The N+1 idea has been a part of bikes for way too long. Yes, there's something to be said for having the supposed right tool for the job, but if you can get by and have fun with the challenge of making one bike work for everything, it feels like you're accomplishing something - going further by using a bike that can do it all. (See what I did there?) I also think the old label boxes of roadies or mountain bikers turns people off. There's too much stigma with those labels, in my opinion.
Day one on my 2018 Salsa Vaya Apex, couldn't be happier.
We ride gravel bikes as they're perfect for longer distances over different terrain. Having clearance to fit mudguards for the UK winter is brilliant, I could go on and on but to round it up we love the road ability, the all day riding comfort and stability they offer on and off road. The only thing I don't like is the name, it suggests the bike is only good for one thing when they are actually 'long distance comfort adventure all-terrain all-weather easy climbing stable fast descent road bikes' but that doesn't really roll off the tongue...
even in this category of gravel bikes....there are some major differences. I have found some lean more towards a Cyclocross geometry...steeper angles, more for those into speed...and there is those that are like my bike, Marin 4 corners,....these lean more towards the touring end of the spectrum...more upright and slightly slacker angles. My bike almost reminds me of an old school hardtail Mt. Bike...all I know is that at my age (67) I need a more upright and a not so aggressive geometry....nice to see, like you say, that the bike manufactures are finally starting to listen to the consumer
Gravel bike to me = variable or changeable, as in purpose, or use for turning easily from one to another of various tasks. I love it!
Do you recommend the Santa Cruz Stigmata for gravel riding?, I’ve heard very good comments about that bike.
30 years ago we all used to ride gravel bikes. Admittedly they were just touring bikes that we put bar end shifters and the fattest tires on we could find on and then road them on fire lanes and forest service roads. But, we'd take them on long multi day tours a couple of times a year.
Gravel bikes look awesome and fun. I just wish they were around when I was younger. The main thing is no need to argue about it guys, just get out and ride.
I've started paying more attention to your channel, and it seems like the content is getting more robust and interesting! (might be awareness bias on my end though) keep it up, i like it.
More relevant to the topic.... my gravel bike has been a Salsa Vaya Travel (definitely upgraded components across the board). As a touring bike it is very nice, stiff and reliable. But I often wonder if I would enjoy a bike with lighter tubes and more snappy geometry. However it seems silly to get another bike that would be so redundant. And the Vaya travel is already such a versatile frame it seems wrong to get rid of it! Oh welll....
Thanks! Let me know what other topics you’d like to see us cover.
One interest of mine is in generating and leading community in cycling events. What's the best way to get people excited about something, and how do you appeal to a large base without compromising the spirit of the events? What's the best way to approach keeping people safe and liability in that context? That might be something more appropriate for the PLPTalks series though.
I ride a Cannondale Quick 5. How would you categorize this bike?
A bicycle is as it's designed for.. get you from point A to B. Riders have so much personal preferences and a budget it has been quite difficult for many to relate to a bicycle with all its advance technology, design and factors to consider for the maximum comfort and results. Is it the specifics or the significance of a bicycle/rider thats important? I guess that's up to everyone to think and decide on. Great video feedback! 👍😎
Any advice for using fork bags on a carbon fork without any mounts? Using an Enve CX fork, would the ol' ziptie+padding trick work or would that damage the fork? What are my options here?
Same question here (about a carbon fork and bags on it). Have you tried any of these?
Great video. I actually dream of getting myself a Gravel Bike but bicycles are too overpriced in my country and things are not going too well right now sadly. But I'll join the gravel roads as soon as I can!
I only have a entrance level road bike and on any light gravel road or even bad tharmac it's torture.
just got back from a month in Tucson, Mecca. Just learned from your video that we underbiked! Rode our Sequoias on lots of desert flow sections of the AZT. We only saw MTBs out there but we had fun, and rode fast!
You can look at this two ways - you can say that it’s marketing, or you can look at it in terms of simply having more choice. I have two bikes - a Surly Big Dummy and a Norco Threshold C cross bike with a fancy carbon frame and a Rival 1x. I don’t race cyclocross at all but I do all my non-cargo/kid riding on it. I love it to death. It has fender mounts, room for big tires and it’s fast. I commute on it every day, all year. I can road ride, I can ride trails. I chose it over an adventure bike because it’s what I’m used to and I don’t need anything beyond 40mm tires, but I could easily have gone adventure bike too. There’s not much in it for functionality, and I’m happy I have the choice. Bikes these days are amazing. I’m rolling 1x, hydro brakes, thru axle, and it’s incredibly simple, capable and enjoyable.
Great to briefly meet you yesterday, I think you just convinced me to get one. Which one do you recommend here in Missoula?
Depends on your budget, but Hellgate had a few Journeyman's and Missoula Bicycle Works had a few Kona Roves. Both would be great bikes.
Thanks, I was considering ordering the Surly Midnight Rider. Will check those.
Living that supple life...I am feeling it. Love the term under biking. Always just told people that I do things with bikes that they were not necessarily designed to do. Groading maybe?
Can you ever have enough bikes? I used to have to many surfboards, but now we have bikes coming out of our ears. I primarily ride trail bikes, but with all the fire roads in California why limit the fun to singletrack? They're not dumb, and they'll soon become the best way to take the family camping. I blew it, and let my wife watch your wife bikepacking and fishing. Now that's all I hear about. I just need to cough up $4000 bucks for a couple bikes and gear whenever I can figure that out. You have a great channel. It's a completely different side of cycling than I've been a part of, and it's refreshing.
A "g . . ." bike has opened up a new world for me here in Montana. Sold the mountain bike and have all I need with the pure road and the "gnarmac" bike . . .
Just two weeks ago went with a road bike (cannondale synapse- 28mm tires) after considering a gravel bike, but couldn't think of enough mixed-surface rides in my area to justify it. When I can, I'll be happy to swoop on a Salsa Journeyman though
Not everyone is extra fit. I have a bad back to the point that sometime in my future I might have to have some disks fused. The extra plush tires makes my back less sore. I notice the difference even on tarmac.
Tricked the bike industry!!! Another concept that I am really appreciating is the 1x drivetrain, I have exclusively ridden road and mountain always individually for 30+ years. This spring I built up a gravel machine, and I love it! Now what am I to do with my road bikes??? #simple #supple #clearance #lowtrail
I absolutely love my Giant Anyroad. So forgiving and easy to ride. Perfect balance of on and off road cycling.
I live in rural Ontario. Most roads are gravel. Road bike wouldn't be right. So now I have a bike that does some pave and gravel well and if I want to hit the odd single track it's ok too.
Gravel bikes are in a sweet spot. Good ones are found in A rides across America. Geometry and accoutrements are the delta. The Moots Routt RSL is one of these wonderful anomalies. Now..Just ride.
I love gravel bikes. I find them more versatile and very fun to ride. The geometry are relaxed and not aggressive which is perfect for long distance riding. I'm not into road racing, just someone who enjoy cycling. A gravel bike allows me to commute, explore, offroading and go on an adventure!
I used to ride gravelbikes for the last 5 years but now I just got a Brompton and I haven't touched my old bikes yet. :-) These little bikes are fun! (and fast!)
I have a hybrid bike that I really like. But them geavel bikes are amazing. I don't have a place for a 2K $ in my budget yet. But I made the tires wider on my hybridn and it changed the pedals to mountin clipless. Rides like a charm on all roads. Hopefully will save enough money for a gravel bike once the markets stabilizes and bikes are available again
I'm into large aquariums and ride bikes and I love this guy...the passion seems to cross breed with geeks on a common subject I love it
But yeah gravel is dumb I have a CDale synapse I put 25s on and I can't see the jump to bigger just to get a specific bike
I'm 6'4"and push almost 200 lbs usually ...I'm lying on the weight but yeah I'm a clysdesdale and my carbon 105 CDale synapse is awesome with 25mm