Enlighten me please.

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OP
OP
Baldy

Baldy

Über Member
Location
ALVA
No not at all, I was distracted by something else.

I'm amazed at the number of response, the reason I asked was that I have what I would call a traditional touring bike. One of these http://www.orbit-cycles.co.uk/product/harrier-expedition-26/ I got it after reading a blog written by a Lady who does some long tours in the Finish forest https://livingthislifeoutloudblog.w...-cycle-along-the-winter-war-route/#more-10949.
I thought if her bike can handle the forest tracks it should stand a chance on Scotland's roads.

It has quite beefy wheels, 26 x 1.75, marathon plus tyres, racks for panniers fore and aft. I was just wondering what the difference between my bike and a cool and trendy Gravel bike was. As far as I can tell, my bike has butterfly bars and V brakes whereas a Gravel bike has drop bars and disc brakes. Am I right?
 

carlosfandangus

Über Member
I built mine to suit a purpose, its carbon, has drops and disc brakes has wide tyres (tubeless at 45 Psi) and lower gearing than my road bike, (105 with a GRX double) it suits bad roads and gravel/trails, I call it a gravel bike as I cant think of anything else to call it apart from "good at its job" it will handle most trails and also is pretty good on the road too.

If your bike is good at its job, the rest is just a label.
 

chriswoody

Legendary Member
Location
Northern Germany
No not at all, I was distracted by something else.

I'm amazed at the number of response, the reason I asked was that I have what I would call a traditional touring bike. One of these http://www.orbit-cycles.co.uk/product/harrier-expedition-26/ I got it after reading a blog written by a Lady who does some long tours in the Finish forest https://livingthislifeoutloudblog.w...-cycle-along-the-winter-war-route/#more-10949.
I thought if her bike can handle the forest tracks it should stand a chance on Scotland's roads.

It has quite beefy wheels, 26 x 1.75, marathon plus tyres, racks for panniers fore and aft. I was just wondering what the difference between my bike and a cool and trendy Gravel bike was. As far as I can tell, my bike has butterfly bars and V brakes whereas a Gravel bike has drop bars and disc brakes. Am I right?

Sounds like you've got a great forest bashing bike to me. Last year I stuck some 38mm gravel tires on my old Super Galaxy touring bike and had a great time exploring the kilometres of forest trails around here. I even took it up the Brocken, the highest mountain in Northern Germany. It's just adapting what you have to ride the trails you want to ride, call the resultant bike what you like, it really doesn't matter.

The main reasons I changed from my old Galaxy to my modern Kona, are the fact that the 38mm max tire size in the Galaxy were just too narrow for the kind of trails I was riding regularly. I had sections of mud and sand that they would just bog down in and I was reduced to pushing for long sections. The 44mm I run now are just the perfect size to get through these sections as well as being narrow enough to still roll well on tarmac. The brakes was also a factor, old cantilevers were just not that great in the winter mud and the rims were starting to wear quite a lot. However, I had some great times on that old bike and wouldn't hesitate to call it any number of names from tourer to gravel bike to great all rounder.
 
OP
OP
Baldy

Baldy

Über Member
Location
ALVA
Know the Brocken well, or rather the Sonnenberg side. The wall was still up when I was stationed there.

I guess I'm just wondering whether I did the right thing in going for a traditional tourer. Or if something a bit more radical would have been better. On reflection I don't think there is that much difference between the two. Certainly nothing worth the extra cost.

I'm just not into all the technical talk so didn't really know what would be classed as a gravel bike. It would seem their just sturdy touring bikes, a bit like what I've got.
 

pawl

Legendary Member
Here we go again.Back in the day when Methuselah was a lad generally we had one bike to cover touring club runs and what we called rough stuff rides and of course commuting.The exception being dedicated racing bikes.

I remember riding Marstiles Lane in the Yorkshire Dales on 23c the bits I couldn’t ride i walked Canal tow paths Derbyshire Dales have in the past fallen to my 700c wheels shod with Michelin 23c all season tyres."
Don’t get me wrong I am not into hurtling down rocky or rough decent and gearing my not be compatible with rough ascents

Horses for courses really Would I consider buying a gravel bike .I think not.If I was in the market for something like that I would buy a real steel jobby capable of taking a with a spare set of wheels capable of taking a wider tyre.

That would cover my personal needs for general cycling .Off road and if I wasn’t retired commuting.
 

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
Gravel/touring bike is a relaxed geometry child of a cyclo-cross bike.

My cyclo-cross has a head angle of 73° where as my touring bike has 70° Lower number means slower steering.

MTB bikes have head angles of mid 60°

The touring bike has a higher stack-more upright position.

Large tyres are gravel bikes common feature. Disc brakes too

This my Gravel bike in mountain climbing setup
524338
 
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Brandane

Legendary Member
Location
Costa Clyde
This vvvv is a gravel bike.

View attachment 524228


while this vvvv is a roadbike.

View attachment 524229

I hope that clears it up once and for all!
So, a road bike lives in the kitchen, while a gravel bike lives outside?
I've been playing spot the difference though. Lockdown has given me too much time!
Other than the knobbly tyres on the "gravel" bike, and the bars on the "road" bike dropped by one spacer, I think that's all?
Edit... different stems too.
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
Gravel/touring bike is a relaxed geometry child of a cyclo-cross bike.

My cyclo-cross has a head angle of 73° where as my touring bike has 70° Lower number means slower steering.

MTB bikes have head angles of mid 60°

The touring bike has a higher stack-more upright position.

Large tyres are gravel bikes common feature. Disc brakes too

This my Gravel bike in mountain climbing setup View attachment 524338
You don't get many mountain top rides at sea level.

Where is it - looks like a nice place?
 

snorri

Legendary Member
It all started to go so horribly wrong when they renamed 'racers' as 'road bikes' and it's been downhill ever since.
There are countless variations of road bikes, Dutch 'sit up and begs' are road bikes ffs.
And yes it has been blowing a hoolie all day and raining as well and I have been taking comfort in a bottle of The Balvenie 12 year old.

Edit What happened to 'roadsters' anyway?
 
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