Gravel bikes exist because Mountain biking has got boring

[Mark pallister]

Just "road" bikes with slightly fatter tyres aren't they?

Some are same are not
I’ve 3. canyon bikes ,my grail is a gravel bike and a totally different beast to my two road bikes
frame is designed to be much more compliant and therefore more comfortable
the difference is easily felt

 

[Globalti]

When I did mountain bike (21 years of it actually) I was always looking around for faster tyres because I was doing Polaris Mountain Marathons and inevitably you did a fair bit of tarmac work or forestry tracks so I would look around for commuter tyres about 1.8" with a central ridge. The best tyres I found were grey with a central ridge and called Kona Crossroad, they were 1.4" wide, fast on hard surfaces and good enough off road. Never managed to find a second pair though.

Lo and behold the new gravel bikes have exactly those kinds of mixed terrain tyres!

 

[Algarvecycling]

Riding a gravel/cx bike on trails is technically harder than riding a suspension mtb. If you want to challenge your skills and don't have a nearby steep, long, difficult hill to ride, then it makes a lot of sense to "downgrade" your bike.
I have ridden lots of the South Downs Way on a road bike with 28mm tyres ( +rack and guards) and it was tricky but fun.

I'd agree - but it would be slow going on my local trails and you would be carrying the bike in places. If you ride on man-made trails and bridleways etc then gravel bikes would be ok, sure. But take it on a really technical trail with deep sand, rocks etc and it'll be more than a challenge.

 

[johnnyb47]

I was thinking just the other week about whats the point of gravel bikes. Maybe as our main roads seems to be ever busier for road bike cyclists, they tend to look for quieter back lanes. Back lanes though are usually filthy pot holed affairs which fragile road bikes don't take to well to. Gravel bikes though are stronger but reasonably fast compared to Mtbs. Maybe its the best compromise for roadies to enjoy fast cycling whilst avoiding the heavy traffic.

 

[screenman]

My road/carbon bike came out twice last year due to the conditions of the roads in these parts, a gravel bike would be well suited to our local conditions and one is likely to be purchased soon.

 

[Slick]

My road/carbon bike came out twice last year due to the conditions of the roads in these parts, a gravel bike would be well suited to our local conditions and one is likely to be purchased soon.

Mine is coming out today, despite the conditions.

 

[screenman]

It is not the weather conditions, but the road conditions, broken up tarmac, pot holes, floods etc. I have no problem making any bike dirty a quick jet wash always makes them shine again. If I lived in some of the other parts of the country I visit I would ride it more often.

 

[Slick]

It is not the weather conditions, but the road conditions, broken up tarmac, pot holes, floods etc. I have no problem making any bike dirty a quick jet wash always makes them shine again. If I lived in some of the other parts of the country I visit I would ride it more often.

Yeah, it's the same round here but I gave my spare cannonball away to my brother and my usual winter bike is in the shop and I do have a mountain bike but never taken to it if I'm honest, so the carbon roadie has done a few tough runs in the last couple of weeks and hasn't disintegrated once.

 

[screenman]

Yeah, it's the same round here but I gave my spare cannonball away to my brother and my usual winter bike is in the shop and I do have a mountain bike but never taken to it if I'm honest, so the carbon roadie has done a few tough runs in the last couple of weeks and hasn't disintegrated once.

I agree, none of my carbon bikes ever broke it melted. There again the roads in these parts have never been as bad, you got to ride them to experience them.

 

[Low Gear Guy]

The creation of MTB trails and trail centers has resulted in people buying trail specific bikes with full suspension etc. These are excellent for those that drive to the trailhead but hard work on rural roads and forest tracks.

For riding on rural roads and gravel surfaced tracks something like a gravel bile or older style MTB makes more sense.

 

[figbat]

I have a hardtail XC bike, two road bikes and a gravel bike. The gravel bike is the most recent acquisition - sort of - and is my go-to bike these days. In fact it is the frame that I have owned the longest but I only recently converted it to gravel. It was a 1997 Trek 830 rigid, steel-framed MTB that we had had in the garage and shed for years. It wasn’t being used as everyone else in thousehold had newer bikes. I thought rather than scrap it I’d make a project of it and after a lot of procrastination I finally got around to it and now it’s a frankenbike that it turns out rides really well and goes most places I want to go. I like that I can string together road and offroad sections on a ride and it is happy on both.

 

[DRM]

The thing is, for me it’s a case of put the MTB in the car & drive for miles to a trail centre, or jump on the gravel bike, straight from home link some bridle ways up via the road network to make a varied loop, the other thing is that trail centres are becoming more technical and as you get older it dawns on you that you don’t bounce like you used to when you come a cropper, that’s the beauty of a gravel bike, plus you can still get muddy.
My new toy after it’s inaugural outing

 

[Mark pallister]

I have a hardtail XC bike, two road bikes and a gravel bike. The gravel bike is the most recent acquisition - sort of - and is my go-to bike these days. In fact it is the frame that I have owned the longest but I only recently converted it to gravel. It was a 1997 Trek 830 rigid, steel-framed MTB that we had had in the garage and shed for years. It wasn’t being used as everyone else in thousehold had newer bikes. I thought rather than scrap it I’d make a project of it and after a lot of procrastination I finally got around to it and now it’s a frankenbike that it turns out rides really well and goes most places I want to go. I like that I can string together road and offroad sections on a ride and it is happy on both.

That’s that’s what there best at
A bit of everything

The thing is, for me it’s a case of put the MTB in the car & drive for miles to a trail centre, or jump on the gravel bike, straight from home link some bridle ways up via the road network to make a varied loop, the other thing is that trail centres are becoming more technical and as you get older it dawns on you that you don’t bounce like you used to when you come a cropper, that’s the beauty of a gravel bike, plus you can still get muddy.
My new toy after it’s inaugural outing

Yes Ive found I’m less bouncy and also a lot more cautious,I think bottle goes with age

 

[12boy]

Every bike is a compromise. That compromise includes price for most of us. Mid 80 road bikes, and old chromo mtn bikes are some of my favorites because they have enough clearance for a range of tires, fairly long wheelbase, lots of brazeons for racks and bottles and can work with a variety of bars. I think a return every so often to what I consider the roots of cycling....everyday transportation that can get you there with a wide range of road and weather conditions, is a good thing.
Watching the video, though, I would wonder if using more modern wheels with lighter tubeless tires would not have significantly narrowed the time difference between the carbon fiber bikes and the old mtn bike. I've come to believe the advances in tires can make a huge difference in speed and comfort. I have extra wheels for most of my bikes so changing tires to suit the ride is very easy.

 

[Venod]

the other thing is that trail centres are becoming more technical and as you get older it dawns on you that you don’t bounce like you used to when you come a cropper

Having just bought a new MTB I was thinking about this, I usually take a new MTB round the Dalby Red Route to check it out, I don't think I'll bother with this one, not that its got more technical, but i don't have the enthusiasm or fitness I used to have, I much prefer the go where you want aproach anyway,