Gravel bikes...
Marketing gimmick for the naive or great new development?
Riding bikes on non-asphalt surfaces is, obviously, not new. In fact if you were riding in the 19th century you had little choice! Well into the 20th century this was still the case, with some wonderful images of Fausto Coppi et als.
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Even as asphalt was spreading, many cyclists CHOSE to ride off road, either for the thrill/challenge and/or to reach beautiful and less accessible places. The Rough Stuff Fellowship did/do some amazing things with old tourers.
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They did this well before "gravel bikes" existed...so a gravel bike is obviously not necessary, BUT is it desirable...?
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Modern gravel bikes have diversified:
aero race bikes at one end, almost mtbs with super robust frames, huge tyre clearances and massive luggage-carrying capacity at the other .... and various options in between.
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We have bikes in between the two extremes.​
Anti-gravel bike sentiment tends to focus on 2 main arguments:
Firstly they are not necessary. A traditional tourer or a "hybrid" are just as good, and a cross-country hardtail mtb is better suited to off-road cycling in the UK.
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I would argue that gravel bikes might not be necessary but they are best suited to MIXED SURFACE cycling. If you're spending almost all the ride off-road, an mtb might well be more comfortable and efficient. BUT as soon as a decent proportion of your riding is on-road, a gravel bike wins: lighter, with a better riding position and more efficient on-road, but robust and stable for a lot of off-road riding, with clearances for wider tyres. All of my off-road riding is non-technical and heavily punctuated by tarmaced lanes.​​​
Northern Scotland.
This is a classic example of a ride best done on a gravel bike. Only about 30km is off-road. That 30km would have been pretty slow and tough on a road bike and the remaining 60km would have been horrible on an mtb.
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The Ruta Via de la Plata route we rode in Spain would have been pretty tough on a tourer and an mtb would have been complete overkill.
Secondly, gravel bikes are not new: they're just the same as 1990s mtbs.
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The kind of riding might be the same but gravel bikes are much better! They are generally lighter, provide a more efficient/familiar riding position on-road and they have MUCH better brakes! The cantilevers on my 1990s Stumpjumper were terrifying!
I would also add that gravel bikes are great for newcomers to cycling. Modern mtbs are increasingly specific and complex and many road bikes offer a riding position, geometry and gearing that are, perhaps, a little too "race" oriented.