A lot of people buy gravel bikes and try to turn them into MTBs. I bought mine to replace my road bike and it's perfect for pavement, fire roads and buff singletrack. It's fully capable of doing more than that but that's what my MTB is for.

 

A gravel bike is great when you want to ride a bunch of different surfaces on the same ride. It may not be as good as a mountain bike on the trails, but it sucks a lot less than one on the pavement to those trails. It opens up a lot of interesting ride options even if it's not the ideal bike for any part of the ride.

 

At first that's what I thought as well. But then I realized that while a MTB is just a bit slower on pavement, a gravel bike can REALLY suck off road. So many of my rides turned into torture because the gravel bike was out of it's depth. It wasn't just slower (like a MTB on pavement), but more painful, annoying etc. And i'm not talking about riding double black trails here, for example just a rough, unmaintained doubletrack dirt road can rattle your brains out. Even a shorter rough section could ruin an all day ride for me.
I had great rides on my gravel bike when I knew the route and surfaces. But I like to explore and ride unknown terrain, and on a lot of those rides I really screwed myself with the gravel bike.

They make great comfy road bikes for rough pavement if you're not trying to race and chase Strava times, there is usually space for fenders which is sweet for winter riding, and obviously if you have tons of gravel roads they're really great. But for mixed terrain riding i'll take a MTB any day personally.

 

I never got along with drop bars even when I owned road bikes for a few years. When gravel bikes came along I bought one but sold in a year or so because the gravel roads we have around here were too rough for my liking on 40c tires.

I now own a hardtail that I can swap tires on easily as I have an identical set of wheels on my FS bike. If I have a mixed surface ride (which for me will always include single track) I go for the low tread height & high volume tires which for me give me the best compromise and fun.

 

My gravel bike...and I can do most singletracks [slowly] on it...I see absolutely no point in drop bars on rough gravel roads

 

That’s a XC mtb, not a gravel bike. Just because you ride gravel with it doesn’t mean it’s a gravel bike. I wouldn’t go ride pavement with my full suspension and call it a road bike.

 

I have used a gravel bike on many types of singletrack and unpaved roads. On the hoods for level, in the drops for descending, and on the top for climbing. With 2” tires it handles it all very well. It won’t do mud or drops, but on the trails I ride moist loam is the norm instead of mud. Gravel bikes have proven very useful for me.

 

I think it’s all how you choose to look at it. I ride A LOT of road miles…but after a few crashes, hit by cars (2x), and countless close calls, I’m getting skittish on the road…and that’s no way to ride; it’s supposed to be fun. So, I’m saving for a gravel bike.

Once I get it it, I’ll ride it on gravel roads, bike paths, farm roads, and the like. Anytime I’m going anywhere that has any single track with any bit of rocks, roots, or roughness, I’ll still take the mtb.

There‘s room for both in my world. N+1😁

 

Take 80s/90's promordial mtb.
Add all the incremental progress ( 1x, supple tires, 29" wheels )
Replace flats with drops.
...
REVOLUTION!

Gravel bikes are, essentially, a sudden realisation of the cycling public that after 20-years of GNAR and SEND obsession your average mtb has become a great tool of gnarring and sending, instead of riding. So the evolution has reset it and started anew.

 

I'm a flat bar guy, myself. I've tried the drop bar thing, I'll probably try it again in the future because I see the appeal and I want to like them, but for now my "gravel bike" is my XC-ish fat bike running 29 plus and bar ends inside the grips for more hand positions. It goes on gravel, and lots of other places, it gets the job done.

But that's the neat thing about bikes. Everybody gets to ride their own bike the way they wanna ride it and nobody has to care what somebody else is riding or how or what they call it.

 

Gravel bikes are road bikes with slightly knobby tyres. That's it. The marketing department turned it into a REVOLUTION to sell bikes to the gullible.

 

Truth!
And I bought into it! 😱
Needed a new road bike so I bought a ‘gravel bike’ (whatever) and put 32mm road tires on it.
Plus a 100mm dropper.
Perfect road bike!
And get this, Speedy — it even has a front defailure. 😱x2
I’m so gullible.
=sParty

 

Choice is a beautiful thing but I absolutely hated my gravel bike experience. I changed the drop bars to flat bar and that made it far more enjoyable off road, but even then, I didn't feel the 'efficiency' gains on road worth the negatives on anything other than the most ideal off-road environments (like, hard packed dirt or small gravel).

A good cross country setup with a low travel fork with good low rolling resistance XC tires... amazing.

I would rather put a little more effort on road, burn a few extra calories, and still have something that is absolutely enjoyable off road.

Gravel bikes have their place, absolutely, but I feel that the whole hype stream is to keep the money stream going and make sure users keep following the n+1 rule. I feel for the need to have one and it simply solidified the fact that all I wanted was a light XC bike.

I still think if ever I were to get a road bike for a work commute, I would pick a gravel bike again for that purpose. Roads are fickle and quality can change on a turn and I can't bring myself to own something that is absolutely limited to paved surfaces

 

When I used to work in a shop, people would come in and want to buy a gravel or hybrid bike and my first question would be “do you ever plan on riding trail”. Most people buying gravel bikes would say no, but people buying hybrids would almost always say yes. I did my best to talk them out of a hybrid but it rarely worked due to the cost difference. A good amount of them came back a month later asking what our most affordable mtb was.

With gravel tires these days you can actually have fun on some tame singletrack. There’s really no substitute for a mtb though.

 

I try to avoid road biking and dirt roads as much as possible on my rides, so "gravel" bikes were never anything I was interested in at all. I feel like it's a category of riding that always existed, yet the bike industry presented it as something new in order to sell more bikes.

If I was interested in riding more dirt roads, I'd have a nice, light, XC hardtail with at least a semi-slick on the back.

Anyhow, YMMV. I don't even understand road biking at all, as an enjoyable activity. Might as well watch paint dry....

 

Ive ridden some ST on my Gravel, the minute I get into roots and such it sucks as there's zero suspension. Gravel is perfect for the description, long roads that are not paved, have packed dirt and light gravel, you hate riding on the flat bar, where the 2.4 tires just roll like lead, and there are some significant asphalt sections in between..

 

I bought a gravel bike as a more relaxed road bike and because the roads around here suck. NOT as a mountain bike.

 

I guess it's a testament to the mildness of many/most of our local trails, but the two closest to me attract quite a few gravel bike riders and they are faaaasssst. It's a lot of tight and twisty where they can really book. But I bet there are some pretty unpleasant parts, too.

 

.....likely not groundbreaking for anyone but myself.

But basically, if you wanna ride some dirt roads, perhaps some very tame singletrack WITHOUT small drops roots, rocks, etc...... gravel bike is fine, and maybe even the best choice. But for three weeks I've done a "green" trail ride on an organized bike ride. A gravel bike would have straight out SUCKED for 10-15% of the ride, pretty much impossible. You need an MTB, even if a cheapo with low-end components. Not a single gravel bike to be found in the group, and if there had been one, they woulda been hike-a-bikin' a good portion of the ride.

My interest in gravel bikes has completely gone away--I have a mtn bike and I have a commuter. I have no need for a gravel bike. Others might, and that's cool!

That is all, carry on.

I dunno. You'd be amazed what you can ride on a gravel bike with the right setup. I've ridden some of the gnarliest trails in the area on mine. I'm not going to lie and say that it was "pleasant". But it was do-able. Small drops and step ups, log-overs, etc...and prior to "gravel bikes" we'd just put a fatter tire on a 'cross bike and do the same. On some MTB trails it feels like you're FLYING when on a gravel bike. On others, it's a complete sufferfest and just a prelude to two days of Advil.

 

My gravel bike is absolutely brilliant for the type of riding I typically do these days. Leave the house, ride somewhere I've never been, ride some pavement, lots of farm dirt roads, gravel access roads, and sometimes randomly across the desert. It's actual 'adventure' riding, big kid stuff, really satisfying escape trips. The gravel bike is more capable and relaxed than a cross bike, not as simultaneously lazy and aggressive as a mountain bike, not as twitchy and noodly as a road bike, and feels great for long days in the saddle unlike many other bikes. Maybe mine is particularly good, maybe it is the breed. It is the weapon of choice though. And, unironically, has basically the same geo as the Ti hardtail frame I had before the goemetry revolution.

 

You’ve captured it perfectly, jack of all trades and master of none.

Tomorrow my wife and I will ride a 100 km “adventure ride” of mixed terrain with friends. We’ll be up and down river and creek bottoms on very steep dirt and gravel roads for half of it. The route is supposed to include one covered bridge and maybe a low water bridge or two. The loop is about 50% chip seal though. Here in the Midwest it will be windy, so the drop bars will let us cheat the wind on the exposed paved sections. I could ride it on my Roubaix or my Top Fuel, but neither would be as fast or all-around capable as my Checkpoint. Horses for courses.

 

Having a good time on my Seigla. Ride what makes you want to ride more.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Having a good time on my Seigla. Ride what makes you want to ride more.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Indeed--love it!

 

I forgot to mention drop bars as some of you have. I just don't feel comfortable using drop bars after about 50 years of riding flat bars. I do think the points about it replacing a road bike and good for dirt roads and that type of thing--totally agree, that's how I would use it if I had one. But I can ride my commuter and my MTB on those surfaces too.

A lot of people--especially those my age (I'm 59)--don't need a true mountain bike, because they don't really do mountain biking. And I'm glad a gravel bike works well for a lot of people and gets them out there on the road, trail etc.

Viva la choice!

 

Gravel bike with 2.2” tires is fun! the go anywhere bike! Ok, it may not be Cush with suspension but I do have the option of adding 100mm front fork if I choose. The gravel rides I do here in NM, it’s can be great gravel road with a mix of some gnar, rutted out roads. And, I’ve learned over the last year, anything road that has ‘pipeline’ included is going to be straight up nasty. Glad I’ve had the 2.2” for that reason. And the 2.2” are great for the added weight when I bike pack. So, all depends on what you plan on doing withe bike. And, I can do single track with it. I don’t, but I have when I first got it last year and it was fun but rough! Ha.

but I do agree, ride what you like….and smile while doing it!

 

.....likely not groundbreaking for anyone but myself.

But basically, if you wanna ride some dirt roads, perhaps some very tame singletrack WITHOUT small drops roots, rocks, etc...... gravel bike is fine, and maybe even the best choice. But for three weeks I've done a "green" trail ride on an organized bike ride. A gravel bike would have straight out SUCKED for 10-15% of the ride, pretty much impossible. You need an MTB, even if a cheapo with low-end components. Not a single gravel bike to be found in the group, and if there had been one, they woulda been hike-a-bikin' a good portion of the ride.

My interest in gravel bikes has completely gone away--I have a mtn bike and I have a commuter. I have no need for a gravel bike. Others might, and that's cool!

That is all, carry on.

I had a fleeting interest in gravel bikes but my road bike does fine on the limited gravel I ride and my mountain bike is much better on dirt roads.

 

Gravel bikes are dead! Long live the ATB! 🤘

All Terrain Bicycling: An ATB Manifesto

We think it’s about time the cycling community reclaimed the term ATB—All Terrain Bicycle—to describe a certain type of bike. Read our thoughts here.

bikepacking.com

My GF got hyped on getting a gravel bike recently. She doesn't read bike related websites or seek out any bike related content so the fact the gravel marketing machine managed to reach her is amazing. She didn't want drop bars so I built her a 29er hardtail with a rigid fork and fast rolling 42mm tires. It's not really a gravel bike, but she do everything she wants on it. She already been bikepacking and crushed out some solid road/dirt/gravel loops. Riding with other ladies on drop bar gravel bikes she's been pretty happy when the terrain got rough and challenging since she just kept on cruising with no issues while they struggled.

 

Like many bike-designations...."gravel" is just a marketing term. People have ridden road bikes on dirt roads for decades. Perhaps the thing that does make sense is that "gravel" bikes tend to offer some more comfortable (more stable, more forgiving) options for road riding.... that's probably the real advantage to a rider. Personally I don't do any road riding any longer. But if you're doing less than 30 miles of mixed surface riding...a hard tail mountain bike will be fast and easy to get along with. The best bike is the one you enjoy riding!

 

I think the gravel bikes are cool. However I have both a road bike and mountain bike so I see no need. I used to love drop bars when I was younger. Now I find myself one the tops with my fingers draped over the brakes. I can only tolerate 5 minutes or so in the dropped position.

Like many bike-designations...."gravel" is just a marketing term.

It's more than marketing. Both gravel and cyclocross bikes have a specific function and are built differently than a road bike. The geometry, components, gearing and functionality are specific to the design.

 

Love my gravel rig as much as my mountain bike. Choice is never wrong.

 

For me gravel bike = road bike that doesn't suck