Gravel bike - useful or marketing?

[reindeer]

Re:

I've just upgraded my 2x9 setup with one of the nicest (in my humble opinion) rear mechs, a lucky find on ebay. And my first ever crankset with external bearings, one of the few reasonable priced supercompact available. It also took me a lot of time fiddling with the BB7's to get them working as they do now. It would all have been useless and without effort, just buying a new groupset


Apart from that, standards (disc mounts, axles, freehubs) seem to change so fast these days, three years later, and you're outdated. In fact I would have to buy a complete new bike, if I wanted to keep up with the trend.

 

[madjh]

Gravel can be funn in certain circunstances, CX for example is more hard, the thin tires are worse in paths or requiere more hability and if you look in that way, all kind of bicycles are funn to ride. Even cheap ones

 

[legrandefromage]

Big tyres and 50psi on this has made it a bit of a roadie chaser as well as forefilling its intended purpose of 'mtb'. The rolling diameter is not far off my road wheels, the steel frame has a lot of give and the short travel air forks sort out the grumbly bits off road. It has a road cassette (its not the peak district here) and a 46t up front which pretty much acts as a single ring/ 1x9.

It cost peanuts and has been the most ridden bike during lockdown in forests and lumpy by-ways, I just couldnt justify spending large amounts of money on something that I would probably end up being disappointed with. It is just lacking barends for that ultimate all day on/ offroad ride (the longest being 58 miles)

 

[Chopper the ex Copper]

Gravel bikes. Didn't get on well with mine. Capable of pretty much anything, but good at nothing.

 

[legrandefromage]

Gravel bikes. Didn't get on well with mine. Capable of pretty much anything, but good at nothing.

Aaaaghhhhh! G G Ghost!!!

 

[hamster]

Gravel bikes. Didn't get on well with mine. Capable of pretty much anything, but good at nothing.

I think that sums it up - a go-anywhere / do-anything machine. While it excels at nothing, it's also capable of most things: commute, tour, light off-road, long day rides. 25 years ago they were called tourers.

It's a pragmatic reaction to the over-specialised niche machines of 5 years ago. Early 90s steel MTBs were similarly versatile.

 

[brocklanders023]

Re:

Bikes are good, all bikes are good.

Having spent most of the summer on my gravel bike I hit Gisburn with my 140mm 29er full suss mountain bike today. It was good.

 

[prezza]

I got rid of my modern full sus carbon MTB years ago and switched to CX bike as IMO unless I was going to trail centres I wasn’t getting the best out of the bike. Final straw was being overtaken by a guy on a CX bike wizzing along the railway lines with ease as I pushed hard on my carbon full suss (S works) 26er.....

My modern bikes are now a carbon road bike, carbon CX bike (purely for racing on) and a cheaper alloy Focus Mares AX CX bike which is my go to bike and has been for a few years. Fitted semi slick gravel tyres and it’s a speedy hoot on all surfaces...
I think that CX/Gravel bikes suit a great niche for people like me who generally set out on rides from home, are surrounded by old railway lines and like to explore.

I wouldn’t be without one!

 

[brocklanders023]

Re:

Just sold my carbon road bike as although it was ace at it’s job my gravel bike goes as fast as I need on road and can dive off on to green lanes and canals. I’m a MTB’er at heart so the gravel suits me better.

 

[brocklanders023]

Re:

I’m not good enough at any riding discipline to need a specific tool so a couple that cover most is where I need to be.