New Evil gravel bike
 

They known for making some burly mtb frames and this definitely follows that mantra. Built around 700x2.1 tires.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...35272633d2.jpg

The downhillers version of a gravel bike? What is the head angle on that?

Mountain bike with drop bars?

They don't make an XC frame so this is a new bike from them.

There is basically no mud/aggregate clearance in the back against that seat tube with that tire....I'd think even the mold-flashing from the tire would rub.

:eek:

That was my first thought also. I can see the muck building up there really fast on a wet day.

Run smaller tires, those are 2.1 inch go down to a 40ish mm.

That's normal on an xc frame. They shed mud from the chainstay yoke. Specialized Epic is the same plus all the other race xc hardtails.

True...but don't advertise it as "designed for 2.1" tires"...when it visibly would probably have frame damage from picked up gravel grinding the seat tube.

meh... that is a MTB

As B.A. as that looks, the redesigned Salsa Cutthroat looks like a more capable bike. That bottom bracket looks so low to the ground I'd be leery of hitting some singletrack with that. I'll be anxious to see a geometry chart.

I upsized to 2.35" on my MTB because the 2.1" are too narrow for loose scree and such. Maybe alright on a gravel road, but I have a hard time staying on the road. :roflmao2: I should add that I really like that head angle though.

Everyone in this forum needs to get out once in a while and ride an mtb. Not saying buy one but at least ride one. Would give a whole new perspective on what a gravel bike should and should not be.

I'll keep my Scalpel and buy a more road oriented gravel bike for uhhh gravel roads.

as for the 'new' dirt highways, super fun. but not exactly what I call mtb'ing either.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...98b790a74b.jpg

Long before this fad began, people rode their touring/randonneuring bikes or if they were crazy, their road bike (:eek:) on gravel and unpaved roads. I ride my mountain bike almost as much as my Stigmata. I'm with @Metieval and to each their own, but I'm not convinced why a gravel bike needs a 64-65 degree HT angle and other crazy geo. Rather, this is marketing genius. The bike looks awesome. Is it comfortable? Probably. Practical for something other than creek beds and washed out roads? Up to the rider. Definitely a head turner though.

I have a modern MTB with 27.5 wheels, slack 68deg hta, and an absurdly wide bar. Yet much of the singletrack where I live can be ridden faster and easier on my gravel bike. Much of the single track around here is river bottom that is flat and twisty with quick steep 5' climbs. A bus isnt great for that.
There are some areas of singletrack where I really like my mtb, but it's a 30 or 50 min drive to those spots, instead of 5 or 10min to the twisty river areas.


Meanwhile, the thousands of miles of gravel roads surrounding me are simply roads that are made of crushed rock instead of pavement. They are roads and a road bike with some modifications works great. I don't need an HTA in the 60s. I dont need a wheelbase that's 4" longer. Etc etc.

The Evil bike at the start of this thread is neat looking, bit functionally I think it would be less than the ideal that I have found for my gravel road riding.
If someone doesnt actually ride gravel roads and instead rides singletrack, rutted out jeep/fire roads, and slams over baby heads- then what I ride for gravel might not be as good as the Evil bike mentioned earlier.

To each their own and all- everyone has their own definition for what gravel is.

Also, that saddle looks seriously uncomfortable I cant imagine constantly sliding forward and thinking that's a fun way to ride. But again, to each their own- apparently some people do enjoy having to constantly push backwards with their hands to keep from sliding forward.

Yes, more like the Open One+

https://opencycle.com/oneplus

I do see many online reviews of gravel bikes where they are testing them on what I would have considered mountain bike trails in the 1990s. I don't really consider single track through the woods "gravel riding". In fact, that was prime 26" MTB territory in the 1990s. But every reviewer seems to test their gravel bikes under these conditions.

"Gravel bikes" were more or less developed for riding gravel roads, were they not?

That's a mountain bike trail.

It's a 4' wide dirt sidewalk! LOL

Not. Gravel bikes are going through an identity thing, just like when you have a mid life crisis? I call it "organic development".

I'm talking about the original incarnation of a "gravel bike". Wasn't this "genre" of bike originally intended as a road bike for gravel roads? That's how I've come to understand it, though the very idea of a "gravel bike" has always been a bit fuzzy and hard to nail down.

I guess the definition of a gravel bike will not get clearer any time soon. Granted, mountain bikes have certainly evolved quite a bit since their early incarnations as well .

With cycling, is there anymore original intent to hang onto? I say yes, but still "organic development" builds on those foundations like its axiomatic. Just like in math: additive, commutative, distributive laws. Who said this? Was it Aristotle?

I dont understand this post.

- It seems like you are saying this isnt the type of riding that a gravel bike is for.
- You show an MTB in it, but then later in the thread you respond to it being called an MTB trail by laughing and clarifying and calling it a dirt sidewalk.


So do you not consider the picture to be mountain biking?
Or do you consider it too easy to be mountain biking(by calling it a sidewalk) in which case a less technical bike like a drop bar gravel bike could excel? If thats the case, then it refutes what you say earlier, so I would guess this isnt accurate.
Are you calling the path in the picture a dirt highway? If so, what is a dirt highway? If not, what is a dirt highway?


You have my curiosity for sure!

The picture above is a classic flow trail. A gravel bike can do it no problem sure but an MTB would let you get rowdy on it and pick up some serious speed which is the point of a flow trail to begin with.