Originally Posted by
Spoonrobot
"Drop bar hybrid" is a term 30+ years out date. Almost as dead is the idea of a mountain bike as the default bike "optimized for mixed surfaces with substantial portions of unpaved or poorly paved road and trailways".
Gravel bikes
are “drop bar hybrids” kind of by definition. They are supposed to be used where mountain bikes have been used but also able to be used on pavement. Sound familiar?
In this 1989 Specialized catalog, Ned Overand say that it is a hybrid that is a “truly go anywhere, do anything bicycle.” Specialized uses similar verbiage now with their drop bar “hybrids” as well as their flat bar hybrids
A gravel bike is its own thing, despite the whining and consternation of the Everyman dragged into the future.
Yea, it was 40 years ago. Nothing new to see here.
Most people don't want a mountain bike for riding what they largely perceive as types or roads, paved and unpaved. Just as mountain bike riders balk at the idea that drop bars can be ridden on singletrack and rough trail.
And, yet, many people are riding “drop bar hybrids” on single track and rough trail.
Similar to people that understand that touring can be done on road racing bikes...
"Leave the kitty litter panniers at home and really see the world!"
Poorly.
Gravel is a wonderful marketing word, the people who want it know exactly what it means. The people who want to rant and ramble will never know what it means. Perfect product differentiation and consumer engagement.
That’s what it is…marketing. I know what it means, having ridden thousands of miles of gravel on both mountain bikes and touring bikes over the last 40 years. The newbies just think they have discovered something.
The biggest issue is that people can feel threatened by the new because their knowledge seems to be degraded in status and relevance. The nice thing about Gravel is that it has relevance to other aspects of cycling. If you know a lot about mountain bikes, then you probably know quite a bit relevant to gravel. Same if you know a lot about road riding, etc. It's not a category created from whole cloth exclusionary of what came before. It embodies many of the best aspects of other types of cycling but is balanced by it's own hubris and other faults. A refinement of what came before into a new offshoot of interesting and forgotten type of cycling.
Not threatened at all. I, frankly, don’t care if you or the rest of the planet want to ride a road bike on washboarded roads or downhill through rock gardens at walking speed. I might wait for you at the bottom of the hill.