Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
OP sums up basically whats been stated many times on many different platforms(websites, blogs, forums, YouTube, etc).
Pretty accurate.
I see your point. I'm more interested in the handling differences than the geometry. The industry has been pushing gravel so hard lately. There is a lot of "why is gravel better." But I can’t remember ever seeing an unbiased valid comparison – i.e. why/when is a cross bike better for someone not cross racing? It really depends on how aggressive you ride.
Clint Gibbs did a good comparison of his cross vs gravel bike on you tube, but never really compared the handling of the two – never really said what type of riding a cross bike excels at.
Example: Yeah, a gravel bike does great on a flowy single track designed for a long/low/slack bike. But on a tight course, I can carry a lot more speed through a tight corner and exit faster on a cross bike. So –
tight course favors a cross bike, a flow course favors a gravel bike. It depends on how aggressive you want to ride.
Cross bikes are better for some people, but no one objectively speaks to that.
Gravel is not always the answer (even though that is all the rage now).
AMANDA NAUMAN said it well in this cxmag article:
“[Gravel] is your Cadillac, and your BSB cyclocross bike is your race car,” she added.
So, do you want a Cadillac or a sports car? The answer isn’t always Cadillac