Originally Posted by
Aznman
I've noticed that all of the gravel bikes that I have seen so far have top tubes that are shorter than their respective 'effective top tubes' (i.e. the top tubes are more parallel with the down tubes).
The above mentioned trend is so dominant that I have to ask: in the industry's terms, would a bike still be considered a 'gravel bike' if it has nearly all the same forks, wheels, tyres, and other parts but uses a 'Randonneur type' frame instead (where the top tubes are parallet to the theorectically flat ground; where the top tubes are the 'effective top tubes')?
Considering that the paved road bikes also have a sloping top tube, I'd simply call it a feature of modern frame design and not think that it has any serious impact on what type of bike something is.