It’s the next “big thing” in cycling. Mountain bikes are no longer 85% of the bicycle market, the recent boom in road bikes is still going strong, but, like mountain bikes, their current popularity will necessarily wane. Gravel bikes offer a little bit of both genres, you could call it a road bike adapted to the trail, or a mountain bike adapted to the road. It’s not a bad idea, a bike which can do a little bit of everything.
I built one myself, as I wanted something for touring around Japan. The roads here vary from silky-smooth urban roadways to riverside paths to single track, to rugged, boulder-strewn paths. Neither my road bike nor my mountain bike offer much in the way of options for mounting racks, fenders, or other accessories, so I decided to build a “gravel bike” and see what it was like.
I bought an All City Space Horse frame, a Shimano GRX 12 speed driveline, some Mavic All Road wheels, and the other necessary bits and pieces. The only difficult part about setting up the bike is the 12 speed driveline, the GRX derailleur works with 12 speed micro spline cassettes, so I had to choose wheels with a micro spline option. The finished bike is much lighter than I expected, and is a blast to ride.