Originally Posted by
sweetspot
IT is amazing how big tire clearance this bike has!
But going back to main subject:
BMC has a new soft tail gravel bike with MTB like long geometry. Similary to new Rondo bike:
https://www.bmc-switzerland.com/urs-one-301837.html
Is this a new trend in gravel bikes?
Odd- I cant get that link to work on desktop. I googled 'BMC URS ONE' and a link appears, but then with I click that, the bike appears for a brief second while the page loads, then a 404 error appears. And if i search the BMC site, they dont show that as a bike at all(not when using the search bar or the dropdown menu). I doubt I will be wowed as itll probably just look like a carbon gravel bike with low seat stays and sharp angles(cuz its BMC), but Im curious now that I cant see the bike on their site.
As for if this is a new trend- it isnt new, but it seems to be gaining traction for both gravel and paved road. Adding in suspension to the rear end is something that Trek, BMC, Niner, Cannondale, Pinarello(Dogma), Lapierre, Volagi, Merida, are doing. Some are using full blown suspension gadgets, others are using floating stays, some use hinging stays, and others are using stays that are apparently as flexible as rubber bands.
But if BMC's bike is an outright soft tail, then its in a rare group with Niner and...i think 1 other brand?
I am sure there is a market for a suspension frame MTB that is pretending to be a road bike. People use their bikes for all sorts of things and for some reason it seems popular for some buyers to seek out 'quiver killers', so of course brands will design bikes that could be viewed as quiver killers.
Upthread, its posted that there may be a split within the niche gravel market based on region of the country(and therefore local terrain worldwide). I could see that for sure. As it stands, the gravel bike spectrum is quite wide- from aggressive road bike with wide tires, to endurance road bike with wide tires, to sturdy adventure drop bar bike with wide tires, to 29er with drop bars and of course wide tires.
There is such a wide spectrum of gravel bike styles that any trends just add another mark along the spectrum.
With that said, I do see there is a desire for some things from people on the west coast(specifically SoCal) that I just dont even consider here in the Midwest. Dropper post?...thats so far off the radar for what I want when riding gravel roads not even registering. Slack 68-70degree head tubes?...cant imagine wanting that to ride gravel roads.
But those two things(and more) seem to be desired since the fire roads in SoCal are apparently all 15% grade and technical.