mstateglfr 

I lost interest in replying to your every reply to me. This is dumb- you dont like the category and many others like the category. You dont like the category because it doesnt meet your standards for what a gravel bike should do. It apparently should handle and ride like a mountain bike.
This picture isnt anything I have ridden, even when I was in Colorado. I rode gravel roads. Its super great that you ride difficult remote paths that may be categorized in some liberal way as roads. When the path is made up of 1 foot wide or wider buried boulders, that isnt a gravel road in my view.

This is the same thing as arguing about the definition of hybrids or gravel bikes, its just a different subject- we are arguing about gravel roads. I look at what you cite as a gravel road and 1- dont recognize that as such and 2- agree that such a path wouldnt be much fun on a gravel bike. Use a fatbike or a mountain bike- either will be more forgiving.
Seriously though, whats the point in all this? I have 0 desire to ride a mountain bike on gravel roads and you have 0 desire to ride a gravel bike on whatever type of road is in that picture. An MTB would be slower and less comfortable for me and a gravel bike would be slower and less comfortable for you. Sounds good to me then that both categories can continue to exist and people can choose the best bike for their needs.

Kapusta

So, mountain bikes are better than gravel bikes on really rough terrain.

Other than earning top marks in the “Stating the Obvious” category, what is the point here?

wolfchild

It really depends on the skill of the rider...It's also really difficult to interpret what " rough terrain" really means. What's rough to one person, is a walk in a park for another.

Kapusta

It never ceases to amaze me what people will choose to debate and disagree with on Bike Forums.

jdfilms

I hacked together a "gravel bike" over the last couple of years using a Yeti ARC-X cyclocross frame that was made from 2008-2010. I've been a Yeti fan since I started riding MTB's in the early 90's so that's why I went with that frame.

I inherited my dads Trek road bike about 13 years ago but never rode it. Prior to almost 2 years ago I had only been riding mountain bikes for the last 20 years. In the 90's I rode MTB and road bikes when I was racing MTB's but got tired of riding road... I've been doing allot of riding on the paved river trail near my house so much the last few years a friend suggested I find a Yeti ARC-X cyclocross frame and swap over the parts from the Trek. The Yeti's aren't easy to find but I ended up getting one and built it with all the Trek parts. It worked great until I joined a weekly "gravel" ride that a local brewery does. I quickly found out that the road gearing won't work for the steep dirt sections that are around here even with the 3x10 gearing it had. So I used an old Shimano XT derailleur and bought a XT cassette and the shift spacing worked with he 105 shifter. That was much better. I also bought a set of Paul cantilever brakes from a friend when I first built up the Yeti.

Last year I upgraded the drive train to the new Shimano GRX gravel bike components and went with the 2x11 gearing instead of the 1x11. Overall it works great for all around riding including trails I ride my MTB on and strictly road rides. I'm currently running 700cx40 Maxxis tires. Before that I was using Panaracer Gravel Kings, 42 in the front and 38 in the rear. The only thing I wish the bike had now is disc brakes. But the Paul's work really good for the most part, except on some really steep dirt downhills.

I would post a photo of the bike but I got an error saying I need to make 10 posts before I can.

olddcarnutjag

Asphalt is expensive, pea gravel is cheap. As the world is filling up with “cycling paths” pea gravel is everywhere. A little racer with skinny tires is a crash waiting to happen, but I have seen a Cervello on pea gravel. High end racers are built for speed in the wind, my ultegra brakes need Skinny tires, my touring bike takes cantis, it can wear huge tires

rydabent

There is a country song that states she was country before country was cool.

Being old 82 and living on a farm I was a gravel rider before it was cool!!!

Gravel bikes, kind of fall into my thread about advertising. If a mfg advertises a bike as a "gravel" bike it must the the latest and greatest bike to have. But the true fact is virtually any bike that has tires somewhat wider than a race bike tire can ride on gravel.

unterhausen

Welcome to the forum.

The local forest service has started using a weird amalgam of dirt and gravel to pave gravel roads. It's really nice, at least when it's new. I'm curious how it will hold up over time. Better than cinder bike trails, but I prefer actual gravel.

fietsbob

Earliest Tour D France was run over gravel roads, the durable surfaces then, and still are cobblestones..
Northern France & Belgium they still make them part of bicycle races....

UnderDawgAl

So, what's a gravel bike?

sarhog

Click HERE for the answer.