tyrion

We don't force the models to date anyone.

Maelochs

To the OP: Why don't You accept gravel bikes?

SylvainG

I totally agree with this. Plus some of the roads I ride on are bad, specially in the Spring so instead of switching bike, I put wider tires on my gravel bike. Around late May, I switch to my narrow tires until late Fall were I put back my wider tires for better traction if I get caught commuting back home in the snow.

Gresp15C

You folks have it all backwards. Instead of debating the latest names, just call your bike by whatever the latest name is. My bike was sold as an "urban" bike, and also as a flat bar road bike. Today, I call it a "gravel" bike, because it sounds more, well, gritty and tough than "adventure" bike. An adventure could just be an adventure to Whole Foods, after all. Next year, who knows?

scott967

I'm not sure I could identify a gravel or adventure bike without seeing the marketing. Touring bikes had (have?) canti brakes, multiple attachment points, triples, and bar-end shifters. Other than capability to take a 40 mm or maybe 27.5 or 29 vs 700c how do you define the unique feature of these bikes compared to other "road" bikes such as CX or endurance or "anyroad"?

scott s.
.

MoAlpha

I look at gravel frames and see lots of BB drop, shallow head tube angle, and lots of top tube rise, bringing the top of the head tube up to saddle height. In other words, hybrid-like geometry. The big clearances don't distinguish this type of frame from popular "CX" and "commuter" bikes, which are essentially long-wheelbase road bikes, but what do I know?

The equipment seems to be a combination of touring and MTB stuff.

Caliper

It sounds like you have a good fitness level! But, what you're describing is pretty much the "master of none" problem with hybrids. The tires are a bit too wide and the position a bit too upright for the fastest road performance. Meanwhile, the geometry is a bit off and the tires a bit narrow for the fastest off road performance. All that means is it isn't a Corvette and it isn't a Jeep. Too continue the car analogy, it's a Chevy Malibu. That doesn't make it bad, just less exciting than other bikes. Maybe when I think "road bike" I should really say "road race bike". Either way, the marketing guys are going to do their thing and label the bike however they think it will sell the best!

Any time you're riding a bike with a rifle slung across your back, that qualifies as an adventure! Love the frame storage, but I'll bet their uniform sucks to ride in!

You must have a wider definition of flat bar than I do. Looking at their hand position, I'm seeing swept-back "townie" bars.

I'm interested in their position there though. It looks like these gentlemen are standing behind the saddle, prepared for an up-over-the-back mount? I've not seen that technique that I can recall.

ph0rk

People have been doing that all along.

livedarklions

My wheels aren't that big--I'm running 32 mm, and my next pair is going to be 28s, if the Gatorskins actually ever wear out--3000 miles and they look like new! I could go smaller, but that's not actually good for speed.

I think you missed the part where I said I'm doing better on it on hills than almost all of the roadies I encounter. I think it is actually a master of it.

With a pair of bar ends, I find this bike to be excellent for fairly fast very long distance distance riding, and from what I've seen, more than a match for most of the road bikes priced at this level. That's a long way from the "grandpa on the lake" image people are describing.

Maelochs

As I see it, “gravel” bikes are an outgrowth of CX bikes.

CX bikes were built for racing, No compromises … high bottom brackets, cables on top of the top tube so riders could carry them, geared and tir4ed to run deep mud … built for the single purpose of racing CX.

Some folks didn’t want to race CX and also did want to ride less than perfect pavement, or even packed dirt roads … which are common in a lot of places. (We don’t know about them because we drive cars or ride road bikes. Google your state’s gravel-bike club or association web page.)

Those folks needed a couple bottles, and sometimes wider tires than were needed for pure CX racing. They maybe wanted more relaxed geometry. So … manufacturers started producing something midway between a CX bike and a road bike. People bought them.

Saying they are a fad is just ignorant. Look at how many gravel-riding event there are … and how long those events have been ongoing.

It used to be, a bike could go a lot of places. Balloon tires were about the only difference between ‘any bike” and the first mountain bikes. Mountian bikes got more specialized.

Used to be the English Racer, and then the “drop-bar racer,” were the bikes you could buy. But … if you wanted to tour, you didn’t want race geometry and a bent-over racing posture. So … some bikes got longer head tubes, sturdy frames, places to attach racks ….

Some people wanted flat bars, some didn’t. One of the initial MTB stars (I want to say John somebody … and I want to say Turner but it isn’t … ) recommended drop bars on MTBs … and he raced and won. Whatever.

MTBs were a “fad,” I guess …. Basically people took old Huffys and modded them a little and bombed down mountain trails.

Actually, though everyone talks about Marin County and the early 70s and Repack and all … I read an article about cyclists in postwar France doing stunts on dirt and even trying to convert scooter suspensions to work on bicycles.

Are MTBs just a passing fad? Sure passing slowly.

You could always make do on about any bike … the only limitation was tire width. You could bolt a rack to any bike until CF came along. But bike makers realized there were definite markets shares—that’s groups of people—who wanted bikes to do certain things and didn’t care if they didn’t do other things.

MTBs didn’t have to be as light as road bikes. Touring bikes didn’t either. Both needed wider tires.

And I am sure when CX started, before anyone built a “CX” bike … it was people who put skinny tires and drop bars on rigid MTBs, and others who put fatter tires on road bikes. Eventually, industry people realized there was a market for bikes that came with those features. Are you suggesting CX is a “fad” which is about to go away?

Gravel-riding has always been a thing. What is new, is that now people can Buy a bike made for it, instead of having to either compromise or mod a bike for it.

If it doesn’t appeal to you, super! But it sure does appeal to a lot of people and has for a long time.

“Hybrid” might just be a marketing term, and there might be a lot of other terms which fit … urban bike, comfort bike, fitness bike … depends who the sellers are marketing to. But again, it is a distinct market segment: people who want a bike which puts comfort ahead of performance, versatility ahead of specialization, and who generally don’t want to spend a lot of money on a bike.

Whatever those folks are called, and whatever the marketing department decides to call the product aimed at them this season … again, not a fad.

Shoot … isn’t cycling itself sort of a “fad,” which fades and resurges over the decades?

Yet …. Here we are looking at photos of bikes from 105 years ago or something …. Pretty healthy “fad.”

himespau 

I'd more call it my underpowered Mitsubishi Outback. A CUV with a weak 4 cylinder engine. Not enough power to go fast on the road. Despite it's looks, it can't really handle offroad. It does a decent job carting the kids to soccer practice and school safely, which is what we bought it for, but it's not really one thing or another. It's just what it is.

CliffordK

Yep... that is what I was going to say.

Here is my "Hybrid" to "Gravel/Touring" conversion.



I still think that some hybrid frames make excellent conversion frames. This Jamis Coda frame is a few years old (note quill stem), but it made out of double butted 520 steel.

So far, the frame has been rock solid, and I haven't had the rack heavily loaded, but I haven't felt any flex from the rack and rack mounts.

However, when I got right down to it, I did end up spending a fair amount on the upgrades.

Many of the original components were second rate. Plus, for my use, I like the larger chainrings (although I still have some issues with the rings on the Dura Ace crankset.

ColonelSanders

I'm not sure what happened, but I got a notification that you had posted a video as a response, but that post has since been deleted.

Anyway I was able to see this also via the email reminder system of the site, so was able to watch the video you linked and I must say I was quite impressed.

That is a hell of a capable all round bike you have there.

ColonelSanders

Please don't let fear hold you back from responding.

52telecaster

I'm riding with the lady too.

ph0rk

I should also add that in some circles they aren't. I've taken gravelly "hybrid" bikes (yet with drop bars and slicks) to road club rides and there is the usual derision. This dries up when you prove you can ride (and they recall that all the stuff they said means you rode at their pace on a "slow" bike), but it is still there.

I also get the same thing every time I bring a drop-bar bike to the trails - I don't have a flat bar bike right now (or one with a suspension).

Elitists are still going to be elitists (and there does seem to be a correlation between expressing that elitism and how much they've spent on their frames), but if you know what you are doing they won't say much. I bet if you brought a walmart hybrid to either sort of ride and kicked ass people wouldn't say much, either.

Marcus_Ti

Couple years back on our state cycling tour we had a gal in our tent circle who brought their hardtail 29er with knobbies for a paved SAG'd cycling tour. One day at camp a few elitist types thought they'd be "helpful"..."informing" and mansplaining to her about how slow her bike was making her, and how hard and un-enjoyable that bike made the ride.... She stayed quiet, smiled knowingly, uttered the exactly appropriate "ohs" at the right time in response, and said "thanks!", and rolled her eyes after they left.

That gal was the state MTB champion, and brought her 29er to train on...and could ride the legs off basically everyone on their skinny-tire rigs on the entire 300-person ride on her 29er.

shrtdstncrdr

What an awesome picture. I think the way his bike fits him is extremely important. His hands are in the drops yet his position, his stance, appear to indicate that at least with this particular bike, the bike's geometry isn't similar (in relation to fit) to today. Despite the angle of the shot (great by the way!).

shrtdstncrdr

By the way, is that a Matchless? (the motorcycle)

pdoege

JonathanGennick 

Cy, your comment seems prescient because yesterday the following was pub'd on Bike Radar:

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/artic...-or-not-52692/

And what's more, the following statement from the article sounds like a common complaint against hybrids:

Unexpected! Some nice scenery in one of the article photos though.

TimothyH

Gravel bikes ride on gravel fantastically.

I feel like the author of the above linked article and many in this thread seem to be missing that key point.

Call them "Do it all" bikes if you want but hey are for gravel, and they do it really, really well.


-Tim-

wolfchild

The best bike for gravel grinding is a rigid forked MTB with flat bars and bar ends and 2++ inch tires.

rgconner

You forgot Fixties....

Kapusta

Huh. I am not on the same page as that author at all.

First, I never thought gravel bikes were supposed to be good off road.

Second, I never, ever miss narrow tires on pavement.

His description of these being a "niche" is kind of ridiculous, IMO. They are just the opposite. They are the most versitile, IMO. If anything is a "niche" bike it is skinny tired road bikes. A wide tired road bike excels on pavement AND gravel, a skinny tired road bike only on pavement.

As far as an mtb on gravel roads: Sure, if you are mixing mtb trails into the ride. But pretty much any time I am riding a mix of gravel and trail, I am just going to ride wherever is more fun on the trail.

I used to own a skinny tired road bike, a HT (sometimes rigid, sometime with front shock) and a 5" FS MTB. Since getting a road bike that can take 38mm tires, I've ditched the skinny tired road bike, and almost never ride the HT.

Different strokes, I guess.