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BQ article Rethinking the Gravel Bike

Old 04-15-21, 02:49 PM
  #26  
Kapusta
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Show me an example of a production bike from 1995 with disc brakes or even disc tabs on the frame and fork. I am guessing that if it was out there, it was some very specific proprietary system. It was not something that you could just buy off the shelf and stick on your bike.

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Old 04-15-21, 03:07 PM
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A proper gravel bike has been around for quite a while, it's called a Schwinn Varsity.

Uphill both ways baby.
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Old 04-15-21, 03:09 PM
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trek 8.3ds was a fun hybrid with a drop bar, 28 rear tire 32 front, 11-34T cassette.
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Old 04-15-21, 04:33 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by Germany_chris
we’re not clear..and downhill bikes had disc brakes in the early 90’s
The OP said the bike did not have discs, so it is clear.
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Old 04-15-21, 05:53 PM
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chaadster, the first time I made the switch from commuter to ATB was an effort, however after the umteenth time I did it my proficiency was outstanding and it went very quickly. Fortunately I only ran friction shifting so der setup was super simple. Had drop bars with barends and levers mounted and had ATB bars with levers and thumbies mounted. The worst of the setup was balancing the canti brakes.
Eventually the world will come to my space as I have been in "gravel biking" far longer than the industry has, well, sorta. After all cyclo-cross has been around a very long time and are the original "gravel" bikes.
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Old 04-15-21, 06:06 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by TiHabanero
my conclusion is that the "gravel" bike will eventually morph into what I really is, a mountain bike with some frame mods to make road riding a bit nicer than the commuter I ran some 25 years ago.
My prediction is that the industry will continue to create more and more niches, and will eventually market “off-road performance commuters,” “all-gravel” bikes, “mountain road” bikes, and “enduro tourers.” Then the enthusiasts of each can further separate into micro-tribes and ridicule those who buy the unfashionable ones. I can hardly wait for the sub-forums.

Last edited by Rolla; 04-15-21 at 06:24 PM.
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Old 04-15-21, 06:45 PM
  #32  
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hybrid fixie MTB Fat Road Bar HDMI DeeZ2. It'll be nuts in 5 years.
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Old 04-15-21, 07:29 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by TiHabanero
chaadster, the first time I made the switch from commuter to ATB was an effort, however after the umteenth time I did it my proficiency was outstanding and it went very quickly. Fortunately I only ran friction shifting so der setup was super simple. Had drop bars with barends and levers mounted and had ATB bars with levers and thumbies mounted. The worst of the setup was balancing the canti brakes.
Eventually the world will come to my space as I have been in "gravel biking" far longer than the industry has, well, sorta. After all cyclo-cross has been around a very long time and are the original "gravel" bikes.
I don’t doubt you were proficient, but there’s no way it was quick by my standards. New bars and shifters meant new cables and housing and derailleur readjustment. What a nightmare; you must be a pretty determined person!

Last edited by chaadster; 04-15-21 at 07:43 PM.
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Old 04-15-21, 07:31 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by TiHabanero
Eventually the world will come to my space as I have been in "gravel biking" far longer than the industry has, well, sorta. After all cyclo-cross has been around a very long time and are the original "gravel" bikes.
So the industry will follow your niche wants because you have been rido g on gravel longer than gravel bikes have been popular?
If thats what it takes to have the industry follow, then aren't they following someone else right now? Someone is always better/earlier in life.

All seriousness, just because you have been riding unpaved roads for years doesn't mean your way is best or most popular.
As it stands, bikes are already around with the trail you want as well as bikes with more trail too.
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Old 04-16-21, 06:47 AM
  #35  
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chaadster, when running friction the derailleurs do not neet readjustment. Connect cable and go. No thru frame routing and every cable stop was slotted making routing cables and housing a snap. Set up of the cantis was the time consumer, but choosing the correct cantis solved a lot of issues. Old school DiaCompe cantis with the springs exposed did the trick after fussing with the XC Pros one too many times. Had a lot of miles on that machine, and always appreciated being able to take shortcuts on the way to work.

"Someone is always better/earlier in life." Exactly what I taught my kids. There will always be someone first and always someone faster, stronger, etc. Eventually "gravel" bikes will have clearance for 2.1 knobbies. Just a matter of time they come full circle and back to being mountain bikes.
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Old 04-16-21, 07:16 AM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by Rolla
My prediction is that the industry will continue to create more and more niches, and will eventually market “off-road performance commuters,” “all-gravel” bikes, “mountain road” bikes, and “enduro tourers.” Then the enthusiasts of each can further separate into micro-tribes and ridicule those who buy the unfashionable ones. I can hardly wait for the sub-forums.
You're almost right; my crystal ball says each of those will be marketed about 2-3 years apart. That way the tame magazine reviewers can persuade large numbers of people to ditch their old "plain old gravel" and "all road" bikes to buy lots of each successive label. They're not really growing their markets, except for this transient pandemic boom, so manufacturers have to up-sell their existing customers every few years.
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Old 04-16-21, 07:39 AM
  #37  
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The OPs description of the future of gravel bikes taking 2.1” tires is a little off, because the reality is that such a thing has been around in the market for at least a decade. They are just not called gravel bikes.

Look at the Salsa Fargo (a drop bar MTB) Or all the experimenting people were doing a while back with “monster-cross”.

The market segment is there, it is just not very big, and there is a reason for that. Once you are riding stuff that makes 2.1”+ knobbies make sense, most people in most situations are not going to want drop bars. Sure, some like it, and they have kept a few bikes like the Fargo going. But if they were going to take off the way Gravel bikes have, I think they already would have.
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Old 04-16-21, 07:53 AM
  #38  
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What the market needs is a drop bar hybrid that doesn't carry the "hybrid" stigma. Slapping a new label on it every 3 years is in fact a perfectly legitimate solution.

The auto industry did this with jumbo wagons that don't look like minivans.
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Old 04-16-21, 08:17 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by Gresp15C
What the market needs is a drop bar hybrid that doesn't carry the "hybrid" stigma. Slapping a new label on it every 3 years is in fact a perfectly legitimate solution.

The auto industry did this with jumbo wagons that don't look like minivans.
“Hybrid” is quite possibly the most useless and vague cycle-related term ever coined.

The sooner things get labeled more usefully, the better.
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Old 04-16-21, 08:21 AM
  #40  
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I thought someone had suspension on a road bike at Paris Roubaix way way back?

Lots of folks here do "drop bar 29ers" in a hardtail. Then have a wheelset where they run really big road tires for easier gravel stuff. Most Strava posts with those go "whoa that's fun". Maybe someday I'll get one.
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Old 04-16-21, 08:46 AM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by TiHabanero
Eventually "gravel" bikes will have clearance for 2.1 knobbies. Just a matter of time they come full circle and back to being mountain bikes.
Again, that already exists.
Evil Chamois Hagar - 66degree head tube, 93mm trail, clearance for 1.95" tire
Black Mountain Monstercross/MCD - 71 or 72 degree head tube, 63mm trail, clearance for 1.95" tire
Black Mountain La Cabra - 70.5degreee head tube, 74mm trail, clearance for 2.4" tire
Kona Sutra LTD
Otso Warakin
Trek 920
Bombtrack Beyond
Breezer Radar(a couple models)
Salsa Fargo


And many many more. No point in listing geometry for all the others- they fit over 2" tires and are drop bar.

What you predict will come true already exists. Its just one part of the very wide net that covers gravel bikes.
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Old 04-16-21, 09:14 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by TiHabanero
Eventually "gravel" bikes will have clearance for 2.1 knobbies. Just a matter of time they come full circle and back to being mountain bikes.
Eventually? Where ya been? Will take 29 x 2.4

https://salsacycles.com/bikes/cutthr...at_grx_810_di2
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Old 04-16-21, 12:54 PM
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I pondered the intent of using "Dual Sport". it was very long of a ponder, somebody else needed to use the toilet. Disturbed my turd time.
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Old 04-16-21, 01:04 PM
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If gravel bikes are going to evolve into mountain bikes they need the mountain bikes to wait up and get caught
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Old 04-16-21, 01:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
If gravel bikes are going to evolve into mountain bikes they need the mountain bikes to wait up and get caught
the old mtb's will be soon 'on yerr left, at the curb for the scraper.
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Old 04-16-21, 01:38 PM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by chaadster
Sidepulls? So you had to change the brakes back and forth from Vs or cantis, too?! Phew! that was a crapload of parts and work, man, so no wonder I don’t remember anyone doing that. Most of us made do with a second wheelset fitted with Ritchey Tom Slicks and a corncob cassette!
Yeah that's what I did and also sent me kid s to college with non suspension MTBs with ~1.5" slicks.
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Old 04-17-21, 01:49 AM
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
If someone uses their gravel bike for singletrack, then sure I could see the appeal of an MTB width tire.
Can confirm this is not necessarily true.
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Old 04-17-21, 05:12 AM
  #48  
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mstateglfr, I stand corrected. Drop bar mountain bikes already exist, but are not labeled as "gravel" bikes. Thank you and the other posters for help in understanding the "gravel" category. I think I get it now. Narrow, semi knobby tired mountain bikes.
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Old 04-17-21, 06:08 AM
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Originally Posted by Badger6
Can confirm this is not necessarily true.
You can confirm that it isn't necessarily true that I could see the appeal of an mtb width tire if someone uses their gravel bike for singletrack?
That doesn't make sense. Not sure how that can be confirmed.
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Old 04-17-21, 09:24 AM
  #50  
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The OPEN U.P. inspired a generation of gravel bikes that could fit up to 2.1” tires. The WI.DE. (Winding Detours) can run even bigger tires while still fitting road cranks!

The monster tires help you conquer the most extreme terrain, the performance geometry & narrow Q-factor keep you efficient while the steering geometry keeps you nimble.
  • With 650b gravel or mountain bike tires up to 2.4”, rutted singletrack, slippery roots and loose rocks are no match
  • With 700c gravel tires up to 46mm, even the toughest gravel roads are tackled at lightning speed
  • With 700c road tires (we recommend 35-40mm wide), you have the most comfortable road bike ever invented
· Bicycle Quarterly

· “First impressions are… well, the WI.DE. is really amazing. I never thought that I’d want tires wider than 54 mm, but now I am riding with 24% more air.”
.
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