Originally Posted by
Rolla
Hybrids lack the tire clearance and gearing for gravel, but nice try at being incendiary, gangsta.
Lots of hybrids have sufficient tire clearance equal to gravel bikes. Gearing is fungible. It can be changed relatively easily. Some hybrids even have lower gearing than you’ll find on several gravel bikes.
Looking at Trek. T
he Checkpoint ALR 5, for example, takes up to 45mm tires and has a 46/30, 11-34 drivetrain ( 23 gear inches). The
Verve 3 takes the same 45mm tires with a 46/30, 11-36 drive train (22 gear inches). The
Dual Sport 4 takes up to a 54mm tire with a 1x 42 tooth crank and 11-50 cassette (23 gear inches). The Verve and the Dual Sport are definitely hybrids.
Even if you compare the Checkpoint to a FX1, the FX doesn’t come out all that badly. Yes, it will only take 38mm tires but the gearing is lower than the Checkpoint by just a squidge (30/34 vs 28/34).