Originally Posted by
MNHarv
I'm probably way off here but I've come away from reading this entire thread thinking these are essentially under equipped randonneuring bikes. Because a randonneuring bike would fit all the criteria of a gravel bike and offer the rider a few extra accoutrements.
And no one wins those races either. Or so I'm told.
I think of Rando bikes as more like vintage touring/gravel bikes. The market for bikes specifically designed and equipped to be ridden 200km+ is pretty niche. You could say that a Rando bike is an over-equipped touring/gravel bike for 99% of the cycling population.