The ultimate vintage version would be one of the wide-tired pass-hunting machines from the high-end French framebuilders of the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. The
constructeurs were some of the few framebuilders making bicycles that take wide tires (650b) and wide gear ranges that were also very lightweight and sporty, meant for racing through the French Alps. They are probably the closest analogues to the modern gravel bike.
