Originally Posted by
ThermionicScott
I suppose it was only a matter of time before "gravel bikes" mutated away from being road bikes with more tire clearance, to something very different. Do you suppose gravel bikes and MTBs will ultimately converge into the same thing?
I don’t think that will really happen, no, largely because I believe there is demand for get-on-and-go, out-your-front-door, all-road riding which doesn’t demand or want heavy bikes, big tires, or full suspension. I think that segment is essentially the same as that which kept road cycling from disappearing under the popularity of MTB.
MTB, by contrast, was driven by a customer base that largely had to pack up and drive to the trails, so it seems that if you’re going to do that, you have a lot of choice regarding what the ride is going to look like, and I think a lot of riders preferred the thrill of downhilling more than XC riding, ergo desire for more travel, more tire, and more extreme geometry.
So yeah, while we’ll see full sprung gravel bikes, I think the gravel segment will remain diverse, or at least split between road-core and trail-core…or something like that.