wolfchild

Smooth-as-glass road cycling isn't for everyone...Gravel riding is hard to beat...Me personally if I had a choice between 100 miles of gravel and 100 miles of pavement I would choose gravel.

tomato coupe

I split my time roughly 50/50 between my road bike and my gravel bike. Smooth-as-glass road cycling isn't for everyone. Likewise, gravel riding isn't for everyone.

Kapusta

Gravel Bikes are Road Bikes that don’t suck on Gravel.

or as I prefer to put it:

Gravel Bikes are Road Bikes that don’t suck.

PeteHski

Yep, that's why I had a few gravel bike frames on my shortlist for building up a new endurance road bike. There is a lot of overlap now.

wolfchild

There is no difference between a roadie and a gravel cyclist. They all look the same with their smooth as glass shaved legs and $ 500 bibs.

PeteHski

This thread has got me thinking. Does anyone here ride road, gravel and mtb? If so, do you have dedicated bikes for all 3? I'm 50/50 road/mtb and gravel is something I just happen to ride on my mtb to get to the singletrack. I've never really given gravel any thought as a primary riding terrain, but I can still see the attraction. Some of the mtb rides I used to do around the South Downs would probably suit a gravel bike better.

Kapusta

I ride all three. My Soma Fog Cutter with Rene Herse 38mm Superlight tires takes care of my all my road needs (paved and unpaved). I used to have a pavement-specific bike. I never miss it.

When mountain biking, I'll ride whatever roads I need to to connect trails. Those tend to be gravel, but not always. Honestly, my MTB is a drag (literally and figuratively) on extended gravel roads almost as much as on pavement. But it gets me to the next trail.

As far as road riding, gravel is just another road surface. Some rides are 0% gravel, some 50% gravel, some 100%. All on the same bike.

shrtdstncrdr

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.

Paul Barnard

I always love your pics Indy.I don't just see them, I feel them.

ofajen

Yeah, in my teens and twenties, I was a dedicated road rider back in the days of tubular tires, toe clips, metal cleats and wool bike shorts.

In the 90s I made a transition to primarily rail trails and other easy routes off the roads and away from cars, noise and exhaust.

Now we have an even more extensive trail system around our area. Some parts are relatively easy and much like a road if you have the right tires. Other parts are more technical and a bit slower, but still not scary.

At my age, I don’t want falls and I don’t want down time when there are people who rely on me.

All that said, I don’t have a modern gravel bike, just cheap old frames built up for light trail duty.

Otto

HTupolev

Plenty of randonneuring bikes use skinny tires and race gearing, and really wouldn't fit the criteria of a "gravel bike" very well at all.

For the randonneuring bikes that do fit the criteria of a gravel bike, I'm not sure what benefit there is in discussing them as if the categories are mutually exclusive. When the mid-century French constructeurs built fat-tired low-geared randonneuring bikes, they did so primarily because their clients were intending to ride them on gravel roads in the mountains; I think it's neither inappropriate nor confusing to refer to those bikes as gravel bikes. Similarly, if the "extra accoutrements" you're referring to are things like bags and lighting systems, it's not like people never equip their "gravel bikes" with such features.

mstateglfr 

Your shtick played out long ago.

mstateglfr 

A rando bike certainly could fit all the criteria of a gravel bike. And a gravel bike certain could fit all the criteria of a random bike.

Really not sure what your point is.

I am curious to hear what extras a rando bike offers.

PeteHski

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.

GhostRider62

His point seems simple. There is no such thing as a randonneuring bike. Your idea of a randonneuring bike might represent 3% of the bikes on the starting line at PBP.

indyfabz

Yep. One-trick pony. Sounds very sock-ish, if you know what I’m sayin’.

In any event, this thread went exactly how I thought it would based on the fate of the similar thread I linked to early on.

mstateglfr 

What is my idea of a rando bike? I didn't offer up a description.
I just asked what extras a rando bike offers.

GhostRider62

You think a randonneuring bike is suitable for gravel. Seems pretty descriptive to me.

mstateglfr 

I wasnt the one who initially claimed this, I just responded with 'a rando bike could fit the criteria of a gravel bike'. Not will, but could. Because it could, depending on specifics.

fishboat

Absolutely ride all three and have dedicated bikes for each. That said, most of my time is spent on a cx-type(Poprads with 38mm tires)

...that I recently discovered has the same geometry as a Checkpoint

...that has the same geometry(up to 2021) as a Domane

..so

..point taken.

GhostRider62

There is too much meaningless differentiation in the bike market.

Many gravel roads can be ridden on a road bike with 32 mm tires or a touring bike or a so-called endurance bike. More rustic gravel roads might be better with a flat bar mountain bike with some tread on the tires. I don't need a special bike for gravel. If the road is awful and steep and rutted, my Mt bike is fine. Normally, a road bike with larger tires works just fine. If someone is doing long distance endurance racing on gravel? Different story

shrtdstncrdr

Permanent lighting for one. I think most of Europe requires headlights (at least) on their bicycles. IHGs are the norm there but not here in the United States. Once someone gets to the higher distances where they ride overnight U.S. riders usually convert their lighting systems to permanently integrated systems. Seems like fenders, or mud guards if you prefer to call them that, really only come on touring bikes in the U.S. whereas Europe again treats them as necessary. (I've seen local riders here in MN with centrifugal cup holders mounted to their bikes.) Who knows... probably shrader valves...

sloppy12

I sitting right next to two commuter bikes with everything you describe. One is marketed as a touring/gravel bike the other is more of a gravel bike. I guess the lack of schrader valves keep them from reaching rando status. lol

Steve B.

Yes. Carbon road, Di2 systesm, 25mm tires. Topstone grave, has both 32mm road tires and 2nd wheel set with 44mm gravel tires, I take this bike on vacations. Aly HT for mt biking single track.

shrtdstncrdr

Yes.
I think the gravel bike evolved from the earliest modern designs. Taking the best of what people need today and eschewing the rest. While rando specific bikes evolved on their own path for the reasons set out by that newspaper (in order to sell more newspapers). A long unsupported ride within a limited time frame. No winners, no losers except those who DNF within that time frame.

Wait! I participateded... Don't I get a trophy?