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What is a "Gravel" bike really ?

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energyman:
A few years ago two of us were cycling in Scotland.  I was on my RST, panniered up and shod with Marathon Tour Plus tyres.  No problems on unsurfaced trails when the Sustrans routes took us.
So why is all the fuss now made about Gravel Bikes when they are nothing new.
Obviously I'm missing something in my dotage ?

PH:

--- Quote from: energyman on April 08, 2022, 01:52:03 pm ---Obviously I'm missing something in my dotage ?

--- End quote ---
Maybe you're just missing that you're in your dotage...
It's OK for the next generation to come along and re-invent the wheel.  That's the natural order of things, just as much as the previous generation moaning that it's all been done before...
This time round at least there's been some development, the appeal of the sports bike has been combined with some features to make it a more practical machine in several ways, mostly tyres, brakes and the clearances that permits.  If you go into any bike shop (Not forgetting that for many, Bike Shop= Halfords) without any prejudice, I'd be surprised if you didn't conclude that there's a better choice of bikes now than at any time in the last 30 years, that's certainly my opinion.
We can all benefit from that, along with some of the newer luggage options.  We also all benefit from the publicity and the effort going in to opening up more routes.  Then there's the idea of using a bike to go somewhere, the more mainstream that becomes the better, doesn't matter whether it's called touring, trekking, bike packing or anything else. 
My generation, I'm teetering on the edge of dotage, reinvented the bicycle as a chunky go anywhere machine, MTB's rule, anything else was for your grandfarther, we certainly weren't going to listen to anyone telling us we didn't need knobbly tyres or that mudguards were useful.  I don't think we did any better than the current generation and probably worse.

Moronic:

--- Quote from: energyman on April 08, 2022, 01:52:03 pm ---A few years ago two of us were cycling in Scotland.  I was on my RST, panniered up and shod with Marathon Tour Plus tyres.  No problems on unsurfaced trails when the Sustrans routes took us.
So why is all the fuss now made about Gravel Bikes when they are nothing new.
Obviously I'm missing something in my dotage ?

--- End quote ---

It's a marketer's category and it isn't much about touring. On the touring side would be a Bikepacking bike, as I am reading the new bike sales guff.

The gravel bike is a road bike (as in racer) on wide tyres with wider gearing than a typical roadster, and likely these days with a slacker head angle and maybe a bit more trail.

It's for day rides on firm surfaces that might not be sealed.

They have mounts for racks and mudguards but aren't pictured new with either.

Can double as bikepacking bikes for people who think they don't need low gears.

Nearly all of them come with drop handlebars.

Your RST with the racks removed would do about the same job, as indeed does my Mercury on 50mm tyres. Except that typical gravel bikes aren't built to carry loads and run a couple of kilos lighter (carbon frames, lighter wheelsets, etc).

The gravel bike isn't called a gravel bike because it goes better on gravel than a typical tourer. It's called a gravel bike because it goes better on gravel than a typical racer.

The fuss is mainly about bike companies convincing road bike owners that they need a new bike, IMO.

OTOH it's not all hot air. The technical development behind them is the invention of wide tubeless tyres with supple sidewalls that roll just about as fast at low pressures as skinny tyres roll at high pressures, and that are much safer snd more comfortable on rough roads of all kinds.

That helps people have fun riding backroads where there's less motor traffic.

PH:

--- Quote from: Moronic on April 08, 2022, 03:39:00 pm ---The gravel bike is a road bike (as in racer) on wide tyres with wider gearing than a typical roadster, and likely these days with a slacker head angle and maybe a bit more trail.
--- End quote ---
That's a good point, though it should also be noted that in the US Gravel Racing is a real thing, so it has some genuine origin rather than purely a marketing term.  What we have now didn't spring from nowhere, the Specialized Tricross was a worthy step in this direction, though Cyclocross riders were inclined to correct anyone who referred to it as a cyclocross bike.  I'm not sure of the timeline, but the now well established Surly Crosscheck and Genesis Croix de Fer have a place on it, I recall both came in for some criticism about not being one thing or another.  As such bikes became more widespread, it was inevitable that a category would be assigned to them.  "Gravel" might not be ideal, but it's the one that stuck. I don't see it as any different to "Audax" bikes, the majority of which I suspect have never been used for such.  I recall conversations, in the pub pre forum days, about there being no difference between an Audax bike and the Clubman's bike around for decades before Audax came to the UK.
Expanding on that point, though also veering OT - As Audax has increased in popularity over the last few years, here in the UK at least, the prevalence of "Audax" bikes being used has declined. Some riders have gone for outright road bikes, but many for wider tyre Gravel bikes, I have to resist putting my dotage hat on and telling some them I was Audaxing on 35mm tyres before they were born... The reality is IMO that now there's such a good choice of wider tyres and disk brakes free up the restrictions of DP's there's no reason not to use wider tyres. 

JohnR:
So it's less about bike and more about tyres. Having the clearance in the frame / forks to fit suitable tyres may be the key feature.

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