B.O.G. Series: What Bike To Use

 Welcome to the Basics of Gravel Series (B.O.G.)! In this series I will attempt to bring a very foundational knowledge of gravel and back road riding to anyone reading that may be curious or a beginner in riding off-pavement, but not wanting to be mountain biking. There will be a new entry every Wednesday until the series is complete. To see the schedule, click this LINK. Thanks! 

This is a 'gravel bike'.

The world of cycling is pretty 'gear intensive', and if you are new to this sort of activity, you may become bewildered by the amount of gear seemingly 'needed' to do cycling. If you've been around a bit you know that this can be a very confusing issue as well, but seemingly a necessary thing to navigate. The 'what bike?' question being a rather huge sticking point here. So, I want to wipe away all confusion, 'expert advice' you may be getting on-line or from 'that hardcore cyclist you know', and give it to you straight. 

ANY BIKE IS A 'GRAVEL BIKE'

If you can navigate the terrain and have fun on the bike you choose, guess what? YOU ARE DOING IT RIGHT. Don't let anyone tell you differently. Now with that said, if you are NOT having fun, having hurts, issues with how your bike operates, handles, or what have you, THEN you should be asking questions. All of your concerns can be addressed and you certainly can find a way to make gravel riding fun and an adventure, as much as you want to. But just to get started? Grab a bike and go check it out. 

When I started riding gravel I used a single speed mountain bike I had. Others started out on balloon-tired cruisers. Some used Wall Mart bikes. Others take some old used ten speed and get the job done. It's all a matter of what you want to do. Of course, buying a specifically designed-for-gravel bike can also be a viable solution. I'm not dissuading anyone in doing that, but I also don't want anyone leaving here thinking that they cannot go check out a back road or gravel road because they do not have a "GRVL BIKE®" like the online forums say, or that the media wonks are saying is the 'right bike'. In fact, anytime you see "GRVL" you should go the other way, most of the time this is pure marketing schlock, if you want to know the truth of it.

I led a gravel ride where these two bikes were used.

As a way to illustrate my points above, I'd like to share a story that happened in late 2013, when I led a gravel group ride called the "3GR". We met every Saturday, it was an inclusive ride, pace matched to participants, and was a "no drop" ride, meaning we kept the group together, no matter how slow we had to go.

So, two young women decided that they wanted to give gravel riding a shot. I encouraged them to show up to my group ride, and as it turned out, it was the last one held that year, being at the end of November. No one else but those two women and myself showed up that weekend. I said the ride was happening no matter what, so they felt comfortable going although they were now having 'no where to hide', as it were. One showed up on a single speed 29'er. By the way, she had been on this group ride before on an old 1970's era Kabuki 10 speed, and she did just fine. Her friend, on a 'mart bike' Mongoose, was a bit intimidated at first, but I encouraged her to give it a try anyway, despite the bike not fitting her correctly. 

It is also noteworthy that neither individual had anything cycling specific on but helmets. In other words- No- you do not HAVE to buy all the expensive equipment to go out and enjoy cycling. But that's another subject for another time. I just wanted to make that point here. 

Oh, and we rode the entire group ride course and they had a ball, despite what many in the cycling nerd-o-sphere would say were 'limiting factors'. So, they did not have 'gravel bikes', they did not have cycling gear, and they still had fun? Yes. It is possible folks. Don't let any perceived shortcomings short-circuit possible good times. 

Got an old mountain bike hanging around? Use it on gravel.

So, are there 'better bikes' for gravel? Of course! But you shouldn't wait until you get a 'better bike' because in all likelihood you have a perfectly serviceable 'gravel bike' already. Hybrid bikes, mountain bikes, even fat bikes are great on gravel. 

I led another gravel ride several years ago where a first timer, a middle-aged woman this time, showed up on her hard tail mountain bike. Oh.....and she'd only been riding a bicycle for a few months. As in EVER in her lifetime. Well, she came out and did 40 miles of gravel, albeit in small chunks with lots of stopping, which the group accommodated for, and she declared it the most fun she'd had in ages.  She did not wait to get a 'gravel bike' nor did she listen to naysayers who told her she was crazy for trying out a 40 mile, hilly gravel ride. You shouldn't listen to the naysayers either. You don't have to buy anything to come out and do gravel or dirt roads. You just need a bike and a sense of adventure and willingness to try. The rest can come later. 

And if you want to, you can get a bike suited to your needs and desires, but that shouldn't be a limiting factor at first. No- you should try things and explore. The knowledge you gain by experience will guide you to the choices which are correct for you. Maybe that will end up being an electric assisted bike, or maybe a fast, light, expensive carbon gravel bike, or maybe a single speed. Who knows? Who am I to say? You do you.

And maybe that will be what the industry has said is a 'gravel bike' and maybe not. So, what's the deal with these so-called 'gravel bikes' anyway? Well, here it is, boiled down to the easiest to digest details. A 'gravel' bike is an all-roads, versatile bike which generally has curly 'drop bars' for more hand positions and for cutting through wind, since it makes for a 'bent-over', more aerodynamic body positioning, if you want it. They generally are lighter weight, faster than many bikes, and look most like a 'traditional road bike', but they have lower range gearing and fatter tires than those bikes do. All tweaked out to handle rougher roads and unpaved areas in a fast, efficient manner. They cost anywhere from around $500.00 to $12,000.00 and all points in between, but the majority are $1,000.00 to $5,000.00 bucks. 

Fat bikes, like my old Mukluk here, make a great 'gravel bike'.

So, "What Bike To Use?" That's easy! Probably the one you already have! The good news is that all manner of bikes have been and will be used on gravel roads. More good news- bicycles specifically designed for gravel riding exist - if you want them. But the best news is that you do not have to buy one of those to enjoy gravel riding. 

NOTE: For a super-nerd-out look at gravel bike geometry ideas, and what I think makes a bike a 'gravel bike', see my post from Saturday by CLICKING HERE.  I will warn you! It is far more specific and technical than a beginner needs to be concerned about!

Next: What To Wear (Hint- You already have a clue where this is going....)