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| What the heck is "Gravel™" anyway? |
First up is a video I saw from "Velo", I believe it was, that was so poorly done and out of touch with reality I could only make it through about a quarter of the way into the piece.
In the video this media outlet purported to be testing six "gravel bikes" to see what the future of gravel cycling could be. Apparently it should be something other than real gravel road riding because everything they were doing was pointing to off-roading, or in the common person''s parlance, mountain biking.
Get this: Gravel ROAD cycling is done on ROADS. Not on single track fellas! Man! I was astounded when I saw them riding an aero focused road bike on rocky, rooty single track after the narrator tried to say these bikes were not going to be tested on "real mountain biking terrain".
Look, we're not stupid. That was mountain biking. Mountain biking with bicycles meant for roads. Dumb. Just really dumb.
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| An "All-Roads" bike - Image courtesy of Trek Bicycles |
Oh! You mean like a gravel bike does? No..... The brands think they are inventing a "new category" which is an outgrowth of the "Endurance road bike" niche because, well, "not everyone wants a gravel bike".
Because gravel bikes are mountain bikes, only less capable and without suspension, right? Like an all-road bike, only with MTB tires stuffed in there?
Again, dumb.
See, here's what the brands don't seem to understand. Gravel bikes are ROAD bikes. The term "gravel" refers to "gravel roads", and was not the ideal terminology, but hey! The industry adopted it, so you only have yourselves (speaking to the cycling industry here), to blame for this stupid situation we see where confusion reigns and people try to test a road bike on MTB terrain and think they are discovering "The Future" of something.
Fools......
Note: The latest Guitar Ted Podcast also covers this and more HERE.
I watched that video with humor as well… One of the three ‘tests’ they did had anything to do with riding actual gravel roads. What a joke.
ReplyDeleteI understand where you’re coming from but I will offer a few perspectives on that Velo video.
ReplyDelete1) The lead editor in that Velo video spent a couple decades in the mtb world at pinkbike. A few years ago, he abandoned mountain bikes completely and disappeared from the Internet. He reappeared at Velo and has only been riding road/gravel since then. He lives in the mountains in B.C. He is “greedy”. He wants to ride one and only one bike in the mountains. For example, he put 20,000km on his Stigmata. If you want to explore the mountains you are dealing with pavement, gravel, double track, and single track. He doesn’t want an mtb, but he wants one bike to do all the things in the mountains. Not everybody wants one bike to do it all. But I think that is part of the context here.
2) Modern gravel bikes are incredibly capable. We now have the ability to run 2 inch tires. Think about this... There are bikes designed to win DK200, a 200-mile all-road race, that are simultaneously better, faster, safer, and more fun to ride on single track than the early 90s mtbs we road on singletrack. That same singletrack we road in the 90s is still there in many places. And you can ride it on your gravel bike today if you want to.
3) Another example of capability. The tour divide has been won with lots of different bikes includes drop bar mtbs and full suspension mtbs. The tour divide has lots of pavement, lots of gravel, and some singletrack. The current winner and record holder won the mtbish event on what looks like an aero road bike. Again, the new bikes are that capable.
4) In that Velo video they explain that they are testing edge cases and pushing the bikes into terrain that they are not designed for. The purpose of the test is to find the limits of what these bikes are capable of. If you watch the whole video, it also includes a road style time trial on a flat gravel road. And future videos in the series with include testing in more traditional gravel scenarios. The test includes a broad spectrum of bikes. From carbon aero race machine to a drop bar mtb hardtail and a ti 32er. Testing these edge cases make sense. The fargo has always been labeled a mtb. But would a 32er ti fargo make for solid gravel bike? That’s what they want to find out.
5) Where is gravel headed in the future? I don’t know. I agree that “gravel” is a poor label. But these modern gravel bikes with 2-inch tires serve a wide variety of use cases and are extremely versatile. I’m on a gravel bike with 55mm tires and Rudy front suspension. Light, fast, and racy on a traditional group road ride? Check! Dirt and gravel roads however you define them? Check! Want to explore some single track on your “gravel” ride? No worries. Check! What’s not to love about these amazingly versatile "gravel" bikes?
@Scott - hanks for the thoughtful comments. I will respond according to your numbering system....
Delete#1: Nice resume. Sounds like the test was set up for his own amusement by your description of it. Not relevant to most people as most folks do not live in mountainous areas. But it's a valid pursuit for this particular individual, I'll grant you that.
#2: I can ride single track on a gravel bike from 2012, (in fact, I did), 2014, (again, I have), or from any point in the timeline. The current move toward wider tires comes with compromises. You gain on one end and take away from the other end of the riding spectrum.
#3: This tells me nothing about the test. Yes.... You could probably do the TD on a tricycle, if you really wanted to. This has no bearing on my points.
#4: The video is not relevant to how most people ride gravel bikes, this is my point. I find what the video was showing to be, in a kind word, goofy.
#5; You are satisfied? Great. Again, this does not convince me to change my mind on what I wrote here. But I appreciate your enthusiasm for your bicycle and if this gets you juiced to ride, you are not wrong.
Thanks, GT! I will try to better explain my point. I believe one of your key points is summarized here: "Gravel ROAD cycling is done on ROADS. Not on single track fellas!".
ReplyDeleteMy point is that the current gravel ROAD bikes designed to excel in classic midwest gravel settings like Unbound or Mid South ALSO happen to be very enjoyable to ride on single track. They are clearly not mountain bikes but we should not be surprised that average gravel riders like myself or media members are curious about how they perform on singletrack. My argument is that they perform better on singletrack than purpose built mountain bikes from not so long ago (90s mtbs) so I think it makes sense the people will discuss their singletrack performance. If I rate my modern XC bike as 10/10 on my local singletrack, I would rate my current gravel bike as 5/10. I would rate my 90s mtb as 4/10. I would rate my 2012 and 2014 gravel bikes as 2/10. Your argument is "The video is not relevant..." However, I think gravel ROAD bikes have reached an interesting inflection point. My first mtb was a GT triple triangle with a sub-branding sticker that reads "all-terra". I think it is very interesting and relevant that my current gravel ROAD bike is a better ATB than than previous purpose built MTBs and ATBs. Some of us have a fleet of bikes. But some people only have time and money to ride one. Again, how cool is it that the ROAD bike that won Unbound would be ALSO be a better and safer for a new cyclist to use on midwest singletrack than the MOUNTAIN bike that was sold to me when I first started riding trails? Again, I think the video is relevant for people who only own one bike. What is the most versatile option? Yes, there are compromises. But in my opinion you might be overstating the compromises. With the right tires a bike like the new Crux can do a lot of things really really well.
Gravel ROAD bikes can now be used to win "MTB" events. Including prestigous events like the TD. This is also an interesting development in gravel ROAD bike history which I believe makes the video relevant.
Finally, I agree that the "tests" are silly. They are not scientific. FWIW their next test will be 100k gravel ride. But what I find interesting and relevant is the discussion of the tech editors. One is a roadie that wants his gravel bike to feel light, fast, aero, and twitchy. Another wants his gravel ROAD bike to behave more like his former mountain bikes. The third is somewhat enamored with 32ers which ride and handle differently all together.
Love this blog! Always enjoy your perspective. Thanks for doing what you do!!
Here in western MT, I find myself riding my allroad bikes (2011ish Salsa Vaya; 2024ish Rocky Mtn Solo) on singletrack fairly frequently. Its a nice change of pace, although my hands and forearms will remind me why these bikes are not ideal for trail riding, alhtough the hydraulic brakes on the Solo are a huge improvement from BB7s. I don't take these bikes on pure singletrack rides, but I will often throw in a section or two combined with pavement or forest roads. Climbing is much better than descending, obviosuly, notwithstanding taller gearing than MTB. We do not have crushed rock "gravel" around here like Iowa. I could never have a "gravel" bike as my only bike here.
ReplyDelete