'Gravel' bikes vs hybrids…

Was describing what gravel bikes are to my wife this eve and the concept of a kind of ‘do it all’ bike. To which she answered ‘what, you mean a hybrid?’

Great put down. Even if she’s slightly missed the point.

I’m just investigating the whole endurance\adventure\hybrid thing. There is much scope for confusion.

Hybrids usually have flat bars and are more like Mens for the road whereas Gravel/Adventure bikes are Road bikes for offroad 😉

Gravel bike = drop bar hybrid. Anyone who thinks otherwise is incorrect 🙂

Gravel bike = drop bar hybrid. Anyone who thinks otherwise is incorrect

I am waiting for the flat bar gravel bike to come out, for those times when you need a bit more control than drops can give you. And maybe downsizing the wheels a little, for a little bit more strength.

Bit like this really.

And being as everything in cycling is cyclical, when do we get a new version of the Tioga/sugino tension disks???

Gravel bike = drop bar hybrid. Anyone who thinks otherwise is incorrect

So true

am waiting for the flat bar gravel bike to come out, for those times when you need a bit more control than drops can give you

Already here, any mtb with 35mm tyres on

Gravel bike = drop bar hybrid. Anyone who thinks otherwise is incorrect

Agreed. And I’ve had 2 of them. But theyd be far more capable with flat bars and decent brakes.

am waiting for the flat bar gravel bike to come out, for those times when you need a bit more control than drops can give you

There’s loads of them about. My wide has a 2-3 year old Ridgeback X3. It’s literally exactly what this thread is about.

I am waiting for the flat bar gravel bike to come out,

This is basically what the first 29ers were. Willits, Bruce Gordon, DB Overdrive etc. 700x45ish with flat bars, rigid forks.

I am waiting for the flat bar gravel bike to come out

’92 Alpinestars Xross.

Specialized crosstrail….a flat bar heavy suspension gravel bike

I am waiting for the flat bar gravel bike to come out, for those times when you need a bit more control than drops can give you. And maybe downsizing the wheels a little, for a little bit more strength.

You mean like a 650b hardtail with a double chainset and forks you can lock out?

There’s loads of them about. My wide has a 2-3 year old Ridgeback X3. It’s literally exactly what this thread is about.

But they aren’t being sold as a new niche yet, just waiting for the marketing to start pushing them as something revolutionary.

Gravelax

Slack, skinny tyres, flat bars. New pointless niche

If I put drops on my boardman hybrid it would be a gravel grinder
Your wife speaks the truth

These gravel bikes are just touring bikes, with knobbly tyres and disc brakes and without mudguards or racks.
People have been riding off-road on tourers for years, they work quite well as a do it all bike.

CraigW – Member
These gravel bikes are just touring bikes, with knobbly tyres and disc brakes and without mudguards or racks.
People have been riding off-road on tourers for years, they work quite well as a do it all bike.

Away with your sensible, non-marketing driven opinions you. How will the industry ever survive 😆

Hipster hybrid is what mine’s called. Great bike. I don’t get all the fretting that goes on about the bikes or the riding people do on them. Get out and enjoy it, or choose not to.

If I put drops on my boardman hybrid it would be a gravel grinder

What’s the max tyre clearance on it though?

Anyhow, I thought gravel bikes were just rebadged CX 😉

Nothing new Peugeot were making dedicated gravel bikes in the 50/60/70/80’s under labels like “demi course” and “randonneuse” fat tires guard rack mounts and some with 650 tire size you can pick them up for a song on the french version of gumtree etc its called https://www.leboncoin.fr/ got one in the back of the stable lovely soft riding frames and not heavy even by today’s standards.

Well, I’m sure mrmo enjoyed having his point repeated back at him.

Maybe there should be a tongue in cheek emoji for clarity.

drac has missed an open goal here

Well, I’m sure mrmo enjoyed having his point repeated back at him.

😆

Dunno jonni I’ve got 35mm and guards on so it would fit bigger, bit my shand took 42mm and o preferred to run it 35mm other wise it was a skinny 29er rather than a gravel group grinder, and if I used 32mm it was a gnarmac or something 🙂

I ask because a lot of gravel tyres on sale are around the 37-42 mark. People may shy away from buying a ‘gravel’ bike that only fits up to 35c tyres

I did see a swanky Mason Bokeh built with a flat bar recently.

They are indeed jonni I just found if I needed bigger than 35 I’d be as well on a 29er with skinny 29er tyres still fast enough on tarmac but much better in the rough stuff

^^this. I reckon Firestarter has it nailed right there.

I am waiting for the flat bar gravel bike to come out, for those times when you need a bit more control than drops can give you.

Daunder[/url]

Sneer all you like, but ‘gravel’ is a better descriptor than ‘hybrid’ IMO.

However ‘gravel’ bikes need fatter tyres, 2″ at least (again IMO).

So don’t worry, once the term gravel is accepted, we won’t run out of sneerability objects – because when 2″ gravel bikes happen a new round of sneering can start:

“They’re not gravel bikes, they’re 29ers”.

🙂

Tbf I had a drop bar singular swift years ago before all this gravel nonsense and it was just a drop bar 29er 🙂

Edit. Infact I was told I couldn’t use it on the 3peakscx as it was a mountain bike

These gravel bikes are just touring bikes, with knobbly tyres and disc brakes and without mudguards or racks.

And lighter to. So somewhat different.

I’m not sure I’ve seen an advert claiming these bikes are a new thing anyway. Can someone show me one?

No idea why everyone’s frothing about this. Maybe they are trying to show how clever they are?

Aren’t hybrids just mountain bikes with bad or no suspension anyway?

molgrips – Member
And lighter to. So somewhat different.

Mine’s not.
In fact, it is a tourer.

See, labels are unhelpful.

I’m not sure I’ve seen an advert claiming these bikes are a new thing anyway. Can someone show me one?
No idea why everyone’s frothing about this. Maybe they are trying to show how clever they are?

Maybe we’ve got to the stage where labels and genres only exist in the minds of marketing folk and those who are unsure about the possibilities of an ordinary, everyday bicycle.

Which is what ‘g****l’ bikes are.

Having seen epicyclo’s posts before, whatever he says on the matter I agree with….

I swap between drop and risers on the bike I use for gravel riding. This is made very easy due to lack of needing to mess around with brakes so I can literally swap in a few minutes before going on a ride.

So dependent on which bars I use that day changes my bike from a gravel bike to a hybrid, interesting…

How do you swap the brakes and gears?

I have a rigid (flat bar) 29r and a gravel bike (arkose).

They do completely different things for me.

I prefer “gnar-brid” to gravel bike http://a-pic-a-ride.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/gravel-riding-into-past.html?m=1