i layed on the gravel hate but think I may order a Fustle

I’ve had three now, the first being an adapted cx bike, all seemed a great idea, all got sold. They’re just not as fast on the road bits as you think they might be, aren’t as capable on the rougher stuff, and unless high end, aren’t much (if any) lighter than a hardtail mtb. Versatility is good but ultimately I fall out of love with them fairly rapidly when I remember all the compromises.

I think perhaps my problem is I can’t really bimble, I need to have a bit of a go, and if I’m gonna do that, I’d rather be quick on the off road bits, and not terrified. I don’t really do plain road riding, it’s just boring to me.

I reckon I’ll inevitably end up with another one, but it’ll have to be bloody light and fast.

They’re just not as fast on the road bits as you think they might be, aren’t as capable on the rougher stuff, and unless high end, aren’t much (if any) lighter than a hardtail mtb.

Your bikes, maybe. Not all bikes. Mine’s every bit as fast as the road bike it replaced and lighter than any MTB I’ve had (in fact it’s very nearly as light as the road bike once you account for the fact that it’s also got mudguards and dyno lighting).

They’re just not as fast on the road bits as you think they might be, aren’t as capable on the rougher stuff, and unless high end, aren’t much (if any) lighter than a hardtail mtb.

Or you could look at it another way. Faster on road than an MTB, better off road than a road bike. I don’t think any advertiser would try to tell you to replace your MTB with a gravel bike for normal MTBing. That’s patently absurd.

They are for mixed rides with light off road. No-one’s pretending otherwise.

They’re just not as fast on the road bits

Mine’s every bit as fast as the road bike it replaced

Every ride is a race. That it the most crucial bit.

The main thing that stops my gravel bike being not as fast as the road bike on the road/bike path is the gearing means I’ll spin out quicker or my leg power output.  But then I’m not doing a TT road race, nor a gravel race, nor a sportive race. I simply “go for a ride”.  And the gravel bike gets me probably 40% more scenery ridden through than the XC bike per ride of a similar duration.

But then I have 5 bikes. And am not replacing XC or Enduro or any other discipline variant with gravel / ATB / just going for a ride.

Maybe the people who don’t like gravel bikes have poor peripheral vision.

They don’t notice all those skinny little tracks leading off the road into the wild nowhere, so they never get to think “Hmmm, wonder what’s up there, let’s take a look”.

Or maybe they live in restricted freedom country and aren’t allowed to do that…

They don’t notice all those skinny little tracks leading off the road into the wild nowhere, so they never get to think “Hmmm, wonder what’s up there, let’s take a look”.

Smart arse.

Maybe people just want to crack on and not dilly dally up every side road?

Why don’t we all just criticise the way people like to ride if it’s different from us? That’ll make for a great community spirit and cheer everyone up, won’t it?

“They don’t notice all those skinny little tracks leading off the road into the wild nowhere, so they never get to think “Hmmm, wonder what’s up there, let’s take a look”.”

Have an ebike for that 🙂

molgrips
Maybe people just want to crack on and not dilly dally up every side road?

Sorry, forgot this was a roadie forum…

I have a few years old steel Norco search upgraded with carbon forks, Hunt wheels with 35’s and 105. I was doing 3k miles a year on it in all weathers.

Perfect for knackered roads and gravelled former railway trails.
As other people have said, gravel bikes are road bike -, rigid mtb +

Mine got nicked on 1st Jan, found two weeks later but broken(carbon)
I really do miss it for a do it all bike even though I have a few other bikes to choose from.

Sorry, forgot this was a roadie forum…

I’m no roadie. But I still like to crack on. You seem surprised that others enjoy riding differently to you.

molgrips
You seem surprised that others enjoy riding differently to you.

I’m surprised you’ve managed to construe that from what I’ve said. Any bike’s a good bike as far as I’m concerned, but this topic is about gravel bikes, and my comment was about people who don’t like them.

They are for mixed rides with light off road. No-one’s pretending otherwise.

I think a lot of people are thinking otherwise which is why they are disappointed that they have bought the wrong bike and instead of blaming themselves would rather just declare that gravel bikes are crap, marketing rubbish etc,.

But yes, they are very good for mixed road with light off road as is a road bike. One is better on the gravel parts and the other is better on the road parts and they are both poor on anything remotely challenging that an MTB would excel at.
Pick a bike at whatever end of the compromise is best for you and go out and ride it, easy.

Pick a bike at whatever end of the compromise is best for you and go out and ride it, easy.

HERETIC…..BURN HIM 🚳🔥

Any bike’s a good bike as far as I’m concerned

This could mean ‘having a bike is better than not having a bike’

or

‘I think all bikes are equally good’

You need to clarify which statement is the correct interpretation. It is safe to say that everyone will agree with you if it’s the first one.

However, if the second interpretation is your message then it would suggest you cannot tell a good bike from an inferior one, which would be a concern if we are to take your position seriously.

kersey
Pick a bike at whatever end of the compromise is best for you and go out and ride it, easy.

Warning: it’s dangerous to take bike advice from a bloke who rides fixed offload.

Even when he’s right.

Because compromise means no N+1 bike… 🙂

The real dispute here seems to be between opposing extremes. Those who see a bike as a means to exercise their athletic prowess, and those who see it as a means to explore interesting scenery. I have always been very much in the latter category, so just about any bike that is comfortable, capable enough offroad and able to eat road miles to get there, will do. Important however, is to be light enough to be portaged over a bealach or two.

Have to say. That video posted on by sailor74 on P4. I’d definitely want my rigid MTB for most of that riding! I’d be broken by the end of that

Those who see a bike as a means to exercise their athletic prowess, and those who see it as a means to explore interesting scenery.

Not at all. Gravel bikes can still be used to smash it. Bike choice is affected by terrain and your attitude to it, not by how hard you want to pedal.

Gravel bikes can still be used to smash it.

As a couple of us have pointed out, they often ride better like this.

100km on my gravel bike this morning on urban roads, parks, cycle paths, canal paths, country roads, singletrack, gravel roads and even some dual carriageway

Definitely not what I’d describe as shit

TBH i was hoping to recreate this ride this yer

3T Almeria

best made plans of mice and men 🙂

regiegasket
You need to clarify which statement is the correct interpretation.

The first.

It can be the wrong bike in the wrong place, and having the attitude it’s better than not being there and not having a bike.

Have to say. That video posted on by sailor74 on P4. I’d definitely want my rigid MTB for most of that riding! I’d be broken by the end of that

I think I could cope with most of that on my Diverge (apart from that bit around 1:30). I would be considerably slower though.

That 3T Almeria got me watching a few of the XPDTN3 videos. Really nice, I’d like to take a look at some of those areas of Spain. Great music too, unlike many bike “edits”.

I rode a gravel bike for the first time seriously last summer and loved it.

Saying that, it was solely on long distance gravely trails in Derbyshire…..!

For roads I’d have preferred a road bike and anything more than gravel a mountain bike.

Very niche for the amount of attention they get.

Would have been perfectly happy on the gravel with a road bike and a spare set of cheapo wheels and gravel suitable tyres or a hardtail and pumped the tyres up.

I’m a bit slow to this, but to my perception – gravel bikes just seem to be what mountain bikes were back in the late 90s and early 2000s in terms of capability (apart from the odd looking bars).

If I had gravel roads leading to and from my house instead of paved tarmac and smooth concrete, then I might consider getting one – but that’s not the case so a road bike makes more sense.
If there was no singletrack for me to ride in the woods or mountains when I try to go mountain biking, then a gravel bike might also make sense there.,. But that’s not the case with that there either. I’d have to go searching for a decent gravel road spin.

I’ve not tried one or ridden one, but they don’t appeal to me.

I’m lucky to have this about 3 miles of C class road away from my front door, I’m riding gravel more than road at the moment as a lot quieter

No horses, no drones, no gnarr, not very far, no thrash metal soundtrack, the whole ride was utterly shit

Good to see lots of folks happy with they’re gravel bikes. I initially was but after the honeymoon period and possibly the terrain from my house made it a poor choice.

Few mates still have gravel bikes and I use my hardtail and keep up with them no issue. I just get to enjoy any remotely rough/slightly techy bits more.

I lasted 9 months before I realised it wasn’t for me. I’ve since ridden lots of smooth’ish gravel/off/road on my winter roadie(28mm) tubeless tyres and it’s just as capable as the gravel bike(in dry obviously)

Have to say. That video posted on by sailor74 on P4. I’d definitely want my rigid MTB for most of that riding! I’d be broken by the end of that

80% of the off road in that video is similar to what I ride locally, there’s some which is bit more gnar, but I’ve also walked far worse climbs 😁

It’s officially summer now as I’ve just swapped the wtb senderos for wtb byways, no need for anything knobbly now as the trails are bone dry, even the last few stubborn wet patches are almost dry.

The forecast gives not a drop of rain for the next week here 😎

I went out for a ride today on my mountainbike, very similar route to what I did on my gravel bike earlier in the week…I enjoyed both!

I’m lucky to have this about 3 miles of C class road away from my front door, I’m riding gravel more than road at the moment as a lot quieter

Yip, been up there a lot on the gravel bike. Perfect ride from my door. Bit of road all the way up the a77, then cut in there for some miles on the gravel then back home via eaglesham. My usual ride is down the a77 to Fenwick, through waterside then into the back of the windfarm. Meander up to the visitor centre then over to eaglesham and home.

The gravel bike is perfect for this. 650b wheels with 48mm tyres are perfect for potholed roads and gravel

I lasted 9 months before I realised it wasn’t for me. I’ve since ridden lots of smooth’ish gravel/off/road on my winter roadie(28mm) tubeless tyres and it’s just as capable as the gravel bike(in dry obviously)

Yep, I am back on 28mm tyres and just as good on the gravel roads as bigger tyres. I wouldn’t want to be doing many fast corners on them but on the compacted gravel roads where I live they are fine and faster/less work on the tarmac sections. I do use some heavy duty tubeless 28mm tyres (400 grams) so not really getting the benefits of a decent light road tyre but that sort of tyre wouldn’t last 10 minutes on flinty gravel.

The gravel bike is perfect for this. 650b wheels with 48mm tyres are perfect for potholed roads and gravel

I can imagine ! I’m using my Croix de Fer with 700x35s so good on road and a bit harsh on the hard packed turbine roads. I do have a new bike coming end of the week with 650×47 though 😜

@thisisnotaspoon do you have a YouTube channel

One of my favourite things is watching (sorry but it’s mostly over biked under skilled people) is searching YouTube for swinley crashes and your name is one of the top hits

Edit

I’m not having a dig

do you have a YouTube channel

One of my favourite things is watching (sorry but it’s mostly over biked under skilled people) is searching YouTube for swinley crashes and your name is one of the top hits

Edit

I’m not having a dig

Haha, no, well only for posting random crap, not edits.

My OH bought me a gopro for a birthday and that crash was its first ride! So fell out with the idea, but then worked in TV production for a few years so absorbed a bit of knowledge and plan to make a few videos. That one was just a an hour in the woods with 3 cameras.

I really need to get a decent PC built to do it properly.

o my perception – gravel bikes just seem to be what mountain bikes were back in the late 90s and early 2000s in terms of capability

No chance. Suspension was normal by then and discs were pretty popular. Go back to the early 90s you’d be closer but still nowhere near really. You might look at bikes from then with a modern eye and think they weren’t used for technical trails, but I can testify they definitely were. Nowhere near as fast as I would these days, but we still rode it, we gave those bikes a hammering along the way.

It’s mostly about tyre size. I sometimes went with 1.9s but was often on 2.0s or 2.2s. Even now gravel bikes rarely have tyres that big – and simply having flat bars that were still much wider than gravel bike bars, and flat bar levers gave you a more capable riding position.

No chance. Suspension was normal by then and discs were pretty popular. Go back to the early 90s you’d be closer but still nowhere near really. You might look at bikes from then with a modern eye and think they weren’t used for technical trails, but I can testify they definitely were. Nowhere near as fast as I would these days, but we still rode it, we gave those bikes a hammering along the way.

It’s mostly about tyre size. I sometimes went with 1.9s but was often on 2.0s or 2.2s. Even now gravel bikes rarely have tyres that big – and simply having flat bars that were still much wider than gravel bike bars, and flat bar levers gave you a more capable riding position.

Not so sure, suspension that actually worked was very late 90s, i think i had a set of marzocchi z4 which were probably the first fork that actually felt recognisably like a modern fork (spring, damping and stiffness) arround 2002?

Disk brakes, I bought some C2s around the same time, minis and e4’s came out 2002 ish?

Disk brakes and suspension might have existed in the 90s, but it was more of a liability than an upgrade 😂

1.9″ is ~47mm, and TBH I think even my 40mm tyres are wider than the old Michelin xc tyres i had back then! And as for the 2.3″ Continental Vertical Pro’s we all bought when 2.1 Fire XCs went out of fashion, I suspect you could probably fit one in a cross frame they were that far from 2.3″!

I’d actually go as far as saying that modern tyres that work mean gravel bikes are actually better than those early MTB’s!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_LC05bndT7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

back to the early 90s you’d be closer but still nowhere near really

You’re right – a gravel bike is better. Speaking as the owner of an Arkose and a ’92 Breezer Storm…