MikeF wrote:A rough surface does not equate to gravel. None of that is gravel, but perhaps the Americans call it that.pwa wrote:If you want gravel (stone chippings to be accurate) there's loads of it here in South Wales. But I'm not sure I'd take anything less tough than a full-on mountain bike on proper gravel. Rough bits commonly have chippings of 4 cm or bigger, with the odd rock sticking out. And you can venture off onto dodgy side paths if you have a proper off-road bike.
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.6526141 ... 6?hl=en-GB
Miles and miles of gravel around this valley, but cyclists there tend to be on MTBs, not "gravel bikes".
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.6553338 ... 6?hl=en-GB
I'd be happier doing this corner on an MTB than a gravel bike.
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.6548196 ... 6?hl=en-GB
On a gravel bike you might feel more comfortable sticking to the smooth track below, leaving the adventurous stuff to MTBs.
There's a short section of path near me that is gravel and it's extremely difficult to cycle along.
You are quite right. Gravel is not what is normally used for cycle paths made of stone particles. That is why I referred to "stone chippings", which are used in a mixture of grades right down to "dust", the latter binding the larger bits together after rain and drying out to form a firm bed. Gravel, if that were used, would be constantly shifting and you would sink into it. True gravel is small particles of stone formed by natural processes, not from humans crushing blocks of stone. So the term "gravel bike" must have been concocted by someone who didn't know one aggregate from another.