Gravel Bike

[Philip Benstead]

Is gravel bike just another name for a rough stuff bike?

[Oldjohnw]

I asked roughly this question on another thread. The replies varied between yes and no.

[peetee]

A modern incarnation of the same, yes. Insomuch as it is designed to provide a drop handlebar riding stance with off-road capability with regard to tyre choice and gear ratios.
The term ‘gravel bike’ has been adopted by the cycle industry to describe a product that bridges the gap between road and mountain bikes. A gap that is ever widening with the advancement of lightweight components on one side and suspension technology on the other. As with all things cycling it’s down to the owner how a bike is used. Just as there are many people using track bikes or mountain bikes for commuting there are others who will venture off-tarmac with road bikes. Going back a few decades the vast majority of rough stuff, or ‘green lane’ riding was done on touring bikes which were not designed for the purpose but nevertheless, with a good measure of care from the rider, were perfectly capable of tackling a wide range of surfaces and conditions. My 80’s MTB has taken me off road to everywhere I had the bravery to sample - up mountains and down forest trails at over 40mph. In comparison to the full suspension downhill bikes of today it is far more like a gravel bike but as I hinted earlier, ‘gravel’ is a marketing term, not a definition.

[Oldjohnw]

I thought a hybrid bridged the gap between mountain and road bikes.

I am sure there are marketing words yet to be used to persuade us that there is yet another kind of must have bike.

Old John in a slightly irrascable mood.

[RickH]

Is gravel bike just another name for a rough stuff bike?

When I've gone out with the local rough stuff group on my "gravel bike"* (Kona Sutra Ltd) they've mostly been riding modern mountainbikes. That begs the question - what is a rough stuff bike?

I thought a hybrid bridged the gap between mountain and road bikes.

I am sure there are marketing words yet to be used to persuade us that there is yet another kind of must have bike.

Old John in a slightly irrascable mood.

There is quite a bit of similarity between a hybrid & a gravel bike* apart from the bar shape, usually drops on gravel & straight on hybrid. But the water gets muddied further by gravel bikes* being produced with flat bars.

(*They seem to be becoming more frequently known as "all road" or "adventure" bikes as they are not just for gravel surfaces).

[PH]

I see bike type classifications as signposts to point you in the right direction, some of them are precise enough to get you to to a specific destination, others are just waving in a general direction. "Gravel" is like the sign at the bottom of the M1 which says "The North"

[yostumpy]

Is gravel bike just another name for a rough stuff bike?

When I've gone out with the local rough stuff group on my "gravel bike"* (Kona Sutra Ltd) they've mostly been riding modern mountainbikes. That begs the question - what is a rough stuff bike .

Its what ever you are comfortable on. Forget trends, forget fashion, they all come and go, leaving the followers looking for the latest thing. Here is my 'do it all' bike. The only bike I've used for nearly 5 years, Yes it's also my 'gravel' bike, my 'rough stuff bike' (and I really mean rough stuff) , my commuter, my club bike, and my Audax bike. (in the shed I have a Pearson Audax bike, an old Orange P7, and a hand built, Canadian full sus MTB. None of these have been used for years. BUT I must confess, I now also have a recumbent, but that's another story.
IMG_1113 by mark tilley, on Flickr
WP_20180202_16_30_13_Pro by mark tilley, on Flickr

[Philip Benstead]

According to Reg Shaw former editor of the CTC Gazette view is that these are Club Run bike and Touring bike.

What would our view be today?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/product-review ... filter-bar

[peetee]

I thought a hybrid bridged the gap between mountain and road bikes.

I am sure there are marketing words yet to be used to persuade us that there is yet another kind of must have bike.

Old John in a slightly irrascable mood.

There are a lot of similarities but generally speaking hybrids are flat bar bikes designed for road or towpath/disused railway route riding by leisure riders and gravel bikes are drop bar for more challenging terrain by fitter riders who appreciate a higher degree of performance. Also hybrids tend to hover around the cheaper end of the market with conventional multi-chainring transmissions and rim brakes. Gravel bikes have proven to be a very useful place for the manufacturers to extol the virtues of the new generation of group sets with disc brakes and 1x gearing.
You have pretty much hit the nail on the head though. Such is the overlap in terms of capability and tech that in reality what divides these two styles of bike is the marketing.

[rotavator]

According to Reg Shaw former editor of the CTC Gazette view is that these are Club Run bike and Touring bike.

What would our view be today?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/product-review ... filter-bar
TouringCycleRShaw.jpgClubRunCycleRShaw.jpg

I guess now Reg Shaw's touring bike would be called a flat barred tourer or a hybrid and his club run bike would now be an odd or old fashioned "fixie" but others will think differently.

[rotavator]

Here is my 'do it all' bike. The only bike I've used for nearly 5 years, Yes it's also my 'gravel' bike, my 'rough stuff bike' (and I really mean rough stuff) , my commuter, my club bike, and my Audax bike.

That is a splendid photo of Olive. Is that Monsal Dale?

[PH]

I thought a hybrid bridged the gap between mountain and road bikes.

Hybrid is probably the widest classification of all, it seems to cover everything from smooth tyred MTB's to flat bar road bikes. Nothing wrong with that, but if someone tells me they have a hybrid bike I have a less clear picture of the sort of bike it is than is they tell me they have a gravel bike.
As for what the CTC Gazette considers a club bike, things have thankfully moved on. My CTC member group says all you need a roadworthy bike... we have a wide range, as it should be.

[Oldjohnw]

I thought a hybrid bridged the gap between mountain and road bikes.

Hybrid is probably the widest classification of all, it seems to cover everything from smooth tyred MTB's to flat bar road bikes. Nothing wrong with that, but if someone tells me they have a hybrid bike I have a less clear picture of the sort of bike it is than is they tell me they have a gravel bike.

It's possible that when I acquired my hybrid, almost 20 years ago, the definition was straightforward. It really was as the name suggests: a bit of both. Steel frame, multiple gears, straight bars, slightly wider and chunkier tyres, fairly modest front and seat post suspension.

It has certainly served me well, mainly on the road as n all purpose bike and as a tourer. A little modest off road on slightly rough tracks. It is a jack of all trades: a little bit good at many things but excellent at none.

[PH]

I thought a hybrid bridged the gap between mountain and road bikes.

Hybrid is probably the widest classification of all, it seems to cover everything from smooth tyred MTB's to flat bar road bikes. Nothing wrong with that, but if someone tells me they have a hybrid bike I have a less clear picture of the sort of bike it is than is they tell me they have a gravel bike.

It's possible that when I acquired my hybrid, almost 20 years ago, the definition was straightforward. It really was as the name suggests: a bit of both. Steel frame, multiple gears, straight bars, slightly wider and chunkier tyres, fairly modest front and seat post suspension.
It has certainly served me well, mainly on the road as n all purpose bike and as a tourer. A little modest off road on slightly rough tracks. It is a jack of all trades: a little bit good at many things but excellent at none.

Maybe it has changed over time, I feel it almost became the trendy bike to have in the late 90's or might have if cycling had been more popular. My Cannondale from that time wore the Hybrid badge with pride. But then the name seems to have been attached to all sorts of rubbish and fell out of fashion, manufacturers seems to be coming up with all sorts of names to avoid using the H word. Forums would be advising not to get one, it almost became an insult!
My two most ridden bikes, a Thorn flat bar "Sports Tourer" and a Surly "utility vehicle", are very much hybrids, but you won't find the word used anywhere in their promotion. It now seems to have become a more used term again, maybe they've run out of names. Disc brakes have also blurred the lines, or maybe caused some convergence, the road end of hybrids used to have calliper brakes and the corresponding tyre size restriction. I'm thinking of bikes like the Specialized Sirrus.
Anyway, you've obviously found the bike that suits you, I've changed bikes a few times in that time, sometimes because usage has changed and others out of boredom or curiosity. Yet the reality is although they're nice bikes I haven't done any cycling that couldn't have been done on the Cannondale Hybrid.

[hamster]

Gravel bikes interestingly have identical geometry to mid 90s MTBs, which can make happy drop bar conversions provided the top tube isn't too long.