This Guy HATES Gravel Bikes - Can We Change His Mind?
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- čas přidán 14. 06. 2024
- Rich hates gravel bikes Can Conor change his mind? We heard that @gmbn's Rich Payne hates gravel bikes and would much rather shred the gnar aboard one of his full suspension mountain bikes. Can we convert him to the joys of under-biking? Or will gravel cycling be a step too far for this flat bar fanatic?
00:00 Intro
00:38 The Hater
02:00 The Ride
11:20 The Verdict
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Do you love gravel bikes? Let us know in the comments below 👇
I like gravel but i am using mtb
I do, yes.
Totally overlooked the alternative of putting gravel, cross, or even “commuter” tyres on a road bike, 99% of that loop could have been easily done on a road bike with burly tyres especially when you take in to account he walked the roughest part of it….gravel bikes are pretty pointless in the uk.
I do not dislike them, but where I live it does not make any sense to have one. Better mountain bike and road bike. Besides, they are a bit expensive. I believe it depends of how many km of suitable tracks you have to enjoy them.
@@Phil-bz1kzlmao
Gravel bike's are a solution to the increasingly shocking road conditions gives you options.
Tubeless helped to sort that problem for me ... they're happily eating up the rubbish roads I have to put up with nowadays.
My local authorities just repair any road damage that might occur...
@@jamaly77your lucky then 🥳
I use my 26mm tyre rim brake carbon road bike on light off road, goes fine
They are great road bikes in the winter when it is wet and muddy out on the country roads. I'm not sure I'd ride mine on anything more offroad than some short smooth gravel stretches between roads though. I have a FS MTB and it is just a lot nicer offroad. The rattling alone is enough to put me off lol, suspension is awesome. Really my gravel bike is just to save my road bike from the weather, I keep that for sunny days only.
As someone who only has the money and space for one bike, my gravel bike has been perfect. 90% of my riding is on roads (albeit many of them in a poor state), but I can go off-road to have more fun and get away from the traffic.
Same here. I also do mostly road riding and I may take me a while to get to the off road sections. MTB are just too slow on the road.
Also, MTB are also more costly to maintain, especially full sus. I can service everything on my gravel bike, but I'm not sure I could learn how to service suspension forks or shocks.
Gravel bikes are a great option if you are looking for on e bike for everything. Do you think you'll ever go for 2 sets of wheels? Road and MTB? The GCN Tech crew think that is the way to go 👉czcams.com/video/ZtuWYiWRcwE/video.html
I got a cross bike (canyon inflite) You can ride that thing anywhere.
@@nluisa hardtails...easy solution. obviously a roadbike will be faster, but there are faster rolling tires for mtb´s then doubledown assegai...
I got one bike: A gravel bike. I don’t see myself having 2 separate bikes. If you want the gravel bike to do more road work, throw on road tires. If you want more off road riding, throw on a suspension fork and knobby tires.
Unless you are doing some ultra extreme mountain bike jumping….swapping out some parts should cover a majority of riders in a road or off road setting
Less cars = more fun
and better air quality
SAY IT LOUDER FOR THOSE AT THE BACK 📣
THIS. I ride fire roads because there are no cars, period.
How are there less cars? Gravel roads are where all the trucks full of rednecks are, and they don't follow the rules of the road.
You'll just get gravel spun off in your face when they do a burnout as they pass.
Sure, but don't ride 3 people side by side on small roads because you have to chat. That sh*t is crazy and selfish.
Single line.
My wife is not interested in gravel ridding. However she does ride a gravel bike. She uses it like a road bike. She doesn't feel safe on road tires but the wider gravel tires give her a much greater since of security. Just one more reason someone may want a gravel bike . She absolutely loves her gravel bike.
Yh a lot of people don't need the fastest bike, just one that is fast enough. So a bit of sturdiness can be a good trade. Less to worry about
Great point! Gravel bikes do offer less twitchy handling and much more comfortable option.
@@gcnI think a gravel bike is an excellent option for people who are starting road cycling before going into a real road bike. Maybe a video suggestion 😉
Sorry, but this sounds delusional. You can also get road bikes in any geometry and road tires offer more grip on asphalt. An endurance road bike, especially the somewhat larger frame size if you are in between two sizes, is probably your most stable option apart from a dutch bike.
@@ericb8985 Wow to use a term of delusional LOL - Are you trolling me? I stopped reading your comment after that one word.
I am an MTBer and I love my gravel bike for its versatility. Road, gravel, commuting and a bit of gentle trail riding. A comparison between a lightweight XC hardtail vs. gravel bike might be a good follow up video to this one.
We already have! Check it out here 👉 czcams.com/video/dRHheq_6_UE/video.html
@@gcn I just watched the video and you guys didn't convince anybody with that hot mess excuse of a race. You don't race men against women or at least not against a woman who clearly admitted she's not into mountain bikes.If you guys are in doubt or think we're just being rude, I live in Poland, find your baddest gravel rider and let's see how well he does against me on a 29 hardtail.Make sure he's not 60kg as I'm over 110kg and he shouldn't be a pro rider either as I'm not. Find a regular but bad ass rider and we'll make it happen. Gravel bikes are for posers.
A so called gravel bike is pretty crap at all those things
@@Sir-Kay Gravel bikes are created for the long distances. Do the 100-200-300 and more km trip on gravel roads on your 29er, you'll be much slower and more tired than on a gravel bike. But you're right - gravel bikes are intended for a specific purpose, and bike companies or channels like GCN try to convince us that they are all-purpose and many people fall for it.
@@blekfut5763 Thant ain't right. But, guess what? I'll never be able to prove it to you because afterall, we're only talking crap here on the internet right. Gravel bikes serve no purpose they are portraying it to do here in the video if you can only use them on long distances. People are desperately trying to make it look like the do-it-all bike while in all honesty the only thing I can see it doing is a super long bike-packing ride across countries other than that, it's a pretty niche bike and not a do-it-all. Failure to agree just means you're a mindless consumer after this point.
It's simple. If you love mountain biking then gravel bike is not for you. It simply can't do the stuff you love. However if you just want to ride on quiet countryside gravel roads then gravel bike is perfect. A few years ago I bought an old full suspension bike from a friend just to try it but I really struggled to find any spots where I could really have fun on it in my area. To go on proper trails I would have to drive somewhere and it's too much hassle for me. I prefer to just get out of my house and ride my bike. Riding a full suspension bike on relatively flat gravel roads is just overkill.
That's weird, I love mtb riding but also love riding my gravel bike.
@@MrEcted Don't be silly. It's perfectly normal 😀.
I meant that gravel bike is not for someone who needs to go gnarly and send it on absolutely every ride. 😉
I own a full sus, cyclo-cross, road and TT bikes. I've bought the cyclo-cross bike when no one even heard of gravel 😊 (at least here in Europe).
@@inz_uzi Well yeah, but that is completely and totally obvious. A given.
@inz_uzi I totally agree with you. That is my attitude as well, go out and ride, and have the confidence that my bike will be able to handle some dirt trails along the road and not worry about that.
On a somewhat separate note, I am struggling to figure out what kind of bike I have. Perhaps, you gentlemen can help me. It is definitely not an MTB nor a Road bike. My bike model is a *Giant Roam Disc-3.* I believe it is a Cross-Country, or Cross-Road but I am not sure about that. It has suspensions at the front and the tires are not as thick as an MTB. Greetings from Canada!
@@orbeuniversity Sorry but I'm a roadie by heart and I have no idea what the difference between the cross-country and the cross-road bikes is. 🙂
I'm with Rich. A lightweight hardtail mountain bike is far more suitable for the terrain, or is that a step too far for the dedicated roadie??
Much slower and less comfortable on the road on longer rides.
What about putting gravelly handlebars on a hardtail xc bike... One of the comfort roblems with MTB for long distance riding is the lack of variety in hand positions.
@@brendandoryou may as well just get a gravel bike with suspension at that point
Me too. Drop bars may be more aerodynamic but the stability, control and ease of getting on the brakes make a flat bar far superior on anything but tarmac IMO. Road bike for the roads if there's any gravel, I'd take lightweight XC over a gravel bike any day.
Yep - I’ve got a 700c hybrid hard tail (Trek) with gravel tyres which is perfect - The UK has little gravel really - and this is perfect for the mud of winter, and I love the fact it’s a change from my road bike position
In Washington State, we have a Rails to Trails program that turns abandoned railroads into trails for cycling. The most popular being the John Wayne trail, which crosses the entire state, upwards of 300 miles. R to T's are extremely well maintained, and very level because of being railroads. It's as if these were built specifically for Gravel Bikes, they match perfectly to them. Wide, smooth, very long bike dedicated dirt roads, with no need for suspension. Perfect.
🍿 sounds good 😮
Rails to Trails are all over
@@shalakabooyaka1480 I figured as much, just giving a quick overview and where the JWT is located.
@@SniperSpec0ps check out the great American rail trail, it's pretty incredible. It's not complete at the moment, but it goes from WA to MD
@shalakabooyaka1480 I've read a bit about it, safe to say it's definitely on the bucket list! So awesome, thanks!
I ride a gravel bike because it gives me the versatility I need to deal with city riding. Sidewalks and roads that have need of repair are increasingly common, and my gravel bike allows me to not worry nearly as much about puncturing or damaging a rim while remaining quick and nimble.
Got a gravel bike and a super light hardtail XC. Favorite route is like 50% road, 50% gravel trails, parts of it quite bumpy. I alternate between the two bikes, depending on whether I want to have more fun on the smoother bits or on the bumpier bits. But both are an absolute blast, whereas a pure road bike or a heavier full sus MTB likely wouldn't.
Sounds like the perfect setup!
Same 😊
I purchased my first gravel bike last year for only 2 reasons: more relaxed posture that most modern road bikes (12 spinal surgeries); wider tires with better puncture protection. I view the gravel bike as a more relaxed and robust road bike. I road a Trek 950 mountain bike in the 90's and my current gravel bike reminds me of this.
This! ☝ They're not just great off-road
To me, the gravelbike is the perfect commuter bike :)
They're so versatile! Having a gravel bike for commuting that you can also shred at the weekend is the perfect choice!
@@gcn You're not shredding on a gravel bike. You're going over some gentle bumps. Gravel bikes cannot shred. That's my humble (and possibly uninformed!) take anyway.
@@Sozzled39shred is relative to the equipment and speed. Gentle bumps on a mtb - not shredding. Gentle bumps on a penny board - serious shredding.
I have a MTB, gravel and touring bike. No road bike, yet. I went from a hardtail to a touring bike. The touring bike is dreadful on anything but the smoothest gravel, at least for me. You feel every single bump, which is headache inducing. I had a coccyx injury last year and riding my bike became almost impossible. I took part in an Etape and I hired a biked for it. The only thing in my size was a gravel bike but it had road tyres for the event. I had no pain so went straight out and bought a gravel bike. I have to say, I absolutely love it. It is great on the road, it’s really light, it manoeuvres quickly, and it’s great on gravel, rough and smooth. I can nip onto grass as well if I need to. It’s just a great all-rounder. I’m getting a set of road wheels so I can swap out if I want to go on a long road journey. Perhaps in a year or two, I’ll graduate to a road bike. Who knows? For the moment though, my gravel bike is king.
As a mountain biker I really love my gravel bike, for the same reason as Rich enjoyed it on the rough/Technical track, something you wouldn't think twice about on an MTB becomes a bit of a challenge, some old school MTB fun. I ride mine in the MTB park quite a bit and it brings some life into the easer/mundane tracks. If I take the wife and kids for an MTB I often take the Gravel bike so we can all have a bit of fun the easer trails that they enjoy. When I need to ride on the hard top stuff it can do that as well.
You're right! There is some great fun to be had in underbiking 🙌
Great video guys. Myself am a Gravel Rider that transitioned to Mountain Biking. Roads aren't too safe here so I mainly stayed on gravel routes. Then I discovered mountain biking and now I mix the two. Mainly gravel riding with my wife but go mountain biking on my own. Best of both worlds for sure.
I mountain bike and gravel bike, and I love both. I can see both Connor's and Rich's perspectives. As mostly an MTBer, gravel riding opens up my options while I'm road riding, and I can choose how spicy I want my options to be while still being able to get back on tarmac to continue my route. I love having variety
Always good to have the options! 🙌
Rich's bike handling skills really came out in that hard downhill section!
Connor is such a great presenter, love his videos.
Never a dull day filming with Conor! 🙌
He's the best in all honesty
he had rich's energy to bounce off!
@@NeverTooTiredToRideTwoTyres Yeh but even on his own he's soo heartfull, Hanks so showy, Oliver - geeky.. Si original and informative, Manon - juries out on her...
Great video guys. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this channel.
I'm the opposite. Gravel has been the gateway drug to drop bars.
I've come from 25 years of XC/bridleway 'MTB' and after changing to a 650b 50mm gravel rig, the MTB only gets used for proper MTB stuff like the Lakes, Peaks etc etc. Once a year.
I can now shred the endless miles of bridleways, much faster and efficient than before. Then hit some quiet tarmac to link up the next village/town or singletrack or bridleway.
I can use the same bike for long road rides or cyclocross or packing. Versitility is king.
For me, around here, a wide tyre gravel rig gives me 90% of what my MTB does.
The MTB only gives me 15% of what the gravel rig does.
Yes, either will do either, but the gravel does it all very well, the MTB does a little bit, very well.
It would be a different story if I lived in a more mountainous area, obviously.
Gravel biking 100% was a gateway to mtb for me. I ended up selling my gravel bike, since I never used it anymore after getting a mtb. I'd rather throw some comfy alt bars on a hardtail or rigid ATB than ever go back to a drop bar gravel bike.
I use my gravel bike as a road bike in rubbish weather, commuting to london during train strikes and gravel ride events (2 this year)
My dad recently bought one and we went for a gravel/off road ride. He fell off 3 times and we didn't get a cafe stop but we had great fun and he wants to do it once a month to mix up our road rides. He got a specialized diverge (aluminium with claris gears) and he loves it. It came with 38mm tyres and after 1 ride he wants to go wider 😀
Awesome, sounds like he's loving it!
Love my gravel bike! I do occasionally take it on some pretty serious single track (I started cycling with a mountain bike and switched to road - now road and gravel). The thing I like about gravel is the freedom and ability to mix trails and tarmac for stops. To each their own, nice video showing the adaptability of Graveling!
I took my endurance bike with 28mm tires on three “light” gravel rides earlier this summer. It was the first time riding some of the many rail trails in our area. Although it should have been obvious, the lack of cars was an honest to goodness cycling epiphany. I’m hooked! Just getting my first gravel bike sorted and plan one off-road ride a week for the balance of the summer and then a few a week when the Canadian fall weather comes. Can’t wait.
Agree, just don’t see the point. They probably make a good replacement for the old touring bike concept.
I like it for rides that take you to new areas! Having the option to jump off the road if the cars are too close or you find a nice trail to explore.
I've been a mountain biker since 1994 and I found gravel bike riding in 2017 and haven't looked back since.
Awesome! Which kind of riding do you prefer?
I genuinely believe that the reason gravel bikes push bigger tires and relaxed geo, is because as road bikes continued to chase speed, They lost alot of comfort. So gravel is a road bike that is actually usefull for the average person
I did a 50km ride the other day. 60% gravel, 25% tarmac and 15% double track. The double track section I was under biked, but when you are riding new territory off exploring, a gravel bike can make any route available to you.
I used to be only into road, but close calls with cars on my local narrow, 50-60+mph roads pushed me away from cycling the last few years, UNTIL I got a gravel bike! I have a good amount of dirt roads near me and that's where I'm finding cycling to be fun again.
When I bought my gravel bike (2021 Giant Revolt Advanced 2) in August of 2020 my road bike and mountain bike got lonely. From my house we have tarmac, gravel, dirt, snowmobile trails (wider than single-track but replete with rocks and roots) and mild single-track. I love the Revolt on all of it. This Spring I fit a RedShift suspension stem and I plan to swap the stock rims for a carbon set. It's still my favorite bike and I love that I'm on the road a lot less. I still ride the other bikes in their target (especially the fat bike on snow in Winter) environments but I love gravel riding and my Revolt. At the end of the day, though, anything that gets you outside is the right thing. Rubber side down, my friends!
You could do that route on a road bike and a touring bike , just fit wider tyres. All rides can have a cafe stop not just gravel rides.
I'm guessing most people don't care for switching tyres every other ride though.
@@tsurutom You may or may not find that some people who buy gravel bikes swap their tyres for thinner ones. The reason for this is they use their gravel bike only on the road and never go gravel. Also road tyres will be able to handle the surfaces in this video apart from the one difficult section. GCN promotes wider tyres for road use as they claim they provide more comfort. I have seen numerous cyclists on road group rides not being able to keep up with their colleagues due to the original gravel tyres fitted.
Cafe stops are very important
Well, that's what a lot of gravel bikes are, a road bike with clearance for some fairly fat tires.
@@bindingcurve then why not call it a road bike in the first place
My gravel bike (more a cross bike) gets used for what we would have done 30 years ago with a rigid MTB with one or 1 1/2 inch wide tyres - I don't have amazing off road rides I can do from my house, but mixing bridleways, canals, forest racks and lanes keeps riding fun.
And as others have said - the lanes can be in shocking condition in places, so gravel bikes make riding aroud the less busy roads less stressful
well done video. My face huts from smiling so much. You gotta bring rich back for more....
Really enjoy any of the GCN/GMBN crossover videos. I'd like to know why the humble cyclocross bike never gets a mention? I came to cyclocross from a MTB background, I've ridden my crosser for years doing this kind of thing. The worst thing is these days I feel if people see me they'll think I'm one of those "just jumped on the bandwagon gravel riders" - oh the shame... (P.S. - any bike-packers/tourers feel similar considering the bike industry/media seems to be creating bike-packing as the next fad?)
Cyclo-what sorry? Only joking we love cyclocross but there are some key differences. You can catch Si putting both head to head here 👉 czcams.com/video/S8B-rqqHIEg/video.html
I have both road gravel and MTB, and living near Rich in the Mendips use the gravel the most, I can't do rowberrow, but everything else is awesome, love it
Great visual demonstration... it really illustrates the capabilities of the gravel bike, and where it is most useful. I have the trifecta: a road, gravel and mountain bike. They're all great... especially in the right environment. Best tool for the job, you know?
Getting a gravel bike has been amazing. Being able to do a mix of road, forests track, bridleway, MTB track on same ride is great fun. Before I was putting the MTB on the car now I can just ride there.
Rode some parts of the Amstel Gold Race yesterday and, in the same ride, rode some technical trails with the same (gravel)bike! Not the fastest on both surfaces, but the combination is gold! 🤙
As someone who used to mountainbike, I quite enjoy the gravel bike when getting older and not feeling the crazy mtb trails anymore. Still gives you the feeling of being more in nature than with a road bike, but not having to do crazy sections of trail anymore.
I have a road bike, an MTB, and an xc hardtail. For this type of stuff I go out on my xc hardtail and wouldn't consider a gravel bike for this purpose. However, the tarmac roads are so bad I have considered getting a gravel bike to replace my road bike.
You make a good point!
I like gravel since it's almost a roadbike but it allows me to ride on roads where there are basically no traffic, that way I get a much more peaceful/enjoyable ride.
Absolutely! For some more gravel content, you could check out our 'Fastest known time' film on GCN+ 👉 gcn.eu/fkt
Variety in cycling is the spice of life. Ride to the level of your smile. 🚴♂️😃
Where I live, I've got 3 paved roads to choose from but at least twice as many gravel roads. A gravel bike with wide road tires us perfect, it opens up so many more routes and also gives me a chance to escape the traffic of the 80km/h main roads around here! As an added bonus, 4km of gravel shaves about 2km of my commute to the train station... 😁
My main bike is a gravel bike. It's great for linking up single track trails. Basically, it allows for car-free mountain biking. A dropper post and wider handle bars help on gnarlier trails.
Next year Connor and Rich do Megavalanche after Blake and Hanks epic efforts this year....show the big fella how off roading is done Rich!!!
With gravel bikes.
Yes part of the fun of riding my heavy steel gravel bike is the sense of underbiking when I’m on occasional proper mtb trails. Like being back in the 90s.
15 years ago my then-girlfriend (now wife)'s dad asked me for advice on what bike to buy. I steered him toward a cyclocross bike because he lived by a really good tarmac bike path, a ton of good dirt roads, and "trails" that were not technical at all. A cx or gravel bike opens up road riding like centuries and such that you can't do as well on a mountain bike, so that was the main reason I figured a cx bike was better. On the other hand, a guy showed up on the local group ride with a mountain bike a few weeks ago and hung in there pretty well, so maybe hardtail xc bikes are better on the road than we give them credit for!
the GMBN guys always bring me a smile. That gravel bike really passed the test. I like road bikes and MTB bikes equally, albeit I'd like a 1X road bike with the gear philosophy of a mountain bike, love those 10 or 11/52 (or more) sprockets
Looks like a typical gravel ride where I live (Yukon, Canada). Some pavement, gravel, chip seal, double tracks and single track as well. Gravel bikes are great for exploring a little of everything. And yes I ride some of the same trails as I do on my full sus trail bike, underbiking is the term we use here.
I only have a Gravel (TREK Checkpoint AL5). When riding a road bike this spring in Europe, I turned off a bike path onto a grassy/sand parking field and about lost it. Spoiled by not worrying about terrain.
My first bike when I got back into cycling was a gravel. It has done everything from a sportive to trails suited for a full sus. The point is I like exploring new trails/roads and I know whatever is ahead I should be able to get through it.
The gravel bike might be the perfect tool for igniting the cycling spark 🔥
The best thing about gravel bikes is they make trails feel even more exciting:)
You have to proper focus and chose your line wisely and it’s lush :)
It might not be what its designed for and it might shake the wheels off but it’s proper raw fun :)
So maybe you'd try to ride the trails holding the handlebar with one hand or maybe with spoon with the egg on it in your mouth? I'm sure your trails would feel even more exciting...
I use my trusty hardtail on all surfaces.
Can't afford cost or space to have more than 1 bike.
One bike that works for all your needs is perfect as far as some are concerned!
I love gravel bikes because you can ride anything on them. You can't go as fast as a road bike - but you can keep up pretty well and even outrun some if you're fit enough. You can't go as fast over dirt roads as you can with a cross-country, but you can ride them without any problems. You can't do everything quite as well as with the specialized bike, but you can do almost everything and do it all relatively well. For me as a small explorer it is simply the most beautiful bike.
I've been an out and out roadie for years, but having just got a gravel bike I'm converted. So much fun, a much harder workout and safer than being on the roads all the time. I'm pleased we have options 💪
Whoop whoop! Welcome to the gravel club! Do you think it's a stepping stone to the mtb? 👀
@@gcn I've got one of those too. Fun sometimes but too slow on the road, which you need to do in order to link the New Forest tracks together 😁
Growing up the only bikes we could get were fixies we rode everywhere on those bikes,riding on rail tracks an ties thats or cobble
Not a comment about gravel bikes but I have a video idea! Could you do an experiment video comparing typical speed of a narrower rim width and tyre combinations vs a wider rim width and tyre combo. Same rider, bike, wheel depth etc, watts.... and as you usually do just change out the wheel set for a wider set at a lower pressure. Would be interesting to see how the results compare over 2-3 different wheel-tyre combinations :)
Think it's time for another gmbn gcn crossover .
MTN bike/offroad skills.
Old vid with Connor, Manon and rich was a good watch.
That “unsuitable” bit looked like the good bit to me. Maybe I’m gravelling wrong… probably gonna keep doing it mind 😂
"If your coming from a road background" isnt an argument. Just buy an MTB and keep your road bike and then you have both options.
Unless you don't have the space for two bikes at home it's just a rubbish compromise. Especially in England where those nice "gravel" tracks turn into deep mud for the winter months.
thats gotta be the slickest entrance into a video
A gravel bike is not a mountain bike but is a superb compromise and a solution to the appalling conditions of the road surfaces in my part of South Wales. Add disk brakes , the option of bigger tyres - up to 38mm on my Specialized and more relaxed geometry and gearing and they make more sense. I now feel more vulnerable when riding my road bike and often grab the gravel bike instead.
6:01 is that Matt Stephens wandering into shot, looking for a bit of shortbread, at the end? 😅
I love Gravel, but it's very location dependent. Where I live, there are amazing road routes or mountain bike trails. We don't have "gravel" roads, just uncontrolled paths for serious rock crawling 4x4's. I think SRAM and Shimano need to push modular wireless shifting so we can just switch to drop bars for our XC bikes.
I'm sort of throwing together a gravel bike out of an old school crossbike thing as a daily commuter to uni, running around town and maybe ride in the park/forest ways we have here.
My XC-ish MTB is for the "big" tour and if I ride somewhere else on actual easy trails and it'll be replaced by a DC or a short travel trail bike fairly soon so not having to daily the MTB helps with that decision.
The gravel bike is sort of like a road bike for someone used to MTBs in that regard
A flat bar hybrid bike with some 38+mm tires works great, especially if you have a 50-65mm suspension fork up front with a remote lockout.
Rich your soooo onto it there. Gravel is the gateway for roadies to get into MTB. It eventually happens to most of them. Great video and thank you for sharing.
I am an MTB rider who rides a gravel bike for zone 2/endurance and to get rowdy because it reminds me of my rigid mountain bike as a kid. Underbiking is fun!
My first strava KOM was on a gravel road with a aero road bike with tubeless tires.
In our country where most of our roads resemble light trails, bike commuters prefer an MTB, but personally, I would like to have a gravel bike as my very first bike because of its versatility.
That proper bumpy bit is a regular part of my gravel riding 😊. That's gravel riding
I use to have 2 bikes road and hybrid. Best thing now I have a gravel bike is only 1 bike to store and maintain. Especially as I’m not a top road or mountain biker. Makes cycling to work more interesting.
Great job gentlemen!!
Can we get the name changed from 'Mountain Bike' to 'Bit of dirt track in the local woods Bike' as most MTBs have never seen a mountain :) On a serious note...again its GCN jumping on the gravel bike band marmite wagon. If you ONLY had ONE bike, and like to do road/gravel, then choose a bike with drops and plenty of frame clearance. If you mainly choose rough terrain and occasional trails, then choose something with flat bars, suspension and max frame clearance. The best bike is the one you are sat on.
Thoroughly enjoyed this! Thanks Conor and gcn! I think Rich has a veryvalid point. It is a bit tame/boring. Part of the problem is that there really isn't enough 'Gravel' in England. (Perhaps a bit more in Scotland. ) The birthplace of 'Gravel ' i.e. North America, has LOTS of Gravel and a wide variety of gravel road types within that loose category. Take Rich to Unbound when you next do it Conor!
That said, I love the off road options I can get into with my Kona Sutra Touring Bike! I love Ontario's "Unassumed Road/Use at your own risk" signed backroads! Fun challenge, just att the very threshold of needing a mountain bike.
If you want to do gravel riding then you need to get to istria. There's 3000km of gravel in an area the size of Kent. Nearest airports trieste, Venice, Pula or Ljubljana
I'm also a Mountainbiker and a Roadie but I do not have a Gravelbike. But I'm about to turn a old 27,5" Hardtail of mine into one. The reason being, I use it's air suspension fork for my commuter bike now and:
When I go on a MTB ride in my area, usually 80% of the way is tarmac, or other flat roads. Yeah the suspension only really comes into play on a very small fraction of the ride. There are only 3 proper trails in close proximity (30k) that I ride with my fully anyway. But if I want to explore some wood roads or gravel paths a gravel bike should be faster and more fun. I think the Gravelbike is the better alternative to the hardtail if there are less rocky or rooty descents on your lokal trails and roads. If the majority of your ride is on flat roads I don't think the extra weight, the aerodynamic loss and decreased stiffness of a front fork is worth it. But for those who choose comfort over speed, the hardtail could still be the better option.
I got back in to biking via an MTB that I inherited, but when I came to upgrade to a new bike I very nearly bought another one before discovering gravel bikes. Not for everyone obviously, but my local routes are a mix of a National Cycle Route and some country parks with dirt/gravel trails, so a gravel bike is definitely the best for me. A lot of the cycle paths, even though tarmac, are too rough for a road bike.
Sounds like you've found the perfect bike!
I got a gravel bike because I wanted a drop bar bike for long rides with a relaxed riding position. I am a bigger fella, so I also figured they should be robust. In Finland we also have mile after mile of gravel country roads where you can get away from cars. So it is pretty much the ideal machine for me. BUT I broke the back wheel (spoke ripped out of rim) yesterday on some ill-advised rocky single track. Perhaps I need a mountain bike too? 😂
its like a formula 1 car vs a offroad truck. most people realy need something in between. f.ex. my commute sometimes consists of 40% cobblestone roads, so wide tires are definetly a benefit, but i also like having a bit lighter, smaler, simpler and faster bike for city riding.
I look forward to sections like that hard part on my gravel bike.. but I find the tire selection really matters there.
I think the whole range of less specialized bikes are great. I don't race or ride highly technical down hill, so the idea of a 1 bike quiver is perfect. It could be anything from a All Road bike to a CX bike depending on how someone wants to spend their time
The point of gravel bike is simply to allow a road racing bike to follow - without any punctures - a city bike on a tourist trip through the countryside, which often includes benign gravel bike paths.
I have a cyclocross bike. It's like an old-school MTB. It's very much faster up the mountain than an MTB. It can not complete to a MTB on a very rough downhill, But very fun trying. 😄
It’s so silly that cars can be whatever we want them to be; like a Land Rover that can take you anywhere. But with bikes I apparently need a lifted Jeep Wrangler (a mountain bike) if I want to venture into the woods.
I’ve got an “adventure bike” from Trek with 2.1” tires and it does everything I need it to do; shred trails, be fast on the tarmac and be a perfect bikepacking bike - the Land Cruiser I need.
I'm living in Normandy with a lot of forests fields etc so i have only one bike gravel bike but with two wheelsets gravel and road. Like this for dry weather i go gravel and road on gravel tyres, and in winter when it's muddy etc i go only road.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, there are too many nice gravel trails. Don’t get me wrong, I love road riding, but these gravel trails are too good to miss out on.
Could you do a video on how far you get if you put 33mm gravel
tires on a road bike? I‘m looking at building a second wheelset for longer travel rides on the road bike with such a setup.
I am a huge fan. I love road riding in theory, except for all of the cars. A gravel bike is a perfect solution to minimize being by cars.
Just today I took my gravel bike 80 miles round trip to a brewery. I did single track, country gravel roads, and gravel roads in the foothills for some great climbs and fun downhills. Didnt see many cars, was faster than my mtn bike, and saw some elk. It was just an awesome day.
I love my my mtn bike and its so much fun as well but only on single track and technical trails, it can be a slog on gravel and asphalt.
This is my Main problem with people in Facebook groups complaining about destroying tyres and wheels on their gravel bikes. They are riding sections like that, which aren't what gravel bikes are for. It's not a fault of the bike or components, it's pushing them past their designed use
For me it's the versatility of a gravel bike. Mine is a winter road bike (bigger tyres and disc brakes safer on wet greasy roads), a summer tourer and for mild off-road work.
I have a hardtail MTB along with a road bike. This video has convinced that I don't need a gravel bike.
As a "Roadie", I like the idea of a gravel bike. It's a good mixture of road and mountain biking. Good Video .....
I admit I was very sceptical about this gravel thing. Going as fast as my legs allow it on a roadbike or sending it down trails on a mountainbike are both so much fun. Trying to combine both surely must be a bad compromise. Or is it? When I am commuting to work the roads are not very peaceful and the family friendly lanes in the forest aren’t very narly. A gravel bike is therefore the fastest option if you want to escape traffic. Also when you can only have one bike it is easy to transfer it to a decent road bike.
Rich has a bit of the "Hank spirit". Reminds me of a certain character in the movie Super Troopers.
They are great to link wide variety of routes. Great for people not wanting to drive a car to ride in the woods. It’s rare to see XC on roads despite some arguing it’s ok with slick tires 😅 (I’m an XC and Gravel rider)
I agree it's rare to see proper focused XC bikes on the road, (as someone who rides a giant XTC for my 30km commute sometimes!)
This was fun to watch, and ya iiwii ;)
I have an old 26 ridgid mountain bike that's well fun on basic trails. I figure the gravel does the same thing, just from a road side of the spectrum. Being undergunned on trails is seriously fun, just bring some armor if ya need it.