7 Reasons You Only Need A Gravel Bike | One Bike To Do It All? | Cycling Weekly



Most people by now have heard the proverb that the perfect number of bikes to own is n + 1.But while a full stable certainly does have its delights, many of us are …

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28 comments

  • I got Easton cranks for my 1x. They are compatible with both Easton road chainrings up to 50 and RaceFace MTB chainrings down to 24, so choosing between one or the other just takes a few minutes to decide.

  • Ha~Ha. Rode several times with gravel bikes around 100km+ on routes consist of tarmac and gravel.

    Gravel bikes can’t keep up at all on the road while roadbikes almost at par on gravel with them.

    So the best bike, buy an all-rounder roadbike, change to 28mm tires, pump it to around 90psi-100psi based on weight, you’re excellent on gravel and tarmac.

  • i kiffe grave le gravel !!!!!!

  • I prefer MTB( bull horn bars+road tyres) over road bike. Dropbars aren't good for fast maneuverings. Safety 1st.

  • I agree. I bought a gravel bike recently to scaled down and simplify my life – reduce possessions, and live a more minimalist lifestyle. Well I think my gravel bike is perfect. I can ride on a variety of surfaces, on the road it is surprisingly fast (I have been able to easily keep up with the roadies I have encountered), on the gravel paths and even some single track the fat tubeless tires is confidence inspiring. Not to mention it is bike touring/packing ready with multiple mounting options for racks and bags.

  • I have a gravel bike, a full supension trail bike and a hardtail mountain bike. The one I love best is my gravel GT Grade bike. That said, if you hit gnarly mountain trails often like me you wont be happy with only a gravel bike.

  • buy into this gravel bike nonsense – let those corp execs push you off your right to ride the road off into the dirt- you might scratch their bmw when they pass.
    and keep buying more stuff, they need to acquire more investment properties

  • Bike fanboys are way too funny

  • M P

    A lot of bike stuff is just marketing garbage; what is NOT:
    -disc brakes; just saving the wear on your rims is worth it
    -geometry *IF you're doing long-hauls)
    -maintenance; can YOU maintain it, at a reasonable cost (every moving part will wear out)

    Summary: get a frame you really like, that is adapted for disc brakes.

  • Had to wonder if you're being paid to say this stuff.

  • Planning on ordering the Canyon Grail AL7 thoughts?

  • I’m going to do a fondo on my gravel with 28 tires

  • What's the difference between a gravel bike and a touring bike. I can do all that on my Claud Butler Dalesman that has a frame made from Reynolds steel tubing?

  • Great type of bike for riding in Kenya Up Country in the Great Rift Valley. Riding a Pinnacle Arkose 3.

  • I just got my first bike! It’s a gravel and I’m in love!

  • My dream bike, that i can't afford, but it's nice to see people riding it

  • 7 reasons you don`t need a gravel bike at all:
    – no light
    – no rack
    – no fenders
    – no USB
    – no suspension
    – no bell
    – you pay 3 times the amount compared to a bike that got all that inclusive

    But hey, who is so dumb to use his bike for everyday stuff?

  • It's taken me years to warm up to the gravel bike concept. The only ones that make sense to me are skinny tired gravel bikes (<40c). Big tired gravel bikes are light mountain bikes or hybrids on steroids with drop bars especially the ones with drastically dropped top tubes and front suspension. The traditional framed road bike with bigger than usual (+28c) tires is gravel/road bike territory. This set-up is ideal for the overwhelming majority of the roads that urban riders use and of course, rural riders have in spades.

    The concept of the gravel bike is not to go anywhere with a road bike, but to be able to ride "road bike" fast (not technical) on roads & paths (paved or not) that are in less than ideal conditions. Anything other than that, then a proper trail or off-road bike is called for.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm all for riders doing what they want what they want with their rigs and I always appreciate the evolution of such endeavors and seeing how riders improvise & adapt their riding styles & gear, but I'm just putting out the reasoning behind the gravel bike in the first place; To have a road bike that can ride moderate single track and rail trails without blowing out tires and for less than top-speed gearing.

    And unless one is riding on perfectly smooth paved roads, ALL road bikes eventually meet gravel bike territory if they ride long enough in a day.

  • for me TREKKING bike is still the best

  • Years ago, I rode regularly with the CTC and had a versatile bike which I rode on and off road. After a break of a few years, I now have both a 2 x 10 gravel bike and a fixed gear road bike. There is no doubt that the 2 x 10 gears give me more versatility on tough terrain and steep hills (both up and down) but both bikes get ridden on single track and bridlepaths as well as on the road. On mainly road riding, the average speeds over an hour or two's riding are about the same for the two bikes, which I put down to the excessive weight of the "over-built" gravel bike and its poor aerodynamics. Yes, the gears make me faster on some parts of the ride, but overall, the gravel bike is harder to ride — despite putting road-biased tyres on it.

  • My new bike is a gravel! Getting it May 15… Trek Checkpoint 🙂 Commute by bike.

  • Agreed. I have a Giant tough road.

  • I’ve seen some dudes absolutely shred trails on a CX that I’d never be able to. That said, my MTB will never be replaced by a gravel bike.

  • I find a lot of this going over my head (“putting in larger loops on the road”?), way too densely worded or at least using specialist lingo way too fast

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