The Actual Moment Gravel Bikes Jumped the Shark

JimN

Captain Wildcat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I was thinking about your original inquiry (forgot where you posted it) while riding gravel last week. Concluded that the question wasn’t worth answering because it would best answered if you came out to an event and see for yourself.

I think it was the ANT thread, and I got the same answer there. I did two endurance mountain bike races out in PA this summer, both of which featured a large amount of gravel roads. I was riding 5" tires and didn't feel like I had good traction. I can't imagine riding sketchy ass gravel roads on skinny tires. Is it because road riding is boring and people want to be excited by the idea of the possibility of doing a Tokyo Drift off the road at any second? I guess some people might find that exciting.
 

The Kalmyk

Well-Known Member
I think it was the ANT thread, and I got the same answer there. I did two endurance mountain bike races out in PA this summer, both of which featured a large amount of gravel roads. I was riding 5" tires and didn't feel like I had good traction. I can't imagine riding sketchy ass gravel roads on skinny tires. Is it because road riding is boring and people want to be excited by the idea of the possibility of doing a Tokyo Drift off the road at any second? I guess some people might find that exciting.

Sounds like just another inherent danger of riding a bike. Why would people drop off a 20 foot drop at Mountain Creek?
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
A foolish question, other than tire clearance and slight geometry, what prohibits people from putting wider tires on a road bike and using it for gravel?
Most gravel bikes are what the industry dubbed "endurance" geo a few year back. But gravel riding used to be exactly what you said, people using road or CX bikes with 25-34mm tires. So the downside of tires of this size is riding in loose stuff and the high probability of pinch flats when riding larger rocks / roots / rougher terrain. Sooo, tires were getting bigger and bigger.

Ok, so I did a ride last November with some local bangers. I was riding 27mm tires, and they were on 35's-40's. Two loose gravel downhills, I was out tire'ed and I lost their wheels, here is how much time I lost:

Custaloosa Down: 1.13 miles -2 seconds on one guy
2:39
2:37, 2:40, 2:54

Twin Laurel Down: 0.46 mile -19 seconds on the fastest guy
1:32

1:13, 1:27, 1:36

Conversely, here is a 1 mile climb, very loose gravel and very steep at the bottom.
Tumble Idle - Warsaw: 1.00 mile, +1:10 over the second fastest, +2:11 over the slowest (who coincidentally was the fastest on both those downhills)
6:14

7:24, 7:42, 8:25

So for the same guy, he put 21 seconds on me on two downhills where all others I could keep up / felt comfy on my 27's, yet I had +1:50 net gain on ONE gravel climb.
 

The Kalmyk

Well-Known Member
Eh, the vaya was always a dumb concept....


So wait. If I throw a suspension fork on it would it go for dumb to retarded? If so, that would make Cato approved. In which case it’s the logical next move in my reality.
 
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The Kalmyk

Well-Known Member
Spence get off the pot and just buy a mountain bike, geesh :)


You know Matty, I do want one but i can’t just roll out of the crib and hit some good trails in 5 minutes like you. It’s all about what you make time for and my son loves football and basketball. I coach a travel and AAU basketball team and manage to ride 100-125 miles a week. Not earth shattering miles but for my schedule that’s pretty good.

My son is going to join @Mountain Bike Mike Nica team next year. I will get one then.
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
At least the Evil one kinda looks cool. But wow, niner....can't imagine why people don't buy them anymore.

At somepoint, the draw of gravel was riding bikes that were made for the road, or CX on these less improved surfaces. Now, you have people riding 650b 40mm-50mm tires on fire roads. I thought the fat bike thing was silly, but this gravel category is making the fat bike people seem normal.

Some of do both now. Gravel is just a fat road bike anyways. I ride all the same exact stuff I did 15 years ago on my 23c tires.
 

Juggernaut

Master of the Metaphor
Last time I was clipped by a car it was a fucking Prius!!!! Sneaky little shit whacked me in the elbow with his mirror. Couldn’t get away with that shit on a gravel road...ya can hear it coming. Bonus is the endless supply of retaliatory ammo. ?
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
Aren't these gravel roads open to cars?

Yes, but typically less traveled by cars and at slower speeds. At least that is the theory.

Although sometimes I think gravel biking is mainly by mtn bikers who don't have as much road experience. I've been riding on the road since my early teens. Car traffic doesn't really bother me.
 
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