Do You Need A Gravel Bike? Does Anyone?

Gravel bikes are the current N+1 trend of choice, and bike brands are just falling over themselves to get them into shops. Do you actually need one though? As with most things, we think it depends on the kind of rider you are, and the bikes you already have.

[ralphp]

Bit of a step down from Lord of the Rings for Sam and Frodo.

[natural]

This is clickbait none of these bikes are made of gravel

[MKRLPH]

I think scepticism towards 'the next big thing' in the cycle industry is healthy and probably overdue. To me gravel bikes are a jack of all trades and a master of none, and I mean that in the best of ways. How many of us actually race at an elite level where the difference in all these subgenres justifies another purchase? I personally think the fairly recent shift towards more functional cycling is brilliant, it's made cycling more fun with a less elite vibe which hopefully gets more people pedalling!

[Joecoolboyz]

Lets quit calling them gravel bikes and instead call them what they are. It's called a sport utility bike. SUB for short. They are perfect for about 80% of riders. They handle tough terrain adequately. Pavement is tackled easily no mater the distance. And the geometry is perfect for the average person who doesn't need to set a 40km TT record. Multiple wheelsets expand the utility.

[DonLinker]

So I made the plunge and bought a gravel bike about a month ago and love it. I had gone on gravel rides with my MTB hardtail and found I couldn't keep up with the group on the tarmac sections. I can use my gravel bike on the road, but choose not to. So I have a road bike for road, MTB for mountain and gravel for gravel. I'm a happy camper

[GunslingerKFG]

I think u guys should take into account, that a Gravel bike provides a completly different experience. Riding fireoads on my fully MTB is kinda boring, while on a gravelbike everything that is a bit rougher, is more fun and challenging
and i think the experience and fun you have on a bike is the most important thing!
Like if u guys think so too, greatings from germany :)

[pahouseholder]

I don’t even need to watch the video to answer: YES! Granted, I live in Lincoln, Nebraska, the home of the unofficial Gravel Worlds & can be on wonderful rolling gravel just two miles from my house near the edge of town. Yet, a gravel bike can extend your riding season & create more riding fun. Before getting a CX bike I set up for gravel, I’d installed the biggest tires I could on my endurance road bike, 28s, & ran the pressures in the 70s-80s. It worked—sorta—but it was rough. For gravel now I've got a Specialized CruX with discs that I run 38mm Challenge Gravel Grinder Race tires and I love it. Bringing the balance to the discussion, however, any other rider would need to evaluate their own accessibility to gravel & desire to give it a go. Personally, I'm so glad I invested the money & get to grind gravel regularly.

[MidWesti]

EXTREMELY helpful! coming from a hardtail MTB in Colorado My new bike will be a 2x gravel bike. Doing a lot more commuting with light trail riding. Thank you guys!

[Smt_Glaive]

Do I need it? NO
Do i WANT IT​???
HELL YEAH

[hiro]

I agree with many of the points here, but this is a somewhat UK centric video. Many countries have lots of fairly smooth dirt and gravel roads that a gravel bike is ideally suited for. This does not seem to be the case in the UK. As a result, many UK based cyclists seem to understandably struggle to understand gravel bikes. Come here to the Midwest of the USA where there are hundreds of miles of traffic free, easy to access and beautiful gravel roads to ride and gravel bikes will make a lot of sense. Overall, ignore the labels manufacturers put on bikes and buy what will work best for the type of riding you do.

[zmjone]

i have to ride 15-20 miles to get to the good dirt/gravel and i hate driving. riding an xc bike this distance would be miserable. a gravel bike is the only way to go for this.

[edgarstudillo]

i was going to buy a gravel bike but managed to fit 32mm tires on my vintage steel road bike, it handles very well on gravel and sandy roads, that is the best upgrade i've made to that bike, soon ill be changing to 44cm handlebars with flare an probably a shorter stem for more control

[chadashton]

Why not have them? I rode a pure road bike of one brand/model or another for years. Grabbed up my first gravel bike two years ago (Jamis Renegade Elite) and promptly unloaded my road bike. The gravel bike does everything the road bike did and more. Now of course the gravel bike probably won't be the best choice for everyone. But a gravel bike can definitely fill the need for MANY people.

[marcelhnr]

I've just purchased my first gravel bike, I used it to ride with the kids at weekends, commute to work, and use it to go out by myself to keep fit, what I enjoyed most about it, is the different grip position I get on the handlebar. I certainly enjoy more than my specialised hybrid bike.

[PathLessPedaledTV]

Road bikes are derived from road racing. The XC bike is derived from mountain bike racing. The "gravel" bike is the bike for the rest of us that like to do spirited rides in comfort with no intent of racing and have fenders for gods sake.

[deviceology]

I bought a gravel bike . Did I need it - YES! Do i also need a hardtail - YES! do I also need my tcr adv - YES! do I need my cross bike - YES! do I need my runaround lock anywhere bike - YES! do I need any more bikes - at least one YES

[zoid]

Does your average Mr or Mrs Lycra really need a super aero road bike then? A bike that you can take anywhere is far more use to most people than a bike that is perfect for one thing. Add to that the variable quality of roads you will encounter and a gravel type bike makes more sense. I have a GT grade (yes not full gravel but same sort of thing) with some 35mm tyres on and I can go pretty much anywhere. I won’t beat many strava times but it’s certainly good fun doing it

[originalkontrol]

Great vid guys! I am def a gravel bike lover. I’ve been fortunate enough to own several bikes at once, and broke enough to only have one. Currently, I’m on the fortune side with gravel, Fixie, and trail bikes, and an eye on a TT bike for road only. The one I chose to keep when I could only afford one? Gravel. It’s done 70+ mile days on road rides with 25c roadie tires, somewhat techy trails, dirt jumps (seriously) and everything in between. If I could only have one... I’ll have the jack of all trades, master of none. Hopefully that never happens again though, lol!

[azoique]

In my last 4 bikes i've gradually gone from a 25mm tyred road bike, to 28mm, to 35mm and now to one with 650b 48mm capability. I still do group rides with my local club and keep up with no problem. But when they usually turn around because of running into rougher roads, i comfortably keep on with the same pace but still feeling like a roadbike. They are so forgiving and versatile i wish i would have had one 10 years ago. During winter i can fit 40mm studded tires and mudguards. In the summer 35mm tubeless. They're perfect for the type of riding i do.

[plantfuelled]

It's simply matching the bike to the conditions. You wouldn't ride a Suzuki Hyabusa for Motocross and you wouldn't ride a BMX in the Tour de France.