Much like its name suggests, gravel biking largely comprises of competitively or casually riding on unpaved roads, gravel roads, sand tracks and dirt trails. As Steven Rindner says, over the years gravel biking has emerged as a standalone cycling discipline, and today gravel-specific bicycle models are widely available. These bicycles have a combination of road cycling and mountain biking features, and can provide improved stability and speed on bumpier terrain.
Steven Rindner sheds light on diverse components of gravel bikes
Gravel bicycles come with features that combine elements of both mountain and road bikes for optimizing performance and speed on rougher terrains. Frames of gravel bikes are ideally constructed from materials that are durable yet lightweight, such as carbon fibre, steel or aluminium. Gravel bikes are designed to provide cyclists with comfort over long distances, while also maintaining good stability on uneven surfaces. The lower bottom bracket and less aggressive head angle in gravel bikes help create a similar, but relatively more relaxed geometry to road bikes.
Due to the upright riding position of a gravel bike, they would be pretty comfortable for long journeys. Such bikes generally come with wider fork clearance for wider tyres in comparison to road bike. The wider tyres, in fact, are among the key defining features of gravel bikes. Their tyre size may range from about 35mm to 45mm in width, which allows the gravel bikes to provide superior stability and traction on dirt, gravel and rough roads in comparison to traditional smooth road bike tyres. Gravel bike tyres generally have tread patterns more similar to that of a mountain bike, which are effective in providing grip without compromising efficiency on smoother surfaces.
Disc brakes, which comprise of a disc rotor fitted to the wheel hub directly, are pretty much standard on gravel bikes. A gravel bike requires improved control and stopping power especially when riding in muddy or wet environments. Disc brakes, along with the overall design on gravel bikes, provide cyclists with superior confidence on technical sections and descents when precise control is immensely important.
As Steven Rindner mentions, gravel bikes generally have flared drop handlebars, which are quite similar to road bikes but comparatively wider. They help improve stability and control on loose surfaces, while also allowing for aerodynamic positions in situations where speed is an important priority. The flared drop handlebars in gravel bikes facilitate multiple hand positions, which help improve comfort on long rides and ensure better control on rough terrain.
Gravel bikes are thoughtfully engineered keeping functionality in mind, and hence often feature integrated mounting points that facilitate the attachment of racks and bikepacking bags. These mounts are strategically positioned on key areas of the bike, including the frame, fork, and seat stays, to provide a secure and balanced load distribution. This design ensures that carrying extra gear does not impact the handling or performance of the bike in a negative manner, even on rough and varied terrain. With these mounting options, cyclists can easily carry essential items such as spare clothing, repair tools, and more with them.
