‘Gravel’ bikes vs hybrids…

Singletrack Magazine



ibnchris

Full Member

Was describing what gravel bikes are to my wife this eve and the concept of a kind of ‘do it all’ bike. To which she answered ‘what, you mean a hybrid?’

Great put down. Even if she’s slightly missed the point.

Posted 3 years ago



slowoldman

Full Member

I’m just investigating the whole enduranceadventurehybrid thing. There is much scope for confusion.

Posted 3 years ago



dovebiker

Full Member

Hybrids usually have flat bars and are more like Mens for the road whereas Gravel/Adventure bikes are Road bikes for offroad ?

Posted 3 years ago



simondbarnes

Full Member

Gravel bike = drop bar hybrid. Anyone who thinks otherwise is incorrect ?

Posted 3 years ago



mrmo

Free Member

Gravel bike = drop bar hybrid. Anyone who thinks otherwise is incorrect

I am waiting for the flat bar gravel bike to come out, for those times when you need a bit more control than drops can give you. And maybe downsizing the wheels a little, for a little bit more strength.

Bit like this really.

And being as everything in cycling is cyclical, when do we get a new version of the Tioga/sugino tension disks???

Posted 3 years ago



rOcKeTdOg

Full Member

Gravel bike = drop bar hybrid. Anyone who thinks otherwise is incorrect

So true

am waiting for the flat bar gravel bike to come out, for those times when you need a bit more control than drops can give you

Already here, any mtb with 35mm tyres on

Posted 3 years ago



PeterPoddy

Free Member

Gravel bike = drop bar hybrid. Anyone who thinks otherwise is incorrect

Agreed. And I’ve had 2 of them. But theyd be far more capable with flat bars and decent brakes.

Posted 3 years ago



PeterPoddy

Free Member

am waiting for the flat bar gravel bike to come out, for those times when you need a bit more control than drops can give you

There’s loads of them about. My wide has a 2-3 year old Ridgeback X3. It’s literally exactly what this thread is about.

Posted 3 years ago



jameso

Full Member

I am waiting for the flat bar gravel bike to come out,

This is basically what the first 29ers were. Willits, Bruce Gordon, DB Overdrive etc. 700x45ish with flat bars, rigid forks.

Posted 3 years ago



CaptainFlashheart

Free Member

I am waiting for the flat bar gravel bike to come out

’92 Alpinestars Xross.

Posted 3 years ago



LMT

Free Member

Specialized crosstrail….a flat bar heavy suspension gravel bike

Posted 3 years ago



steve_b77

Free Member

I am waiting for the flat bar gravel bike to come out, for those times when you need a bit more control than drops can give you. And maybe downsizing the wheels a little, for a little bit more strength.

You mean like a 650b hardtail with a double chainset and forks you can lock out?

Posted 3 years ago



mrmo

Free Member

There’s loads of them about. My wide has a 2-3 year old Ridgeback X3. It’s literally exactly what this thread is about.

But they aren’t being sold as a new niche yet, just waiting for the marketing to start pushing them as something revolutionary.

Posted 3 years ago



ibnchris

Full Member

Gravelax

Slack, skinny tyres, flat bars. New pointless niche

Posted 3 years ago



firestarter

Free Member

If I put drops on my boardman hybrid it would be a gravel grinder

Your wife speaks the truth

Posted 3 years ago



CraigW

Free Member

These gravel bikes are just touring bikes, with knobbly tyres and disc brakes and without mudguards or racks.

People have been riding off-road on tourers for years, they work quite well as a do it all bike.

Posted 3 years ago



steve_b77

Free Member

CraigW – Member

These gravel bikes are just touring bikes, with knobbly tyres and disc brakes and without mudguards or racks.

People have been riding off-road on tourers for years, they work quite well as a do it all bike.

Away with your sensible, non-marketing driven opinions you. How will the industry ever survive ?

Posted 3 years ago



boxelder

Full Member

Hipster hybrid is what mine’s called. Great bike. I don’t get all the fretting that goes on about the bikes or the riding people do on them. Get out and enjoy it, or choose not to.

Posted 3 years ago



jonnyboi

Full Member

If I put drops on my boardman hybrid it would be a gravel grinder

What’s the max tyre clearance on it though?

Anyhow, I thought gravel bikes were just rebadged CX ?

Posted 3 years ago



wicki

Free Member

Nothing new Peugeot were making dedicated gravel bikes in the 50/60/70/80’s under labels like “demi course” and “randonneuse” fat tires guard rack mounts and some with 650 tire size you can pick them up for a song on the french version of gumtree etc its called

https://www.leboncoin.fr/

got one in the back of the stable lovely soft riding frames and not heavy even by today’s standards.

Posted 3 years ago



kelvin

Full Member

Well, I’m sure mrmo enjoyed having his point repeated back at him.

Posted 3 years ago



ian martin

Free Member

Maybe there should be a tongue in cheek emoji for clarity.

Posted 3 years ago



jonnyboi

Full Member

drac has missed an open goal here

Posted 3 years ago



shermer75

Free Member

Well, I’m sure mrmo enjoyed having his point repeated back at him.

?

Posted 3 years ago



firestarter

Free Member

Dunno jonni I’ve got 35mm and guards on so it would fit bigger, bit my shand took 42mm and o preferred to run it 35mm other wise it was a skinny 29er rather than a gravel group grinder, and if I used 32mm it was a gnarmac or something ?

Posted 3 years ago



jonnyboi

Full Member

I ask because a lot of gravel tyres on sale are around the 37-42 mark. People may shy away from buying a ‘gravel’ bike that only fits up to 35c tyres

Posted 3 years ago



beagle

Free Member

I did see a swanky Mason Bokeh built with a flat bar recently.

Posted 3 years ago



firestarter

Free Member

They are indeed jonni I just found if I needed bigger than 35 I’d be as well on a 29er with skinny 29er tyres still fast enough on tarmac but much better in the rough stuff

Posted 3 years ago



uphillcursing

Free Member

^^this. I reckon Firestarter has it nailed right there.

Posted 3 years ago



shandcycles

Free Member

I am waiting for the flat bar gravel bike to come out, for those times when you need a bit more control than drops can give you.


Daunder

Posted 3 years ago



epicyclo

Full Member

Sneer all you like, but ‘gravel’ is a better descriptor than ‘hybrid’ IMO.

However ‘gravel’ bikes need fatter tyres, 2″ at least (again IMO).

So don’t worry, once the term gravel is accepted, we won’t run out of sneerability objects – because when 2″ gravel bikes happen a new round of sneering can start:

“They’re not gravel bikes, they’re 29ers”.

?

Posted 3 years ago



firestarter

Free Member

Tbf I had a drop bar singular swift years ago before all this gravel nonsense and it was just a drop bar 29er ?

Edit. Infact I was told I couldn’t use it on the 3peakscx as it was a mountain bike

Posted 3 years ago



molgrips

Full Member

These gravel bikes are just touring bikes, with knobbly tyres and disc brakes and without mudguards or racks.

And lighter to. So somewhat different.

I’m not sure I’ve seen an advert claiming these bikes are a new thing anyway. Can someone show me one?

No idea why everyone’s frothing about this. Maybe they are trying to show how clever they are?

Posted 3 years ago



kelron

Free Member

Aren’t hybrids just mountain bikes with bad or no suspension anyway?

Posted 3 years ago



RustySpanner

Full Member

molgrips – Member

And lighter to. So somewhat different.

Mine’s not.

In fact, it is a tourer.

See, labels are unhelpful.

I’m not sure I’ve seen an advert claiming these bikes are a new thing anyway. Can someone show me one?

No idea why everyone’s frothing about this. Maybe they are trying to show how clever they are?

Maybe we’ve got to the stage where labels and genres only exist in the minds of marketing folk and those who are unsure about the possibilities of an ordinary, everyday bicycle.

Which is what ‘g****l’ bikes are.

Posted 3 years ago



matt_outandabout

Full Member

Having seen epicyclo’s posts before, whatever he says on the matter I agree with….

Posted 3 years ago



kerley

Free Member

I swap between drop and risers on the bike I use for gravel riding. This is made very easy due to lack of needing to mess around with brakes so I can literally swap in a few minutes before going on a ride.

So dependent on which bars I use that day changes my bike from a gravel bike to a hybrid, interesting…

Posted 3 years ago



shermer75

Free Member

How do you swap the brakes and gears?

Posted 3 years ago



superstu

Free Member

I have a rigid (flat bar) 29r and a gravel bike (arkose).

They do completely different things for me.

Posted 3 years ago



rOcKeTdOg

Full Member

I prefer “gnar-brid” to gravel bike

http://a-pic-a-ride.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/gravel-riding-into-past.html?m=1

Posted 3 years ago

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