Should your next bike be a gravel bike?

Gravel riding has taken the world by storm over the last few years James Bracey – gets to grips with the new category and what it means for you

- James Bracey

There’s no denying that gravel riding has taken the bike world by storm. It’s what everyone is talking about. From humble beginnings on the endless unpaved roads in North America – or arguably half a century ago in northern England with the Rough Stuff Fellowship – gravel riding (its trendy 21st century name) is more popular than ever.

In the UK at least, it can seem that the term ‘gravel’ is rathermisleading. Sure, there certainly are gravel roads here but they’re much less common than the expansive gravel road networks in the US. What we do have, however, is a vast network of bridleways, byways, tracks, common land and open countryside, all which can be linked up with sections of tarmac.

What are gravel bikes?

In order to understand why you might want to buy a gravel bike, let’s take a look at what they fundamentally are. In essence, you’re looking at a drop-bar bike with wide tyre clearance, wide gear ratios and a frame geometry somewhere between standard road bike and cross-country mountain bike.

Although all gravel bikes share these three factors, there’s a great range within the category, from racing-orientated aerodynamic machines to bikes that push the limits further out into mountain bike territory, as well as robust builds designed to carry you and your kit for thousands of miles.

“A gravel bike is a drop-bar machine with wide tyre clearance and wide gear ratios”

So why might you be interested in buying a gravel bike?

Gravel bikes are enablers. See that track you’ve passed by a thousand times while loyally clinging to the tarmac? Without going far from your front door, you can find a whole new range of places to ride and explore, even in cities.