Gravel Bikes - Should we stop and tell the industry now?

[malcolm2]

to be honest i think the biking industry are running out of ideas to sell bikes 

[Jewbacca]

but then also most touring style mtb's are built rigid if you look at what alot of bike packers ride...as in not even front suspension? a high volume tire can take alot of hurt out i guess.

i think people who ride SS will probably concur it has to be a power to weight to power delivery ratio thing.

 

EDIT: and although not a new concept...refined one's like these solve that problem while seated(when you need it), without compromising on that direct feel a HT gives you when applying power. 

 

https://redshiftsports.com/shockstop-suspension-seatpost

Bike packing isn't done at speed though? Braking under load with suspension while riding a fully loaded 30+kg rig would be interesting. 

 

Look, I'm not saying it can't be fast. People like Gunrita are fast on anything. Bear in mind I have ridden Freedom Challenge, everested and finished pretty much all big stage races in SA (and Lesotho) on a rigid SS.

 

Just saying that it won't be as comfortable nor as efficient for a cycling layman/pleb like most of us.

[IH8MUD]

 Bear in mind I have ridden Freedom Challenge, everested and finished pretty much all big stage races in SA (and Lesotho) on a rigid SS.

 

 

I honestly  wish I had such BBB. 

[DieselnDust]

to be honest i think the biking industry are running out of ideas to sell bikes 

 

i concur

[Allrounder]

If you go through corrugation, does your suspension have enough time to get back to "normal" before the next bump to absorb the impact again?

[MORNE]

If you go through corrugation, does your suspension have enough time to get back to "normal" before the next bump to absorb the impact again?

wanted to mention this but decided to let the dead horse be, but lets necro it...

so imo, in the end you might end up doing what you do in your car when driving sinkplaat roads ....go faster, as to catch the apex of every bump instead, effectively "creating" a flat road

And in that case...there might end up being no real difference between having rear squish or not...

 

there was actually a whole mythbusters episode about it way back when lol

Edited April 17, 2019 by morneS555

[splat]

If you go through corrugation, does your suspension have enough time to get back to "normal" before the next bump to absorb the impact again?

 

It didn't feel like it at trans Baviaans a year or two ago.

Judging by the amount of bottles on the road (including my own), everyone was suffering.

The frequency of the bumps was different along the route, so rebound setting on your suspension wouldn't work everywhere.

 

But then again, dual suspension doesn't turn your bike into a magic carpet that floats over everything.

[Wayne pudding Mol]

I'm no expert but 80 percent of my riding is on gravel. I have a great dual sus and I have made my hardtail gravel specific (seatpost flex, 45c gravel tyres and a Lauf fork). I choose the hardtail because it's superlight and it's the most efficient for me in that I feel the transfer of power is better. It's faster on all my routes. This is not a scientific fact but rather a fact related to my cycling. The dual sus trumps it on anything worse than gravel like K2C. At one stage I also had a cannondale slate gravel bike. Again the hardtail worked out best for gravel and the slate went.

A dual sus gravel bike seems a bit of overkill but then this is SA and it won't be long before we'll be needing it as the roads deteriorate

[Boerklong]

to be honest i think the biking industry are running out of ideas to sell bikes

For sure.

Reinventing the wheel.

[Eddy Gordo]

Cannondale, in conjunction with the CPSC, has issued a recall of model-year 2013 to 2016 CAADX cyclocross bikes equipped with disc brakes. The forks on these bikes can break, which can result in serious injury or death.

 

To date, there has been one fatality and 11 injuries reported, seven of the injuries were serious and resulted in concussions and a spinal injury.

 

https://reviews.mtbr.com/cannondale-recalls-more-than-10000-caadx-cyclocross-bikes

[Farrnus]

Cannondale, in conjunction with the CPSC, has issued a recall of model-year 2013 to 2016 CAADX cyclocross bikes equipped with disc brakes. The forks on these bikes can break, which can result in serious injury or death.

 

To date, there has been one fatality and 11 injuries reported, seven of the injuries were serious and resulted in concussions and a spinal injury.

 

https://reviews.mtbr.com/cannondale-recalls-more-than-10000-caadx-cyclocross-bikes

 

a Cyclocross Bike is NOT a Gravel Bike .... #justsaying 

[ChrisF]

a Cyclocross Bike is NOT a Gravel Bike .... #justsaying 

 

what are the differences ?

[Eddy Gordo]

what are the differences ?

https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/167230-gravel-bikes-should-we-stop-and-tell-the-industry-now/?p=3096295

[Farrnus]

what are the differences ?

 

https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/205556-cyclocross-bikes-v-graveladventure-bikes-whats-difference

[Raf]

Been dabbling with these gravel bikes since early 2015... Got told how it will never take off and its a waste

 

I'm of the view that most Hard tail 29er riders should have probably chosen a Gravel Bike as they aren't exactly MTBing.

 

In the same way may people on a road bike would like to have much fatter tyres and versatility other that a max of 28c

 

So really interesting view point that it doesn't work... But for the non-racer both on MTB & Road, does it really matter what the "norm" is?

 

I've read how eBikes are also frowned upon, but actually so what.

 

Cycling like everything else is a personal choice, and so with the accessories along with it.

 

The more options the merrier

 

As long as we have options

[Eldron]

I miss the old days of cobbling together bits and pieces to make what we use to call Monstercross bikes.

 

I love the new days because you can cobble Di2 hydraulic road levers to anything Di2 and have the most amazing Gravelcrossmonsterbike around.