Gravel Bikes

Just in time for summer: 20 great gravel bike deals with up to 40% off

From CyclingNews.com

By Paul Norman

We’ve rounded up the best deals on gravel bikes for the path less travelled

With summer on the horizon, the Giro d’Italia in full swing and the US and EU gravel race seasons well underway, you’d be forgiven for thinking that retailers would hike the price of bikes as riders look for their usual pre-summer upgrade. But surprisingly, there are some seriously good discounts available on already-budget-friendly gravel bikes right now.

Gravel biking has become really popular, but a gravel bike is also a good option for commuting too. They give you a little more versatility in where you can ride than a budget road bike designed just for use on tarmac. They allow you to take on unmetalled surfaces and maybe find new routes that link up your existing rides in a more interesting way than just sticking to the road.

Photo by Viktor Bystrov on Unsplash

Read More

in Featured  by Forsyth 0 comments

12 best gravel bikes of 2023, according to real riders

From CNN.com

By Heather Balogh Rochfort, CNN Underscored

Gravel bikes — versatile, beefed up road-style bikes with fatter tires and off-road friendly gearing — are the fastest-growing style of bike today, with sales increasing by 109% since 2019. It’s not hard to see why since they appeal to pretty much any type of cyclist. Hardcore mountain biker? Spandex-clad roadie? You’ll both like gravel, and more and more riders are hitting unpaved roads across the United States to try the new discipline.

Gravel bikes have drop bars like road bikes, but with more relaxed frame geometry and lower gearing so you feel more stable on rough, rolling terrain but can still cruise while riding pavement. Wider tires with lots of tread mean you can easily handle dirt or gravel. While they’re not typically meant for extremely technical and rocky terrain, if you’re an experienced off-road rider, you can still take some of the gravel bikes out on flowy singletrack and have plenty of fun.

“Gravel riding gives you the freedom to explore and head off the beaten path, especially if you are coming from a road cycling background,” says Massimo Alpian, a cycling industry veteran and current board member for Ride for Racial Justice. “With this category exploding over the past several years, there are so many options now.”

Ready to call yourself a gravaficionado? We talked with various gravel grinding experts to get the lowdown on the best gravel bikes for all abilities. Whether you’re a first-timer hopping on the gravel ribbon or an experienced cyclist looking to get into bikepacking, here are some of our favorites.

Image courtesy of Kona

Read More

in Featured  by Forsyth 0 comments

Is A Gravel Bike Actually That Much Slower Than A Road Bike?

How slow really are gravel bikes in comparison to road bikes? Conor puts his gravel and road bike through the ultimate test. Across different terrains and speeds, he finds out how much riding a gravel bike on the road could affect your average ride times!

in Featured  by Forsyth 0 comments

What is a gravel-specific bike saddle and do you need one?

From CyclingWeekly.com

What makes a saddle good for gravel riding and should you consider one? We asked bike fit professionals to find out

BY KRISTIN JENNY

Gravel bikes are more popular than ever. In 2022, gravel bike sales shot up 109% from 2021, and popular gravel races like Unbound Gravel saw an increase of 1,400 registrants in the same period.

There’s no denying it: gravel is continuing to take the cycling world by storm.

With sky-high gravel bike sales comes a new frontier of gravel-related questions, like how a gravel bike fit differs from a road bike fit, if gravel-specific cycling shoes are necessary and for today’s consideration: if gravel-specific saddles are warranted.

There are countless saddle models on the market specifically designed for everything from beach cruisers to the most aerodynamic time trial bikes.  And that’s because each riding position and each body has varying requirements in finding a comfortable saddle.

Image courtesy of Selle Italia

Read More

in Featured  by Forsyth 0 comments

The Best Gravel Bikes of 2022

From GearPatrol.com

BY

Let’s simplify the booming gravel market to help you find the right bike.

Just like a trip down the cereal aisle at Safeway, searching for the right gravel bike can be overwhelmingly complex. It’s a true paradox of choice — so many options to choose from that you’re liable to give up not long after you start. As a gear tester, I get more notifications about new gravel bikes than skis or puffy jackets, even in the dead of winter. Poke around the interwebs and you’ll see what I mean. But for the uninitiated, the new category in cycling can be both exciting and a little head-scratching: what exactly is a gravel bike?

Photo by Viktor Bystrov on Unsplash

Read More

in Featured  by Forsyth 0 comments