Gravel bikes seem to be taking over the world of cycling, but quite frankly, they are deeply flawed. As the discipline as boomed, it seems as though the tech hasn’t been able to keep up with the level of popularity and it’s left the bikes feeling a bit confused. We’ve rounded up all of those flaws and told you everything that we hate about gravel bikes. They are by no means perfect and there’s a few things you should know before buying a gravel bike. What annoys you most about gravel bikes?
00:00 – Intro
00:56 – Gearing
03:09 – Rack Mounts
04:21 – Tyre Choice
05:31 – Lack Of Aggressive Tyres
07:11 – Too Pricey
08:51 – One Size Doesn’t Fit All
10:18 – Outro
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22 Comments
Hmm… sounds to me like you like them. 😂
Used to ride cyclocross on 23mm tubs, guess men where men in those days.
i totally agree with the gearing. What else would you like to ride on your gravel bikepacking adventure than a delicate carbon frame bike with a 1by groupset and poor gear ratio…
It’s the bike you never knew you needed, until the industry invented it. Have a road bike & an MTB? That’s all you need.
Single most annoying trend to me is that gravel has become too competetive and thus too focused on high end gear. Electronic groupsets, carbon wheels and titanium screws take all the fun out of gravel grinding IMO
I've got a gravel bike, it has brilliant gearing, all the mounting points i could ever need, mud guard mounts, pannier rack mounts, and running g one all rounds and its great on the road and the trail.. 👍
Poseidon Redwood:
Cheap
Room for big, aggressive tyres
Wide range 11-48 cassette
Lots of mounts including rack mounts
Heavy stock wheels… well, I guess you can't win 'em all!
I had to put an MTB cassette on my gravel bike. That's the real problem with X1 set up.
Great video and long overdo. The simple fact of the matter is the term "gravel bike" is about marketing and selling more bikes. It reminds me of SUV commercials where the vehicle is off-road, climbing mountains and crossing rivers. When in fact, I would suspect the vast majority of SUVs never get off the tarmac. But, humans are animals of conformity or "fitting" in. The current trend in "gravel" bikes is just that a trend and furthermore I bet most of these bikes also never get off the road. Then in a few years another supposedly unique bike will come out with another marketing name and everyone will flock to buy one. When in fact it will be something like a ridged mountain bike (revolutionary). Any ideas on what name we can call it? Maybe something like "the Swiss army bike"
Great stuff! I hope the industry hears you!
I'm rather new to road and gravel bikes, absolutely love how they feel but am also annoyed by many of the points you made. The rather weak brakes you find typically installed also restrict the versatility of gravel bikes imo. I personally do need a sturdy and grippy brake on a 1k decline with 10% slope, esp. since the brake handles aren't quite ergonomically placed. So in my pov hydraulic brakes with 180mm discs should be far more available.
Clydesdale + carrying gear = conversion to 42-28 up front and 11-40 10-speed in the back.
I have 50-34 & 11-34, 2x. It's a forgiving road setup on a gravel frame. I wont be able to climb trees, but whenever it's vaguely flat (mileage of "vaguely" will vary), it means i have lots of gears to play with. A 1x setup with a huge cassette is great to climb trees, but miserable whenever it's vaguely flat, as you can somehow never find the cadence that feels right.
WTB Nano is all you need for a "mud-capable tire" on a Gravel bike. The road bike-based mech that are put on gravel bikes from Shimano and SRAM will be gummed up if you're riding in MTB-level mud where such a tire is necessary, especially if you have a front derailleur.
Most of this is true with road bikes and mountain bikes as well.
If I could give this video 2 likes I would, spot on with all your points
Though I have a 7th reason about gravel bikes trends that really annoy us and that is the super annoying gravel bike owner who is a total gravel bike zealot… you know the ones on TikTok or Instagram or at your local BBQ who chime in with (quotations to be spoken in a Goofy from Disney voice) "Road bikes / mountain bikes suck, just get a gravel bike, the only bike you need is a gravel bike, with a gravel bike you can go anywhere…"
ROFLOL… anywhere? Hmmmmm you may need a very big * next to that "anywhere"… and when I say a big * I mean one that is the size of Australia. I have been on some dirt roads that will make people on hard tails sweat bricks, gravel bike riders would need their last rights read to them
Sure gravel bikes are great and if I commuted to work by bike I would probably get one but they are insanely overhyped and the reality is they are a "jack of all trades, master of none" sort of bike and I think this video very nicely pointed that out
Very keen to see what the real difference is between a hybrid bike and a gravel bike. Is it really just the drop handlebars?
I feel like you complained about the range of tires and then asked for yet more tire choices in the same minute
I’m enjoying the bike so far https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA My only real complaints are the brakes and the pedals. I feel like a bike designed for bigger people should have much larger pedals and more heavy duty brakes. I’ve only gotten two really good rides out of it, minimal downhill action, and the brakes feel like they’re already going out. A larger person has more momentum, so I think this wasn’t thought through very well. Also, I wear size 13-14 wide shoes. My feet cramp up on these pedals that are clearly made for smaller feet. Since I’m not a pro rider (and I don’t think many are who purchase this bike) I don’t think that the straps on the pedal are necessary at all. None of this takes away from the enjoyment I get from riding, however. I’ll just head to a bike shop to improve on a few things.
Pfffff!!! Buy an endurance road bike with adequate tyre clearance. Buy a bike with semi compact crankset 50-34 and 11-34 cassettes. Job done.
No bike does everything. Same as cars and women.
gearing "not low enough"? call it gravel but most of the cycling happens on the roads or hard pack paths.
… full bionic hamster at anything > 20mph – no thanks. 30/52 or similar on the front please. (48 OK till get budget to slam on a 52 – sounds not much but on a rear 11 that's almost 10%)
… as to climbing, if you're doing the baby 28 front to 32+ rear it's slower than walking & pushing (and uses >20% more energy lost into the frame & pneuma), and looks stupid … grow some legs!
he's talking about kickstands.. if you want to buy higher end bikes, DON'T GET A KICKSTAND. your bike can lean on the back wheel just fine, it's how i store mine and it never falls over.