Is Gravel Grinding a Fad?

He's not part of the 10% served by the typical road race style bike.

simply because the typical road bike does not properly serve that 10% of bike riders but that doesnt alter the fact he still belongs to the 10%. the 90% dont want drop bars

whatever

Wow.  This thread spun off into strange places.  I'm not sure if I'm 90% or 10% or 43%.  Is being forcibly pigeon-holed into a certain percentage group a fad?

Boom, that's the first "whatever" I've read here!!!  I am a retrogrouch(and so are you Ajaydee admit it) and arguing with a retrogrouch is next to impossible. However, even though I don't like the cycling industry cashing in on a "fad", that's how all specific types of bikes were born. Mountain, fat bike, cyclocross, time trial etc... 
I know I am contradicting some of my earlier posts, but I can see how telling someone they're an idiot for buying a gravel specific bike when they already have a 'cross bike, or mountain bike is ridiculous. If you can  afford it and want to get the most out of where and how you ride your bike by purchasing a gravel specific bike who am I, or anyone else for that matter, to tell you what to do with your money and more importantly, your passion for the sport. Which brings me (finally) to the actual subject of this post. Is gravel grinding a fad?
Certainly not. It's a past time (as it's been done since the beginning of cycling itself), and many times it's a tonic for those who need a change from road cycling, mountain biking. triathlon or whatever it is they normally do. I ride the (tarmac)road from May to Sept, looking at back wheels or my tongue, whichever happens to be in front of me at the time, and switching to the back roads, crossing streams, finding old bridges, and getting waved at by people on tractors, instead of run off the road by angry drivers in pick-up trucks(why is it always pick-ups?), is like a breath of fresh air. Actually, it is literally a breath of fresh air. When winter hits here in Canada the gravel roads are a great alternative, as they are very ridable even when snow covered. By spring I'm ready to feel the smooth hum of the tarmac under my wheels again, and try in vain not to get dropped by my buddies (as much) in the coming months.
"Gravel Grinding", has always been here, but now it has an accepted name, and it's a real movement with like minded people being able to talk about, and argue about it, and occasionally a retrogrouch's mind may be changed, because of social media outlets like this one. Or whatever???

Fakey, it might be always pickups in Canada.  Here, in Tennessee, it's always minivans!  WHY minivans? 

Riding bikes on unpaved roads has been going on for as long as there have been bikes.  Did an event in Oregon last weekend...Dalles Mountain 60...a blast, and about every type of bike and set-up...and all kinds of kick ass riders too....great atmosphere...and maybe a bit like mountain biking, before it became mountain biking.  Definitely not a fad.  Also, somewhere in this thread someone dissed fixies...fixies have also been ridden by real riders ever since there have been bikes.  Smile with and at anyone who is on a bike...and lose your attitude...JMHO

racers ride road racing bikes or CX bikes.  Normal people who commute and like to ride recreationally will find CX and road racing bikes to be less comfortable (and ultimately less fun and useful) because the demands of CX and road racing on the bike's geometry run counter to the average joe's comfort level.


For me, a gravel bike is a simple concept with a few basic tenants

1. geometry - think Roubaix instead of Tarmac.  A bit more upright, a bit less 'twitchy', a bit more stable, a bit more relaxed, a good bit more comfortable
2. clearance - wider tires with a bit of knob make for a more comfortable, stable ride with better traction without sacrificing (much) road riding ability
3. usefulness - you can bikepack, you can throw a rack on the front and/or back, you can put fenders on and still have decent clearance for less-than-dry days.  this one isn't anecessarily a requirement, but for me, it's something I look for.

a gravel bike is simply a bike you can have fun on.  some people have fun by going as fast as possible on tarmac.  some people have fun by going as fast as possible down trails, over big roots and jumping off rocks.  Some people have fun being able to go out and explore and not be constrained by a most off-road paths being too "rough"

There are pretty clear distinctions between a road racing bike and a more relaxed road bike.  There are clear distinctions between a CX MTB and an Enduro MTB and a downhill MTB.  The 'gravel grinder' is simply a bike purpose-built to fill the niche that a lot of people will find useful, that is a comfortable bike that can go quickly on the road but still be able to handle some sketchy areas through the woods

My $.02: First my background -- I rode my first bike race as a 15 year old junior in Central Park NYC in 1958! Yup, folks raced bikes back in the dark ages. I've been involved with bikes ever since; and have seen and experienced just about everything in the post WW II American cycling and endurance sport scene. I rode my last bike race as 65 year old Masters rider in 2008. By then and many, many ... thousands of miles in the saddle, my lower back was shot and I was forced to retire from racing. For a few years, I tried recumbent's -- they helped a bit -- but I never enjoyed riding them the same way I enjoyed my upright bikes. Gradually, I returned to riding standard bikes, first a recreational hybrid, then gradually transitioning back to regular road bikes. I found that by doing fewer, and shorter rides, I can manage my back situation. Several years ago, I moved from the Metro NYC area, where I lived most of my life, to rural southern NH; and consequently discovered dirt roads. Miles and miles of them. At 73 years of age, I've discovered something new! For others, this may be old news; but for me it has been a revelation. Is it a fad? I don't know. I can tell you this- 
- I raced 10 speed road bikes in the the late 1950's and 1960's.
- I ran Marathons  in the late 60's and 70's.
- I did triathlons in the 80's
- I returned to bike racing as a Masters racer in the 90's and raced until 2008
In each of these times I was modestly successful, and amongst a bunch of pioneer athletes. And each of these American sports have grown from a small group of devotees, to high profile popular participation activities. Will this happen again with GG? If my past is any prediction, then I think it will. Here is an example of the kind of grass roots events that will continue to grow and attract interest: http://www.rosemountainrumble.com . I live about 5 miles from the start of this event. In fact, I plan to go out this morning to check out some of the roads on the course that I haven't ridden yet. See y'all at the Rumble this year!

FlashBazbo wrote:There are counties in the U.S. that have no gravel roads at all.  It's easier to find a mountain bike trail.  For these people, eventually, it will be more trouble to transport their bike to gravel than they think it's worth.  For a lot of them, not all, gravel biking is a fad. It won't die for that group, but it will become much like mountain biking is,

\n \nDing ding ding. Good luck finding a proper gravel bike in Tampa. There's no gravel around here. I think marketing them as all road bikes makes a lot more sense.

shoota wrote: Ding ding ding. Good luck finding a proper gravel bike in Tampa. There's no gravel around here. I think marketing them as all road bikes makes a lot more sense.

I agree.  Gravel riding is absolutely a fad.  However, multi surface riding has, and always will be popular.  The one positive thing that has come out of the fad is that the bikes are finally starting to be designed for how regular people ride instead of everything being based on pro race bikes.  My "gravel" bike gets ridden on the road, singletrack, crushed limestone trails, C&O canal, rails to trails but it has never been on a gravel road.  

LOL!  .... the title of the thread. My first gravel race was 10 years ago, and during my road racing career that began in the late 80's we used to 50/50 paved/gravel to make training harder. I think a "fad" by definition requires this thing we're all talking about to be short-lived, not going for a decade +.

As for the 'gravel' vs 'all-road' thingy in terms of marketing I think both words are interchangeable when used in defining a category or in product descriptions. Just use one or the other and keep it classy by leaving it off the product. A perfect example of a marketing faux pax is Litespeed. They have an 'All-Road' category where both bikes are called "gravel". The new one to this model year even displays it on the top tube. Confusing and ugly in one fail swoop, like the marketing dept just gave up. Nonetheless, it's a sweet ride. I know a lot satisfied customers since we sell them, this is all just opinion. Many people out there on a Roubaix that never have ridden on cobblestones. Bet there's a lot of Cutthroat owners that have never cast a lure. Know what I mean?

All told the industry is silly at times.... The 'Run What Ya Brung' ethos of the gravel scene speaks for itself.

3 years after this thread was started...yeah...boy...that gravel grinding fad...man that burned out quick huh?

Seriously though...who cares. Paved. Dirt. Gravel. Whatever. Just get out and ride your f#cking bike and stop bitching about what it's called. It's all cycling at the end of the day. Just be thankful you can ride your bikes.

Nubster wrote:3 years after this thread was started...yeah...boy...that gravel grinding fad...man that burned out quick huh?

Disco music was a fad.  It lasted quite a bit longer than 3 years.

I think you're getting fad confused with trend. The disco era was a trend, however godawful as it is people still listen to it. If gravel this or that was really a fad it would have died off in 2009 and participation rate wouldn't be still growing at this point.  

ridemagnetic wrote:I think you're getting fad confused with trend. The disco era was a trend, however godawful as it is people still listen to it. If gravel this or that was really a fad it would have died off in 2009 and participation rate wouldn't be still growing at this point.  

I think you are confusing what you think a fad is, versus what a fad really is.  Some things that might help you:

1.  Look up the word fad in a dictionary.
2.  Do a google search for "disco fad"

Was disco dancing and fashion a fad? Absolutely. Is the music? Absolutely not.  

Enough about disco. If you're going to honestly adhere to definitions, ljsmith, in terms of gravel we passed 'fad' status long ago.  

 

Not any more than gravel/dirt roads themselves are fads. 

Last time I checked, people were riding bikes on roads long before pavement was a thing.