This story begins a few years ago, when my husband and I were fairly new to the Southern California area and the biking scene here. We went to a meet-up of like-minded mountain-biking diehards, at our local bike shop no less. One of our compatriots casually mentioned a ride/race called the Belgian Waffle Ride that occurred yearly in north San Diego county, and was known for its epic toughness. The people who tried it, well, they were crazy. I mean, who would willingly race over 130 miles in one day? So, of course, I had to try it.
With a little more research, I learned that most people who raced it used road bikes set up with slightly more burly tires due to the fact that about 40% of the ride was off-road. I packed that thought away in my brain and somehow came away with the idea that since I’m a mountain biker, I’ll do it on my mountain bike. And so, a few years later in 2019, I signed up.
Then COVID hit. The race was canceled for 2020, and the following year I badly injured my thumb, so I deferred another year. In the meantime, as we all know, gravel racing took off. Like, really took off. Gravel bikes became a thing, and I realized that maybe I shouldn’t try racing 137 miles of mostly road on a mountain bike.
Over these past two years, as I’ve thumbed through Instagram and Strava, I’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon: Everyone LOVES gravel biking. World Tour Pros are dropping the tarmac and hitting the dirt. Mountain bikers are retiring from big hits and seeking out fire roads. Maybe it’s a ploy to sell more bikes to an emerging market, maybe it’s legit. Gravel bikes, like e-bikes, have permeated our culture, and gravel bikes sure seem way less polarizing.
Even my husband has become a gravel biker: as someone who mostly mountain bikes and only uses a road bike “for training,” he did the race in 2021, when it was masochistically moved to the summer. He used his Giant Defy road bike and 32mm slick tires, and I was frankly surprised at how much he enjoyed it, even with miles of cramping legs, skinny tires, and no suspension.
So, with my husband’s encouragement (read: “You’ll die out there doing BWR on your mountain bike”), I picked up a used but mint-condition carbon gravel bike to use for BWR. I by no means intend to disparage this bike — I actually really like it, although it did take me a little while to get used to it. In the case of this new-to-me gravel bike, it’s not the bike I have a hard time with. It’s the graveling I’m supposed to do with it.
This may be hard to explain, but I’ll try my best. As mentioned before, I’m a mountain biker, but I’m mainly a cross-country mountain biker. I like my bikes light and fast, sure, but I also like suspension and a dropper post. My M.O. is to charge up hills lightning-quick, and then bomb down them. I don’t care whether the trails are fire roads or steep, chunky chutes that I probably shouldn’t be attempting with only 90mm of rear suspension, it’s all good on my mountain bike.
It seems that a gravel bike, in theory, isn’t that far off from the cross-country riding I’m describing. Shouldn’t I be able to do the same thing on my gravel bike? Isn’t that the allure of gravel biking after all? Heading out into the unknown, riding dirt roads and singletrack alike with speed and agility? That’s what everyone loves about gravel bikes, right? I just haven’t found that to be true for me.
I’m pretty sure I made a mistake when I first started riding my gravel bike. Maybe because I’m a mountain biker, my natural tendency is to get off road, as quick as possible, and get to some trails. Any trails, no matter how rough, steep, twisty, etc.. So that’s what I did with my gravel bike. The first few rides on the new gravel bike, I basically rode my favorite local cross-country loops without considering the, uh, jarring nature of riding a bike without suspension. I tackled countless nasty climbs and descents that are challenging even with my mountain bike. It was after these first few rides I came to the conclusion that gravel bikes are not fun: The dirt is more fun with a mountain bike, and the roads are more fun with a road bike. The compromises of a gravel bike were too much for me to bear happily.
Case in point: one of my favorite things to do on my mountain bike (especially my XC bike) is to explore new singletrack. I’m confident enough on my mountain bike that I know it can handle pretty much anything a new trail can throw at me. I have not found that to be the case with the gravel bike. When I see a fork in an unknown trail, where one option looks smoother and tamer and the other option looks wilder, and I’m on the gravel bike, I take the tamer option. Then I really wish I was on my XC bike and could’ve tried the wilder option.
I’m an optimistic person, and I truly love to ride bikes. So even though I did not have favorable impressions of gravel biking when I first started, I realized I’m new to this facet of the sport and have been willing to give it time. And sure enough, after a few weeks of grinding out tough, cross-country style routes (and wishing I was on my XC bike the whole time), I went for a group ride with people who actually know how to ride gravel. What a difference! The ratio of road to dirt was about 60:40, and the dirt was a nice mix of smooth fire roads, gravel, and a few rougher techy bits to keep things interesting. I began to have an inkling of why people love gravel riding so much, and slowly began to adjust my routes at home to be similar to what I discovered best fit this new bike.
So, I have to admit, as I ramped up hours of training for the BWR, gravel biking grew on me. However, to mix things up a bit, the other day I went for a ride on my neglected XC bike. I couldn’t help but notice how smooth everything felt, how I could charge the downhills with a lot more zest, and how mentally I could relax sometimes instead of constantly having to scan ahead and choose the smoothest lines. Hmmm. I don’t know if I’ll ever love gravel biking, but I’m out there trying!
After plenty of hits and misses, my husband and I became expert gravel route planners. In the last two weeks leading up to the big day, we were able to knock out 100-mile rides on the gravel bikes and realized we were actually having fun. I began to think the BWR would not only be “crazy,” but also would be a lot of fun.
I completed the Belgian Waffle Ride on April 30, racing 137 miles and roughly 11,000 ft of elevation on my gravel bike fitted with 32mm tires. I placed 13th in my age group and 45th overall. I dare say I enjoyed myself and the challenge of finishing the longest ride I’ve ever done. I did appreciate having the gravel bike to get me through the wide variety of terrain, especially the long paved sections where I could keep up with the roadies. I also appreciated having mountain bike skills in my pocket to navigate the tricky dirt sections. In the back of my mind though, on all of the dirt “unroad” sections… I wished for my XC bike. Sigh.
30 Comments
Jun 3, 2022
Jun 2, 2022
I don’t get the polarization of cycling styles . Most cyclists I know have two to four bike types and many race multiple disciplines. Tends to be a great way to get stronger across the board and keep things interesting.
Jun 2, 2022
Jun 2, 2022
Jun 2, 2022
When I got my gravel bike I felt like I was going 50 mph all the time, and it is great for the dirt and really rough class 4 roads nearby, as well as the paved roads to connect them.
Everything is a compromise. This article sounds to me like complaining that my skinny skis don't work well in powder, or my fat boards aren't great at carving. Well, yeah! what did you expect?
Jun 2, 2022
Jun 2, 2022
Jun 2, 2022
Jun 3, 2022
The allure of MTB is mostly driven by the adrenaline rush -- downhill speed, twisty singletracks, gnarly terrain, obstacles, etc... and it sounds like this still is the driving appeal for you related to cycling.
The allure of gravel is different -- more driven by the hypnosis of pedaling, the fitness challenge of long hills, the adventure/wonder of being out back in the middle of nowhere; and doing all this on routes that tend to be car free (less stressful) - it' slower downhill, and maybe a tad faster uphill -- but the overall speed is likely less than MTB.
I wouldn't say you're doing it wrong, or missing out on anything -- it's two really different modes of riding, different objectives/outcomes -- and you still prefer the mtb outcome - and that's awesome - ride it and don't look back.
For the past 20+ years riding MTB - i hated having to ride fireroads to get to the singletracks -- i was a singletrack snob (still am for mtb)... but now on the gravelly bike, i almost love riding them.
You be you and don't fret about it. Any day pedaling two wheels is better than not...
Jun 2, 2022
Jun 3, 2022
Jun 2, 2022
Chuck
Jun 2, 2022
Jun 5, 2022
It seems to me that you love mountain biking the most, so it's easy to understand why you've had such a hard time adjusting to a gravel bike. If what you like the most is to explore gnarly singletracks and take your technical skills to the limit, both up and down, it makes sense a gravel bike wouldn't completely fit you. Most gravel bikes aren't designed for that purpose.
I also come from an XC background. For the past 12 years, I've owned XC hardtails only and I used to compete in amateur XC races. I'm not a super pro cyclist or anything, but I do have some experience, endurance, and technique. When I got my MTB stolen in Colombia about 2 years ago, I decided to get a gravel bike since I was planning to move to Buenos Aires, a rather flat area. Before moving here, I got my gravel bike and cycled as much as I could in Medellín, a mountainous region. Climbing was definitely more challenging, specially singletracks, but those were rare in the area. The most common trails were rural roads for 4x4 vehicles, which were doable on a gravel bike. The steep parts were always more difficult than with an XC bike, but I found that extra challenge to be more fun and interesting, I had to push myself to pay more attention to my technique and to keep a good climbing pace. I challenged myself to do climbs that were hard even on a MTB, and it was really satisfying when I conquered those hills, not to mention the dropped jaws the MTBers gave me when they saw my bike.
Descending was a different story though, I couldn't sustain long descents without resting my hands a bit in between, specially on rocky terrain. I got myself a Redshift stem which helped A LOT with reducing the chatter from the ground, so I'd suggest you to try some kind of suspension system for your gravel bike (a stem, a fork, a seatpost?). Purists will say "just get a mountain bike", but they're missing the point. I do think that, depending on the trails you're planning to ride and the way you want to ride them, there are plenty of options to chose from that will help you customize your own set. Adding suspension to a gravel bike will make it more comfortable off road without compromising its road capabilities. It's a different approach of a bike that "goes anywhere" if your ride involves multiple types of terrain.
Cheers.
Jun 4, 2022
If your Emperor is speed, gravel bikes make sense for gravel roads over mountain bikes. If you don't care about speed, a good gravel bike is your existing mountain bike ridden on gravel - you don't need another bike. I ride mainly gravel, on my heavy hardtail aluminum mountain bike, and my friends who have light carbon fiber gravel race bikes definitely can go faster - but I don't care and there are times I'm glad of the front suspension. However, if I were into gravel racing I would for sure get a faster gravel specific bike. For me personally, going faster does not increase the pleasure I get from a ride. 30 years ago it would have been a different story.
The "right" answer in this debate depends on your personal goals more than what bike is "better".
Jun 4, 2022
Jun 2, 2022
Jun 4, 2022
(1) I live in Ohio, where the mountain bike trails are closed for most of five months out of the year and during those same months, the roads are generally a mess. The gravel bike provides me with the perfect shoulder season machine for gravel roads and rail-to-trail routes.
(2) Sometimes I want a Swiss army knife of sorts in the form of a bike, and the gravel bike fills this role. Case in point: we're just back from a trip to the Marin Headlands, where we rode our gravel bikes for five days. It was nice having a bike that was equally at home tackling the moderate singletrack and long stretches of gravel/dirt roads all over Marin County as it was riding pavement into and around the city across the big bridge. We could have taken our mountain bikes on that trip, but the gravel bikes were nimble, practical, and easy to transport.
I always say that gravel bikes and cross country mountain bikes occupy a blurry space in the continuum between road bikes and full squish mountain bikes -- and for me, weight is really the difference. I tricked out my carbon gravel bike with the lightest components that I could lay my hands on and I really enjoy the effortlessness of propelling it forward, especially on the hills and flats.
Jun 3, 2022
When road racing was more common on paved roads, tires got narrower. To make wheels lighter. Soon after though, people started cyclocross back on dirt using touring bikes with knobby tires.
Fat forward to the 1980s USA and some guys took beach cruisers and created the term mountain biking. Fast forward to not so long ago and someone said let's go back to riding touring bikes with fatter road tires and call it gravel riding.
I road on dirt with cyclocross and touring bikes long before dirt was called gravel riding. We also rode hard tail mtbs on the same dirt roads, both single track and fire roads. Unless doing kamikaze style downhill runs, a hard tail mtb is all on needs for dirt and slower road riding. You don't need mtb tires with thick aggressive tread either.
The new gravel bikes are faster, and are similar to cyclocross bikes, but if there is no shock, you are going to feel more of the ride.
As far as events where most of the event is on paved roads or smooth dirt, obviously an mtb is a bit slower. But mtb is not limited to downhills only. One of my faster setups are 1.5 inch wide mtb tires with little tread. More like the road racing tires of the 1920s.
The bottom line is enjoy the ride. I have done gravel group rides using both hardtail mtbs and gravel bikes and have had no issue keeping the pace. The mtb is a bit harder, but it depends a lot on tire choice.
Jan 11, 2024
Jun 5, 2022
Jun 3, 2022
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Jun 2, 2022
I've had several buds say the exact same thing - tried gravel bikes, and maybe a tad faster on roads or the BR parkway but on trails: lame (esp in western NC). It's just not even close to an actual XC bike so why bother...esp once tourist traffic is everywhere and gravel ride consists of breathing in road dust & exhaust.
Def'ly not hating on gravel bikes or riders but I don't get it at all - seems mostly useless where it really matters on trails (if not terrible) and slightly better on gravel or roads, but the loss of trail ability is really bad in my view. Still - an XC bike isn't going to win gravel-bike races, but it does feel (and look) waaaay more rad.
Jun 4, 2022
Jun 2, 2022
I picked mine up pretty cheap when a friend owned a bike shop. It's a plenty nice enough bike, but I don't like "gravel" riding. It makes for a great commuting bike though; comfy, tougher, tubeless tires with better traction for questionable commute roads (most people would not believe how crappy my commute is), disc brakes are great in the rain too.
But off road? Give me my MTB (either my long or short travel).
I raced BWR in 2019 on my road bike with 28mm slicks and I still feel like that was the right choice for me. That was a one and done thing, I don't have interest in doing another "gravel" race. I love racing XC but I hardly ever ride that bike because I need more travel for the riding I do (my preferred riding is more enduro like).
When I am road riding, I love the fully aggressive road bike (fully slammed stem and everything), when I'm off road I like the 170mm coil bike. I don't like riding too much in between.
Jun 3, 2022
Riding gravel bikes, particularly on singletrack, feels a little silly TBH, which is part of the fun for some people I think. It reminds me of fat biking in a way; everyone describes grinning from ear to ear their first time on a fat bike because it was different, and silly, and kinda fun. (Though for various reasons most of us didn't stick with fat biking in the end.) Gravel biking likely has a broader appeal (and also staying power) since it draws folks from the road and dirt ends of the spectrum.
Matt had a great interview with Geoff Kabush on "underbiking" where he does a nice job laying out why some mountain bikers find gravel riding so appealing:
https://www.singletracks.com/community/pro-skills-geoff-kabush-on-under-biking-with-a-gravel-bike/
Jun 4, 2022
Jun 4, 2022
I ride every other bike in my embarrassingly large quiver FAR more than the poor, lonely gravel bike than hangs on the wall whining about being neglected.
Jun 2, 2022