Gravel Biking For Mountain Bikers

[@gmbn]

Have you ever tried gravel riding? What do you think is 'The Spirit Of Gravel'? Share your thoughts below 👇

[@RicardoPetrazzi]

my 'gravel' bike is my Nukeproof Scout with Minion SS tyres !

[@jokermtb]

Used to do it a lot in 2001 on my Kona Jake The Snake cyclocross bike. Guess they call it a gravel bike now. I called my Kona an ‘all conditions road bike’. Come on guys! No top bar frog brake levers?

[@cletusowns]

I cant stand road riding but I actually kind of love my Scott Addict Gravel bike. Great way to get some training miles and endurance in and get a little rowdy and my MTB skills seem to transfer over great.

[@Adventuregirl96]

I prefer gravel but I also ride both tarmac and MTB.

[@saddleweary2777]

Love that phrase, adventure freedom is a example of the spirit of gravel for me

[@Celeon999A]

Well, all the gravel bikers ive seen on my loop just yesterday, wore exactly what Blake did in his first attempt. ;-)

[@gcn]

Drop bars on GMBN... We knew this day would come but it still brought a tear to our eyes! 🥲 Welcome to the club!

[@app6336]

Oh yeah! Bro!!! (and Sis!!!) 😂

[@longfordlongstone8057]

My friend and I took our gravel bikes on a road trip through Austria, Slovenia and Italy last summer- massive Alpine road climbs and outpacing cars on the descents one day, then fast blue flow trails the next with nothing more than a tyre pressure tweak. Sure they're marginally slower than a pure road bike and nowhere near as capable as a modest hardtail, but as a do-it-all adventure machine they're hard to beat. Contrary to popular belief, that lack of suspension and reduced grip only makes things livelier and more involved. It's like rallying a manual RWD sports car versus thundering along in some ultra-capable 4WD off-roader- a different way of sharpening the same skills but the smile on your face is just as big when you get it right.

[@itsgoretecks]

great analogy

[@chrisridesbicycles]

😂 I just don‘t grow enough beard for „the spirit of gravel“ but what Anna did, riding into random routes, getting lost and somehow finding back out is pretty much what the spirit of MTB was for me when I started out.

[@DirtlovR]

A suspension fork, dropper? Gravel seems to be basically reinventing XC but with drop bars.

[@te3data]

I was going to write this... But seems someone beat me too it. I have a ridley "gravel" bike from 2019. Way closer to a Cyclocross / Road-bike than these MTBs with drops. The geometry of modern gravel bikes seems to be 90s MTB with fancy bits on!

[@jzyyz]

@@te3data Kanzo I'm guessing. There are way more off-road geometries out there, but it does mean it can take a suspension fork and have the resulting geometry not be too far in the other direction.

[@gazzervw]

Just riding trails . Laughing , having fun . Seeing things you wouldn’t see on the road . Finding places that you never knew existed . Wearing whatever you like . Having a bar bag . Taking way too many pictures . Enjoying that freedom . Jumping from road to trail to canal to woods all over n one ride . Feeling 12 again

[@tomrodriguez9052]

I'm fortunate enough to live 15 minute from a national forest, where there are tons of gravel roads to explore. These days I'm tending to use the hardtail mountain bike with the bars cut down to 690mm and the tires pumped up a little more, instead of the Gravel bike. It might be slightly slower but I am out there for the scenery and it's a way less jarring ride...

[@Mankind-Journey]

Lucky you dude.. don't forget the horn or bear spray.

[@Bear-Jew]

Well... So Blake is basically riding a hardtail with a drop bar... That looks like a lot of FUN!

[@akerr911]

MTB all my life, got a gravel bike when my child was born, enables me to ride from my door and ping round London. Wasn’t up for full Lycra so went for a gravel bike, makes dull trails and path’s interesting and they are fast….don’t mock it until you’ve tried it!!!

[@Rzarecteh]

All depends on what's on your doorstep. I live next to a MTB trail centre but also most of the roads near me and like building sites full of potholes, and I have to zig zag between Forest's to get to one to another. A gravel bike lets me go off the beaten track if I don't feel like MTBing and pure road will take me hours to get anywhere without taking short cuts.

[@MTBr-of-SoCal]

But you could have done all the same thing on an XC bike... and more.

[@nluisa]

By the way, you don't have to go 'full lycra' just because you have a road bike, and you can go full lycra in other bikes too. XCO go full lycra in competition/training as well, and so do gravel riders. People can absolutely ride in whatever kit they want regardless of the bike.

[@jessicagray5873]

I liked how Payson McElveen put it in rob Warner's podcast. The spirit of gravel is mountain biking.

[@RicardoPetrazzi]

thanks for the chuckles.... 😄😄😄

[@WV_MTB]

I was on the fence about getting a gravel bike as a mountain biker to help my endurance. Blakes bike and this video just sold me 😂

[@andym21uk]

Love my gravel bike for eating up the miles

[@snowholeoutdoors1769]

"it has 35mm of travel" So it's rigid 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@theymademepickaname1248]

I took a gravel bike for a test ride to see what it was like. The only advantage I found was the ability to sprint over smooth roads. I prefer a hardtail for comfort, stability, and fun.

[@sherab2078]

If one comes from the MTB background and enjoys such styles/disciplines like enduro, downhill, freeriding or even XC, switching to a gravel bike is pointless. I think those bikes are rather for roadies wanting to get off the tarmac. They make for relatively good trekking/touring bikes too (however, I do prefer a dedicated bike for this task). Due to their geometry and possible positions on the bike (on the drops, for example), one can probably maintain a higher level of performance on longer and/or faster rides, where energy losses due to air resistance add up. And on such surfaces like gravel, field- and forest roads, a gravel bike is quite comfortable to ride without suspension. On shorter or more slow-paced raids, I guess both, a gravel bike and a hardtail mtb are more or less equal at given tasks. But of course, MTB will win when we start exploring more MTB-specific environments (trails, single tracks and so on).

[@TheKaffin8ed]

“Oh my gravel!” LOL.

[@savageantelope3306]

I was just wondering having both and mostly using the gravel as a road bike so good to have this

[@tomassanesson902]

Awesome video

[@jevgeniardassov]

Have been in Annas situation few times, luckily Garmin has Back To Start button. 😅

[@lochness_sasquatch]

Funny video guys! Love gravel rides, they usually keep me outside for longer. I do love riding single tracks too, on my gravel or mtb, which are both extremely fun for me. I've noticed a comment about Blake's 1st attire and it was rather accurate here where I ride, most are dressed in full Lycra on their gravel bikes. Does looks fast xD Cheers!!

[@martinicc67]

My country's roads are so bad a Gravel bike is better than a road bike

[@georgim2741]

Slav reality?

[@impaledface7694]

grim

[@buddy7136]

Never go full gravel 😂

[@serhiishulipa9523]

It's a very fun video. Very similar to my riding with my beloved wife) But I expected something different. I'd appreciate your explaining how to deal with a gravel bike to mountainbikers. Especially cornering gravel bike with a rigid fork and dropper: fast ride through corners on rough roads and singletracks, how to position hands and elbows in corners in comparison to mtb handlebars etc. Honestly, I tried to find this kind of guide on your channel. GBN riders explain that stuff to road riders. But gravel bikes are more similar to road but have lots of differences with mtb, especially in handlebars and suspension. Thanks a lot! I will be waiting)

[@H3avyHaul3r]

once set up a 29r carbon hardtail with cx tyres so i could explore the dirt country backroads where i lived (australia)…was good times…

[@xanderdixon3688]

Great vid

[@hugomundo4826]

02:31 That's the exact thing i like to do when riding my full rigid bike, aAaAaaAaAaAaAaAAAAAAHHH so much fun

[@Mankind-Journey]

Gravel bikes are especially nice for bike fishing, got my rig hooked up nicely to handle any terrain and look forward to hooking up the front carbon forks equipped with salsas low rider front racks packed with Ortliebs petrol blue sport rollers with gear up to 7 1/2 kg on each side.. sick. "

[@reinholdachleitner2069]

The spirit of gravel riding is long distance rides in all kinds of weather and just having fun outdoors.💯👌🏻🚴‍♀️

[@junka1975]

I don't know about gravel bikes, I am not sure about the riding positions, I will stick with the mountain bikes, BMX's, dirt jumper and cruisers for now. I reckon that would be a fun video, Blake and Anna do comparison tests of their XC bikes vs their gravel bikes on a set route. Which bike do they find feeling better for the job.

[@stewartgreen8538]

Was this filmed in the Surrey hills?

[@lordoverride]

What an awesome van!

[@numbers7905]

I'd take an XC bike any day.

[@michaelzarb5814]

Not really sold Keep up the mountain bike adventures tho

[@michaelkennpeduhan9635]

Its like watching a brother and a sister just out and about gravel riding😅

[@lassebabba9312]

The question remain (and even more so when the gravel bikes start having suspension) - what's the point? Apart from selling more bikes of course...

[@nluisa]

I'm not sure about suspension either, but the riding position is certainly more efficient for mixed long riding with tarmac sections. Swapping hand position is also much better for long days in the saddle and riding on the hoods is more ergonomic too. If the terrain is too aggressive for a gravel bike, than going MTB is the solution.

[@lucasek3285]

I moved to Scandinavia where most paths are a mix of rough-ish roads, gravel paths and bike lanes. My MTB is severely overbiking and sluggish while a road bike would be wrecked or wrecking my arse in the warm months, straight self deletion on winter. I'm starting to look at gravel bikes as they'd fit all the needs I have here as making my mtb faster would be as expensive as a whole gravel bike. Just see it as roadies getting jealous of +size mountain bikes so they came up with gravel bikes, and IMO they are a better fit than both road or mtbs for the average rider.

[@JayDubster]

Dooood, never go Full Gravel! 😁

[@yodapig]

He's just a dude, riding a bike, pretending to be another bike...

[@kristofzalecki]

Yay, my favorite channel got a new video!

[@gmbn]

🎉🍿 We hope you enjoyed it!

[@SkadooHusky]

I found a bike that could make for an interesting gravel/mountain build. The genesis incline. Slightly areo frame towards the front but it's full suspension. Then it's a rim brake on the rear so you don't have a brake rotor to pedal. I think some 700c wheels would do great on it.

[@matt_acton-varian]

The GMBN Comedy Double Act does it again! Anna and Blake always leave me in stitches!

[@Filthy_Rich_556]

Can't believe this video just popped up. I just bought a gravel bike!

[@blkriqan]

Front suspension on a gravel bike makes decent easier on the body.

[@markwilliams5654]

When biking wasn't for rich people it was much more fun 😮

[@peterbarnes2845]

Bikes are going to be our new cars, so they intend, so the manufacturers have an enormous void in the cost of manufacture to exploit. The manufacturers know that the midwits are willing to pay so to appear a "better person". There are swathes of these virtue signallers ready to whip out their plastic and buy an overpriced 90s design and a thule roof rack for their hybrid Toyota C-HR, all so they have a talking point in their zoom tearoom chat.

[@jonm7272]

Plenty of great cheap/2nd hand bikes out there. Just because twats with too much money think they need to spend £1000s to enjoy riding doesn't mean you have to fall for the same bullshit.

[@Sweat_bullets]

Acting like broke people aren’t out there squeaking along on their beaters lol. Do you have less fun biking now that you’ve seen people with nicer bikes than yours?

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

I have as much fun riding a beaten hardtail from the 1990 as my very modern bikes, every bike has its own personality and provides a unique experience!

[@JanoUrda]

I ride my grandfathers 70s steel bike turned into a gravel-ish gun for 100euros with as much smile as riding my trail bike priced as my car :D I dont have to have it, I would be as happy on steelie in the end of a day. You dont have to be rich turning wheels, just because some do it on 5k bikes.

[@simonlarkin6347]

I’m sure Blake shaved his legs for this one 😂

[@Jndjnd380]

Be gravel biker much fun,its proved😅😅😅👍👍👍

[@rogercmerriman]

Ah Peaslake stores!

[@daz_the_cyclist8961]

As what I call myself. X mountain biker turned gravellier. I can't think of anything better. Go ride places the mountain bike will be boring in and the road bike cant go.

[@xosece]

gravel is okay, but I am not the biggest fan of gravel 'cos most of them are like road bikes with a bit easier gears but not that much. I'd love you guys to cover hybrid/fitness bikes sometimes like the Canyon Pathlite 6 (2022 model) which has front suspension, a bike that I have, or the Canyon Roadlite 6 (2023 model), a bike that I really like (looks gorgeous to me). Both are 1X 10-51T 12 gears Shimano XT, 46T chainring (Roadlite), 36T chainring (Pathlite). No GCN channel I know of cover hybrid/fitness bikes and I'd love GMBN in particular to cover those, but anyways, dreaming is free

[@captaincords5133]

I had a Cannondale gravel bike 30 years ago, It was then called a Mountain bike. I could get it out the loft, put drops on it and be part of the new thing.

[@impaledface7694]

Yeah I have a bontrager privateer and a fischer hoo koo e koo. Both are mad fun on gravel roads or more techy work. Started mtbing on the privateer a decade ago and it's still wicked fast up the climbs.

[@itsgoretecks]

thats what the hipsters are doing now. probably increase the resell price by making it gravel spec

[@orengardz4191]

I ride my "gravel" bike with full lycra, i just can't replace the ease of the rear jersey pockets.

[@Titan.13759]

Hi! I know this has nothing to do with the video, but my friends asked me to go mountain biking and they’re really good. I don’t want to embarrass myself, what should I do?

[@Esbbbb]

You should go ride with them!

[@pepe5908]

@@Esbbbb only option tbh

[@Psioxify]

don't bring your gravel bike

[@Titan.13759]

@@Esbbbb alright. Thanks for answering!

[@christopherwelsh3827]

Go have a good time and grow into it. True Friends won't push you they will be happy to share their experience and help you out.

[@TheDizzyCyclist]

Can I order a cup of Blake please.

[@Aurelisk]

Gravel is getting lost and the Garmin's battery dies.

[@adamweb]

Full gravel Blake looking like he's about to take his chainsaw and go build some jumps in the woods!

[@NocSuKow]

i just cant see the appeal. someone help me get it

[@l.j.4577]

I will never get on, totally not my world 😂😅

[@thomasphillips6131]

I know that bus stop

[@brian6speed]

I don't see point of gravel bike over an xc bike. Is it just the handlebars?

[@nluisa]

Riding position and weight distribution are very different. Much more efficient riding on roads in between off road sections. They are not comparable to MTB off road but are a great bike for long rides on mixed terrain. Much lighter and efficient than a MTB on the road, but still capable of going off it unlike a road bike. Less wind resistance also means more speed on smooth off road sections. They are also much cheaper to maintain than anything with suspension on it. Still, if a gravel bike needs suspension, I wonder about getting an MTB instead...

[@LLeoBan]

I think Blake is not gravel biking. He is just underbiking those trails.. :)

[@MichaelS-pr9qn]

not certain that i buy the "Damsel in distress Anna" routine. She's way more capable than that

[@AndysAverageAdventures]

Full gravel 😂😂😂

[@BillClintonsBurner]

Gravel Bikers = Off-Road Roadies

[@RyanAggabao]

I love exploring and I love having my gravel bike for that! Even if the Iron Age fort is still dug in.

[@GSmith215]

Stigmata

[@humanerror3139]

Any bike is a good bike just get out and ride.

[@richardhaselwood9478]

But a bike that is fit for what you are doing on it is much better

[@333wheeler]

A superlight fully rigid MTB is going to do it just as well . Like wise a road bike with 35 c tyres ..

[@Rouxenator]

Very cool video. I think gravel is for people who find hardtail too easy.

[@michaelhayward7572]

Just say yes to No Lycra.....

[@HolisticHealthEducation]

So, what you are saying is that a gravel bike is actually a 20 year old mountain bike? 🧐🤔

[@Tumid1]

Not exactly...first you have to put on drop bars which are utterly useless/dangerous when the trail has any rocks or roots. Drop bars require a body position which makes braking un-natural/awkward on technical trails. If the "spirit of gravel" requires obediance/compliance with silly UCI rules, it is anathema to the just have fun "spirit of mountain biking".....I'll pass.

[@MrUnl0rd]

Blake knows

[@Yoda-em5mt]

You two will be up for a acedemy award with that acting ha ha the name gravel kinda doesnt sound right to me just like analog bike or mullet why not roadie for the dirt kinda like the tour de france 100 years ago .

[@gethappycyclingcampingoutdoors]

Surrey hills ❤️✌️

[@SimonBauer7]

honestly with what blake rode at first id just get an xc bike for that. never tried a gravel bike.

[@Magoo71]

What a couple of jokers......Thanks for the fun....But I've been riding Mt Bikes since the mid 80's when EVERYTHING was full rigid!!!

[@HankBizzle]

Bought into the hype, bought a gravel bike, thought it was great for a while until I realised that for everything except tarmac a hardtail is better. Gravel bike gathered dust for a while until I sold it.

[@bbb-ri4vs]

lol Anna

[@bdugglaxstringanddye]

Ok now hear me out, a mountain bike instead😂

[@philipa1842]

Imo gravel bikes make a lot more sense in the U.S. then they do in England, especially the Midwest states where you can enjoy long days through the farmlands

[@mathewturner9643]

Hard tail MTB does all that and more and better all round if you had to have one bike come on wouldn't be a gravel 🤔

[@hillkillr]

Fashion peer pressure in the cycling world is so weird.

[@lucasek3285]

You can remove "in the cycling world" from that sentence and it still works wonderfully.

[@sherab2078]

Among what I would call a sport-bikes, for me, a gravel bike is simply a good all-arounder. To be perfectly honest, I would say so about a hardtail MTB too. I've leaned towards and bought a gravel bike simply because where I live and ride, I don't need the full capabilities of MTB, and on the other hand, I can still perform pretty well when hitting a tarmac. I don't feel confident enough to go into enduro, downhill or free riding, even if there were some suitable tracks in my neighbourhood. But I do take every occasion to go off-road, to enjoy the scenery and avoid car traffic. At the same time, I can remain relatively fast and have that 'roady' feel to my bike. This is of course from a more 'sporty' point of view. For a slower-paced exploration and a bikepacking, I do prefer an old-style trekking bike, having a really long wheelbase and a relatively shallow front fork angle. This makes them very stable under the load. Actually, switching to way more nimble characteristics of my new gravel bike was a bit of a challenge at the start for me, after riding for more than 10 years my old trusty trekking bike.

[@SlimShady-ze5fw]

...I still don´t get it 😅

[@jonpoon3896]

“Full gravel” 😂😂 Reminds me of the early days enduro

[@dasanoneia4730]

no, why

[@BonkersAboutAlice]

Gravel bikes, the bike nobody really needs.

[@sstrong42]

A rigid fork bike isn't "setup" for descending? I must be doing it all wrong on my gravel bike, and my rigid singlespeed mountain bike. It's more like, descending in the hoods, isn't smart. You descend in the drops, like blake did.

[@N5Gabe]

If there's the category of "downcountry", maybe what Blake has can qualify as downgravel............. omg :D

[@richardhaselwood9478]

Oh. My. God..... That, that is awesome and terrifying. And you know someone will start using it sometime :) And this is coming from someone with a MTB and gravel bike...

[@h1n1worm]

so , gravel in two years is gonna be classic 70ish hardtail mtb with drop bars.

[@danmoore7711]

The spirit of gravel is a hardtail mtb! 👊🏻🤙🏻

[@robinmacandrew103]

So seldom I find a gravel bike the appropriate choice

[@ravennexusmh]

bugger the 35mm forks, get a proper29er fork in there, 100mm, sag it to 30mm still leave 70mm of travel and lots of neg travel to keep that tyre in contact. weight won't be much more

[@22Jeffers]

What on earth is this video about? Are we asking what we think of gravel riding? If so, as a rider of road and mtb, I have to say that gravel belongs to GCN. The clue is in Blake’s statement at the end of the video; they’re for gravel “roads”. The fact you can take them off road a little makes no difference. You can ride an mtb on the road, that doesn’t mean they are reviewed on the GCN show.

[@justinh7099]

100 psi and no suspension, my bones hurt

[@etherealicer]

Seems the "Spirit of Gravel" is mostly a fashion statement.

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

I absolutely respect it but as a mountain biker since 1992 it's not that enticing, I totally understand why s roadie would love that 😊

[@DougieFresh13]

Lol.

[@isaacmiser2680]

I think this is just less enjoyable xc.

[@darrenwall5439]

Whats the point of gravel bikes? Just get a hard tail or a full sus xc rig for God sake... A money making idea from these bike companies.. Drop bars in the woods?? F that....

[@nluisa]

I disagree. It depends on where you live. For me these bikes are great and I wish they had come sooner. Road bikes used to take no more than 28c, which make any smooth track feel like an adventure. But MTB always felt overkill and undergeared on smooth road and towpaths/forest roads. Especially to cover long distances and in windy conditions, even after fitting slicks in. Sure, you can still use a full sus, it will just take a lot longer. My current and only bike is a gravel bike. I commute, train, join club rides, venture off road, and travel on this steed. Fitting luggage is much easier in a rigid frame. I live in a flat area with loads of farm tracks and towpaths. MTB trails have nothing more techincal than the odd root or stone and little to no elevation. Not to mention sometimes it takes 1h of windy road riding to get to some of these areas. Gravel bikes mean I just need one bike and two sets of wheels, unlike a few years ago, when I would likely need MTB to go off road. Lack of suspension makes them a lot cheaper/easier to service too. Also, drop handlebars are much more gentle on the hands over many hours of riding, especially after multiple days. And you can't really fit those into a MTB without severely compromising the fit, handling and weight distribution. Gravel bikes are very popular where I live and a few people have one as their single bike. They aren't and never were meant for true MTB, unlike what comes across in some videos. If anything, they make road bikes obsolete for most recreational riders, as you go nearly as fast with just a tyre swap. No one compares a road bike with a hardtail fitted with slicks either, so what's the point in comparing gravel bikes with true MTB? No one in their right mind would get a gravel bike for jumps, rock gardens, drops and steep climbs/descents, so why putting a bike like that in those settings?

[@HansHuysmans69]

I think gravel biking is for the roads where you get boared on your mountainbike. I probably get board on these roads whirh a gravel bike too. 😂

[@ConstantlyConfused-x2f]

Just another way to suck more money out of the market, it's either a crap road bike or a crap off road bike and "GRX" is just XT and Ultegra with another name painted on it, there is nothing about a path covered in gravel that requires gravel specific components or clothing, if you want to torture yourself, get an old 90s mtb and put drop bars on it, same thing.

[@MTBr-of-SoCal]

100% fact! Thank you!

[@nluisa]

You don't have to buy one if you don't want to, btw, but these bikes are great and I wish they had come sooner. Road bikes in the strict sense are sketchy as hell out of the tarmac and take no more than 30c tyres. But MTB are overkill on the road and towpaths/forest roads. Especially to cover long distances and in windy conditions. Many years ago I had a full rigid MTB with slicks, and a triple chainset, but it was still slow as hell on the road (especially into headwinds) and very unergonomic on the hands over several hours. My current and only bike is a gravel bike. I commute, train, join club rides, and venture off road on this steed. I live in a flat area with loads of farm tracks and towpaths. MTB trails have nothing more techincal than the odd root or stone and little to no elevation. Even a hardtail seems overkill, not to mention sometimes it takes 1h of tarmac riding to get to some of the forests. Gravel bikes mean I just need one bike and two sets of wheels, unlike a few years ago, when I would likely need a MTB to go off road. Road bikes didn't use to take more than 25-28c. Lack of suspension makes them a lot cheaper/easier to service too. I run an ultegra groupset with smaller chainrings and wear wtf I want on the day. Gravel bikes are very popular where I live and a few people have one as their single bike. They aren't and never were meant for true MTB, unlike what comes across in some videos. ust the weight distribution is completely off for descending, let along everything else. If anything, they make road bikes obsolete for most recreational riders. No one compares a road bike with a hardtail fitted with slicks either, so what's the point in comparing them with true MTB.

[@ConstantlyConfused-x2f]

@@nluisa I won't buy one, I work in the industry and have ridden many gravel bikes, there were already many variations of bikes and plenty of options to personalise before "gravel" bikes came along, the whole gravel range is a have, none of it has any specific benefit to riding in that situation and it seems the entire biking fraternity has forgotten about Cyclo Cross which was doing what the so called gravel bike is supposed to do many many years ago. My beef is with an industry that tries to pass off standard bike components as gravel specific and quite frankly, you could get a high quality touring bike and put drop bars on it and have a so called "gravel bike" for a fraction of the cost.