How Gravel Bikes Killed Cyclocross Bikes

[@davidburgess741]

Back in the stone age the difference between a road bike and a cross bike was the tires you glued on!

[@marksmith566]

I think people see CX bikes just for CX racing where as Gravel bike is a “Do it all” bike which in most people’s eyes makes a CX bike pointless

[@KimWiltshire]

Gravel's following the same path as mtb racing. If the UCI gets involved they will drain the fun out of it. Good points made.

[@mikesiemens4145]

And now gravel bikes are 90's mountain bikes!

[@freedomwon2004]

Absolutely

[@andrewyankee9862]

a “gravel bike” can be any bike and thats what i love about it. no matter what bike you have, you can take it out to the gravel and have some good fun

[@al-du6lb]

but without 26in wheels..

[@petersouthernboy6327]

My 1995 Gary Fisher Sugar 1 isn’t even close to being as fast as my 2023 Revolt on gravel or level single track.

[@soul3n]

CX bikes killed CX bikes with all their boxed-in restrictions

[@selder03]

Thanks UCI

[@williamcrawford2519]

I agree but I would add that gravel has also benefited from roadies who don’t want to share the road with car drivers distracted by their smart phones. Those riders need a bike that works on gravel but no need for cyclocross specific features.

[@daledubose3032]

I ride gravel on my cyclocross Canyon Inflight with a 45mm front and 38mm rear, works great. 32s for the road.

[@zeldajunkielol2]

My first "real" (read not a department store "dad bike") bike was a Giant CX bike in 2018 and I didn't know anything about higher end brands or components so the person at my local bike shop helped me pick out something for the area I liked to ride and honestly I have to say that this bike is really what helped ignite my love of cycling and got me in shape as a result. The memories of weekend trail rides with it are something that is going to stay with me forever.

[@neelsahay5227]

Honestly, “Gravel” becoming popular is actually exactly what got me and my friends into CX racing ;) Hahahaha I appreciate you mentioning the lack of budget CX race bikes tho. If only specialized would bring back the alloy crux smh 🤦‍♂️

[@Galactico42]

Plenty of used bikes out there while people upgrade to gravel bikes for better tire clearance.

[@neelsahay5227]

@@Galactico42 I’ve had a used crux and a used CAADX, both of which saw thousands of kilometers- I’d like my next bicycle to be brand new, just for ease and reliability

[@Galactico42]

@@neelsahay5227 That's fair.

[@moritzaufenanger2537]

2016 Alloy Diverge is a decent CX bike.

[@neelsahay5227]

@@moritzaufenanger2537 top tube too low to shoulder, buddy sold his few months back for a focus mares

[@metiks111]

You are right i bought cyclocross bike because i wanted drop bar, disc brakes commuter bike that is not boring, and there was nothing else than cyclocross to buy.

[@al-du6lb]

That's my dilemma. Should I just get a used cx bike or hold out for a proper gravel bike? I have mtb bikes, but I want something that's better on the road, but something I could also take on some trails..

[@martbaischful]

I think the inflection came with disc brake proliferation. That gave bike builders more options, which in turn gave riders more options. Love my cx bike, and cx racing on it, but for a general bit of fun the rowdyness limits of my 650b gravel just gives me more options between January and October. So if you arent racing cx, there really isnt a reason to get a pure cx bike

[@merlinthebikewizard4392]

The first drop bar offroad adventure bike was the not the Specialized Secteur Disc. That would definitely be the Salsa Fargo/Cutthroat or if you really want to take it back, then it was the Surly Cross Check.

[@Spindatt]

Right, I guess what I meant was like; the first roadie gravely adventury looking bike with bigger tires that I encountered was the secteur

[@johns3106]

Nah….there were “adventure” bikes long before that! In the ‘80’s there was the Raleigh Portage…complete with fat, all-terrain 650B tires, and Bianchi (also in the ‘80’s) had an all-terrain road-gravel-CX drop-bar bike. (Volpe I think it was called). As RollinRat has commented here, adventure, gravel riding wasn’t suddenly “invented” within the last few years!

[@sagehiker]

When I went to my LBS wanting a bike to ride county gravel and public land roads. The choices in 2012, was Cross or MTB. I went for a Kona hybrid Splice, light MTB. 700c with a Shimano 3x8 MTB gears. Now 650b x 50 and still perfect for the urban rural mix. Great commentary.

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

But wait. Aren't all bikes gravel bikes :)

[@neelsahay5227]

Isn’t this a tom Ritchey quote hahaha

[@KabirBindra]

Gravel is a state of mind not a bike

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

@@neelsahay5227 it’s a quote from every commenter on KZbin.

[@merlinthebikewizard4392]

@RollinRat It isn't all marketing. Just as their are hacks for bike repair doesn't mean that their isn't tool that is designed to the job the best.

[@KabirBindra]

@RollinRat yeah absolutely, learned that lesson recently. Just get out and ride and figure out what you really want, and watch that changes a hundred times over

[@bosanderspublictheology]

As a long time mountain biker who recently got into riding on the road - that was fascinating! I had no idea how all that came about.

[@B506Basstards]

I use my cube cross race slt daily for commuting, but also use it for bikepacking. I changed Tires to 38mm Its a lot of fun. In summer back to slicks. CX is underrated imo

[@NickolasRed]

kinda had same thoughts.even searched for the first G bike but the line is really thin and metamorphic. the biggest laugh that my ridley x-trail from 2016(which was claimed as all-round bike or adventure bike) is alive in new cheap line `Kanzo adventure`. Btw cyclocross and spring classics are the responsible for my cycling obsession

[@decentdiversions]

My gravel bike is a dropbar Eclipse titanium bike sold by Peccos in Ottawa in 2007. It easily fits 43mm tires. I think it was marketed/sold as a touring bike.

[@stevesnailfish]

I can see your point about things changing in the 2014/15 era when I started noticing gravel bikes getting more mainstream..... I started riding drop bars off-road back in 2014 when I bought a Boardman CX Comp for £600 on a cycle to work scheme....I ended up trying all the off-road bits I was already riding on a hardtail 26er (including lots of flat fenland English gravel) and found it rather fun as it did (sort of) hark back to the days of a rigid Kona in 1993 !!!! Anyway, I've still got the bike and, after 20k miles on it, it's still the usual one to ride (even with 5 other bikes) especially after changing it to a SRAM Apex/Rival 1x11 (42t FSA crank and an 11-42 cassette) with hydraulic brakes a few weeks ago.....Finally got rid of the ancient, well worn Sora 9 speed with cable disc brakes !!!! I can even get 38mm Vittoria Terreno Wet 38c tubeless (on non tubeless Mavic rims) in it....it's one of those bikes you just keep working on over time.....the only original thing about the bike is the frame, fork and the headset (still smooth)....I even have flared bars on it and the obligatory shorter stem... Bought a Boardman ADV 8.9 gravel bike back in 2016 and it took it to another level in comfort and what you could actually ride = the missing link perhaps ?....fatter tyres, relaxed geometry, more stable handling than the CX etc.....Even this has got the 1x10 treatment with a GRX rear mech, XT cassette, Cowchipper bars, Hunt gravel wheels and WTB Resolute 42c tubeless tyres....All these jobs, however, have been a bit inspired by this channel.... I think it's evolution thing with CX bikes, gravel bikes, old school MTB's and the fact that roads are very dangerous to ride on, that's turning a few people into off-roading on drops....It's good fun, even though I have 3 MTB's...... Saying that, there's still a place for a CX bike in this day and age.....as long as it has decent tyre clearance.

[@Jason-qz2yr]

Kona, Salsa etc have always been making 'gravel bikes' that were criticized as bikes that didn't fit purely into any category. Tire clearances weren't huge 10 years ago because there were no tires for them and disc brakes hadn't crossed over yet to make it easy to make it happen while not sacrificing braking quality (and needing more poooower) (Also that big triangle space is nice for enabling a bigger frame bag. )

[@rhcprpz543]

Great video ! Very entertaining !

[@josh33172]

I use my Trek Boone for both gravel and CX here in Belgium....even at the amateur level CX is super competitive...but then again....cycling in general is except enduro....we have like one "official" enduro track in the whole country despite having excellent terrain for the sport. Honestly, the disc brake was what opened the world of gravel...which was either monster cross (looking back at the bikes like the Singular Swift) and the marketed tire clearance for the Crux. Nowadays, CX bikes are very dialed high-end race bikes, and the "adventure" bikes. Inexpensive CX bikes still exist like the Surly Crosscheck and Soma...but yeah, Ridley use to have about 7 models of CX bikes....and a bunch of affordable options..that has shifted to gravel. I also own a few year old Ridley X-Trail which was pretty ahead of it's time with clearance for 700x50....can squeeze in some 29x2.1s w/o rubbing. It was €1100, but just around €850 w/o VAT with 105 hydraulic groupset. Now its the same frame with GRX and called the Kanzo AL, but much more expensive! Still a great option for a bikepacking bike if you want generous tire clearance..very easy bike to get along with.

[@jameswoods4656]

Gravel bike killed the cyclocross star... insert The Buggles video.

[@kellymckenzie4865]

What do you do with your cross bike during the summer? Train

[@timdixo]

So true. Once bought a Cervelo Aspero Gravel my Norco CX has been neglected. Gravel bike...low and planted,CX...nervous and tippy.

[@RolandRides]

Cross will be back. mark my words. It just re-started this season in media coverage and popularity.

[@solitaryrefinement6787]

Don't you mean, "Gravel Bikes ARE Cyclocross Bikes"? All they did was just renamed them so that everybody would have to rebuy all the same gear they already own because the new names. Now you need gravel shoes and gravel tights and gravel helmets. Brilliant marketing. What's next? A gravel/road hybrid? Then you'd have to get all new "Groad" or "Ravel" gear. 🙄 Don't get me wrong, I love the concept of the off-the-beaten-path road bike, but it's just a domesticated cyclocross bike that opens up a LOT more riding possibilities for roadies who aren't ready to go full mountain biker yet. The new cyclocross races will be all day epics on gravel. "Tour de Rail Trail" or something like that.

[@ZachariahtheMessiah]

It's likely that niche bikes have their own collectors and people might manufacture them more widely if it's a common enough thing on a smaller scale if that makes sense. Kinda like how a few companies have basic steel frame 10speed builds. Some of the classics are really all you need for a good time

[@al-du6lb]

I am that curious guy. I see a lot of used cx bikes, but not so many gravel bikes. Should I just get a used cx bike or wait out for a gravel specific?

[@HumaneNewt]

What do people think of the Cube Cross Race C:62 Pro Ultegra Cyclocross Bike 2021? Planning on using it for back roads riding and road riding in the summer. The extra tyre clearance will be useful in winter and then I can switch to 28s in the summer. Any opinions of this bike or any other similar ones?

[@timleborgne]

Yay you're back Eric! And thanks for the vid, very interesting:). I know they are crazy expensive (way above my pay-grade), so maybe not the best comparison point, but do you consider some of the US-based country-bike (gravel precursors) makers in this discussion (Crust, Rivendell, etc.)? I am no expert but haven't they been discreetly riding this gravelish, adventure wave for a long time?

[@bambicyclejerk952]

I'm selling my cross bike to get a gravel bike because my cross bikes just feels to short. I take it on places it probably shouldn't be so I feel a longer wheelbase would be better. Saying that my cross bike is to small for me so I have like a million spacers under the stem (it sometimes sucks being 6ft 5) gonna have more options with the gravel bike as well. 700c with 40mm tires or 650 with 55mm tires. Can also throw a pair of 32mms on if I wanna do a cross race. It's a no brainer really.

[@123Purple]

those quarter pipes are working perfectly as bike display platforms

[@rolandovera5935]

I couldn’t agree more with this assessment.

[@kellymckenzie4865]

I'd be interested to see how big a tire a semi-modern crossbike could fit in 650B. You got your 700c wheel set for racing cross and you got your 650B will set for gravel riding. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@jaymason480]

I love these history videos. They're awesome

[@MxCraven]

Remembering back to when the first spawn of gravel bikes came out and GCN named them "Epic endural groad bikes" because they crossed endurance road bikes with cyclocross bikes.

[@wallacegrooms7791]

I ride my retired cross bike with spme younger folks on their gravel bikes. My 28mm semi-knobbies road racer geometry shares little in common with their long wheelbased tall headtube balloon tired machines...

[@aaron___6014]

Gravel and Covid has killed the sport in my area Hopefully just Temporary.

[@hogdog567]

A CX bike is a UCI compliant gravel bike, change my mind.

[@merlinthebikewizard4392]

Geometry is completely different. Gravel bikes have endurance geometry. CX bikes are much more aggressive.

[@hogdog567]

@@merlinthebikewizard4392 there are aggressive gravel bikes out there - Cervelo Aspero and the Factor LS have more aggressive geometry than some CX bikes.

[@broadfjord7087]

There’s not enough hand ups or heckling in gravel.

[@sebastianschenker9775]

A gravel bike is a cx biked that's freed from uci restrictions,....

[@ottohoard8084]

I’m on a cross bike as my commuter! Granted, it’s a tracklocross frameset, but it counts

[@dasauto7346]

building my commuter off of a cross bike! Spending way too much than I should but it's been a project of love/hate

[@thedownunderverse]

BikeSauce sent me

[@newttella1043]

To be honest you can't kill cyclocross when it was never alive to the non-racing crowd. Only racers called cyclocross bikes cyclocross bikes. The same bike was called a commuter bike or a "10 speed", regardless of the number of actual gears, to everybody else. Nowadays when I ride the my cyclocross bike, casual cyclists compliment me on my "gravel" bike. When I gently point out that it's a "cyclocross" bike they have a blank stare and ask why it's called a "cycle cross". Whatever, it's all good. The mass marketing of gravel bikes has been a huge success and is the cool hybrid bike we've all been waiting for.

[@DreBluntz]

Might also be ppl looking for a bike packing bike that's still fun when not bike packing.

[@thegefster1988]

Gravel bike brought something else ......besides the bigger tire clearance a more relaxed comfortable geometry which make the more of a tool for more people who want to spend more time on a bike than an hour race. Cyclocross bikes have their place still for racing cyclocross. That is what they are meant for anyway. Also gravel bikes offer more options for swapping different wheel sizes.

[@guandasin3099]

Man dude I like how you place the music correctly and all those gestures during talking. Reminds me of myself lol

[@Jon-cw7gk]

29!!! At least wait til you’re 30 before talking about the old days!

[@selder03]

I love my trek Crockett.

[@daledubose3032]

It bothers me when your nose ring is not straight.

[@thestickyskeleton]

It migrates back after a sec, hold in there bud.

[@fajarsetiawan2965]

gravel kill cyclocross.... for common civil cyclist YES but for cyclocross pro athlete NO

[@WalkerBikes]

Why the hell isn't your channel growing faster! Frustrating lol Another great video.

[@pelotonpro048]

I don't want a gravel bike. I used to race CX and I still have CX bikes. When I have to pay for them, I don't like carbon bikes, their future is a landfill.

[@Hella-ob8fz]

My “gravel” bike is my nice bike and my road bike is the bike I ride in the rain and snow. My gravel bike is steel and my road bike is aluminum so I thats why it became my winter bike. Bike.

[@juan24242424]

Awesome things I didn’t know

[@JogBird]

not unless you want to race in a cx race... also given how prescribed cx is, there isnt much room for design evolution

[@markmoreno7295]

If my bike has 2 point something tubless tires, disk brakes, plenty of mounts, drop bars, but has a hard nose and hard tail- then what is it? I think it is a bike. I hope i will have adventures, i hope it can survive the dirt roads, levees, and goat head thorns, I hope it takes me to places where gas guzzling 4x4s get stuck. "Umm, excuse me, but do you need help?" Well, i can dream.

[@speedbird8987]

I have a Crux that I use as a gravel bike. Put 650b x 40 Teravail Cannonball tires on it and it’s perfect. Came with SRAM Rival 1x and hydraulic brakes. Much snappier than a gravel bike. 😎

[@josephfarrugia2350]

Video killed the Radio star.......

[@THEBLACKANARCHIST]

Well gravel bikes are just a fad till something new comes out with millions of dollars in marketing

[@davidburgess741]

Yeah, Croc wearing, power meter toting ultra supple, party paced cyclists with too much money! And unlimited bags!

[@samcam6932]

Would it be a good idea to convert my flat bar hard tail to drop bars. Scott Scale 920

[@josejoakingallastegivilanu9475]

Go for it

[@rudyelizondo1935]

Great show, gravel is loose n any speed

[@darkphotographer]

yee ,, gravel bike cyclocross bikes ,, non of them are available in my country greece only road bike and crosscontry mtb , to make my self a gravel bike i buy a hybrid frame with disk and add drop bars ,and rigid fork , and i think am the only one with a drop bar bike riding off road ,

[@jarrodspeed532]

put on a 17% stem good to go save your money ignore the hype

[@tambosnipes1652]

I think it did and you reaffirmed this just by making the statement

[@kimkrimson]

Amen

[@krisp9485]

not killed off a cross bike if you race them..

[@KabirBindra]

After seeing the bike radar article about the new roubaix having rear suspension and flat bar diverge. I’m just confused.

[@GeekonaBike]

Not at my house they didn't, owning a CX I see no need to buy into industry hype & buy a Groad bike when the CX can do all that & do it faster.

[@colingrover2039]

"Adventure riding" used to be called mountain biking. "Gravel riding" used to be called mountain biking. "Grassroots racing" used to be called mountain biking. "Cross country" used to be called mountain biking. Then mountain biking got weird with so many sub-genres and fake, made-for-tv courses - agendas pushed by marketing. Cyclocross filled that void for a while until 'gravel bikes' evolved. When I say that gravel bikes are really '90's mountain bikes this is what I mean.

[@pmoormann]

J POW

[@ek8507]

i love the idea of cyclocross, and especially the absurdity of the sscxwc. its a time to push yourself, but not to take it seriously. personal growth for those who want, and a good time for those carefree chickensuit wearing beer chugging pants on head maniacs. but that might be specifically the singlespeed oriented crowd. maybe i just love the singlespeed crowd. hmm...

[@acr1770]

Cyclocross bikes are Gravel bikes' klunkers... Right?

[@marcusathome]

Most gravel bikers come from MTB, who are tired of riding their heavy, 180mm suspension monsters and want something lighter. Today's gravel bikes are the successors of early 90s MTB.

[@bonbonflippers4298]

I'm one of those lol. I came from mountain bikes, bought a hybrid road that around..wanted to experience drop bars...bought a road bike...felt wayy to delicate, got a gravel bike...sturdy and very familiar to a mountain bike but lighter and easy on the road

[@kristiandawe85]

This video really makes me want a cross bike, crux is such sweet example of a amazing cross bike

[@kristiandawe85]

@nigel_bd I've wanted a cross bike for a while, but Eric's crux always make me want one more

[@kimrice394]

Pulling lapped riders killed cyclocross just like it’s gonna kill crits.

[@macprocm]

Load of bull. Totally different bikes, what gravel bike has won a cross race? U just trying t cash in

[@thecase315]

I called EMT on my cross bike and ended up with 3 month prison cos apparently bikes don’t “die” and there’s no evidence gravel is at fault, and I’m a now on a list :(