Friday Q&A: Wither Gravel Biking?
I read, and saw a photo posted today, by someone I know, who is over the whole gravel thing and is selling his gravel bike in order to make room for a new hardtail mtb. Knowing there would be all kinds of hate mail directed my way, his decision helped me find the courage to voice my own doubts about a gravel bike's ultimate usefulness, as well as concerns about gravel biking's place in the cycling collective.
From everything you read, gravel biking is the boom right now, the current cycling cure for midlife crises, and the marketplace savior of bike shops large and small. One of gravel biking's greatest proponents, Mr. CiclaValley (Zachary, if you will) has become quite adept at voicing his enthusiasm for the activity (at both his webpage and through Gravel Bike California). I have long found it inspiring to witness someone's passion for something, and use that to fuel my own.
But,
doubts have been infecting my thoughts more and more lately. I have been seeing photos, and videos, of people riding gravel bikes where once you would only have seen a mountain bike. I understand the concept of challenge, and of riders wanting to test themselves, push the boundaries of what they might have thought possible, but more and more I find myself saying, "I would do that on my mountain bike. But on my gravel bike? I don't think so."
I guess I have been fortunate to ride both types of bikes for a few years now, and am finding it difficult to find any advantage the Hakkalugi has over the Scale. I ride both, from week to week, on our Wednesday Night Gravel Ride, and will continue to do so. My own little Cross Town Loop remains the unique domain of the Ibis Hakkalugi. The Hakkalugi offers a greater test of my handling skills, however, feeble, adequate or superior they may be, but if I were to chose to ride one over the other based simply upon the concept of performance, I believe the Scale would win. Hands down. It is simply more able in rough terrain, has a greater gear range (I freely admit that the Hakkalugi because of its age is limited in areas that a more contemporary gravel bike might not be), and rolls just fine on smoother terrain.
My question then, should you so chose to participate, is: Does gravel biking really have legs, or is it ultimately doomed to obsolescence? Will gravel biking's current popularity regress to a minor niche role, or can its "one-best-bike for all purposes be sustained?
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