The ground demands your full attention. The terrain wants to be experienced, you should conquer it. In return, it gives you something in return: endorphins, relaxation, feelings of happiness!
While on a racing bike you are concerned with times and competition, when graveling you concentrate first on grip and line. You perceive the ground with all your senses. You are in the middle of the gravel, rubble, forest and mud, in nature, in the here and now. The gravel bike automatically pulls you further, towards the horizon. Conquest of paradise!
A bike with racing bike character - the Gravel Bike
The gravel bike is derived from the racing bike. The first “adventure bikes” were converted racing bikes with wider tires and a grippier profile. For the epic fire roads, gravel and sandy flow trails in California. The racing bike genes are still there: a light frame, the drop-down handlebar, different body positions, flexible control.
There is also a slightly longer wheelbase, which makes for smoother running, and the stem is a little higher. The biggest difference: the wheels have more tire clearance. 35 to 47 millimeters are fine, there are various profiles to choose from and yes: less air pressure is possible. This provides optimal grip and flow for gravel terrain.
Freed from the restriction of asphalt, the US gravel boys and girls quickly tested out challenging trails. And climbs!
You can find more information about gravel bikes in our guide .
Steep climbs – MTB bonds
Climbs in off-road terrain are often steeper than those on roads. Other gear ratios were needed.
So the gravel pioneers also took the best from the mountain bike world. The bottom bracket is a little lower. Chain guides that are not easily shaken. Chainrings and cassettes with variable spreads. Finally, Shimano has convincingly served the growing gravel market with its special GRX family.
Shimano combines all GRX groups with powerful hydraulic disc brakes. In addition, the brake and gear levers are ergonomically designed for rough terrain. MTB-inspired wheels in 700C and 650B shine with more riding comfort and noticeably lively handling. They also score points with their tubeless suitability and can stand out from the crowd.
Surprise for the first US gravelers: You are not much slower on a gravel bike than on a racing bike. Word has gotten around, even in cyclocross and cycling marathons. A little less air pressure and a little more tire width can actually make the ride smoother, but also faster. This way you can last longer. Today even tour pros ride their racing bikes with 2.5 to 3 centimeters width.
Speaking of surprises: you don't really like surprises on a racing bike. Quickly from A to B, the route is clear, sportiness is required here. But sportiness also comes with surprises - perhaps surprises are the most important thing when it comes to gravel riding.
Buying a gravel bike: Is the gravel bike the more flexible racing bike?
Or is it the lightest and fastest trail bike? Quite simply: it's both!
Compared to a mountain bike, the most striking feature is the lack of suspension. Rigid fork at the front, fixed rear triangle. The top tube hardly slopes down and the seating position remains more stretched out.
Why do gravel bikes still feel at home on trails? This is what makes them so light, smooth and playful to handle. The rolling behavior of the tires and 28-inch wheels also increases speed. More caster on the fork than on racing bikes ensures better straight-line travel.
In addition to the tires, the cushioning on rough sections comes from your arms, elbows and thighs. With an underhand grip, you control your front wheel, and the light pressure from your upper body provides grip.
High Tech in the Gravel Bike
Not to forget: carbon forks, carbon handlebars and especially carbon frames are now high-tech components, just like gears. The carbon fibers can be woven in such a variable way that they are stiff or flexible depending on the direction of the load.
Just as the frame designer intended: for optimal stiffness where necessary, for ideal flex where desired. The result is ideal frame dynamics that make the bike feel even more lively.
The trend for all those who are not satisfied with a short tour: Bikepacking
As soon as you turn off the mileage display on your Garmin or Wahoo, you've arrived at gravel riding. The change between speed on smooth surfaces, cruising over meadows, forests and trails, technical sections over gravel, rubble and sand - this rhythm makes you forget the time.
When the sun goes down, you're either home - or setting up camp for the night. It's perfect if your gravel bike can easily transport your overnight luggage for you. You'll also find a huge number of eyelets and hooks on the frame and fork. For water bottles, mudguards, luggage racks and your other bikepacking equipment. Even on the carbon frame!
This brings us back to the Californians' first adventure bikes. People, landscapes, the sound of the tires on the ground: being outside, ideally endlessly.
When buying a gravel bike, make sure you get the optimal equipment for you.
Adventure Gravel Bike
There are the most adventurous competitions and route suggestions for gravel bikers. Do you know the “Candy B. Graveller”? The 640 km bikepacking adventure takes you through Germany and is based on the flight corridor from Berlin to Frankfurt.
The Bikepacking Trans Germany is even longer: a 1652 km long mountain bike self-catering race from Basel to Rügen - with a good 20,000 kilometers of elevation gain, you'll find a real challenge here. For day trips, every local circuit is tempting, which you can spontaneously extend. And right on our doorstep is the annual " GRAVEL RALLYE BLACK FOREST ".
If all of this is too close and too familiar for you: How about Italy? Perhaps the 550km long Tuscany Trail for bikepacking adventurers? Or the “Transcontinental Race #TCRN” - 4000 kilometers across Europe. Or is Africa tempting you? The Atlas Mountain Race is a self-catering bikepacking race that will take you across Morocco.
There are no limits to adventure, and your gravel bike is the ideal companion. Body and mind in motion. Man and nature - connected by the gravel bike. We'll see you on the road for sure.
Until then and in this sense – are you still alive or are you already graveling?
MYVELO – Your Gravel Bike Online Shop
