Gravel bikes have been rapidly advancing with innovative suspension, wider tyres and wheels, wider handlebars, and so on.
So much so that some might say it is crossing into the realm of mountain biking! But is it really?
Si takes our very own version of what a future gravel bike may look like for a spin to see what’s what!
Is A Gravel Bike With Full Suspension Faster? 👉 https://youtu.be/TloXwAlSkww
00:00 Is this the future of gravel bikes?
01:00 The development of gravel bikes
02:35 Behold the Orbea Oiz (drop bar edition)
04:40 How does the Orbea Oiz ride?
05:41 What is the point of this bike?
08:21 What are the downsides of such a bike?
09:59 Why do we still ride ‘dirt road’ bikes?
11:42 Is it a vision of the future?
13:05 What does Si think of it?
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Do you think a drop bar mountain bike is taking things too far in the world of gravel cycling?
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41 Comments
Do you think a drop bar mountain bike is taking things too far in the world of gravel cycling?
Very strange stem.
But concept makes sense.
Narrow tires needs more suspension than wider MTB tires
That bike is an abomination
This is the fate of any mountain bike you’ve lost interest in.
I seriously believe a decent rider and some weird lefty-ocho frankenstein of a bike like this one could win paris-roubaix.
I will never ride a bike with any kind of suspension, certainly not full suspension forks, but also not any of that other stuff like Trek's iso-speed nonsense or split seat posts, etc.. I got out of mountain biking partly because the bikes were just becoming insane squishy monstrosities. I like dirt, but I also like to feel what I'm riding on. If you're that interested in total comfort, drive a car.
Just as I have built one this comes out
Dylan Johnson really knows his stuff. His videos are interesting and also funny.
You forgot the Aerobars!😉
Blue bike ugly; yellow bike cool.
Lol just a mtb with the wrong handlebar
I think you need to get the lockouts working and test again
There is NOTHING new to „develop“ !! Everything has always been there …since the early 90‘s!
The rest is marketing…and marketing only!
So its a skinny MTB with a drop bar. No thanks.
Just stop messing about and buy a mountain bike and keep it as one.. Lol
Gravel bikes are reverting into mountain bikes more & more, i am currently building a gravel bike using a 2009 scott mbk frame, and it's looking good with a respectable weight, only downside is having to use a smaller wheel size, but i don't think will be a problem, not sure to put on suspension of straight forks, the frame came with suspension forks but they do add weight to it,
If I'm not racing and I only ride for the joy of cycling, why should I put racing handlebars on my mountain bike?
So that I'm 5 minutes faster on my lap…..?
Less control, uncomfortable riding position and therefore less fun.
Who wrapped the bars though
What a crime !!!
Still riding rigid carbon Ridley xtrail gravel bike with 35c in the north York moors. I haven’t died yet.
Gravel bike for me here in Australia because half the time where I live the bitumen road turns into gravel , which I thought these gravel bikes were designed for “gravel roads”.Single track and fire trails I use my mountain bike 🤷🏼♂️
Si, why on all the body cam shots, your helmet strap is open!!
Old MTB 😂
I've had a 40mm travel suspension fork on my gravel bike for about 18 months now and I'm not going back! If you ride mostly off road, you need some front squish.
For the future, I predicted a return to the 'soft tail'. We will see several gravel bikes sporting around 20-40mm of travel in the form of frame flex enabled by a small shock or elastomer.
(Also, cool to see DJ on GCN.)
The Wilier Adlar with a Rock Shox Rudy and a SRAM Red XPLR groupset. That is what I want.
The ‘90s are back. I can hear John Tomac screaming at his screen.
A big joke ! 🥳🥳🥳
Did your “mechanic” put the bar tape on in the dark?
Great bike for places 99% of people are never going to ride. Don’t fall for the hype
lol 😂😂 as I’ve been saying for ages and no doubt many others. It’s all just marketing. Buy a light full sus mtb and stop buying into the gravel nonsense.
Gravel on GMBN and mountain bikes on GCN. Did someone spike my drink?
You can build this up much more nicely and get a much better ride out of it. Also – as bikes and bike geometries aren't created equal you can choose a different bike as a base platform and might find a ride which doesn't feel sluggish or not as agile as you want. Since todays XC bikes unfortunately are gravitating (no pun intended) more and more towards trail and enduro geometry, steering feels indeed not as nice and they pedal not as efficiently as thoroughbred XC bikes of even only 2-3 years ago. Or as 29er "Adventure" bikes do.
I can say I love my Exceed Dropbar MTB and it feels as fast and corners as beautifully (dare I say even more beautifully?) as my No.22 gravel bike. But that's of course much to do with it's geometry.
So choose the right platform, slap on the handlebars of your preference for the style of riding you do and have loads of fun and comfort and speed at the same time. 🙂
Alright, so my xc hardtail is now a flat bar gravel bike.
Gravel bikes became so popular because you can use them on the road and in tame off-road situations. This is just becoming another niche for people who have a bike for each day of the week dependent on where their landrover takes them and their bikes any given day.
Years before even MTB’s were brought out riders used to do off roading/ gravel riding on good dependable do it all touring bikes and had immense fun and adventures on them.
Tried it, similar conclusion 😊 If nothing else a great illustration on how much geometry matters to the feel of a bike. Road, gravel and MTBs just feel very different, even if position is the same.
That’s not a gravel bike. It’s a mountain bike with flat bars. It’s fine to ride that but let’s be honest about what it is.
Welcome back CC MTB as it used to be before Red Bull Rampage. 😊
Gravel bikes suck, just stick some straight bars on it and make the best machine for off road
At this point just buy XC.
This is so stupid, if you need a MTB then obviously you're not doing gravel rides, but MTB! If you need superwide tires and suspension on your gravel bike, just ride a MTB, because at that point you're no longer doing gravel.