Racey, it's just more practical and versatile. The "Rowdy" is in effect a MTB with drop bars and you'd be spinning like a mad hamster on a wheel most of the time.
i've stitched together so many amazing routes here in N. California that combine a little bit of everything tarmac, fire road, singletrack, backyard trails, horse trails, etc. -- and i think that's a big part of the 'gravel/adventure bike' appeal. Adventure rides -- yes they could all be done on any bike, but instead of being limited to just going for a 'road ride' or 'mtb ride' -- the answer is just "yes - let's do it" -- totally changes the way i look at maps and potential routes - stitching together routes that not many others consider. Go anywhere - ride anything. Maybe we could just call it a "mountain road bike". (although i prefer "AV: Adventure Bike)
Totally agree. You get it. Mixed surface riding is hilarious good fun. I wouldn't want to take my epic pro on a 62 mile mixed surface ride... and my emonda simply CAN'T do it. But my Surly crosscheck can... and with 50mm WTB ventures on it - it's pretty capable off road... and no slouch on road. The custom Ti monstercross rig I'm building (inspired by the Kona Raijin MTB frame, but optimized for a drop bar) will be even better.
That's basically my take on it as well. Somewhat studded 33mm tires at a somewhat lower (not much) pressure allow me to just ride pretty much everywhere. Traction on grass, mud, gravel, sand (meh), and bike paths (which are horrible here anyway). You just open Komoot and go "I will ride there today and not worry about anything". I can do that on an MTB as well (got an old 26" and a 29" emtb as well), but the road parts will be boring and slow.
I live in a rural area in the desert and could only afford one bike, so I got a Poseidon Redwood with 2.6s. Works for everything from exploring abandoned mines to commuting in the street.
Awesome video...it really captures the feeling. My mates and I were out riding our "gravel" bikes and we finally realized why we like them so much. These bikes are just bikes, not road, not mountain but fast bikes you can take anywhere. We are finding ourselves going 50-100 miles on the road and keeping pace with the rest of our skinny tire race crew, then heading off the pavement...and just having more fun. It is like magic...or that we are 10 years old again and rediscovered the freedom bikes can give. Thanks for all you do, Scott Campbell, Seattle
I wasn't totally convinced by Alex when he started. But now that he is finding himself in the role, he's quickly becoming one of my favourites. You're right, he's great with Si and also a great foil for Ollie as well. My 3 favourite presenters, but in truth, I love them all. Still missing Matt though.
I'm with Si on having a generic gravel bike for all terrain. Yesterday I cycled a snowy forest road with just 28mm tires (temporary spares for punctured 35mm tire) and it was great fun going slow! 😅
Yeah, I have a decent if I guess slightly dated MTB that is lovely beastie and more than copes once it gets rowdy, the Gravel with somewhat smaller tyres though is a jack of all trades, it’s quite happy on the club run, or some rough farmers lanes, and bridle way bashing, does suffer and bit in the slop, but it’s fun slip sliding, the MTB though is hilarious faster on rougher trails. I love the Gravel versatility, something more Monster Cross I suspect would feel less versatile?
Just watched this, a year late! I bought the bombtrack beyond about a year ago, this bike leans very much towards the mason insearchof. Came with big knobbly wtb ranger tyres on it. I nearly cried at the rolling resistance on tarmac, regardless of how long or short it was on tarmac. Two weeks later I put a pair of 50mm panaracer gravelkings on, tubeless, and I've loved it ever since. I'd looked at more sporty gravelbikes but changed my mind when I saw my bombtrack. It's a beast and it can go anywhere.
I had Analog Cycles in VT build me a rowdy one, All City Gorilla Monsoon frame with Spank rims and handlebars, Onyx rear hub (etched w the wrestlers face!) and Schwalbe Thunderburt 650B x 2.25 tires. If you aren’t trying to win a road race you can ride this comfortably anywhere. I ride 5-10 miles of road to the singletrack instead of driving now. Ride the gravel roads & singletrack then ride the road home. It DOESN’T replace my road or FS MTB just compliments them. Anytime I’m pedaling I’m having fun, fast or slow and muddy!! Great vid @GCN, love to see you guys having fun!!
I have this same Warbird! I put a set of Hunt35 x-wide rims with conti terra speed wheels, 11-40 cassette and ritchey 52cm handle bars. It is my do everything bike.
I’m a MTBer that started riding road last year and got myself a gravel bike because I knew I would ride it on crappy roads and dirt paths as I just enjoy exploring places on a bike. I was riding my gravel bike the other day blasting around on some muddy bridleways and footpaths similar to what you were doing and having so much fun, it even felt like some of the corners I was two wheel drifting. Then I got to my local trails that I’ve ridden for the last 15 years on my mtb and I went down the tamest one. It was pretty fun but by the bottom I was longing to do it again except on my mtb which would have allowed me to hit all the features and go way faster. I agree with Si and Mike Levy that being under biked off road is a great thrill but I have to wonder how extreme the monster gravel bike can get before its just going to feel like a crappy mtb. I think as an adventure/bike backing bike that bike makes a lot of sense but without riding it I’m not sure I would want one as a general purpose gravel bike. I fear it sits perfectly in between a road bike and a hard tail mtb but in doing so only delivers 50% of the enjoyment that each discipline offers. I’m curious what (mix of) terrain you enjoy riding that monster gravel bike on, what distances/hours you would normally ride on it and how you would compare it to a lightweight mtb like an Epic?
I always considered that the beauty of "Gravel bikes", was the ability to start my adventure from my door, ride road and (to some degree) off road. The Mason seems so directed to off road riding that I wonder how effective it would be on tarmac. It seems to me that Mason have simply crossed the fine dividing line between gravel and mtb, and created something that is useless on road and merely adequate off road as long as things don't get too rowdy. If I was in the market for a bike like the Mason, I'd just go and get a decent hardtail mtb.
Totally agree. I see no point with the Mason. I have a Cotic hardtail for trails and a Cervelo Aspero for road and hard dirt/gravel we have here in SW Colorado. Covers everything but bikepacking.
Gravel and monster gravel and it is all good to me and a steel-frame bike with big tires and gears is the stuff of legend and adventure. Thanks for showing us these bikes, gentlemen, and how very kind of Manon to lend Si her parasol.
Love my gravel bike its a superb bit of kit more designed for covering ground quickly whether its road or gravel much like Simon's warbird but the monster gravel I'm sorry lads but wouldn't an actual xc mountain bike be a better choice for the majority of people.
Not that many hand-positions on a XC bike plus a suspension you may not want or even need. Me and a friend of mine tried similar bikes with 37 and 50mm tires and there was no difference in speed.
The ISO was mainly designed with long-range, off-road touring/racing in mind. Not sure many XC MTBs are designed to be ridden for more then a few hours at time.
The ISO’s purpose is long distance all terrain adventure riding, hence the (21 !!) fixing bolts to attach racks, bottles, front mudguard and front rack and various other pieces of luggage. It’s a fabulous ride and a fairly unique proposition. This is similar to a soft roader / 4x4 comparison.
Today's xc mtb aren't nice to drive, they are tailored to the xc race course so much that they have lost their versatility. And drop bars are much more comfortable to ride.
Please do more videos on Gravel Bikes vs MTB's. That would be such an easy way to come up with a series of videos and it's unchartered territory since Gravel Bikes are so diverse. (For those on the fence between a purebred XC hardtail MTB and a Gravel Bike.) I'll never forget my top time on my Grail CF SL with 45 mil terra speeds, was only 6 seconds slower than my Fuse with 3 inch tires on a 12 minute segment. I've sold my grail but, can only wonder since my bike handling skills have gotten so much better...which one would be faster now?!?
When I was a kid in the Scouts, we use to camp in the field at the far end of Shearwater. Skip wouldn't let us walk along the road to the shop, so my mate and I made a raft, took orders and swam the length of the lake, got the tuck and swam back. Ten years later, on a hot day, I dived in and a guy in a boat had a right go at me, asking me if I knew how dangerous the currents were? We also used to cycle the 8 miles or so from Westbury to Longleat to see the Stones and the other bands that appeared there. Happy days :)
I understand CX bikes with wider (35-37mm) tires...but that frankenbike Alex is riding is just a step too far..a hardtail would beat it in every challenge, even those in favor of normal gravel (or CX) bikes.
@@simonfarr8670 yes the fargo is a stunning machine and extremely popular as a touring bike. It also doesn't seem to attract the ire of the mtb crowd for being a drop bar with big tyre clearance
I always see the gravel bike as something you can absolutely tailor to your needs without beeing "right" or "wrong". It can be a road focused steel long range tourer to conquer the world with luggage. it can be a lightweight carbon sportsmachine that is only marginaly slower and less agile than a pure road bike but way more comfy and enables you to choose hardpack forest roads and less maintained b-roads on top of your normal road riding. It can be a 2.35" mtb tire adventure machine for long days in the saddle on epic mixed surfaces where speed is not the important factor, yet it will still eat the road/hardpack miles more easy than an MTB it can be anything you want it to be, because its not focused on pure road or pure trails. it does not have to be as fast or as capable. its for anything between. when you get that you will see the beauty of it.
I have a Salsa Journeyman “monster” gravel bike, and I absolutely love it. It’s a huge plus that the geometry is more comfortable than regular gravel bikes too. It also has a tonne of pack mounts in case I want to take it bikepacking. More bike brands should lean towards “monster” gravel bikes.
My "urban assault vehicle" since 1991 has been a 1987 Raleigh Olympia. It is a 700c touring bicycle with downtube shifters, 3*7 drivetrain, Bridgestone Moustache Bar, and Continental Top Touring tires in a 47mm width. This has worked great for the lousy roads in Metropolitan Detroit, unmaintained gravel shoulders, and light trail riding. Unfortunately it is in a P.O.D.S. unit because I thought that I was moving to Pennsylvania for a job and the offer was retracted.
Great video chaps 😉 I have a Cannondale Slate and purposely bought a size up and adjusted the stem/bars to be more suited to gravel riding. It can only take a 42mm tire in the rear but up front can go right up to MTB sized tires as it has a lefty. I’m thinking I’ll go for a 42mm rear and 47mm front to hopefully get her a bit more off road friendly.
Great timing of this video. I’m considering building up a bike just like the one Si has to supplement road riding but on the relatively smooth dirt roads in the country. I’m thinking essentially a road bike setup with some minor mods but with larger tires. The thing I like about something like the Warbird is I could have one frame and different wheels/tires for a variety of uses. If it’s light enough, maybe even use it for some CX events (casually trying it out without having to buy a CX dedicated bike)
Great video as always guys. Personally I prefer the straight wide bars on a mountain bike as they give you more control. I do love my gravel bike though and feel more confident on our rough potholed roads in the UK. What I can't work out is how you both kept clean faces?!? My guess is the camera man came with washing equipment. First thing I would do is fit mudguards.
After many years on the road and 2 road bikes for different purposes (light and aero), I decided to go gravel and buy a carbon bike with GRX. Adventure's great, you can keep a decent pace that I don't think you can have on a MTB, I got to know tubeless (which I then started to use on my road bikes as well) and I feel the only terrains these ones suffer on are rocky ones, or technical downhills. The only thing I mind of adventure in general is how my gravel bike looked after 500kms: despite a good wash and lube after every ride and no major falls, there were small scratches and dents all over the frame and wheels. My road bike with 20000km on looks just out of the box in comparison :) But again, adventure is great and a good way to get diversion from road cycling.
I set up a mountain bike back in the 90’s aka John Tomac. As I recall the drop bar brake levers didn’t work that well and I had to fabricate a shift lever set up. Now I have fatties on my cross bike. Cheers
I suggest using triple crankset with 48-36-26T chainring like Shimano XT T8000. When I want to go fast on tarmac or smooth gravel I use the 48T chainring. On tougher off-road shift down to 36T or even 26T chainring. That way I can be as fast as gravel bike when needed but still true nimble as MTB.
I do have a few 100k road days logged on the XC bike which is the one I tend to haul on vacations to Utah. In general, bikes are just awesome, my wife still isn't sure how I need more than one 😄
I use my gravel bike for the road mainly (don't own a road bike). with all the potholes and rough surfaces .... 1x and 30mm fast rolling tyres love it.... I do have mountain bikes (xc hardtail and full suspension) for that type of thing
I have both. I have the less expensive combo of these bikes, a felt f55x cross bike that also wears 32mm tubeless road tires when I feel like it, and a surly ogre i built with a similar deore/grx combo running 40mm tires. Both are delightful for different reasons, though I actually prefer the cross bike on singletrack because it's so much more nimble. It's also a whole 12 pounds lighter lol so it's really fun to jump on after riding the surly for all my commuting needs.
@@izi941 Yup, the MCR, the one trick pony. A gravel bike for singletrack or 4x4 road intensive gravel race courses. On gravel roads it gets dropped by traditional gravel bikes, on technical singletrack it gets dropped by XC bikes.
I like the Monster drop style, steel frame. Keep it simple and durable. Basically a 90s mtb with disk breaks and wide drop bars. Interesting stuff about rhe tires.
I made up a gravel based on a Specialized Diverge frame, 50 tooth single speed, SRAM AXS, with an Eagle rear derailleur and 50-10 cassette, Zipp 303 wheels, I made it for a winter training bike. Would be interesting to see Si rag it on a course against his own build (much as I hate the idea of ANYONE riding it), it would give it a fair comparison. How about it GCN presenter V viewer bike?
I was a road rider that completely swung the other way to DH mountain biking within a 10 year period. I just spend my first season on a Cannondale Slate which is a gravel bike designed to handle single track. I absolutely love this bike because it handles pretty much everything from pavement to intermediate single track and even some easy DH trails. My bike is slower than a road bike on roads and not as specialized for technical sections on single track, but unless you are trying to impress your friends I don't know if it matters. As Si said in this video, learning how to manage your bike is just as much fun as going fast. I have a little bit of front suspension but I do not have a drop seat post because I can't get one yet for the size of my bike. I use a quick release which is ok. I road my first 3 seasons on a XC bike with no drop post so I have a sense of how to manage without one. I also use DH pedals on my bike just because if I do need to dismount on Single track it is quick and easy. This is a bit of a disadvantage on roads so I may bump up to a hybrid pedal. One thing I really love is the 650 wheels. I have a two road bikes and this size of wheel just feels better for me. I am a small rider so that could be why.
I have a TCX Advanced and run 2.2 650B tires, 700x33 cross tires and 700x28 road tires on 3 wheelsets. I don't need any other bike unless I want to get back into DH
I love the look on the MTB's faces when I am going down the single tracks on my gravel bike. I also get loads more time to relax when I have to wait for the MTB's at the top of every climb.
Tbh that already exist. I got like 3 friends in calgary that has a fat bike with drop bars. 2 of them using a fat boy, 1 mukluk and im using a blizzard 30( also had an older motobecane but i transfered the parts to my blizzard) tell you what, you would think they would look funky but theyre actually really cool they look a bit wierd with compact road bars though, road bars with flares make them look really good. Theres also a guy who lives in Kelowna BC that has a bucksaw with drop bars . I thought it would look silly but it was such an eyecandy
Only bike you need! I rode LEJOG on my Genesis Vagabond, just by swapping the tires out for something more road-friendly. Pop some 29 × 2.25s back on and you're good to go anywhere you want.
My mtb has 2.4” tires. Having big chunky tires will smooth out the ride and add to the comfort off road. I think we will see gravel specific suspension components before long which will no doubt get all sorts of people mad, but it seems the logical next step.
I found my 32mm and 40mm 700c touring tires roll the same downhill, very close. But climbing the 32s are faster. Commuting over a 90 minute ride each way it does add up. I expect it's the weight and easier spinning uphill. However the 40s are so much more comfortable with a load it takes out the little bumps in the road, which is much nicer every day over a large sum of miles. I could feel every small bump on my 32s when i put them back in. When i road to whistler the 40s were real nice and i still got 41 mph on a downhill. Would you like pis of my 4 sets of wheels? Got some carbon lightweights to go along with my gravel, and my wheels i use for commuting and now the 650b i scavenged off my mtb. Oh and great job riding in the rain, just like here, pouring pouring pouring.
The Mason bikes really are things of beauty, the Bokeh is gorgeous. The whole aluminium shtick might be a bit intimidating, but once you plop 40+mm tyres on them, comfort really doesn't change from one material to the other.
Great commentary from Marty on the World Cup CX at 48 mins race time... there he is in the white jersey, all anyone sees is completely mud covered riders... check it out, great coverage...
I think it's just the names which trigger people! It's obvious from looking at a bike what kind of riding it will suit - add drop bars to any bike to get more hand positions for long rides and make yourself more aero for efficient road riding. Also make it handle worse off-road. I swap between a 29er hardtail and a gravel bike - the hardtail feels like a tractor on the road, down to both the tyres and the riding position. With a tyre change and bar ends/ aero bars i'd take the hardtail on a long road ride, but I sure as hell wouldn't take my gravel bike for an uplift day at Bike park Wales :)
