Originally Posted by
NormanF
Gravel road bikes will be used by most people for fun, for commuting and for touring. They're not designed to ride fast. They borrow from the endurance road bike geometry and mate it with the sure-footedness of the MTB to create a true-all around road bike.
Let's face it: few people want to wear spandex and lycra and hammer the roads in the pursuit of the Tour de France. They just want to go out to ride for fresh air and get to to explore what's out there. That is where the gravel road bike/adventure bike has all but taken over the road bike market.
The demand for a do-it-all bike is why GT is offering more models in its Grade lineup and than in its endurance and traditional race road bike categories.
Trust me, I'm well aware of what a true gravel/adventure bike should be. IMO, unless it's being marketed as a
competition-only rig, it
better accommodate racks and fenders w/o the use of duct tape, p-clamps, etc.
A lot of manufacturers simply don't get it. They're marketing bikes that are closer to 'cross race bikes than gravel/adventure bikes. Going all-out for 45-60 minutes requires a different bike that riding "B" roads for 8-10 hours.