So, what exactly *is* a “gravel bike geometry”?
I know some of us (myself included!) tend to get a bit hung up on categories and definitions, but I’ve started to wonder what exactly defines a “gravel bike”, as opposed to other types of bike that can be ridden on unpaved surfaces.
Wheel width is the obvious one, but the oft-mentioned geometry characterics seems to vary greatly across manufacturers, and it’s left me confused. I’ve seen gravel bikes advertised with 73.5 degree head-tube angles and 45mm trail, both of which aren’t out of place for race-oriented road bikes.
Giant’s TCX SX “gravel bike” is identicial in geometry to their CX bike (I own one), yet has a 60mm bottom bracket drop. Compare this to the Specialized Diverge that has a whopping 85mm BB drop.
Are they both gravel bikes, and if so, why? Does it matter? Probably not, provided they do the job, but it does make the selection process more difficult if you don’t know how the numbers will translate to real-world performance.
I’d love to hear your thoughts.