I've got my problems with Trek, as I have made clear on other threads. But Trek has some nice gravel bikes. My wife and I just bought Trek Verves (we bought the non-electric "low entry" versions, because we're both ... uh ... veterans of life). They are a bit heavier than my old hybrid, and they have big (but not "fat") tires. In riding these babies recently, I've found that going from pavement to gravel is absolutely a breeze. And rough pavement, broken sidewalks, dirt ... it's hard to trust that a bicycle can actually make these transitions without my biting the dust. But that's the case.

We had to order both bikes--just within the last month--and we got them within 3 weeks. So there's not a huge catch up.

But ... check out the used boards. I was doing it for months looking for a new bike. There's lots and lots of stuff available. Some of it is badly used, some of it is really clean. Most of the used bikes will take some maintenance, but bike maintenance is so incredibly easy ...