Originally Posted by
Helldorado
Precisely my point: "gravel" cycling is really not riding on gravel - it's riding on packed dirt with embedded gravel. Different altogether.
"Gravel roads" as a term has been used for decades to denote an engineered road that contains usually around 50% gravel. This is a preferred riding surface for many gravel bicycle riders.
Riding over piles of gravel is a different thing alltogether.
Here in the southwest US, we have plenty of the gravel terrain that you seem to imagine riding gravel requires, you'll probably piss off the homeowners, though.
One would be hard pressed to locate long rides through the kind of gravel that you think gravel is. Do a google search for
gravel road specifications or
gravel road manual and you'll get plenty of information on what gravel roads are comprised of. They're never 100% gravel.