Originally Posted by
Spoonrobot
Gravel Biking, to me more than anything - is seeking top performance over a variety of terrain. My regular weekday ride includes 4-15 miles of gravel, 4-15 miles of singletrack, and 4-30 miles of road. I want to have a good time on all those surfaces, and with today's tires (and bikes) it's simple and easy. I have no issue with riding the extremes - unpaved roads so rough they barely resemble roads or dirt so smooth it's faster than pavement - but the heart is always going to be multi-surface, just because.
Yes. Although a gravel bike might be slower on some surfaces or conditions than another type of bike, it's the ability to be competent on a wide variety of terrain that brings the fun. As an ex-road/MTB/CX racer, modern gravel race bikes combine everything that I love about cycling into one bike. I can ride reasonably fast on the road, and I can slam it though some moderately-demanding singletrack. I still love my road bike and MTB for when I want to be more optimized for a specific condition. I just like to ride bikes.