Gravel biking is a cycling discipline that has grown rapidly in popularity over the last few decades. As a result, a huge surge has been witnessed in gravel bike offerings from most brands. As per Steven Rindner, gravel bikes are not like any ordinary road bicycle. They are meant to be multi-purpose bicycles. Gravel bikes are designed to glide over a variety of surfaces with ease, including gravel roads, asphalt, and light trails.
Steven Rindner Sheds Light On a Few Features of a Gravel Bike
Gravel biking is quite a versatile cycling style that fits somewhere between road and mountain biking. It takes cyclists off the beaten path, over miles of unpaved, rough roads. Even though the style is known as gravel riding, it allows cyclists to explore a wide variety of surfaces, starting from steep and rocky fire roads to dusty rail trails and wooded singletracks. Gravel bikes are multi-surface bicycles that are specially designed to explore unpaved roads. They balance the quick-rolling, lightweight feel of a road bike, and the off-road capability of a mountain bike, allowing cyclists to safely explore far beyond the pavement.
Gravel bicycles are a hybrid between a road bike and a mountain bike. They are built for comfort and stability. These bikes feature wider tires and a sturdy frame, much like mountain bikes, but provide excellent efficiency and speed like a road bike.  Having drop handlebars, gravel bikes enable cyclists to switch between different hand positions. It helps alleviate fatigue and provides many aerodynamic advantages. One can spot a drop handlebar by its downward, sloped design.
Here are a few features of gravel bikes:
- Wider tires: Gravel bikes typically have wider tiresthan road bicycles, which helps grip loose and uneven surfaces effectively, and also adds an extra layer of safety and stability. Ranging from 35mm to 45mm in width, gravel bike tires provide improved traction.  They usually have tires that are knobbier than the ones found on road bikes, which helps cyclists to enjoy a comfortable ride.
- Comfortable upright
geometry: Gravel bikes generally feature a more upright riding position, that helps the cyclists to be confident. They also have a slightly more open cockpit that can help boost comfort on long rides. The relaxed frame of gravel bikes facilitates better posture than road bikes, and enables cyclists to maintain greater control on uneven terrain. Gravel bicycles tend to feature a longer wheelbase and slacker angles for the frames and forks.
- Durability: Gravel bikes are generally made from carbon and aluminium. A large number of gravel bikes are also designed with titanium and steel. They can efficiently endure rough conditions, while also having a lightweight frame that is easy to manoeuvre.
According to Steven Rindner, when it comes to gravel bikes, one of the most practical features is the availability of additional mounting points. These mounts are designed to hold essentials like panniers, racks, cages, water bottles, and various types of bags, which proves especially valuable during long rides or remote adventures. As gravel routes often lead far from water sources and bike shops, these mounts allow cyclists to carry everything they may need on the ride.
