Gravel Bikes Exist Because Mountain Biking Is Boring | Gravel Vs MTB Race
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- Опубліковано 19 жов 2019
- Are gravel bikes just retro mountain bikes? They share a lot of the same characteristics: narrow bars, wider tyres and long stems.. But how similar are they? And have modern gravel bikes improved cycling? Si and Dan compare their old XC bikes against a pair of Lauf True Grits to find out.
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Gravelbikes excist because it's a brilliant strategy to sell even more bikes.
Wow! GCN is still actively liking comments on a 10 month old videos!
well I'm replacing to bikes with one, then I'm not sure it's the best selling strategy for everyone.
Arhat's Corner No actually mtb bikes are boring. I might add classic road bikes are boring as well. Imho
Millmoor Michael Not tryna argue just stating that you say , classic road bikes are boring ?!?!? no way mate ,I’d pick a old school Raleigh with Reynolds 753 tubing or even a 531 tube set , over a carbon monstrosity anyday of the week . , nothing beats the clean lines , the style, the light and smooth ride quality, don’t even get me started on the attitude , absolutely love the classics , yea carbon is faster for top end racers but we all know eddy Merck’s on a steel bike would leave all these plastic roadies in the dust .
and i think Eddy would have have said "these carbon bikes are shit" and then turned up on the lightest one he could find...
the industry want‘s us to feel bad about our old bikes every year
INDEED
Best thing is, the bike I coveted and couldn't afford in the 90s, someone gave me for free now!
Almost every cyclist is "over-biked". I see retirees here in South Florida on modern racing road bikes all sitting two inches or more too low. I decided that this is because they bought a bike intended for a young man to be able to ride in a permanent tuck that these geezers can't achieve but since the bars don't go up on these things they have to drop the saddle. They are paying $5,000 for a 12 lb bike that doesn't fit them and their bodies are 30 lbs or more overweight. It's laughable.
I am stuck in the 80s and will not ride anything other than steel. Brakes will have rubber blocks and cables and I might switch back from indexed shifting as well. I am also a clips and straps guy. I am not in the Tour de France and I don't feel the need to play "dress up". I have become my father. He was always checking for mudguard clearance and eyelets and pannier bosses.
@@errcoche I feel ya. I ride the 90's on an old 'Goose with a cheapo Walmart grade suspension fork slapped on it, and while I mostly ride rail trails, it's definitely just the right kind of bike for the job. My only gripe about it is that it's long in the tooth, so some parts are rather worn, (my bb just ate itself completely, for example) others are outdated and hard to replace or upgrade, and it's only 26", not something more modern like 27.5 or 29". But it's still great fun.
Makes my folks a bit mad when they see me blow money on it, though. Always get hit with "why don't you just buy a better bike?" Well because a better bike is $300 or more, even for just a Walmart Schwinn.
@@CPD0123a You can get a Shimano sealed BB for maybe $15 ( well you probably bought one already I am guessing ). Other than that it's just maybe worn cassette/freewheel sprockets, chainrings or chain that you should have to contend with. You can regrind pitted cones in hubs with a drill and some sandpaper. It's a badge of honor to wear out your drive train. If you have a steel frame, you can widen the rear dropouts for an 8/9 speed drive train and get access to some better components. My sister-in-law rides a Mongoose steel frame that I bought for $45, not chromoly or anything, and I want to get her a better bike but she won't give up her beloved 'Goose. She grew up dirt poor in El Salvador and this is the first bike she ever had that had all its parts so to her it's the ultimate riding machine.
At the end of the day it's about riding not the bike ( tell me that when I am poring over upgrade parts though ! ).
"its super light and to be honest its not trying to hard" the bike costs 5k for gods sake i think thats trying
... and the retro mtbs now cost $50 on a garage sale for almost, but not quite the same experience
@@downgradefan I actually got my current mtb out of a ditch haha its a fully rigid one and just needed two tubes, amazing what lazy people will throw away!
@@cilldaracyclist2822 Good thing the bike does not have to be expensive to be great fun :)
@@downgradefan yep facts pal, I've actually put about 2500km on it in about 6 months using it as a commuter
@@downgradefan Depends on the bike i guess. Some retro bikes can get expensive tho
Biking is all about having fun, so whichever bike gives you a thrill, is the one to have.
All bikes it is
I love that you put it back to 4:3 picture frame for the retro bike.
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who caught the different ratio frame changes for the bikes. Well played lads.
And full CD audio quality like a VHS Hi-Fi audio track.
I only clicked on this video because I wanted to hear there made up lies on how they are to scared to ride on real mountain bike trails
And the VHS static!
CORRECTION: gravel bikes exist because ROAD biking is boring.
😂😂😂
@@Sco0bs Haha, yeah. I'm really starting to prefer cruising through the woods with no traffic!
Dealing with highly opinionated MTB riders is boring, I ride both road and MTB, the roadies are generally speaking much less up themselves then mtb riders, and for everyone, road riding gives far endurance then just MTB alone, I prefer XC MTBs, but in saying that, each to their own, just the fact you ride a bike should be enough for everyone, bicycles are great
@@Jabba1625 "roadies are speaking much less up themselves". meanwhile this video is all about roadies trying to prove themselves better than mtb riders
@@Matt-vo5zm I thought they were discussing old MTB vs a gravel bike, basically not trying to out do MTB riders, the wankers I have to deal every week at the MTB park is completely grating, makes you feel ashamed to say you ride a MTB.
I didn't really notice mtb getting boring. I was too busy riding mountain bikes to actually realize it.
It's only got boring for marketing execs with 10 second attention spans.
For the rest of us who are normal, it's still mountain biking and still exciting.
It has everything to do with the trails in your area. In many parts of the US and Canada the trails require a proper MTB to enjoy. Especially the newer trails which are being built specifically for modern MTB capabilities.
@@TearmoonBroadcasting lol, that's so wrong.
@@TearmoonBroadcasting bud you've got that backwards
If you watched the movie to the end you would hear an explanation that the real point was that modern mtb (FS) bikes are overkill for the routes most of us ride. Hence the evolution towards gravel bikes. When the 29er came out, montstercross bikes came with them, and of them the less armored gravels.
Agreed, average Joe's mountain bike ride is very different to all those fancy videos featuring trails, jumps, stunts, etc. But the same difference applies to road biking as well! Anyone would love to climb those majestic Alpine passes, but most people in fact end up riding on dull, flat roads with heavy traffic!
Dull flat roads? Speak for yourself! I ride dull hilly roads
Cross country bike: "Am i a joke to you?"
@@fragotron I'd delete your videos before calling anyone a bitch you fucktard. go get high and sing the "computer song" again
@Venxz lmao
@@wivenxz2339 Why would he delete his videos? Does he strike you as the kind of guy who gives a shit?
Be interesting to now give exactly the same bikes to Neil and Blake and use the same track and see what the outcome is. GCN vs GMBN... a video I would really like to see.
this one seems really intresting.....
GMBN refused to do a fair test of timing when it came to 26", 27.5" and 29" - they only tested them on down-hill routes. Across entire mountains (or hills), where climbing is as much of MTB'ing as descending, an equal-trim-level 26" bike will weigh less, ascend better, and completely even out - if not beat - the 29" for an entire route.
@@workingguy6666 lol really? 26er wheels suck in any sort of ledgey/rooty climbing.
@@workingguy6666 29ner is much faster than 26" one. I've got both, and I always am much slower on 26" wheels on trails with good flow rate.
On more technical routes, 26" all the way.
So, this is why I mostly ride on 27,5 inch wheels. It's between them. Fast enough and rigid enough too.
@@mrowczak1900 There's more to it for a true scientific approach. On the plus side, yes, 29" is able to roll better. But all things being equal (I mean equivalent level rims, spokes, tires, drivetrain), the 26" and 27.5" will both have less rotational inertia to overcome - especially at higher speeds where many of us ride gravel (16, 20 MPH). I'm not going accuse you of making the mistake of comparing a modern light-for-its-size 29" drivertain to an archaic 26" design (i.e. rims made for rim braking, heavier old-school crank arms, etc.), but that seems to be how many people compare them. 27.5" is probably good enough/best since no-one seems to be making modern-design 26" rims to make wheels out of.
7:25 You know you're a roadie when you dismount for that lol. Sketchy is good!
I was thinking that myself l would of been over that with my dog in his basket..
Also the "gnarly" jumps before that. You'd have to try pretty hard to injure yourself on those :D
@@Pensasneuvostoliittolainen Gnarly jumps were described as such only as a joke. Plus I wouldn't ride either over that slippery wood surface on a bike I only used for just a couple of minutes and don't know how the tyres are going to behave.
@@alicangul2603 yes
@@stuartwhelan233
E
“Retro” MTB bikes, “weren’t THAT good”!?! They were (read: ARE) focking brilliant!
"In the Future we gone have flying cars"
Future: one special bike to each terrain or discipline, one to pedal near your house, one to pedal in the city, one to go to forest place, one to rocked places, one to sand places.....
Yeah , who cares , just ride !
Spot on .
Better than predicted.
As long as I'm not participating in anything, my MTB is all I need.
@@user-od7hh8qg9d
Same here. I ride my hardtail literally EVERYWHERE.
You forgot one for snow.
I thought UA-cam had recommended me an old GCN video when I saw Lloydie actually riding a bike in the thumbnail. I had to double check that it was really posted in 2019.
Only because there was the reward of beer at the end.
😂
A mountain biker would keep trying the bridge untill they could clean it..these roadies are only interested in times. Missing the whole point.
I think they were hamming it up to be honest!
Hehe, interesting. I got given a road bike (I'm primarily an MTBer, and ex-dirt jumper), and became obsessed with times, to the point where I was getting migraines after rides. One day, after a long spell out injured, I went for a gentle ride to ease myself back into it, and discovered road riding could be fun if you aren't bursting a lung trying to beat your personal best! Now I keep in mellow and just enjoy the ride, (most of the time).
DevonOnAir exactly!
@@devononair you hit that nail on the head!!
Having ridden the North Shore, North Vancouver on a daily basis back in the day, that step down onto the wet bridge looked about a two out of ten on the difficulty scale and it's always faster to ride something than get off and walk it. It's amazing this video has over 1.2 million views - I suppose that's what happens when a business can establish themselves on UA-cam and attract sponsors to donate expensive gear people want to see.
I've been looking at buying my first bike for a couple weeks now. Just something to ride sometimes, so like a $500 bike. Nothing you guys do helps with that buying process, but I love your videos. Cheers.
What did you end up getting?
Get the gt on sale at dicks sporting goods!
@@Bruceillest101 your mom
Is there some beef between GCN and GMBN we need to know about 😆
GCN is owning the discipline of old school off road cycling that mountain biking has pushed itself so far away from. Dead on, guys, best video ever. Every bike was sick!
Yeah they are more talented than us.
@@simonrichardson5259 But they'll never look as good in Lycra at a cafe stop.
GCN presenters are mods, GMBN presenters are rockers.
I think there has been a long rivalry between "Roadies" and "Filthy Mountain Bikers." All of our GMBN and GCN presenters are highly competitive individuals who enjoy ribbing each other (and slamming Triathletes) as well as their mates in the other discipline. Gravel Bikes are bringing these two groups of cyclists together, albeit kicking and screaming at times.
I'll go back to 26" wheels, though not the V-brakes.
26” are more fun in my opinion
I ONLY ride 26".
My man said it all
the boostmaster hiding in plain slight
Jordan, I couldn't agree more, V-brakes sucked! Those Magura hydraulic rim brakes were pretty decent though.
But 26" is far from dead, they're very capable and wheels are stronger imo. Many of my friends jumped on 27.5" because the wheels roll faster and its better for tech. Unfortunately, they still use their brakes just as much 😆
Watching you send is effing awesome (Boostmaster indeed) and YOU can certainly benefit from bigger wheels. Now if I could find 26" tires I'd be happy 😆
I just realize that these guys have 2/3 of their body made of legs....now I understand why they all have such high seats lol
Holy shit you’re right lol
frickin weird lookin --skinny dudes
Lol
Bar ends are still the bomb!, I have Bar Ends on all by bikes 26" Scott Yacora(2003) , 29" Monsen 529 ( 2015) , 29" Giant Anthem (2013/7), the additional hand positioning is great on longer rides
You guys had me crying when the music stopped when he gets off the bike on the "narrow" bridge!
the "narrow bridge" would be so easy to just ride over and the gap looked as if you could bunny hop it
@@no_name4485 It's just occurred to me that was probably the joke! What with the whole MTB is / MTBers are boring schtick.
You guts wanna talk music? Check how when the old-less-identifyable-with guy demonstrate the "out of fashion" product, the screen ratio goes 4:9 and the music is a 90s like steady 4-4 beat with static magnetic tape video fx, and when the young--cool-guy demonstrates the product thei're trying to market and sale the aspect ratio goes 16:9 with more "modern" beat and superimposing video fx
@@fernandorendon8618 r/iamverysmart and r/nobodyasked
My theory: Gravel bikes are replacing the sense of exploration that MTB used to offer. When we went MTB'ing 20+ years ago it felt and seemed like an adventure into the woods...because it was. We rode singletrack on rarely traversed trails out into the middle of nowhere, with no GPS and no sense of security. Modern MTB parks have completely ruined that experience and the whole sense of adventure. Modern MTB trails are all centrally located trails that are well manicured, artificial feeling, and it seems impossible to escape from civilization on them. Gravel bikes almost seem to be giving that sense of adventure back to people, letting them go farther than ever before, leaving the busy world behind and reconnecting with the outdoors.
@SneakyPants 2.0 My comments denotes bike parks and bike trails. Plenty of singletrack inside protected lands like National Forests are still built/maintained with common best practices. And the difference between that artificial gravel road and trail riding is that most people haven't ridden the gravel road a bazillion times like they have their local MTB trails. Most of us probably have multiple times more mileage of gravel/dirt roads than MTB trails, which is my major point. MTB trailheads look like tailgate events on weekends these days. Head out onto a logging road and you may never see another person for 50 miles.
The country of Scotland does exist you know? and the Lakes, endless miles of amazing natural trails (look up McTrail Rider and tell me you could do the stuff he does on a retro bike).
Modern MTB parks have well maintained trails that are purposely designed and built by bikers that can have much bigger and better features. (that you wouldn't go near on a retro bike) So there's something for everyone depending on what you're into, go to a groomed and "artificial" bike park/trail centre or get lost in the wilds on natural trails. Still want a lightweight bike that has great pedaling efficiency? Get a modern cross country bike, they easily blow retro bikes out the water.
I've had days out on both my full sus mountain bike and my gravel bike where I never saw another rider so that feeling really isn't exclusive to one type of biking
Cheers grandad.
@@cup_and_cone So your issue is with bike parks and not the bike. get a XC bike if you want to ride logging roads and it will be more capable when you come to any single-track.
I agree totally, the sense of freedom is lost in those cycle parks, it's just going round the same old paths with the Dad's and their little kids. The gravel bike works on the road and can go down a farm track and through the woods.
Anybody noticed that GCN just not seems to be a fan of suspensions...?
They unnecessary on most roads and trails. Like Cyrus said they are for jumps.
@@umu-san4414 Idk because jump bikes only have front suspension generally, it's more for being able to take sketchier lines. I can't take the same lines that I do on my hardtail than on my full sus for example. It really improves your grip. But then again I live in wales which is amazing for mountain biking so I can understand their point that it may not be useful on most trails. But it definitely does help with jumps probably saved me a few times when I've cased 😂 but wouldn't say that was it's main function
@@inkyjet2383 well yeah. Back suspension will make most rides feel smooth. I would say they eat at your speed a little, but if your are in a harsh mountain bike trail better to have stability than extra speed. I'm a roadie at heart so I the hard tail better. Also, most mountain trails in area are okay for gravel and front only suspension.
@@umu-san4414 yea they do definitely slow you down on certain trails but thats mainly on blues and some reds because they are much smoother trails, but if you've got to slow down because you lose grip because you dont have rear suspension then you'll most definitely be slower
Lol Clemens .. du hier 😄 hoffe dir geht's gut
This video makes me feel super grateful for the excellent technical trails available for free in the provincial park that I can ride to in less than 5 minutes.
The reason people ride gravel is they don’t get hit by a Car on the pavement.
Very very true....
Perhaps, unless you are an ex bike courier that finds playing through traffic fun.
Go against the traffic!
Yeah but they gotta watch for the tree that might jump in their path.
fucking true
As a person who does both MTB and road, I find it hilariously ironic to call MTB boring.
"Includes paid promotion" says it all, really.
Ain't this the truth!
Don't worry, nobody's attacking you. Obviously mountain biking is fun and the bikes are better at it than ever before...
However they're completely right ... just from the wrong angle. The orginal mountain bikes were ... really gravel bikes. They evolved into the mountain bikes we have today and left a gap which is now called gravel bikes... but really 99% of mountain bikes actually purchased and 99% of off tarmac MTB bike rides in the 90s ... gravel bikes/rides by today's standards.
And so I completly agree - of course riding a modern full suspension high tech bike on a mixed gravel path only is a bit overkill. People miss the old mountain bikes because they were the gravel bikes of their day. It's like how cars keep getting fatter and bigger but keep the same model name, then a new smaller model slips in - we had mountain bikes, then cross country bikes, now gravel bikes ... it's all just a class of bikes for people who ride on bike paths and trails as well as roads ... so a heck of a lot of people
To be honest what I really miss from the 90's is bike prices. There's always been cheap shit and specc'd to the 9's expensive ... but the mid range quality bikes are now considerably more expensive when adjusted for inflation. Technology moves on and they're better materials... but it's also been 25 years lol.
@David Kemp he said it was ironic. not that it was offensive. chill
@David Kemp I don't think it WAS a joke. They even joke at how silly it sounds to say such a thing. That's acknowledging that it isn't a joke.
I still get a big kick riding uk trails on my 90s Specialized Hardrock HT rigid forks. Gotta luv retro mtb
Awesome cinematic timetravel, love the idea with the 4:3 and the 2:35 : 1 bars!
Started watching, seen Dan in his cycling gear - knew this was going to be a good content - wasn't disappointed. Loved that Orange/Yellow paint job on the Lauf.
Thank you for giving bar ends some love. I thought I was their last fan. I still ride then on the trail, and in the wilds of New Mexico no less. It's amazing how doing that on an old school MTB can improve handling skills when on the hoods back on the road. For real!
my man who hates bar ends they're fantastic. Their exclusion on modern bikes is purely a weight and aesthetic thing. They make climbing actually fun instead of just pure pain.
@@holben27 The old Brama Bars were lighter than bar ends. Arguably, one third the weight of a bar and ends.
At least, when they came out.
I put bar ends inside grips on 700mm handlebar. This is perfect!
Bar ends ... Like curb feelers for mountain bikes. What a waste of money. And they look stupid, too. They scream out, "Hey, look at me! I hope you notice me!"
Thank you GCN editing crew for making sure the effects (AND aspect ratio) of the retro MTB portions were also on period! Made me very happy!
Gravel bikes are popular because countries like mine's roads (Philippines) are like gravel trails by itself with potholes and uneven broken road. Perfect for moving around town in a good speed.
Not to mention they are bit more comfy to ride too coz of the bigger tire, more tire suspension. Btw, nice Zaskar, I also have one in red, reviving it.
Tama
First I've thought that mountain bike is equal to bikes having gears. I've had that wrong, and I wished I had a gravel bike instead. So I had my hardtail "upgraded" to gravel specifications, but kept the riser handlebar, as dropbar parts are kinda expensive here in the Philippines.
I just completed a gravel race yesterday with a 90s MTB, fully rigid, was perfect really.
Yep. Wish I still had mine.
Never expected that I will came across with Hacks and Rides in this channel!Im a subscriber and your restored mtb was so cool!Hope you post more vids!
@@notkray8468 wow thanks a lot for the nice words! For sure I watch GCN! I really enjoy their tech videos.
Hours and hours on a flat-bar one-hand position. How perfect can that be?
@@ernie12man only 3 hours, no big deal. Although with maybe a longer ride some bull horns would be good.
Cyclocross bike: "am I a joke to you ?"
I changed my tires on my gravel bike in a need for a cyclocross competition... It feels complete different and it makes way harder, slower and sometimes impossible to ride a lot of trails, where a gravelbike-tire is easily capible of... Not all rider have the skills like cyclocross pros to compensate this issue...
When you can put 40mm wide or wider tires on a cyclocross bike... Voila, you have a very good bike, wihch is nearly capible the same as gravelbikes... But the geometry isn't optimized for this purpose...
@@maniac0303 BikeRadar did such test. Which tire will be better - 2", but less grippier, 35mm with aggressive thread, 40mm, with less aggressive thread. 40 mm won.
When you can’t run wider than a 38mm tire, yes 🤣
The first winner of Dirty Kanza was a cross bike. This take on gravel by GCN is completely wrong. That's not a surprise, since gravel riding/racing emerged in the US. Gravel emerged with road and cross riders, often the same people, whimsically mimicking the harsh riding conditions of Belgian cobblestone racing. Hence, the many gravel rides in the US with "Roubaix" in the title.
Yes.
Cool video. I still ride my mountain bike from the 90's and wasn't aware of all the developments and different categories. This was helpful.
GCN: helps a create GMBN with its own presenters just for mountain biking
Also GCN: just puts Simon in a GMBN kit and gives him a mountain bike
Simon won the 2005 Under-23 British National Mountain Biking Championships, so he's more than qualified for this video. Don't let his pretending to not know what he's doing on a mountain bike fool you. Dan Lloyd won the Southern Area Mountain Bike Championships when he was a junior, so he knows what he's doing on a mountain bike too.
Thanks, Dan and Si, this presentation has everything--bar ends, triples, big air! And I grin and thank you again for this comparison of gravel and retro mountain bikes. And mutant does work better than hybrid. And suddenly I seem a little more rad, heading off to work on my mutant.
"Hybrid" gets a bum rap. When I hear that term I think of something with a chrome fenders, white wall tires, a wide leather seat with steel springs and a wicker basket on the handlebars. I like "mutant" (or "Frankenbike") for those end user co-op hodge podge creations but nowadays the big brands are pushing marketing buzz words like "dual sport." As for the "modern" hybrids, my wife loves her Trek FX2 - and I have to admit that it's not half bad. It's her first bike though; she's never ridden a full rigid MTB with a steel frame - but my back remembers! It may weigh a little more, but a suspension fork with even just 100mm of travel is a good thing to have.
@@kwaktak I agree, hybrid isn't the worst name, just that over time it has become, I think, a synonym for a big-box bike category: Comfort Bike. Ugh, that one is the worst. And a mutant sounds like our equivalent to a rat rod, something tough and cool and cobbled together by its owner.
Gravel bikes exist because bike companies needed a new category to sell...
Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!
+1
I'd say that statement is more applicable to plus size wheels and fat bikes. Gravel bikes are the new road bike for normal people
true
indeed
Great video! I absolutely lack the courage to ride expert trails in Colorado. However, riding my gravel bike on gravel and mild single track is really fun.
This had me laughing! Such a great video. I am a new biker, started with a gravel bike! Learning a lot from your contents :)
That Mutant got to be one of the most amazing looking bikes ever to be featured on GCN. Genuinely awesome.
In reality, I ride my drop-bar gravel bike miles on gravel and paved roads in order to get to short intervals of true trails. I readily surrender slower trail performance for the much faster and more comfortable travel on those lengthy improved surfaces. This is the market segment which gravel bikes are targeted, and at which they excel.
Fully agree. i have nothing against MTB's.. love them in fact. Their defenders here are idiots though... "buy a hardtail?" Laughs. They'd get dropped inside a 1/2 mile riding out where I live... I've seen it happen! I'm the RD for the High Plain Grinder.. MTB's can't compete on gravel. End of story.
@@SteveBell1967 If I *had* to make one bike do everything, I'd buy an 29er XC bike with a spare 700c wheel set for the gravel use case. XC tires are light and fast rolling by mountain bike standards, but even so they're rubbish on roads compared to a gravel tire. If you look at gravel bike frames they aren't all that different from XC mountain bike frames -- a little lower in the bottom bracket, a little less tire clearance. So proper wheels and tires would help a lot. The thing is, wheels aren't cheap, and your'e still stuck on a flat bar, so it's probably false economy.
@@grumpynerd The problems we're seeing with modern 29" MTB's is that the top-end gearing is only really made for 20 MPH, maybe 21 MPH. On gravel, with the wind working with you, that's not enough - I have to imagine it's even more-so with down-hill gradients, but it's completely flat where we ride. The old-school triple chain-rings of the 26-incher era bring a lot more to the gravel riding experience. Modern MTB single-front-chainrings fall flat for a 'do everything' platform, which is why GCN made this video. I'm still shocked that they made it, but they've earned a big kudos for doing so. I'm sure the reasoning will be lost on folks who have only ever owned the modern versions of XC mountain bikes - they just don't seem to know the limitations of them.
@@DannyHanny_ It's still possible to config mountain bikes with 2x drivetrains, although that's stock only on low end bikes. Aftermarket chainrings for 1x setups are available up to 42 teeth depending on your crankset, which pared with a 10-50t XD cassette gets you within spitting distance of what comes on some gravel bikes, albeit with about a 3 watt penalty. That's nothing, though, compared to the losses from being in the wrong riding position. Maybe if they still made those old Scott AT-3 handlebars...
@@grumpynerd Yeah, it's generally known that anyone can put any front chainring on that they'd want to on a 1x system, but I've been cycling for 30 years, and have only ever seen chainrings changed out for specific riding when flat-landers are vacationing (or moving to) hilly areas. Be honest - nobody is changing 1x rings out per ride on a weekly basis. A modern 29" mtb with a 1x just isn't getting changed over for mtb'ing on Saturday, then changed again gravel on Sunday. An education on the possibilities isn't what is needed here; a facing of the realities of folks and their bikes is. Granted, a XC MTB racer may change a front ring to compete in a gravel race once in a while, but generally it isn't happening, and the flexibility that is there (on paper) isn't being realized when it takes time to change mechanical parts.
Great one! And yes, bring bar ends back! They’re so so good …being able to change position of your hands on the bar is essential IMO
Watching you guys walking that bridge over that ditch hurt my '90s XC riding heart
Is this the first video with Dan riding since Mallorca? Love it! And that video with Gmbn how to jump like a pro from like 2015 must have really done the job. Looking rad ;)
Si and Dan riding together on a GCN video? Finally! Felt like ages!
I was a bicycle mechanic from 1990 to 1992 - this video brought back some memories. Thanks guys!
What do you do now? 🚴
@@honpaul2203 Computer software tester - I get paid to break stuff. :)
I used to LOVE those narrow MTB bars years ago. I can't imagine them now.
Absolutely amazing video! Thanks for bringing in the mutant since I was considering doing a very similar build up and no one talks about it. Keep up the amazing content and best of luck.
Thanks Noah, you should absolutely build the mutant
Loved this one. I've got a 1998 GT Avalanche. It's brilliant for the local woodland trails. Got me back into cycling again.
2016 GT Aggressor over here. Enjoy it every week. Gravel, road, or trails.
1997 GT Avalanche here. Maybe 98. These videos just encourage me to keep my "old bike" :)
This is wonderfull this video is what i have been looking for 😀😀😀 .
It realy explain the ideas on my mind that i can explain on my on
I love how the old mountain bike scene is in 4:3 and the new gravel bike scene is in 2,35:1. Great!
I didn't catch your ratios lol...
Great video, as usual, I still ride my 26" hardtail whenever I get the chance, so much fun.
I really like how you guies did the “Wayne’s World” scene transition! That was pretty nice homage.
And the VHS-effects were great too.
Haha he actually uses the gmbn shirt when mountainbiking! Great eye for detail, great vid.
I recognise this place! I trained and played here as I lived right next door to this wood. Riding bikes similar to the ti Raleigh in the video. Great test guys. Long live the sketchy, narrow bared bikes that rode these woods for many years.
Oh you roadies never learn 🤣
Would love to see a video with timed runs comparing the gravel bike to a modern xc hardtail. And to hear which is more fun.
I,m still riding a 26” alloy hard tail with bar ends and disc brakes, and loving it! :)
And what’s with walking over the bridge?
Noticed when Simon did it, it was quite springy wondered if they thought it might snap if they rode fast over it
Comedic effect, I think.
I'm still having just as much fun with my hard tail as the day i bought it!
Hard tails rock. don’t they?
@@davidziemelis1593 They sure do! I've got second one since posting this, a Fatbike I did up. It kicks ass! I'd love a dual suspension bike, but then I might be tempted to try downhill, and my body doesn't handle crashes as good as it use to. LoL
Which hardtail do you have?
@@lukasmovnik6084 A Focus Black Forest. Absolutely love it!
@@Spacegoat92 Nice
The old Top Gear vibes I'm getting from this video is soothing to my soul
Learn to drive!
"Getting aero for the good bits" sums up the disconnect with actual mountain biking here
It wasn't unheard of to see aero bars on MTBs in the 90s. Bar ends were pretty standard (and are still amazing for climbing).
@@mrvwbug4423 Yep, owned some bar ends myself. It's just that climbing and bits where you could reasonably "get aero" are not really what I, or many others, would qualify as "the good bits" in mtb.
Salvatore Gravano I hope I never have to ride a hardtail 26er again. I say that with all due respect having ridden mountain bikes since the early 90’s...my old back appreciates the squish!
Agreed, but this isn't about actual mountain biking, as Dan and Si were quick to point out. I use a mountain bike for my local trail centres, but anything else rough-roady? Somthing with drop bars (ideally) or bar ends.
@@mrvwbug4423 Aren't they banned now in races? And from many trail centres for that matter? Danger of spiking someone in a crash, or something?
I remember wanting one of those Raleigh's as a kid.
Firstly, GREAT CHANNEL!!! Also, yes, bar ends on an MTB are cool! Quick question... since you mentioned "hybrid bikes aren't exactly the coolest bikes around town" could you do a video on Hybrid vs Gravel bikes? What is the real difference between the two? Is it mainly the drop handlebars vs the riser / flat mountain bike style? The hybrid having a frame with a more upright position, with the handlebars typically level or higher with the seat, which seems to make them more similar to many MTBs. They both seem to be a cross between a road bike and mountain bike with with tire sizing between the two. The gravel bike appears to be leaning more toward the road bike side often with the non-suspension front fork and drops while the hybrid bike appears to be leaning more toward the mountain bike side often with the suspension front fork and flat / riser handlebars.
Perhaps the Trek Dual Sport 4 would be a good example of a mid level $1000 hybrid bike for which to compare a gravel bike.
At one point in this video you seemed to be far happier with the hybrid bike when you nicknamed it to a "mutant"... that is what got me wondering.
Thanks in advance!
I've actually been saying this for years. I currently have three bikes in my stable. A YT Jeffsy, Giant Trance, ans Diamonsback Overdrive. The overdrive is a very entry level beginners bike and is very much like what I rode in the 90's. It cost less than $500 new and truthfully I take it out on occassion and have a total blast on it! Trails that are boring on my modern bikes come alive on the overdrive! Contrary to all the crap you read on facebook in the mountain bike groups you don't have to spend a ton of money to have fun. In fact you can sometimes have more fun on these simple bikes! Not saying I'm giving up my modern bikes because I often do ride technical trails where a more capable bike does make a difference but for the vast majority of riding a simple bike is more enjoyable!
I took my Trek Crockett CX bike fitted with the widest tires that would fit to an MTB trail that became boring as I got more skilled. That boring trail is now fun again. Blasting down narrow single track on a gravel or CX bike is a ton of fun.
Yeah, I love riding my CX bike on single track. It makes it fun. I can fit 42mm (more on the front if I want) tires on it with 700s. (Giant TCX). If I put 650b wheels on it, I can fit 1.9/2.1" MTB tires and it drops the BB a bit and transforms the bike into something even more stable on rougher stuff, just a bit less responsive/fun on easy stuff. I wouldn't take it downhill on a boulder covered mountain, but I don't have one of those handy anyway.
"Don't drink this, it's not gluten-free"
That was so mean! 😄
Nonetheless, that was quite an entertaining *and* instructive video, thanks mates, and cheers! 😊
Such a great nostalgic video - has inspired me to get a gravel bike!
Instead of using my gravel bike as a "less capable" mtb compared to my dual-sus trail bike, I bought it to be a more versatile road bike. I was using my trail bike for weekend fun and my steel road bike for commuting with panniers, but carrying gear on the latter was harsh on myself and the bike on anything but nice roads with 25c tyres. The gravel bike with 42c tyres has opened up a whole range of possibilities such as bikepacking and back-road/path commuting with bags or panniers that would be impractical on the trail bike but still dangerous or harsh on the road bike. I also like that the on-road efficiency of the gravel bike is pretty close to my road bike and far higher than my mtb with 2.5" tyres. I think gravel bikes are a good contender for the best "all-round" bike, as they are more fun and capable than standard commuter/touring bikes, but a bit more practical and efficient on-road than XC mountain bikes (especially in terms of gear mounting options - my gravel bike can mount 5 water bottles!).
That's exactly what I've used my gravel bike for. Got rid of my flat bar road bike, and replaced it with a drop bar gravel bike, far more versatile. I have taken my gravel bike on mountain bike trails, but for anything that's even slightly gnarly, I do think that my mountain bike is more fun.
What about Randonneuring bikes?
One of the things I've noticed in these "retro" bike reviews is that the retro bikes usually have some serious unaddressed maintenance issues -- in this case a bad fork.
If you can't do a proper service job on the forks, it's like doing a retro car review on a car that needs new ball joints and tie rod ends; of course it'll be rubbish. A fairer comparison would be with a fully rigid bike from the 1990s. Also, non-race bikes from that era had larger tires -- 1.95 was more typical.
Finally, c'mon guys. Ride that skinny bridge. Retro mountain biking was supposed to be terrifying.
1.9 was pretty normal for 90s MTBs, but even in the early 90s you started seeing wider tires, one odd trend was the really wide front tire and narrow rear.
@@mrvwbug4423 some bigger brands still do that on their entry level MTBs. Trek Marlins come with 2.2" up front, 2.0 in the rear.
They work for people who sell new bikes. Older bikes will be always slower in these tests.
@@mrvwbug4423 I don't think the effect of tire width on rolling was understood back in the day. Even today some fat bikers run fatter tires in front on the theory that the front tire will have more traction (correct) and the rear tire will roll faster (not necessarily).
@@mrvwbug4423 yeah, my mate had 3 inch farmer john on his muddy fox front wheel?
nice video, loved the square scenes haha. we see "over biked" in the offroad community like crazy. all these people i see with $20k in axles, lower gears in diffs and transfer case, $15k in armor, triple lockers, 40"+ tires.. it's like "congratulations, you've outfitted your rig to do the 2 hardest trails in the state but after you do them both in a week then what?" i like my pretty stock and often overlooked model that i can have fun on a 2-4 rated trail and test myself on 5-7 rated trails. also puts a smile on my face to summit somewhere and only see rigs near the $100k mark and i'm in my $8k Xterra with a $1k lift.
my buddy's buddy did it with a Jeep, even ran the tires half filled with water at 4psi, said it was boring as hell. have to tow it everywhere then he'd turn the idle up and do nothing until he was at the top, no technique, no problem solving, it was point and shoot. he didn't have it long before he sold it for an open diff Samurai on 33" tires to have some real fun.
Great video guys. I am thinking of converting my Lauf Anywhere into a flat bar bike. Primary use will be winter road riding and trail riding with my son. Will the geometry work or is it just not worth doing? Thanks!
Who spotted the Squirrel at 12:56?
The one si is hiding in his pants?
13:00
Gravel bikes exist because road bikes are boring
And dirt jumpers exist because gravel bikes are boring
And DH bikes exist because dirt jumpers are boring
So Enduro Bikes exist because DH Bikes cant pedal uphill
True
Gravel-bikes ARE road bikes ;) ,.. ALL-ROAD Bikes is their true name , 'gravel' is stupid-ass marketing label. Now Mtn.Bikes ? + 10 lbs, +$2k-$3k, bouncy down-hill overkill bikes, yawn ......
No one:
Men wearing Licra: We need to make Mountain Bikes Worse...
So I have a few bikes ranging from modern to vintage.. I ride my gravel bike in the trails and I just cant seem to get used to drop bars offroad.. I kinda wanna go flat bars on it.. But that kinda changes everything.. I love your videos.. They give me ideas on what to try next.. Keeps it fresh
Thanks a lot! You should check out our epic gravel adventure in Iceland on GCN+ gcn.eu/gts
The Klein paint schemed Mutant does look pretty epic there!
16:27 Such wonderful vivid, GLORIOUS colors!
I had a Specialized Rockhopper back in the 90’s-hard tail with no suspension fork-and I LOVED it. I rode it everywhere.
I love my 26" hoo koo e koo, straight/short bar, long stem. Its great for climbing and xc trails. Love the feel of the chromoly frame. More important than anything though is after 20 years I have just gotten so used to it. I can lean on it one way, twist / turn my legs, hips torso and thighs and I know how it will respond. I took the bar ends off but really dont miss them that much honestly.
Dan promising to get rad? Try the Random Tandem. Martyn, if you're watching, recruit Lloydy. We all want to see that.
I am still riding my 2006 Ghost 26"HT MTB with narrow flat handlebars and bar ends with great pleasure. And it is still fast!
+1 I've got a 2005 Gary Fisher Ziggurat 26" with bar ends that I ride gravel with about 3 times a week! Glad to hear the love for bar ends.
I have a 2007 Corridore with carbon front fork 26" and mavic crossland STs, narrow bars and ends that gets daily use. It flies down proper trails and overtakes things on the road. Still want a proper full suspension bike for more serious trips though
Put 700mm handlebar and move bar ends inside grips. So you still have bar ends benefits and all good stuff from wide handlebar too!
I've recently revived my 2000 GT Tempest, its now sporting wider bars, shorter stem, new rims and modern (wider) rubber and some new (lighter) Rockshoxs. I put some essentially gravel tyres on, pumped them up to 50psi and took it for a spin on my 15 mile off road training circuit. It SMASHED all my sector times I set on my 29er Hardtail. I was climbing faster and it was mega fun down the quicker sections. Its now getting a modern drive chain. The 2 month old 29er hasn't left the garage since I started playing with the GT. The V-Brakes are killing me though!
Gcn just simply make the best cycling videos hands down! I just purchased the Cannondale supersix evo and I'm having great fun riding it on mountain bike trails. Super fun stuff that's for sure.
Let’s be honest here, Dan only agreed to get muddy because the bikes had bottle openers.
Haha - they go "back in time" and still have front suspension.
Of course, it's been around since the 90's, it's just much more advanced now, and having a full suspension bike back then was more rare and a big deal and mainly came out in the late 90's.
Was out on my 1992 Specialized Stumpjumper today and did a “gravel” ride and had a right good time.
Used the bar ends loads as they are great for when you need to push on a bit.
Now going to slap on some drops and go a true mutant gravel/mtb freakbike
You guys are pretty flipping hilarious. Nice video🤣🤣👍👍👏👏👏👏
1:20 hahaha you guys are hilarious. Thank you for the laughter. :D
13:00 Squirrel!
The vid I've been wanting the last couple of years , found in the archives 😂✌️😎
You did it guys. You've convinced me to turn one of my retro MTBs into a gravel bike. I'd seriously consider buying a proper gravel bike but....$$$ Nice presentation, but oh, for that walk-of-shame over that tiny little wood-bridge! C'mon now, go back there and show us how it's really done! (preferably in the rain)
That part when they got off and carry the bike through the small bridge 😂
Wow, now i realized my bike is a mutant...🤔😁👍 Nice show!!👍
I had a 94 Zaskar LE until it got stolen in 2010, Pace RC35 forks it was stunning in a burnish finish. That bike in the intro brought back memories............ I used to ride the Afan Valley trails with guys from work on it, I remember following/racing them down some trails and when we stopped my knees were literally knocking together with fear, I'd never experienced anything like it before, and never have since. Every fibre of my body was screaming 'brake' whilst we kept pedalling.
As for this gravel bike, I'm reminded of the early 80's when we took drop handled bikes and put "cow horns" on them. The cow horns were very wide, very low handle bars making our drops off roaders, and allowing us to wheelie for a few hundred feet for the first time.
Love the VHS recording!
Spot on with the livelyness of this era of MTB. I loved my GT Zaskar's!
Ballsy to the roadie who chose the title of this video. As a mountain biker, I'm so glad I watched the video first before I roasted GCN in the comments.
Yeah especially when they tiptoe over that bridge. Suddenly those monster truck tires make sense 😂
ua-cam.com/video/bVk_UPTxM78/v-deo.html
Lmao
did anyone else notice that hilarious retro photo at 4:50 with the hilarious "light retro music"?
I invented a new type of bike called a pavement bike. It's like a gravel bike, but for pavement. It's completely different from a gravel, road or track bike, which are definitely not literally the exact same thing with different components. Next year I'll invent an asphalt bike.