fringe activity into a movement.
The industry sat up and started to take it seriously.
HORSES FOR COURSES
One trend took hold – a gravel bike as a single solution. One, go-anywhere bike to rule them all. And whenever it was deemed‘ not capable’ that became a thing too.
Challenge accepted:‘ Underbiking’ was an indirect nod to the skills of the rider, navigating bike-park singletrack on a rigid, drop-bar bike with narrow rubber.
As trends go, after convergence there was divergence. Soon it was a case of“ not all gravel is created equal” – the gear perfectly suited to the rolling limestone tracks of Kansas was wildly inappropriate for the rugged forest routes of the Pacific Northwest; the steep bergs of Europe needed another approach; the sunbaked corrugations of the Karoo something else completely. Riders didn’ t just want a bike that could do it all, they wanted the right horse for the course. And so, gravel bikes began to evolve further. Not just as a genre, but as a spectrum of purpose-built machines, tuned to terrain, temperament and taste.
Some grew lighter and racier, tuned for speed and podiums. Others leaned into the long haul, where comfort is king. Geometry shifted, tyres got bigger and suspension crept in. 2x, then 1x, and back again;
10-speed, 11-, 12-, and now 13-speed. Disc wheels, integrated hydration solutions. The list goes on.
The once humble gravel bike splintered into sub-categories, from stripped-down, aero, suspended carbon rockets to simple, steelframed solitude seekers. Each new iteration became more refined, more specialised, yet somehow still true to the spirit of gravel: freedom, adventure, the open road less travelled and, most importantly, people coming together to talk bikes.
Independent brands pivoted quickly. Open Bikes’ award-winning UP and later its WI. DE are both credited as defining the modern gravel bike. The big players poured in with suspension innovations. Specialized incorporated its Future Shock into the Diverge. Cannondale brought its radical Lefty fork across to the Slate, BMC repurposed its hardtail’ s rear elastomer for the URS, and Giant refined the Revolt’ s geometry to spec a RockShox fork – all blurring the lines between tar and trail. It wasn’ t long before the major brands featured gravel-specific drivetrains, wheels, clothing and even luggage. Even traditionally roadfocused brands like Pinarello and Cervélo threw their weight behind the gravel movement.
EVER-EVOLVING
As the bikes evolved, so did the culture, especially in racing. What
began as grassroots, soul-filled challenges turned into world-class events that drew the fastest riders on the planet, with equipment nobody had ever dreamed of.
Dirty Kanza became Unbound Gravel, the sport’ s spiritual home and premier proving ground. Europe responded with The Traka and Gravel Locos in Spain. In Africa, the Migration Gravel Race carved its legend across Kenya’ s wild highlands, while in South Africa, the rumblings of a big gravel stage race were well underway.
In 10 years, gravel has moved from a niche curiosity to a fully-fledged industry. Niche within niche, perhaps, but significant, nonetheless. And yet, what happens next remains an open-ended story that is set to be written by its riders and their desire to ride further, or faster, or in more comfort. Or all three.
Mountain-bike stage racing was the catalyst for the evolution of a light, fast, full-suspension XC bike. Will gravel stage racing at the highest level continue to spurn more specialised machines? Will we see a clearer divide between adventure and race categories? Or will the bike that defined versatility circle back to its roots as a single tool for a thousand roads? Perhaps the true future of the gravel bike lies not in a singular path, but in its endless capacity to adapt and be what each rider wants it to be. Isn’ t that the true spirit of gravel?
The 1979 Charlie Cunningham CCPROTO, the first aluminium mountain bike and a precursor to modern gravel bikes; the pioneering 2O12 Salsa Warbird built specifically for gravel; and Cannondale’ s Slate Force CX with its Lefty fork adding suspension.
81 NEDBANK GRAVEL BURN