You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Looks like a late 90s high spec hard tail with discs, a dropper and some drops.
Just needs a rear disc wheel and john tomac on board
Want
They're based in Cologne, I see
Luckily not all that far from the sea
erm, that's a hardtail MTB
Blimey, I'm a trend setter!
They appear to have made a bike that will do everything but will be a bit shite at it all.
I’m coming round to the thinking that the real world benefit of these things is approaching zero. You could do a 200k off road race on it and find that it’s the perfect weapon for 500m, but for the rest...
Hyper Gravel?
What utter bull sh**. Lol
Bike looks fine but why do they have to come up with a stupid new name for yet another niche.
What's more, loads of guys have bikes similar to that on here already. How is it new exactly? 😉
Basically what we called Monster-Cross.
But welcome nonetheless because the best thing for gravel is high volume tyres, and anything that popularises that is all to the good.
Ditch the suspension fork though - unnecessary weight and tech.
unnecessary weight and tech.
Exactly what people said in the first days of MTB suspension!
What next, 500mm flat bars and some 2.1 Panaracer Fire XC's? Hold on a minute, maybe a frankenroadbike isn't actually that great off road and riding on 'gravel' (where the **** do these endless miles of actual gravel exist?) is actually a bit boring, so let's try and make it a bit more capable, oh...
where the **** do these endless miles of actual gravel exist?
The middle of France.
where the **** do these endless miles of actual gravel exist?
Mid-west USA?
Whether “hyper-gravel” will become a thing is yet to be seen
I can't quite believe I actually read that
The ArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR
where the **** do these endless miles of actual gravel exist?
North of Scotland.
CaptainFlashHeart
Exactly what people said in the first days of MTB suspension!
We haven't gone away yet. Still rigid and singlespeed. 🙂
where the **** do these endless miles of actual gravel exist?
I'm pretty confident i could get from peebles to newcastle on forestry<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;"> and Estate tracks and disused railways. Kielders has loads as does the highlands and the west coast if scotland.</span>
where the **** do these endless miles of actual gravel exist
Quite a lot of miles of it in New Forest too
Could you not just buy a Sonder Camino AL then chuck forks and a dropper at it for a lot less money.
Exactly what people said in the first days of MTB suspension!
Ive two rigid mountain bikes that see more use than my full sus bike.
I like my gravel bike but that looks shit.
Ive two rigid mountain bikes that see more use than my full sus bike.
I've got a commuter bike that sees more use than my full sus bike. I'd still keep the full sus if I could only keep one bike. This is my commuter bike, BTW.
I'm holding out for Super-Mega-Turbo Gravel, myself.
Settle down people. This is not in the least bit new. Cannondale Slate comes with a short travel fork, and fat tyred drop bars have been here for a while. Salsa, Genesis etc.
That's just a MTB with shit bars. Next.
I welcome these kind of bikes because bigger tyres and drops can work. But the main problem is that it's an expensive, heavy, drop bar mountain bike with only 40mm of suspension. I don't see how that mix of compromises is good for much. On the spectrum of 'gravel' bike - mountain bike, they appear to have found the spot where just a normal mountain bike would probably be better. But fair play to them for trying.
I also can't help but think I could make a better version of this by putting drops and an 80mm fork on my old scandal 29er frame (or any other pretty bog standard hardtail). It'd be lighter and a darn sight cheaper too!
Suspender-Cross innit...but yes suspension is overkill for that sort of bike.
Personally I don't see much point in gravel bikes unless you can get decent width tyres & keep the weight down 🙂
I'd take a drop bar Swift over that, any day.
Personally I don’t see much point in gravel bikes unless you can get decent width tyres & keep the weight down
I don't even need decent width tyres. I was using a frame that took 43c tyres and was using 43c tyres but it felt a bit mountain bikey. I then switched to 38c tyres and it was a bit more road like but ultimately have gone back to a frame that only takes 25c tyres and I enjoy it most. I find no great loss of comfort from smaller tyre and grip is not an issue when riding on straight gravel roads.
where the **** do these endless miles of actual gravel exist?
Funny, I've been having a great time planning routes on gravel tracks, it's basically the terrain I don't get to/wouldn't want to explore when mountainbiking, road biking or hill-walking. Whole new areas to play in!
For "gravel" riding on the UK, I'm struggling to see the disadvantages of an XC MTB.
where the **** do these endless miles of actual gravel exist?
Norway too 😛
Looks great...but then I ride a drop bar MTB monstercross thing or a CX anyway depending on terrain.
"where the **** do these endless miles of actual gravel exist?"
I have a 300 mile route that is 90% gravel right near me. I live in the UK.
I like riding gravel routes, endless views, peace and quiet, trees. Suits me just fine for most of my bikepacking to.
unnecessary weight and tech.
Exactly what people said in the first days of MTB suspension!
Yep, but of course these days we already have MTBs so why complicate "Gravel/adventure/Gnarmac" type bikes with droppers and suspension?
These are just higher maintenance, more likely to fail items borrowed from modern MTBs.
Part of Gravel type bikes appeal is their simplicity, yes I understand gears and discs are a higher level of "tech" and of course if I were a purist I'd be riding a fixie round the countryside. But up until recently they've just been taking the robust, mature elements from MTB/Road/CX bikes and combining them to make bikes that you can trundle along your local tow paths on, or do a few miles on the road or load up and go for a bigger expedition on, good multi-purpose bikes with little to go wrong which can be relatively cheap to own...
Adding this sort of crap is kind of missing the point a bit, it's a shite MTB with some drops fitted and isn't really a product many people actually need or seem to be looking for, so it's going to be another invented niche to sell more bikes to people with too much money and aimless aspirations, but no real ability for critical thought...
For “gravel” riding on the UK, I’m struggling to see the disadvantages of an XC MTB.
Well apart from the disadvantages mentioned above (un-necessary heavy suspension forks and droppers) there's also the position (great for MTB but a bit restrictive for long hours in a relatively static position) and yes, even the aerodynamics of having a gaping great hole between the crown and the arch of the forks.
My definition of 'gravel' is trying to ride like you would a road bike, e.g. distance at pace, but on gravel roads.
I don't include 'hyper gravel' in that definition though, wouldn't fancy trying to twiddle the silly small gear on that Bombtrack over 150km of gravel tracks...
Wasn't this kind of bike dubbed 'monster cross' a couple of years ago?
where the **** do these endless miles of actual gravel exist?
I rode a load of them in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania last month. The ones in Latvia were shitting awful - total washboards that were painful to ride. We were all relieved when they ended. The ones in Lithuania and Estonia were fine, and importantly they were quiet. The Latvian ones would have been improved with something like that Bombtrack, but it would have been awful for 95% of the trip. If you were riding stuff like that all the time I could see the use of it, but the reality is that it's awful to ride on, so why not do something else?
Yeah the hyper gravel name is silly. Monstercross it is to those of us already there.
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/888/41975652555_e1cfbb04be_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/888/41975652555_e1cfbb04be_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/26Xfc6v ]unnamed1[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152483482@N05/ ]Shawn McFarlane[/url], on Flickr
So am I the only one that likes the concept of these kind of bikes?
Surely it's not about which is best / fastest for the job at hand but more about what's the most fun?
Saying that, that's coming from someone who regularly rides the rockiest of Peak District (even the Edale loop!) on my Pickenflick with 40c tyres. It's much slower than my MTB but there's just something much more rewarding about cleaning tricky climbs on one and picking your way down techy descent. Makes you look at the terrain in a totally different way.
I agree a dropper is unnecessary for riding gravel roads, but I've never had the urge to fit one to my bike in the first place!
I ride an old full suss Anthem, fairly stretched out, with bar ends, and have found that comfortable for 200km+ days on off road tracks. Most estate roads and landy tracks get pretty loose, rough and potholed, and the MTB just rolls through that stuff.
Looks a lot like Sanny's favorite bike from 7 years or so ago, albeit with a dropper and sus forks added.
Or Tomac's bike from millions of years back, as mentioned above.
I'd probably use something like that for club rides/winter, but I'm planning on chucking drops on an old frame once I've sorted a suitable seat for my boy to fit with drop bars... 🙂
I don’t even need decent width tyres. I was using a frame that took 43c tyres and was using 43c tyres but it felt a bit mountain bikey. I then switched to 38c tyres and it was a bit more road like but ultimately have gone back to a frame that only takes 25c tyres and I enjoy it most. I find no great loss of comfort from smaller tyre and grip is not an issue when riding on straight gravel roads.
With respect, you can't be riding very far or fast on average 'gravel' tracks and forest roads if 25C is still comfy or doesn't pinch flat? I'd kill my 25mm road bike wheels or I'd loose ability to grip the bars if I took it to Wales or similar to ride service roads.
I welcome these kind of bikes because bigger tyres and drops can work. But the main problem is that it’s an expensive, heavy, drop bar mountain bike with only 40mm of suspension. I don’t see how that mix of compromises is good for much. On the spectrum of ‘gravel’ bike – mountain bike, they appear to have found the spot where just a normal mountain bike would probably be better. But fair play to them for trying.
It could be a bomber tourer, but so could a rigid 29er on 2.4s. Depends what you like the feel of I guess, not much more in it than that. The Slate works really well as it's light, stiff and feels really tight and road-like, yet the Lefty does add control off-road while feeling really stiff when locked out. This looks to be a quite different way of doing a drop bar 650 hardtail.
I don't want it or need it,but I do think it looks nice.
The article links to another article about the Niner FS gravel bike. This got me wondering if I could convert my short travel Kona Heihei FS to a FS gravel bike!
Might work. Looks like there's enough clearance for 700x40c at least. Reach is approx 490mm.
Ah, these bikes are to make really shitey boring places seem interesting? Get ye now.
and the bike being discussed is completely wrong for gravel like that above
these bikes are all too niche, and are trying to force a need in the market where non exists. I'm a personal fan of the cannondale slate but recognise that it has a really limited appeal. Even cannondale recognised that when they stopped bringing it to the UK.
Lauff found a gap in the market and have exploited it well. I don't rate it as a fork at all but applaud what they have done.
"Ah, these bikes are to make really shitey boring places seem interesting? Get ye now."
to be fair if you find any part of being outdoors in the fresh air "shitey and boring" you clearly have issues
Bike wise, its not for me, but bombtrack do make some lovely bikes and its always good to see folks trying different things. Jeesus remember the gnashing of teeth and wailing over disc brakes, 29ers, oval chainrings etc.
For a supposedly wild out-there Adrenalin fueled kind of peoples desperate to wear pseudo motocross kit and be gnarrcore to the max, mountain bikes are some of the conservative, unimaginative sheep 🙂
where the **** do these endless miles of actual gravel exist
Shit loads around here near Newbury, on the Ridgeway etc.
For “gravel” riding on the UK, I’m struggling to see the disadvantages of an XC MTB.
Ride I did of around 70km the other day had about 30km on "gravel" these tracks would have been dull as **** on an mtb and the road bits purgatory. As it was I had a great time. Till a wasp flew in my helmet and stung me!!
Rush hour!!
Are folk on here still getting hot under the collar about what and where other people ride?
What a waste of time/effort.
Are folk on here still getting hot under the collar about what and where other people ride?
What a waste of time/effort.
seems to me folks are commenting on the real world usefulness of a newly launched bike.
In terms of time and effort it's just words typed on the internet. so exactly as useful, if not more so, than your useful comment above.
You're not wrong jonnyboi. Tazzy has it though - conservative bunch on here.
Personally, I much prefer the look and spec of www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=13088069 Salsa Cutthroat.
Way beyond a bike budget I expect to have anytime soon!
Thing is, for some 'gravel' I could happily ride my Brompton along on that. For other 'gravel' I'd want a MTB
It's quite a broad spectrum, to me it's anything from slightly broken tarmac through to farmers double track
I do 1.6 miles of 'gravel' on the way home, it's on an arkose with 32c marathon plus tyres. It's fine, but it is bumpy. I haven't tried it on my Brompton, it's smooth and comfy as anything on a rigid MTB. I've seen hybrids, MTBs and the odd road bike on this 'gravel' section
Atlaz
I’m holding out for Super-Mega-Turbo Gravel, myself.
Been there, done that 7 years ago... 🙂
[url= https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6039/6312104424_05fc9a5113_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6039/6312104424_05fc9a5113_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
Ride I did of around 70km the other day had about 30km on “gravel” these tracks would have been dull as **** on an mtb and the road bits purgatory.
Road isn't purgatory on the right MTB, it can be just fine. I've ridden a lot in the Ridgeway area and I much prefer my rigid 29er over a drop bar hybrid. I wouldn't fancy a gravel bike there myself but I'm not going to beat you up over it 🙂
@epicyclo - not a lot of clearance on that front!
With respect, you can’t be riding very far or fast on average ‘gravel’ tracks and forest roads if 25C is still comfy or doesn’t pinch flat? I’d kill my 25mm road bike wheels or I’d loose ability to grip the bars if I took it to Wales or similar to ride service roads.
No I don't ride that far, around 20 miles of gravel on a typical ride. I do ride fast though. I don't find gravel roads any less comfortable than rough tarmac roads as the surface is softer and it moves rather than being solid broken tarmac.
I also don't pinch flat as my tyres are pumped up fairly hard and as I said I didn't really notice any drop in comfort from when I used 38c.
As for killing your road bike wheels, they are a long stronger than you think and I have been riding gravel roads on road bike wheels for 15 years with no issues whatsoever.
Road isn’t purgatory on the right MTB, it can be just fine.
In your opinion, not mine.
I’ve ridden a lot in the Ridgeway area and I much prefer my rigid 29er over a drop bar hybrid. I wouldn’t fancy a gravel bike there myself
Your opinion, not mine.
Maybe if I had a rigid 29er I'd ride that but I dont I have a gravel bike that suits 95% of the riding I do these days if I swap tyres about once in a while. It does solo road rides, group road rides, touring, cx races and the gravel/mixed surface arsing around rides I like to do.
In your opinion, not mine.
What bike, out of interest?
I'm not anti-gravel bike. I like them, I'd have one if I had space and money, however I'd mostly use it on rough tarmac for me as like people have said, there's not that much proper gravel round my way. Of course, if the only choices were gravel bike and long travel FS, the choice would be different, but if I were buying either rigid 29er or gravel bike, for mixed on/off road riding, down here the choice is clear IMO.
Been there, done that 7 years ago
10 years ago for me. 😛
[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3128/2750617436_5f627e9789_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3128/2750617436_5f627e9789_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/5c4CJy ]2008_0810fodniche0056[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]multispeedstu[/url], on Flickr
What bike, out of interest?
Specialized Diverge.
The thing that I dont get is that people see Gravel bikes as niche or limited whereas I see it as a jack of all trades, true it doesnt master much but it does lots of things well enough.
Nobeerinthefridge - That bit was absolutely bloody horrid. And, yes, boring.
I think the same of my 29er 🙂
You can clearly ride the terrain a gravel bike is good for on any bike.
If one person prefers a gravel bike and another a mountain bike I am not sure what the issue is. Unless you are in a race where you would pick the fastest bike for the situation just ride what you like riding.
I am not sure what the issue is.
There isn't one! All bikes are good, the market will dictate if the OP's bike will be successful or not. Buy what you want, ride what you want.
singlespeedstu
10 years ago for me.
Ah, but that's just ordinary gravel with skinny 2" tyres, not real hyper-gravel with 4" tyres. 🙂
I was toying with the idea of getting a rufty tufty racer style bike to save the FS from unsuitable miles but was concerned it would not be suitable for the likes of me due to my hallion tendicies, but...
...As ugly as this thing is (no offence) it gives me inspiration to do something along these lines with my 456 Summer Season half-bike that's hanging up in the shed (just need forks/front wheel and stem i think) instead.
A few Q's for those who have made their own bike like the above...
Can you run normal mtb brakes levers with bars like that?
Any ideas where i can get 26" rigid forks for a reasonable price (note: i don't have the ebay/paypal)
(If anyone is selling the above bits feel free to message me)
Ta
If its a specific bike for that set up, maybe, judging by the amount of steerer spacers used, they've spec'd too short a head tube on it.
..... or you could run it as is, and add riser drop bars to tick another niche box.
…As ugly as this thing is (no offence) it gives me inspiration to do something along these lines with my 456 Summer Season half-bike that’s hanging up in the shed (just need forks/front wheel and stem i think) instead.
A few Q’s for those who have made their own bike like the above…
Can you run normal mtb brakes levers with bars like that?
haha none taken ! It's actually great fun and perfect bikepacking bike for me
that there above has a 27.5 2.8 upfront rather than a 26, was a 29 upfront for a while for extra goofy points
if you want to use normal mtb levers then a pair of mary bars upside down is pretty comfy, yes I did this for a while, same bike years ago with 26" front wheel...or look at soma sparrow bars they will take mtb levers
unless it's a 16" summer season frame then you might be able to tempt me with it 😉
[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1866/43524388924_8ab820be7b_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1866/43524388924_8ab820be7b_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/29j6SsG ]DSC02959[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152483482@N05/ ]Shawn McFarlane[/url], on Flickr
I’m a personal fan of the cannondale slate but recognise that it has a really limited appeal. Even cannondale recognised that when they stopped bringing it to the UK.
The problem with the Slate was road bike gearing and fragile tyres. I've got one and attended to the above and it is a fantastic bike. Probably my most used bike at the moment, it is just a shame that cannondale didn't recognise that with a couple of tweaks you have a great bike for the UK.
There isn’t one!
No issue to you or me perhaps but seeing there is a fair amount of anti-gravel bike shit every week then clearly an issue for many people.
As for killing your road bike wheels, they are a long stronger than you think and I have been riding gravel roads on road bike wheels for 15 years with no issues whatsoever.
Fair enough, and as you say road bikes were used as 'gravel' bikes long before all this stared up. I guess it depends on the gravel roads, as does so much of this. I'd just pinch flat and ding rims too much on the byways and tracks I think of when people talk about 'gravel'. But US county roads can be better to ride than most tarmac lanes around here.
The main reason I see some benefit in big tyres (or a sus fork, though not my cuppa) is for the long rides that make these bikes interesting for me. Linking lanes and byways has been a big part of why my rides got longer over the last few years. I guess if I lived somewhere with more MTB terrain I'd ride all day/weekend on that when I could.
to be fair if you find any part of being outdoors in the fresh air “shitey and boring” you clearly have issues
That's right up there with 'all riding bikes is good' in the bullshit bingo stakes.
Pedaling up a dull fire road might be great because it's 'outdoors' to some people. To others, who like a bit more excitement in a bike ride, it's probably shitey and boring. I know where I sit on the debate.
Horses for courses!
It's a great looking bike that will be perfect for some people in some places..
I have an arkose that is better on the road than any mountain bike I have ridden but not as good as a mountain bike on anything remotely rough.
I should imagine this would be much better off road than my arkose but still better than a mountain bike on roads.
It’s a great looking bike
No. It isn't.
perfect for some people in some places..
Yes.
Well I think it is,and so do others.
<div class="bbp-reply-author"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8rem;">I like my gravel bike but that looks shit.</span></div>
It's like you read my mind.
As for suspension... Cannondale headshock would suit me for short travel .
PS: my phone still hates this forum...
As for suspension… Cannondale headshock would suit me for short travel .
My Diverge has a mighty 20mm of travel in a similar set up. It did seem odd that Canondale went with a lefty on the Slate.