When we go for a road ride, are we really going for a road ride – or are we venturing into some sort of rutted and pockmarked no man's land? A potholed purgatory in which we are forced to wait not for the call of Saint Peter but rather the transport secretary, hoping he or she will bestow upon us a multi-billion pound accelerated road-repair scheme and send us on our way.
Don't hold your breath. A report published earlier this year revealed that it would take 10 years and £16.3 billion ($20.3 billion) to fix up the UK's roads.
Road surfaces are one thing, but cyclists are also dealing with ever-more oppressive traffic conditions, with car and van use at an all-time high. Numbers of private cars, for example, have risen by more than 20% this century to over 33 million, while the number of vans dashing around has increased by a whopping 37% in the last 10 years to 4.5 million, as we all demand that more Stuff is delivered to our homes Right Now. (Hands-up – I'm definitely part of this problem).
Our status on the roads is not helped by the fact that it is apparently entirely fair game for any local authority to take a narrow and overgrown stretch of pavement – complete with tree roots breaking through the surface – put up a sign and call it a cycle path.
This then leads to frustration on the part of motorists who wonder why the cyclist is not using the path that has been lovingly provided for them.
Solution. We all just buy gravel bikes and be done with it. I've spent much of the past 18 months riding around on one, and it's been a revelation and a liberation. A lot of my riding is still on road, but the gravel bike offers liberation from rough roads and smaller potholes; liberation from traffic in as much that off-road paths to circumnavigate the busy, scary stuff become an option.
Riding with traffic also becomes a less fraught experience: broken-up road surface ahead and a car about to overtake? No problem – just plough on through.
I have even found liberation from the constant chase of a higher average speed, and more enjoyment in simply riding or adventuring.
Standard road bikes are already being ushered gently in the direction of gravel, or at least 'all-road' capability, with clearance for 32mm tyres a common feature.
But all this slow-motion yet inevitable evolution can be skipped just by going straight to gravel.
Even with full-fat 45mm tyres a gravel bike is still more than capable of a 100km road ride, and will take on a surprising amount of off-road gnarl too, if that's your bag.
The speeds might be a touch lower than on your best road bike, thanks largely to a kilo or two of extra weight. But if you like, you can always keep a second set of wheels fitted with those old 28s, just in case you ever get that nagging need for speed. And road vibes.
