Is it time we all just bought gravel bikes rather than road bikes and be done with it?
Potholes, traffic, traffic, potholes: it all adds up to gravel


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.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
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.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
After cutting his teeth on local and national newspapers, James began at Cycling Weekly as a sub-editor in 2000 when the current office was literally all fields.
Eventually becoming chief sub-editor, in 2016 he switched to the job of full-time writer, and covers news, racing and features.
A lifelong cyclist and cycling fan, James's racing days (and most of his fitness) are now behind him. But he still rides regularly, both on the road and on the gravelly stuff.
-
I love SRAM AXS electronic shifting, but I always forget to charge my batteries – luckily, this SRAM Powerpack with two extra batteries has an electrifying 29% off
Deals Grab $56 off in this brilliant SRAM deal on essential extras for AXS groupset owners
-
Identical start, diverging destinies? The story of Adam and Simon Yates as they both race for pink at the Giro d'Italia
Adam and Simon Yates head to the Giro d’Italia on different teams and with different prospects. As their career paths diverge, does the brotherly bond endure?
-
‘I didn’t own a gravel bike and hadn’t ridden more than 20 miles in 10 months: How I survived a multi-day off-road event on just 6 weeks of training
Five days of challenging gravel riding in tropical heat on almost zero training – what could go wrong?
-
The American bike racing calendar is sabotaging itself
When gravel, mountain, and road events collide, it’s the riders — and the future of U.S. bike racing — that lose
-
Can you be a pro athlete and an environmentalist? Earth Day reflections from a pro cyclist trying to be both
How Sarah Sturm reconciles her life as a pro cyclist with her environmental values
-
Grand Tour winner Tom Dumoulin to race Unbound Gravel and Sea Otter Classic — 'I’m not unfit but I’m not racing for the prizes'
In an exclusive interview, the former Grand Tour star opens up about life after retirement and rediscovering joy on the bike
-
UPDATE: Mid South Gravel cancels event last minute as wildfires rage - 'Many of our friends have lost their homes today, we are devastated' -
As wildfires sprung up around the region, riders and residents had been evacuated and asked to shelter in place.
-
'It's going to be wild' - Ribble launches new gravel team with ex-WorldTour pros
Six-rider all-British squad to take on the biggest gravel events in the world
-
Stinner’s first stock program makes US handmade bikes accessible — and they ride well, too!
The Stinner Carrizo Select blends custom craftsmanship with accessibility, offering a handmade alternative to mass-market bikes built overseas
-
15 things you didn’t know about two-time Life Time Grand Prix winner Sofía Gómez Villafañe
MTB Olympian, Unbound winner, two-time Life Time Grand Prix series victor — meet the queen of off-road racing.