PROTECTIVE Topic: Gravel
Gravel: It`s about pleasure, not just performance
Why has gravel riding been so popular for quite a while now?
Because no other category is as versatile and beginner-friendly. With a gravel bike you can explore the world, rediscover your home region, enjoy your daily commute or simply broaden your personal training.
As the meeting point between mountain bikers and roadies, the trend from the USA offers countless ways to test your very own limits. True to the motto “Go anywhere, do anything”, every surface is rideable, whether it’s the unknown farm track right outside your front door, weathered tarmac, a steep root-covered trail or an epic gravel road. Fun comes first! This is less about power and performance and first and foremost about the urge to explore, the joy of riding and riding together. The entire kit follows the same idea: minimal, light and functional, true to the credo “As little as possible, as much as necessary”. Because in the end it can be a short fun ride or an adventure trip lasting weeks: what really counts in gravel riding is what you experience and see.
What actually makes gravel riding special, and what are its advantages?
Quick & Easy: Of all the bikes that can handle more than one kind of surface, gravel bikes are the lightest and fastest. That doesn’t mean you have to ride fast, but you simply are fast. It’s not only gravel bikes that follow this principle; the entire kit and luggage are minimal, light and functional too, true to the credo: As little as possible, as much as necessary.
Go Anywhere, Do Anything: Every surface is rideable, the gravel track is just as much fun as the tarmac, and the MTB trail becomes an exciting challenge. The possibilities are endless and start right outside your front door, whether it’s the unknown farm track or the bumpy, weathered road. Is there a limit? No! If there is one, it’s only where you set it for yourself.
It’s about pleasure, not just performance: Adventure, the urge to explore, the joy of riding, riding together and clearing your head as you pedal are the keywords that make gravel so cool. Switch off Strava and just ride! In the end it doesn’t matter how long the tour was, as long as you can tell everyone afterwards what you experienced and saw.
