Crazy economics in this global economy. A company has a problem with unprecedented demand (and sales!) for what they sell at 700-10k a crack, and that broke them? Weird. So fragile.
It's a rigid mountain bike with drop bars. A hardtail mountain bike is a much better option, as it can actually take on trails and is nearly just as fast on gravel (especially if it's rough).
Again, a gravel bike IS NOT A MOUNTAIN BIKE. It has much more in common with a cyclocross bike. I would agree that if I could only have one bike I'd buy a hardtail 29er (which I have btw, a Lynskey Ridgeline Titanium). If you're serious about gravel racing a gravel bike is going to be faster; just the physics of lower rolling resistance, more aero riding position, etc. I agree they are less versatile than a hardtail mtb but they are NOT mountain bikes, period.
Right but when trying to explain it to a bunch of runners/non-cyclists, it's more or less a rigid MTB with drop bars. Or I guess you could say a cross bike with more tire clearance and slightly different geometry (less aggressive) but that doesn't register with a lot of people.
I know what I'm talking about, I've been riding and racing for 15 years.
I don't even know a single person who owns a 10k bike.
You don't know any dentists? Why do you think root canals cost so much in America compared to Mexico or Asian countries?
Bikes costing more than $10k are very common in triathlons, and very easily over $20k when you factor in that triathletes will also buy at least another set of $5k deep section wheels because the ones that come on a $13k triathlon bike are meant to be thrown away.
Yeah I have a dentist. He would never waste 10k on a bicycle but he is not into competitive biking.
I understand you are talking about high end bike universe so I apologize if I came off like a jerk off. I would love to do a triathlon on a Walmart or Kohls bike. Something no more than $500. It would be awesomely funny. I'm not gonna spend 10k-20k cos I have no delusions that I'm lance Armstrong.
If I had 20k to blow, I'd rather just get a car. People who can spend 10-20k on a bike have cars that are cost how much?
Again, a gravel bike IS NOT A MOUNTAIN BIKE. It has much more in common with a cyclocross bike. I would agree that if I could only have one bike I'd buy a hardtail 29er (which I have btw, a Lynskey Ridgeline Titanium). If you're serious about gravel racing a gravel bike is going to be faster; just the physics of lower rolling resistance, more aero riding position, etc. I agree they are less versatile than a hardtail mtb but they are NOT mountain bikes, period.
Right but when trying to explain it to a bunch of runners/non-cyclists, it's more or less a rigid MTB with drop bars. Or I guess you could say a cross bike with more tire clearance and slightly different geometry (less aggressive) but that doesn't register with a lot of people.
I know what I'm talking about, I've been riding and racing for 15 years.
It's splitting hairs, but gravel bike is just a beefy road bike, that's the comparison. The geometry and style of riding is roughly the same. You're not doing jump lines and drops on a gravel bike, which you can on a hard tail MTB (although it'll get old doing flat drops).
E-Bikes have their place, of course. Now I don't really see the reason for a road bike E-Bike, as it seems to pervert the idea of road cycling. However in the mountain biking world, they can be useful if you're in an area like a bike park, and you don't want to pedal up long hills each time you drop into a trail.
E-Bikes would be good for bike-packing, grocery getters, commuting, the aforementioned mountain biking case, etc ...
I don't own one yet because I'm the fool that will pedal uphill each time and I live too far to make commuting possible, plus I work from home.
If I had 20k to blow, I'd rather just get a car. People who can spend 10-20k on a bike have cars that are cost how much?
The answer is that I spent roughly 70k on a Ford SuperDuty. I have a $12,000 Time road bike and an $8000 Pole Vikkela mountain bike (custom) along with several other less expensive bikes (two Colnagos, a Cervelo, and a Specialized MTB)
It's my hobby, it's why I'm active at 48 and in good health. I don't think I would spend $20k on a bike either, in fact the $12k on my road bike was not the greatest decision as I bought it at a time when my interest in road cycling was waning anyway. But wow what a rocket!
Too many close calls on the road with cars, so I have moved permanently to mountain biking.
Agree. All my “road” biking is done on non-motorized trails, and I am fortunate to have some great ones near me, and an off-street connection right outside my door👍
If I had 20k to blow, I'd rather just get a car. People who can spend 10-20k on a bike have cars that are cost how much?
The answer is that I spent roughly 70k on a Ford SuperDuty. I have a $12,000 Time road bike and an $8000 Pole Vikkela mountain bike (custom) along with several other less expensive bikes (two Colnagos, a Cervelo, and a Specialized MTB)
It's my hobby, it's why I'm active at 48 and in good health. I don't think I would spend $20k on a bike either, in fact the $12k on my road bike was not the greatest decision as I bought it at a time when my interest in road cycling was waning anyway. But wow what a rocket!
Too many close calls on the road with cars, so I have moved permanently to mountain biking.
Good call. Road cycling is truly frightening. At least with a MTB if you crash, it's usually your own fault - trees and rocks rarely go through red lights!
to be fair, a bicycle isn't analogous to shoes. Tires = shoes. guess which one of those lasts more miles?
The shoes last longer. Ever watched a bike race? There are tire punctures all the time, you are lucky to go a few hundred miles on race day tires without puncturing because they are made thin to reduce rolling resistance. When was the last time you saw Kipchoge get a puncture in his shoes during a marathon?
What you seen on TV are tubular racing tires. In the real world, I've never "punctured" a tire in decades of riding. It's the tubes that get punctured, and they're super cheap. Also, if you get a heavier duty commuting tube, punctures are very rare. Tires last way longer than shoes, even in terms of hours of use rather than miles.
Now, cassettes and chains need to be replaced occasionally as well, and depending on what you're riding, a cassette can cost as much as a department store bike.
It's a rigid mountain bike with drop bars. A hardtail mountain bike is a much better option, as it can actually take on trails and is nearly just as fast on gravel (especially if it's rough).
Again, a gravel bike IS NOT A MOUNTAIN BIKE. It has much more in common with a cyclocross bike. I would agree that if I could only have one bike I'd buy a hardtail 29er (which I have btw, a Lynskey Ridgeline Titanium). If you're serious about gravel racing a gravel bike is going to be faster; just the physics of lower rolling resistance, more aero riding position, etc. I agree they are less versatile than a hardtail mtb but they are NOT mountain bikes, period.
I have a Lynskey Ridgeline too! Except I put some flared drops on mine. I've never felt like I needed a wider bar for a hardtail, but I don't do anything too crazy. It's significantly faster than my gravel bike, but that's probably down to having pretty good wheels. The gravel bike is set up as a tourer/commuter with a belt drive and dyno hub.