Jack and Liam sit down to discuss BikeRadar’s gravel tech trends for 2023. Will we get any right? Or will we be wide of the mark? Watch and find out.
It could be argued that no cycling discipline is changing quicker than gravel. Given the speed of that change, we could be made to look really wrong over the next 12 months.
What are your gravel tech predictions? Let us know in the comments 👇
#GravelBike #GravelRacing #tech
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:27 Gravel Suspension Won’t Go Mainstream
02:21 Gravel Becomes Big Business
03:28 A Tyres Arms Race
04:48 We Continue To Argue About The Rules
05:54 Gravel Tech Gets More Specific
06:57 Gravel Bike Diversification
Image Credit:
MASSIMO FULGENZI/AFP via Getty Images
Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
DAVID PINTENS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images
Christopher Keiser/Sportful
Luke Justin
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2022 brought heaps of exciting new Gravel Tech and plenty of Trends to talk About but there's more to come from a Discipline that is really still finding Its feet now here to chat through it all Is bike Radar's best Scottish gravel Rider it's Jack Luke A party of one but I'll take the win Surely gets straight into our first Prediction leaders absolutely and I Actually think it's one from you he is Indeed and I'm predicting that gravel Suspension Tech won't go mainstream in 2023. okay so why do you say that wow Last you saw the arrival suspension Equipped bikes from the likes of laugh BMC barrier Whitey and specialized he Also saw gravel specific suspension Forts released by Fox high ride and Intend Came Greek redshift and others also Released suspension-ish products all of Which aim to improve on bike Comfort now All of this actually tallies with our 2022 gravel Tech predictions so is this Actually going to stop or the public Just not buying into gravel suspension What's happening there now while the Industry has pumped lots of investment Into gravel suspension Tech I am Doubtful the average bike buyer will opt For suspension for some time For example I am yet to see a single Suspension equipped gravel bike on my
Local trails and by that I mean the Likes of like a loud cycler or a bike Fitted with RockShox Rudy or Fox Tapercast Fork excluding Tech editors For bike radar now that is quite Surprising as the southwest of England Is generally boggy steep muddy and rough Gravel trails are just the place one Might expect to see a suspension Equipped graphic bike Now what comments rarely reflect the Majority of you the discussion the Discourse on any article or social post Be published about gravel bike Suspension is pretty mixed yes I would Say that's quite Right I'm definitely not dismissing Gravel bike suspension as a concept and You only need to look at mountain bikes To realize that adding suspension to an Off-road bike is illogical Next Step but The previously predictive takeover of Squashy bits is some way off I want to Keep a close eye on this year then have You bought a gravel bike with suspension Are they just not for you let us know Your thoughts in the comments moving on And Ben Delaney has our next one Foreign YouTube channel for some time might Remember a bed by creators former US Editor-in-chief now gravel Cowboy Striking out Solo in beautiful Colorado Now Ben says the gravel events and bikes
Will continue to embrace what he is Calling the mullet approach what in the Gravel is that he's basically saying it Will continue to be business in the Front and party in the back now in terms Of events it's fair to say that gravel Attracts a wide spectrum of abilities For people like me to actual athletes And it's one of the things that we love So much about the discipline absolutely But while summer events have moved to Kind of separate starts for computers And completers Ben reckons that most Events will continue to be that mass Chaos start that we absolutely love Similarly for bikes or we've got plenty Of Go Fast gravel bikes Adventure gravel Bikes and do all gravel machines Ben Thinks that the gravel bikes that are Fun for everyday riding still work for Improve most popular absolutely now Moving on now we come to Ash Quinlan who Believes that 2023 will see a big gravel Tire development race It's certainly no secret that a good set Of tires can boost your performance and Enjoyment on a ride Liam as a cycle Crosshair that loves to obsess over Tires what do you make of this oh well I Could discuss tread patterns casing Thread counts and the joy of gluing Tubulars until the cows come home I Won't don't worry but this doesn't come As a surprise to me I mean look at the
Mountain Bike World races and Recreational Riders are incredibly fussy About tread pattern with compounds and Casings Roadies want loads of grip Without rolling resistance I mean we're All as bad as each other aren't we Really very very much so gravel Racers Are not immune to being picky and our Ash says that with the Performance Edge Being sharpened by the rise of UCI Sanction events we could see a tire Development race ensue when you think About how long and demanding gravel Races are you'd absolutely want Something faster you also don't want to Waste energy out of corner so grip would Be nice too and and whether you're a Complete her writing to some kind of Performance goal or just want to enjoy The ride and finish the tires you use Will play a huge role in summing how Much fun you're going to have Now onto you Liam What's your personal prediction Thinking that none of us will agree on Anything that's pretty much it so gravel Pros will naturally want to be as Efficient as possible however they're Inability to reach a gentleman's Agreement and not use aerobars in math Start events resulted in Unbound race Organizers Banning them then the gravel World Championships will roll around and Some people will be up in arms because
The course isn't Gravelly enough others Will Lament The Presence of Professional Road Riders the gravel worlds after all Must surely be reserved for retired Races and Instagram influencers Evander poll will then turn up on his Road bike again prompting outrage from Everyone who has purchased or is Sponsored to use a bike with any form of Suspension as a result I foresee another Year of needless baseless and frankly Quite annoying arguments within the Gravel racing and events world and if You don't agree with Liam you're just Proving his point yes getting the Comments and prove my point for me now Next up Warren Rossiter believes that Brands will invest more time designing Proper gravel kit some of this we love And some of this world not so much Starting with the good stuff we'll Hopefully see the end of super stiff Cross-country shoes adapted as gravel Boat shoes which basically means making Them either sand or cotton colored Warren says that shoes with more Flex in The sole are better for gravel better When you're Landing a drop better for Damping vibrations and better for the Inevitable hiker bike sections on any Adventurous gravel ride clothing he says Will continue to be designed with Smarter gravel designs features again Not just Road Lycra in muted colors or
Mountain bike kit in the same some Smaller Brands such as seven mesh map Isador and q36.5 are already pushing Some more considered designs as are some Of like the bigger Brands like castelli And sportful and Endura what we're not So keen on are gravel specific sunnies What a time to be alive no George Scott meanwhile big dog eater in Chief for Seas the Divergence of gravel Into sub-disciplines continuing there Will still be gray areas all bikes exist On the Spectrum after all but clearer Groupings will emerge from Muddy Waters From aerogulfast gravel bikes at one end To suspension equipped big tired bike Packing bites in the other Now okay the latter is definitely just a Drop bar hardtail though we can all Agree on that yes and with that George Thinks that we'll see more Brands launch A second gravel bike to provide an Alternative option to its original take On the genre so if you're buying a Gravel bike you need to choose your Fighter wisely based on an honest Mean honest appraisal of where you're Riding and what you want it for now if You want to see just how different two Gravel bikes can be you need an Excellent video on just that subject Don't forget to like this video Subscribe to the channel and we will see You in the next one bye
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