As I get ready to leave Patagonia AZ, it is worth talking about the gravel-bicycle craze. This town has become a mecca for gravel bike riding. This is ironic to me because I was bicycling dirt roads in this area 20 years ago -- before it was 'cool'.
Are gravel bicycles a passing fad? The case is pretty good that they are. Of course the bicycle industry is always looking for an excuse to trick their customers into buying one more bicycle.
From the looks of gravel cyclists here, they are really "roadies" who are perhaps accepting the grim reality of riding (paved) roads: too many cars, driven by people who are too distracted by electronic gadgets in the cabin of their cars. Drivers think their car is their living room. Do any drivers look out the windshield anymore?
Thus they have switched to gravel riding with a bike that is 90% the same as a 'road' bike.
But I wonder how many gravel bikers have come from the opposite end of the spectrum, that is, the single-track mountain biking world. There are single-track riders who think that riding on two-track or gravel roads is taboo or declasse'.
Gravel riding flies in the face of powerful trends:
1. An ever-growing number of high-speed RZR jackasses. (aka, side-by-sides, UTVs) It is no fun being blasted by dust, noise, and rock chips from these guys.
2. McMansions and 5 acre ranchettes in 'rural' areas a few miles out of town. Ever notice how many Tractor Supply stores there are in America? There is a reason for that!
3. Grading gravel roads costs money. These roads are quickly beaten into washboard. They are vulnerable to erosion. There are good sections of gravel roads but a half mile later, the road surface can change drastically. It can change overnight with the weather.
My recommendation is to convert an older 'obsolete' hard tail mountain bike in the corner of your garage into a 'gravel' bike. Another helpful idea is to avoid through-routes and loops because these attract motor-crazed yahoos. Choose deadend spur roads or roads that have gates that require the RZR rider to stop and walk for 10 feet.
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| from dirtyfreehub.com |
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