Forbes Article: Gravel Bikes/SUV Metaphor

[pbarry]

Just skimmed the piece, but it's an apt comparison, imo, that might resonate with prospective buyers of both gravel bikes and cars.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robreed...de-comparison/

This won’t be a popular comparison among cyclists with a disdain for all things car related. But it’s undeniable. The gravel bike category in cycling is being driven by the same forces that created the sport utility vehicle (SUV) category in the automotive industry.


A gravel bike combines many of the best attributes of road bikes and mountain bikes; an SUV combines many of the best attributes of cars and trucks. The result is maximum utility and usefulness. You can take them on paved and dirt roads. They’re safer, more stable and more comfortable to ride/drive on varied terrain. Today, the SUV is the most popular and profitable automotive category...to the point where Ford is ceasing production of most passenger cars.

The SUV trend began in the ‘80s, while the gravel revolution in cycling is just getting started. So it will be some time before this new category completely dominates, and a company like Trek or Giant stops producing road bikes altogether (if that ever happens). But this is the path we’re on.

The author goes on to compare, among others, the Canyon Grail CF 8.0 etap to the Audi A8 S-Line; the Open UPPER to the BMW X3 M Competition; the Pinarello GREVIL to the Lamborghini Urus. You get the idea.

[BobbyJones]

"I’m in a unique position in that I straddle these two worlds by covering both high-performance gravel bikes and SUVs. As I ride and drive new models, the comparisons occur to me quite naturally i.e. “this X gravel bike rides like the Y SUV drives,” and vice versa."

What's funny about this is I have a friend who makes ice cream. He compares his flavor blends with the bikes he rides in the same way.

Different strokes I guess.

Originally Posted by pbarry

Just skimmed the piece, but it's an apt comparison, imo, that might resonate with prospective buyers of both gravel bikes and cars.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robreed...de-comparison/

The author goes on to compare, among others, the Canyon Grail CF 8.0 etap to the Audi A8 S-Line; the Open UPPER to the BMW X3 M Competition; the Pinarello GREVIL to the Lamborghini Urus. You get the idea.

[Likes2ridefar]

I was holding out for my surly midnight special is the Subaru Outback of gravel bikes. But IMO that would be an injustice to the Surly

[Mark McM]

This won’t be a popular comparison among cyclists with a disdain for all things car related. But it’s undeniable. The gravel bike category in cycling is being driven by the same forces that created the sport utility vehicle (SUV) category in the automotive industry.


A gravel bike combines many of the best attributes of road bikes and mountain bikes; an SUV combines many of the best attributes of cars and trucks. The result is maximum utility and usefulness. You can take them on paved and dirt roads. They’re safer, more stable and more comfortable to ride/drive on varied terrain. Today, the SUV is the most popular and profitable automotive category...to the point where Ford is ceasing production of most passenger cars.

I can't agree with this at all. Most people who drive SUVs don't take them off-road at all. And many people who ride gravel bikes spend little time on pavement (and frequently they will transport their bike on pavement in their motor vehicle to reach the gravel roads).

The appeal of the SUV for many drivers has more to do with their size, ability to carry things, and their high seating position, not their off-road capabilities. The appeal of gravel bikes for many is that they no longer want to ride on pavement (where there are motorists who aren't keen on sharing the road with cyclists).

Superficially, the SUV and the gravel bike might seem analogous. But the reasons for the popularity of these different vehicles are not closely related at all.

[commonguy001]

If my Salsa Cutthroat is a Toyota 4Runner (which I'm cool with), then my Bronson is a Trophy Truck. #sendit

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

I can't agree with this at all. Most people who drive SUVs don't take them off-road at all. And many people who ride gravel bikes spend little time on pavement (and frequently they will transport their bike on pavement in their motor vehicle to reach the gravel roads).

The appeal of the SUV for many drivers has more to do with their size, ability to carry things, and their high seating position, not their off-road capabilities. The appeal of gravel bikes for many is that they no longer want to ride on pavement (where there are motorists who aren't keen on sharing the road with cyclists).

Superficially, the SUV and the gravel bike might seem analogous. But the reasons for the popularity of these different vehicles are not closely related at all.

You sure about that? I sell "gravel" bikes to people all the time because of the footprint and seemingly non-aggressive potion. They ride them as road and commuter bikes. Different markets and all that...

[sitzmark]

If anything GBs are more akin to crossovers than SUVs. There is a difference despite “SUV” being a catch-all term. CUV has light duty sport/utility but has no serious off-road capability ... basically same as a “gravel bike”. MTB = SUV which is a truck-based platform.

[EricChanning]

While I get the general comparison in some ways, this article is all over the place and seems pretty silly. The Evil Chamois Hagar is the Range Rover Sport HST of gravel bikes? Really tho?

That Range Rover is a status symbol machine that would provide a pretty rough ride on the pot hole filled streets of DC. Forget any off-road capability. It's best suited for picking up the kids at soccer practice in the burbs and for aggressive off-ramp merging. The Hager is made for off-road fun connected by bits of pavement. It seems more like a lifted Jeep Rubicon.

I'm thinking that a good number of buyers of super high end performance SUVs also have a sports car in the garage. Most buyers of super high end gravel bikes have a road bike in the stable.

Most of the masses who want a bike for general transportation will ride anything that seems like a good deal.

[azrider]

This won’t be a popular comparison among cyclists with a disdain for all things car related

So cyclists can't be car "guys" ? Got it....

[EricChanning]

"cyclists with a disdain for..."

He specified! Lol What more do you want?

The dude who got me into road cycling/ racing also got me into vintage cars. The guy that got him into road racing was his vintage car buddy.

I wish I were retired so I could have equal time for both!

[9tubes]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

I can't agree with this at all. Most people who drive SUVs don't take them off-road at all. And many people who ride gravel bikes spend little time on pavement (and frequently they will transport their bike on pavement in their motor vehicle to reach the gravel roads).

The appeal of the SUV for many drivers has more to do with their size, ability to carry things, and their high seating position, not their off-road capabilities. The appeal of gravel bikes for many is that they no longer want to ride on pavement (where there are motorists who aren't keen on sharing the road with cyclists).

Superficially, the SUV and the gravel bike might seem analogous. But the reasons for the popularity of these different vehicles are not closely related at all.

Agreed. SUVs are popular for most people because they are perceived as safer due to size and weight, high for better visibility, a higher back door for easier access to the baby seat, and a rear hatch for groceries, Target runs, and Home Depot. The ratio of SUVs that really go offroad is about the same as CX racers vs commuter bikes.

The analogy shouldn't be to a gravel bike. It should be to a cargo bike. Slow, ponderous and practical.

[vincenz]

Originally Posted by 9tubes

Agreed. SUVs are popular for most people because they are perceived as safer due to size and weight, high for better visibility, a higher back door for easier access to the baby seat, and a rear hatch for groceries, Target runs, and Home Depot. The ratio of SUVs that really go offroad is about the same as CX racers vs commuter bikes.



The analogy shouldn't be to a gravel bike. It should be to a cargo bike. Slow, ponderous and practical.

Yeh, but that’s missing the point. Cargo bikes aren’t having the same “moment” that gravel bikes are. I agree a bit that the analogy is not perfect. The gravel bike buyer would probably spend more time off road than an SUV buyer would. However, I think it may be more correct as time goes on. The average bicycle buyer may trend to gravel bikes like they used to with endurance bikes or hybrids.

[Likes2ridefar]

The analogy fits me pretty nicely. Being in Arizona I’ve many opportunities to ride endless gravel roads, but I commute on a paved path daily. So weekend warrior I hit gravel but spend most my time on pavement.

The same goes for the X3. It spends most of its week on paved roads but the weekend it certainly doesn’t shy from gravel and dirt and snow covered forest roads as we adventure in the desert.

If I could get rid of the run flats and go with gnarlier tires I’d hit the trails even more frequently.

[93KgBike]

Originally Posted by 9tubes

Agreed. SUVs are popular for most people because they are perceived as safer due to size and weight, high for better visibility, a higher back door for easier access to the baby seat, and a rear hatch for groceries, Target runs, and Home Depot. The ratio of SUVs that really go offroad is about the same as CX racers vs commuter bikes.

The analogy shouldn't be to a gravel bike. It should be to a cargo bike. Slow, ponderous and practical.

Slow, ponderous, practical; these are terms to describe the rider, not the ride!

Me and the kiddos can hold 13mph all-day-long fully loaded, and I can do 15 - 18 comfortably, and much much faster when up. Also, I've swapped the rear tire for a mtb tire and held my own on single-track - real fun.

All that said, I agree with you. A graph of 4WD or AWD owners off-roading habits is likely weighted toward those with locking differentials, versus those with limited-slip-differentials.