Show us your 'Gravel' bikes before it was a thing.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by donevwil

Thanks, it's from Comare Cycles. A good friend who retired and took up frame building. Built something like 60 -70 and moved to Italy (where he's still building). This was built in early 2012, MAX tube and lugset.

I saw the fork lug and recognized, but looked like Life chain stays.

#steel4ks4evR

Yeah, that's super sweet for sure...

[AngryScientist]

I think the boom of "gravel" popularity must have hurt small builders to some degree. I suspect many of us went to the handbuilt community to get bikees that fit fat tires with road manners because they just were not available on the market. Obviously that's changed these days.

[choke]

I purchased this CX frame around 1996 and I have never raced CX.



I had this built in 2012. It's hard to believe that was 10+ years ago.

[Bob Ross]

This is not a pic of my personal bike, but I had this exact same model -- a Murray Meteor Flite U-42 -- from 1965 until ~1974, and it spent at least as much time on gravel, dirt, rocks, stump-jumping, and stream-crossing as it did on paved roads.

[NHAero]

Depends on how you define gravel. In 1972 my new Bob Jackson had a set of clinchers running 27x1-1/4 tires (32mm) and I rode it all over New England on dirt roads and a few trails. I also ended up building a set of tubulars for fast road riding. Given that it also had a 48-34 crankset, I can call it an OG All Road bike

[weisan]

.

[MikeD]

Bruce Gordon BLT. Since its a loaded touring bike, the frame is a bit heavier/overbuilt than it needs to be. I like the long chainstays and the ability to take wide tires. Comfortable riding bike. I ride this bike most of all now, after I didn't ride it much at all for a long time.

[nkantamaneni]

My independent Fabrication Steel Deluxe!

[robt57]

HamPsteR CX, Yo! GimmieX5, cut that damn cake

Nutha thread Sweetie

Originally Posted by choke

[oliver1850]

I have several that pre-date the current popularity. there are a couple of 1980s Cannondale touring bikes; Trek, Nishiki, and Ross sport touring frames, etc. Most have mid reach calipers and 35-38 mm tires. Here's the Ross 290S on a ride from late winter last year.

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by NHAero

Depends on how you define gravel. In 1972 my new Bob Jackson had a set of clinchers running 27x1-1/4 tires (32mm) and I rode it all over New England on dirt roads and a few trails. I also ended up building a set of tubulars for fast road riding. Given that it also had a 48-34 crankset, I can call it an OG All Road bike

I have a similar vintage Austro-Daimler with 700C x 32 mm tires. Two of my Bob Jacksons will take at least 35 mm knobby tires.

[xnetter]

From when I lived back East. Good old Rambouillet.

[Spaghetti Legs]

I have long maintained the gravel bike is the one you’re riding when you get to the gravel road. Formerly, if I knew a ride was going to be mostly gravel I would use my cross bike. The first organized gravel ride I can remember was called a “Mountain Cross” ride in the Blue Ridge somewhere around 2008. Most people rode mountain or cross bikes with a smattering of road bikes. The only thing that would really keep me from riding a road bike on gravel stretches was not wanting the paint to get dinged up. My old Wilier race bike usually got the call of duty for dirt and rocks. My first real dedicated bike besides cyclocross that I used for gravel was my Ciöcc because it was already dented and dinged and I could squeeze 30 mm tires on. Now I have a VO Rando bike for gravel, although I still take “Chuck” out quite a bit.

[MXLeader]

A first generation Surly Karate Monkey that I put together in ~2005. The bike was my main ride after I stopped racing and started riding just for fitness and fun. I put together another one for my wife a year or two later and she seemed a bit insulted when she read the chainstay graphics that say, "Fatties Fit Fine".

The second picture is the bike in it's final iteration before I sold it last year

[Spinner]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

This is not a pic of my personal bike, but I had this exact same model -- a Murray Meteor Flite U-42 -- from 1965 until ~1974, and it spent at least as much time on gravel, dirt, rocks, stump-jumping, and stream-crossing as it did on paved roads.

I had that very same ride and it was my gravel bike as we lived on a dirt road outside of Fort Wayne, IN (West Cook Road).