NAHBS 2013: Independent Fabrication’s Prototype OSXS, Steel Gravel Royale Bikes

frickin sweet rides, guess i’ll start saveing my pennies…

@mudrock
Because it’s so damn awesome!

Mudrock-Because it’s worth it 🙂

Its interesting that “gravel bike” is becoming a marketable thing.

Why do I need a gravel bike if I have a road bike (and or a cx bike)? Is it a compromise between a cx bike (which is kind of a compromise between a mtb and a road bike) and a road bike?

@vectorbug

It depends on area to area but some people want to have a dedicated road geometry but still be able to handle riding dirt/gravel roads. A cross geometry is not suited to to the same type of long rides you can do on a gravel bike (though plenty of people do it – pros or otherwise). Here in Minnesota we’ve got hundreds of miles of scenic dirt and gravel roads that a bike like this is perfect for. I was in Reno recently and plenty or riders do similar rides, ride their bike to the top of a pass and jump onto a jeep road that follows ridge lines that circle the city. Or consider San Francisco, ride across the Golden Gate then jump onto a fire road and take your bike up to the top of Mt. Tamalpais. These roads are too tame to bother bringing a mountain bike but they’re too long for a cross bike – thus the gravel bike was born.