Senior technical editor, and long-time mountain biker, Tom Marvin shares his controversial gravel opinions

By Tom Marvin

2023-07-26 14:00:49


23 years of mountain biking – 10 of which have been as a tester for MBUK and BikeRadar – have taught me a few things about what makes a good off-road bike.

However, I’ve also done plenty of road cycling – in fact, the first few years in my role here were firmly under Warren Rossiter’s wing, rattling out plenty of words about – and miles on – curly bars.

That I eventually caught the gravel bug should come as no surprise, but my foot is still firmly in the mountain bike camp as a writer, reviewer and rider.

That off-road first mindset often leaves me scratching my head when I survey the world of gravel bikes today.

Unlike mountain bike tech, which has changed immensely in even the last 10 years, the trajectory of gravel tech has been dominated by technophobe roadie purists.

The roadie-inspired tech that’s wholly inappropriate for most gravel riding has also proliferated, adding no meaningful improvement to the riding experience.

Some myths also persist around exactly what gravel bikes are and what purpose they serve, and it never ceases to wind me up.

Summing all of that up, these are my top controversial gravel bike tech opinions.