GRAVEL BIKES Back,New Trend
When the era of the bicycle began in the 19th century, all cyclists were gravel riders – on primitive roads with a surface of stone chips. These were the strade bianchi, the “white roads” as they were known in Italy. As road surfaces improved, bicycle design began to favour lighter frames with tight clearances, hard skinny tyres and sensitive handling. The racing bike of today does not behave well off road, and the modern mountain bike can be a drag to ride on tarmac. Cyclo-cross bikes are not a happy medium. They are simply aggressive racing bikes, light enough to ride on the competitor's shoulder as he jogs over rough terrain in winter weather. What the world needed was a “happy medium” bike, good at most things, but not all.
And the inspiration for this “ideal” all-rounder cycle came early in this century. Nostalgic old sporting cyclists took to the gravel again, wearing famous sponsor logos from their youth, riding steel road machines that were up to 60 years old. This movement created the Eroica phenomenon, which has spread world wide. The old gravel riders seemed to be having such fun on the back roads that young cyclists were inspired. And the trend started. Long before gravel riding became the latest “in” sport, ICAN designers saw the need for a machine that was perfectly suited to secondary roads with loose surfaces and moderate profiles. So they went to their drawing boards. As gravel riding began to trend, ICAN had a superb design.
ICAN GRAVEL BIKES Frame GRA02
This was the purposeful GRA02 frame – a gravel rider's dream, which trades speed for versatility and comfort. Strong and light, it is fabricated from Toray T700 carbon, so that a medium frame and fork weigh only 1530 grams. The frame is available in a range of sizes from 49 to 58cm, and has internal cable and hydraulic routing for disc brakes. The GRA02 shines on gravel, with special geometry and tyre clearances. The wheelbase of all sizes is well in excess of a meter – with long chain stays for stability, comfort and ease of handling. The relaxed head tube angles are as slack as 70 deg in some sizes. This steering geometry combines with a fork rake of 49mm to give a smooth, steady ride on country roads.
But tyres are the first thing most people notice about a bike with this frame. It accepts both 700c wheels – and 650b wheels with fat tyres – up to 48mm in diameter. These keep the bike steady as it floats over the gravel, and can be run at low pressures for added comfort. If it has to be ridden on a paved road, 700c wheels with comparatively narrower tyres are easy to fit.
Carbon Gravel Bike
What about the fit-kit? Let's take a look at a complete machine from ICAN, the X-Gravel Bike. For less than $2700 it sports a Force 1 drive train and brakes, plus a full carbon saddle, seat post, stem and bar – for a total weight without pedals that's just under eight kilos. The 700c wheels are tubeless-ready and carbon rimmed, with Sapim spokes and Novatec hubs. The frame leaves plenty of room for thick 38mm Schwalbe clinchers. The overall effect is of a sweet-riding machine that will be at home on the back roads – an explorer's bike, made for a whole day in the saddle.
Unlike its highly-specialised cousins the MTB and the cyclo-cross machine, the ICAN X-gravel bike is extremely versatile. It can handle a wide range of surfaces, from sandy beaches to smooth boulevards. A gravel cycle makes an excellent long-range touring bike, or an urban commuter – this is a bike for all seasons. It can still be seen out and about while the cyclo cross machine rests in the garage all summer long, to be replaced by a mountain bike in winter. Ironically, as present-day cyclists seek out gravel surfaces again on back country roads and farm tracks, they enjoy nature in a satisfying and calm way.
On gravel, there's no need to scale extreme mountain heights, risk crazy steep descents or share a highway with dangerous speeding trucks. The ICAN gravel bike is not a racer. It would be unwise to use it for cyclo cross, where 33mm is the fattest tyre allowed by the UCI. It would not be accepted as an entry for that great gravel classic, the Eroica – where only vintage steel bikes with exposed brake cables are permitted. But these are the only two drawbacks amid a host of advantages. The ICAN _X-Gravel bike is a cutting edge design from the 21st century, with gorgeous looks and a fit-kit with market-leading components. It's a top-class modern machine anyone would be proud to own – which doesn't spend half the year in storage!
Now that gravel bikes has returned to the trend, are you ready to own your own GRAVEL BIKES?
