The Gravel cycling comes from the USA! States as they say! Where large and still virgin stretches of land still make room for the contrasts of urban asphalt.
GRAVEL CYCLING: THE NEW TREND?
As lovers of wide open spaces and wild nature, we all want to ride in places with the quietness of any big city and infrastructure that are often dangerous.
The Gravel is the way to escape, to meet the virgin sleeping nature, we want to tread the virgin ground with our wheels with the instinct of the skiers and to look for powder !
To do this, the bikes had to be adapted to ride on gravel tracks, more scabrous paths, singles that find their place between junctions of asphalt roads!
The creation of more robust equipment, tires, wheels, bikes was necessary for a more appropriate practice for this new discipline!
The Gravel, fashionable phenomenon or real necessity?
The cycling industry has simply decided to take a stand to propel a new market!
Riding with wider tires like cyclo-cross but for Mr and Mrs everyone, in discovery and fun mode and not in race mode!
NEW EQUIPMENT
But a new name was needed for this new market!
The Gravel was born, the bikes adapted …. halfway between a road bike and a cyclo-cross bike … between mountain bike and cyclo-cross …
A new market will be created from scratch! New tires that are wider but smooth and/or from time to time with small studs but not too much so that they don’t get stuck to the asphalt when you take a portion of the road!
The forks and the rear bases of the bike have widened to make room for 32 or 34 tires with adapted frame geometries, wider handlebars that allow room for new travel or storage bags for this new discipline!
Everything is changing and this gives birth to new bikes!
New, wider tires on bikes with longer wheelbases at frame level also means adapting the wheels, as rims must now accommodate new tire sections.
There are road wheels but also cyclo-cross wheels and now Gravel wheels!
Axles and rim widths and depths are once again different! You now have the choice and know how to make the choice !! So it’s up to you to make your choice !
The technical manufacturers of bicycles, wheels, handlebars, have opened a new breach in the market of 2 wheels for a new fashion but also a certain trend.
They have opened a market of bike packing, bike discovery and this is great in a natural bike practice but this practice is especially welcome in Europe because it is said to be safe!
Gravel arrived in Europe with a fashion effect but it is also promoted for its security and freedom, and it is in its spirit that Gravel is making a place for itself on our European roads! “Let’s avoid the roads and the dangerous traffic! Let’s be free to discover paths, singles, country roads where only mountain bikes had their place!
From now on you can ride on paths, roads, steeper routes and all this with a bike that goes everywhere! Happiness? Only one bike to ride !
WHAT CLOTHES SHOULD WE WEAR?
And yes this is the question and the opportunity to write a Blog for G4 and our brand of high-end cycling clothing!
What is the place of the bike textile in this world of the Gravel driver, it has to be said by the mechanics more than by the textile !
What is the Gravel for textile suppliers ! What is the evolution !? What is the difference with road bike clothing, bike shorts or traditional cycling jersey ?
Well…to be frank, technically nothing more, it’s just a style, an extra line in the catalog, no significant technical advantages that allow you a better practice in Gravel parts than on the road !
We, at G4, we tell you that as long as we don’t have a technicality or an innovative and certain evolution linked to the practice of this new discipline, we’re not going to produce for the sake of producing!
Our G4 clothes are enough to practice this discipline of Gravel or bike packing!
The Gravel is an attitude, a practice that we test on road or Gravel bikes, with clothes that we consider comfortable and of quality !
Our G4 collections are enough to practice the new Gravel mode, they are technical, robust, and comfortable, and above all our PROHD100 skin is the absolute weapon for Gravel bollards ! If you can do 7-8 hours on the saddle of a road bike used by pros and ex-professionals, then you can also ride in the roads without any worries!
At G4 we do Gravel like we do road biking or mountain biking and we don’t need shorts, a moustache, a shirt and shorts with a pocket on the side!
Choose the collection you like! We have chosen the Asphalt technical collection in contrast with nature to go for a Gravel ride and let you discover our G4 brand universe.
You, passionate about our G4 clothing, roll up and try this new practice if you like something new. And what’s more, be equipped with our high-end G4 clothing
Moreover, this discipline has given rise to competitions! If you wish to practice this new discipline to the fullest then discover the different Gravel events in France!La Normandicat Gravel
- La cyclo gravel de l’Héraultaise
- La Graveloppet
- La Tro Bro Gravel
- Le Gravel Trophy
- Le Nature is Bike
- La Schlitte Gravel
- La Gravel’Ardèche
- La French Divide
So let’s go for a Gravel ride with G4!
The G4 team
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