[jwasbury]

I have a hard time swallowing the price tag on modern bikes. Part of the reason why I have a stable full of vintage bikes.

Much of the riding I do is "mixed surface" and the sort of thing that people buy gravel bikes for. Truth is that gravel bike is just the industry trying to sell you a new machine. You can turn most any decent rigid or hardtail mountain bike into a gravel bike with some narrow road tires. Conversely you can turn any good older road bike into a gravel bike by fitting some wider range gears and 28c or 32c tires. Today's super specialized 12lbs racing bikes need not apply.

I took my old 1993 Breezer mountain bike and turned it into a gravel bike for more course work with some drop bars and narrow 1.5" road tires...its a "monster cross" sort of machine. My 1979 steel framed Guerciotti Italian Stallion got some 28c tires and new gearing so I can climb hills without blowing my knees up.

I did indulge myself with a Moots YBB mountain bike 2 years back. Fully custom and with a professional bike fitting. Incredible machine, and I have looked at their gravel bike. The modifications to the Guerciotti were about 1/10 the cost of a new Moots (which will run about the cost of a decent motorcycle)