Not too long ago I got here throughout this opinion piece, and I even learn a few of it:
The accusation? Shimano doesn’t care about gravel folks:
See, we all know this as a result of “punters” are conducting Web searches for “What’s greatest garvel biek?” and touchdown on their listicles:
And though Shimano does in actual fact have a complete line of gravel stuff it’s simply not sufficient, as a result of…they’re dominating the UCI Gravel World Championships anyway?!?
Is the conclusion to attract from this actually that Shimano doesn’t care about gravel? Or is the conclusion to attract that the GRX stuff is for the punters, however that each Shimano and the professionals perceive that the “highway” stuff works on gravel too?
That is a particularly harmful scenario, as a result of if folks begin determining that not all the pieces needs to be gravel-specific then the entire home of playing cards is gonna fall! And occurs then? To not combine metaphors, however the gravy prepare involves a halt. No extra gravel helmets:
No extra gravel eyewear:
No extra gravel socks:
Sorry, make that aero gravel socks:
Additionally, no extra FAQs on methods to set up your aero gravel socks in your ft for that matter:
I actually can’t imagine I simply noticed “How do I placed on my socks?” in an FAQ, and I believe biking might have formally hit rock-bottom.
Wait, no, this is rock-bottom:
Sorry, it’s exhausting to maintain observe.
However sure, we’re perilously near everybody lastly determining that the phrase “gravel” in a biking context serves to different goal besides to extend search engine optimisation. As I’ve identified earlier than however don’t bear in mind the place, in the event you take away the phrase “gravel” from just about any bike-related advertising and marketing it has no impact on the that means in any way. It’s just like the little nut in your presta valve–go away it off and also you’ll by no means discover:
Really, the bike business is clearly conscious of the hazard as a result of you may see they’re slowly making an attempt to switch the phrase “gravel” with the phrase “journey.” This can be a slight enchancment, as a result of typically the phrase “journey” is gratuitous, and typically it’s not. For instance, it’s affordable to say “bike journey” as a result of not each trip is an journey, however it’s foolish to name a motorbike an “journey bike” since any bike is able to occurring an journey. It’s like calling this a musical enjoyment speaker as an alternative of only a speaker:
If it had been the bike business there’d be a distinct one for each single style of music and the one distinction between them can be the colour.
Anyway, hopefully Shimano reads that opinion piece and figures out they will slap a “gravel version” sticker on their normal Dura-Ace drivetrain, put some olive drab detailing on it, and cost $1,000 extra for it.
Talking of colours, the leaves are stuffed with them:
Sure, I had myself an actual gravel bike journey on my gravel adventuring bike this morning:
This regardless of Shimano’s utter lack of concern for gravel and journey and adventure-gravelling:
The truth is, as you may see, I’ve gutted my drivetrain in protest.
At one level I additionally got here throughout these seemingly deserted wheels and tires:
“Fuck it, I’m going tubeless,” somebody will need to have determined.
