Wheel Family Fun: Gravel bicycles — where did they come from and what are they for?

When I was a kid, my bike was my ride to freedom. It took me all over the neighborhood, down dirt roads and over trails. Wherever I wanted to go, I rode it there. It wasn’t a road bike and mountain bikes hadn’t been invented. It was a good old Sears and Roebuck coaster bike, built tough to withstand my cycle abuse. When I graduated to a bike with gears and hand brakes, I continued exploring by bike, not letting my equipment define where I went.

Today, there are so many types of bicycles, specialized for different uses. There are fast, twitchy road and tri-bikes, made for speed on pavement. Touring bikes are made for comfort on the road and carrying a load. Beefy-tired mountain bikes with full suspension are ready to take on rough trails and steep downhill trails and jumps. Cyclocross bikes are designed for technical off-road handling in dirt, mud, sand and grass, but they can be used on pavement or gravel, too.