I spent years convincing myself I needed to pick a side. Road cycling or gravel. Fast group rides on smooth pavement or adventurous exploration on dirt roads. The cycling world sometimes feels like it demands allegiance to one tribe or another, but here’s what I’ve learned as this magazine’s deputy editor: the best bike is the one that makes you want to ride.
My journey into gravel cycling wasn’t some dramatic revelation. It started with curiosity about those wider-tired bikes I kept seeing pop up in my feed, followed by a single borrowed bike on a local rail trail. That first ride changed everything. Not …
