The bike is first made in 1817 by Baron Karl von Drais, a German inventor. His first bike was called swift-walker and it had a wooden frame, two wooden wheels with some iron rims, no pedals, and tires covered by leather. This swift-walker later has been developed as a bike that we know nowadays, completed with some advanced features, just like steel gravel bike.
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As we know that bikes do not only use as transportation but also as a tool to do sport. These past two years, during this pandemic, the bike gets more popular than before because lots it is the best tool to stay active during this quarantine. As the popularity keeps increasing, bike company takes this wonderful change to create more advance bikes that will give the best experience of riding for the commuters.
The huge production of the bike creates various types of bikes that are appropriate to commuters so that they can enjoy the riding more. The bike company offers the best materials to create strong yet comfortable bikes. One of the most popular bikes nowadays is the steel gravel bike.
What is Gravel Bike?
A gravel bike is a type of bike which is a combination of other types of bikes including road bike, cyclocross bike, adventure bike, and mountain bike. It can be said that the gravel bike is a complete package of the bike because it takes some similar features as other types of bikes. If you want to have all in one bike, a gravel bike is the best choice.
The gravel bike has various wonderful features that will give you the best experience of the ride. It has a wonderful design which is built with great material. That is why a gravel bike is lighter than a mountain bike. It is also perfect for a long ride journey without comparing to a road bike.
Moreover, it has an amazing structure that makes it versatile. It is perfect for you to ride along with the city and also gravel, bumpy, sandy, fire trails if you want to have a more adventurous riding experience. A steel gravel bike is also completed with wide tires, great brake, gears, and flat bars that will make your riding more comfortable and safer.
Common Materials for Gravel Bike Frame
Pedals, wheels, handlebars, gear, and frames are some bicycle components. The main component of the bike is the frame which is the body of the bike. The frame mostly shapes two triangles which one is the main triangle and another one is a smaller triangle onto which the gear and back wheel are fitted.
The frame for upright bikes is designed by considering the safety and comfort so that commuters can enjoy the ride better. The frame of the bike must be firm, that is why the material used for the frame is really important. Here are some common materials used to built gravel bikes.
Steel
Steel is one of the most used materials before aluminum, carbon, and titanium dominating most of the bike brands in the market. The pros of those materials such as the weight and the durability make people forget about how good steel is as a material for steel gravel bikes.
Luckily, steel is starting to get back its popularity since some brands of gravel and adventure bikes are using steel as their main material. Those bikes have been launched lately and that revives the popularity of one of the best materials for the bike.
Steel is stronger and more reliable than other materials that is why some bike companies are starting to use steel as their main material. Besides, high-tech machines are also used while building the bike that will make it perfectly fit.
Carbon
Steel vs carbon gravel bike frame is usually compared to each other because of their durability and reliability to build gravel bikes. Carbon is another most-used material to build bikes. It is stiff, fast, and direct when applied as bike material.
This material has been flooded in the market but there is a false understanding spreading among the people. The misunderstanding led the price of carbon frame bikes into the button over some years later. Luckily, more and more people are willing to find out the truth about the characteristics of carbon material.
Carbon material has been used by high-tech industries such as the aerospace industry to be one of the formulas for SpaceX. Of course, this happened for strong reasons because carbon material is light, durable, and incredibly strong. The thought of carbon as just like an eggshell becomes an old thought that we should replace with the right understanding of carbon’s characteristics.
Final Thoughts
Each material that is using to built bikes or other vehicles has its own specific characteristics which are different from each other. Carbon is stiff and strong, while steel is durable and light. We can see that both have their special characteristics that are why bike companies like to use those materials.
You may choose a steel bike yet a carbon bike is also not disappointing because the bike has perfectly built. Bike companies will choose the best materials so that they can provide the best product for customers. If you talk about how well these materials endure all stresses, they also have different characteristics.
Steel is a part of metal when carbon is not. Both carbon and steel frames can be broken as time goes by. Scratches, punctures, and crushes will be found on the bike frame as we always use the bike. The way you maintain your bike will give different results as well, that is why you need a strong commitment to take care of your bike, once you get it.
Furthermore, the preference on choosing the type of bikes must be considered by our need. That is because the price of gravel bikes is not that cheap. For some people, they may not be able to afford a gravel bike because it costs more than thousand of dollars. Stell gravel bike, adventure bike, or even cheap bike are not the point because as long as you are happy with your bike while cycling, that is more than enough for you.