What Is a Gravel Bike?

Today, you can find a variety of bike styles. Among them, gravel bikes are gaining popularity in New Zealand. It is not difficult to understand why. Gravel bikes allow you to explore the beauty and remote scenery of NZ on and off the road. 

Of course, road bikes or mountain bikes can also do the job. However, they will not provide you with the same level of comfort and efficiency as gravel bikes. 

Gravel bikes in New Zealand, like any other bike category, can vary slightly from one another. However, some main features are standard among all gravel bikes. These are some of them:

Wider tyres are a key feature of gravel bikes. This extra volume of tyres adds comfort and traction when riding gravel bikes on New Zealand's rough trails. Nonetheless, you must select the type of tyres that best meet your requirements. 

For example, if you ride mainly through the muddy roads of New Zealand, you should get tyres with aggressive patterns and side lugs. These give gravel bikes extra grip and traction. 

In general, most gravel bikes come with tubeless tyres. Without an inner tube, there is a lower risk of getting pinch flats. The inner bike tube becomes trapped between the tyre and the rim at this point. 

Some gravel bikes might look like regular road bikes. However, the geometry design of gravel bikes differs. Typically, the frame of gravel bikes has a longer wheelbase and slacker angles for the frame and forks. It makes the gravel bike stable on wild off-road terrain.

The design of gravel bikes will give you a more upright riding position than other types of bikes. As a result, gravel bikes feel more comfortable on longer rides across New Zealand. 

In addition, the geometry design of these bikes lets you quickly shift your weight around to handle any obstacles on the road. 

When it comes to gravel bikes, the type of brakes is critical. Powerful, effective stopping is crucial to riding safely through the rough off-road surfaces of New Zealand. 

That is precisely what disc brakes provide. So whatever the road conditions are, you can always rely on the disc brakes of your gravel bike. 

At Pushbikes, we always strive to bring you the best products and professional advice in the New Zealand bike market. We aim to make everyone in New Zealand enjoy riding bikes as much as we do. 

We are a completely unbiased New Zealand bike shop, so we can confidently tell you which gravel bike to buy based on what we like.

We offer gravel bikes with both carbon and aluminium frames. Our collection of gravel bikes also ranges in price, features, and options. So you can rest assured that you will find the most suitable gravel bike for your needs. 

Enjoy the fantastic open roads of New Zealand. Check out our collection of gravel bikes now!