Hardly a month goes by with the cycling industry inventing a new bike type to boost sales. Of late we have had gravel bikes, adventure bikes and now all-road bikes. So what is an all-road bike and is it any different from a gravel or adventure bike ?
The general consensus is that an all-road bike sits somewhere between a road bike and a gravel although looking at the main features of a all-road bike it certainly looks like a gravel bike!
All-Road Bike Features
Tyre Clearance
Like a gravel bike an all-road bike has greater tyre clearance than a road bike allowing wider tyres to be fitted for a more comfortable ride on road and more grip offroad. It also allows mudgaurds to be fitted.
Geometry
All-road bikes will have a more comfortable and stable geometry than a road bike but some argue that the geometry of an all- road bike is more road focussed than a gravel bike.
Gearing
All-road bikes will generally have a lower gear and wider range of gears than a road bike enabling them to tackle off roads climbs and hilly terrain.
Accessories
All-road bikes are ideal for cycle touring bikepacking especially where some offroad trails and tracks may be encoutered so they are usually capable of carrying luggage with all the necessary lugs enable bags etc to be attached.
So is the term “all-road bike just a marketing tool ? While there certainly are differences between all-road and gravel bikes its probably not enough to classify as a new bike category or type.
