Gravel vs. Allroad - what's the difference?!

So, you've probably picked up on a bit of an emerging and flourishing trend in cycling... Gravel. It seems to be all we're talking about these days. However, I think there's still a level of uncertainty around gravel for many of us that only years ago would have labeled ourselves as either mountain bikers, OR, road riders. Now, a very attractive and popular bit of middle ground exists (and always has done...). So, what is "gravel"? Where do I find this "gravel"? Why is everyone doing it all of a sudden? Is it fun? Do I need a special bike for it? What kind of tires should I use? What size should they be? Hang on a second, Allroad is something different?! If you find yourself wondering about these kind of things, keep reading, we've got your back.

What is gravel?

Well, to us, gravel takes on many different forms. It's the dirt path through your neighborhood park or city greenway, the seemingly endless network of fire roads through the mountains, farm roads on the plains, little pieces of urban single track connected to make a loop, and frequently, trails that are probably better suited to mountain bikes if we're honest! As the iconic roads around Boulder get busier, we find ourselves looking toward these creative, less traveled, mixed surface routes all the more frequently. Routes that wouldn't be as enjoyable on a pure road bike or on a mountain bike.