Ten years always feel short when every day looks much like the one before. Or when you never take the time to catch your breath, a bit like heading straight from the Tour de France into the Vuelta.
By contrast, ten years feel long when something new is always happening. Neuroscience backs that up: novelty stretches our sense of time. And that is the root of this sense of eternity, because over the past decade, not only GRAN FONDO but the entire drop-bar world has evolved at a ferocious pace, both technologically and culturally.
Our brains store new experiences far more vividly than routines we carry out on autopilot. That’s why periods of life packed with firsts feel so much longer in the memory. The debate around disc brakes in the pro peloton seemed to go on forever, just like the evolution of gravel. It was exciting then, and it still is now.
But what started out simple eventually became complicated: aero gravel bikes, race gravel bikes, adventure gravel bikes and bikepacking bikes. Sooner or later you have to ask whether we need all of them, or whether less optimisation can sometimes deliver more.
That’s why, instead of focusing on specialists, we rounded up the all-rounders and put 15 of the hottest do-it-all gravel bikes to the test. You’ll find our conclusions and the group test winner in this issue.
Time is not only made by new experiences. It also comes from choosing to make space for them. Like sitting down for a conversation in Cyprus, two Falkenjagd titanium hardtails leaning nearby: proper mountain bikes that first wonder whether they are completely out of place here, before deciding that no bikes could be more GRAN FONDO than they are.
I am pretty sure you have never made time for a conversation with two hardtails. You really should. Consider this an absolute must-read in this issue.
At one point on the beach, one of the titanium hardtails says: “The bike should never matter more than what I can experience with it.” And that gets right to the heart of our times, even if plenty of tech lovers and watt junkies might not agree.
Bikes get faster and more technically complex every year. But most of the time, we are actually searching for something else entirely. Inner peace. A slower pace. Good times. All while, paradoxically, our thoughts keep speeding up and we drive ourselves into decision-making delirium with endless technical questions.
More time is all the rage. But do we really need it? In the midst of the longevity craze, we optimise our sleep to within an inch of its life, let our smartwatches tell us how fit we ought to feel, and track everything: nutrition. Blood sugar. VO₂max. Then come the supplements, once we have blended the detox smoothie and shivered our way through a cold plunge.
Yet one question usually gets overlooked: what does a year actually feel like? Is it the number of years or moments that matters, or their quality? Would you rather go on one unforgettable ride or ten average ones? And which moments make us so happy that we never want to let them go?
Out into nature. Out of the daily grind. Out into freedom. An overnighter or a bikepacking trip is one of the simplest ways to get a lot out of very little. Preferably on a gravel bike, just like the bikes in this issue’s group test, which take everything from a fast after-work blast to a fully loaded Alpine adventure in their stride.
What do you need, unless you are happy sleeping under the stars with the bare essentials? A tent. So we tested six of the hottest bikepacking models, priced between € 250 and € 1,000.
Of course, you can use a bikepacking tent for all sorts of other adventures, too. The tents we tested also had to prove themselves across Patagonia and among California’s redwoods, and not just on the bike. There are no limits to what you can do with them, so just give it a go.
My big realisation this year? There are some things in life you can never truly be ready for.
I had seven months to go from complete beginner to taking on the toughest horse race in the world. I had to learn to ride, navigate and survive in the wilderness. A bit like bikepacking, only different. But read it for yourselves.
A change of perspective from time to time is incredibly important, and just as rewarding. Because the biggest changes often come not from new technology, but from seeing things differently. What happens when you stop talking about bikes and start thinking about possibilities? We found out while electric overlanding through California with Specialized. Read the full story online.
The greatest illusion of our time is believing that we have none. Every one of us has time. Most of the time, we simply do not use it, or we watch it slip away on Instagram. Or perhaps we have the wrong idea about it altogether. We think we can squeeze more out of our time by planning every minute more efficiently, and cramming even more into our calendars. But that doesn’t gain us a single second.
Time is there to be lived with presence, wasted and savoured all at once. That is when a feeling returns which most of us know only from childhood: a single moment feels like an eternity. Instead of thinking about the next appointment, we think about nothing at all and, almost without noticing, forget the world around us. And honestly, that feels wonderful.
The bike is a brilliant tool for exactly this. It can take us a long way, and the less time we spend staring at the Garmin, the more we notice and the more we discover, even close to home.
I sent my dad and his mates off on an e-bike overnighter to our garden plot, just four kilometres from our office in Leonberg. And sure enough, those 12 hours turned into memories for life. How good is it to see him and his friends discover bikepacking at around 70 years old and suddenly feel more alive than they have in years? You can read the full story in our sister magazine.
Nils offers another fascinating perspective in his essay, The cult of extremes. Because road cycling is far more than just a sport. For many, it has become a kind of substitute religion, with just one commandment: thou shalt not stop.
One pastor prays his way through the Race Across America, while an ultracycling record holder abandons his own world record attempt halfway through. One finds the strength to carry on through faith. The other finds the courage to stop. What does that say about us? Read it and find out.
Speaking of courage: life today is faster and more unpredictable than ever. It’s only natural that we crave security. Mental health and balance matter more than ever. At the same time, the temptation to avoid risk is growing. Nothing new, please. No struggle. Better to stick with what we know.
The result? At 28, we sometimes behave like pensioners. We optimise our FTP, debate lactate levels and the perfect setup, plan every adventure down to the smallest detail, and forget something that needs training just as much as our legs: courage.
The courage to embrace uncertainty. The courage to face confrontation. The courage to be wrong. The courage to follow your own path rather than the group, or the scent of the nearest matcha latte. Because age is not a matter of time or years. It’s a matter of attitude, and of being willing to keep stepping into the unknown.
The secret to a subjectively long life is not more years, but more firsts. For us, as a magazine, that is both excuse and incentive to keep pushing boundaries, changing perspective and refusing to take ourselves too seriously.
So one thing is certain: the next ten years will not fly by. They will feel wonderfully long and never be dull for a second.
So, dear friends, head out into the unknown. Time is waiting for us there.
Enjoy the mix of articles that have made it into this issue, and grab yourself some inspiration! Get the latest issue directly on your device if you already have our app. Otherwise, simply install it from the App Store (iPhone/iPad) or the Play Store (Android Smartphones & Tablets).
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Words: Robin Schmitt Photos: Diverse
About the Author
Robin Schmitt
Robin is one of the two founders of 41 Publishing, a visionary and go-getter. While he now enjoys every second on the bike – whenever his busy schedule allows – he used to race against the clock at enduro events and a few Downhill World Cups. Besides that, Robin practises kung fu and Zen meditation, plays the cello, loves classic cars, travels abroad and still reviews numerous bikes himself. Progressive ideas, new projects and major challenges – Robin loves exploring undiscovered potential and getting to the bottom of new trends.
