>>1618583This is exactly the problem with things like gravel riding as a thing. Gravel cycling, like mountain biking and every other form of cycling, was born of necessity, someone somewhere needed a bike that could perform optimally on a particular kind of terrain because they were in a situation that required them to cycle regularly across said terrain.
Then what happens is someone else sees this and thinks, wow, that looks cool, I want one of those bikes and it becomes a thing, a trend that can explode into a full blown sport or mainstream activity.
Now, you shouldn't be asking where you can find gravel, if there is no available gravel round where you live then you don't need a gravel bike. What you should be doing is looking at the terrain and surfaces you are actually cycling on and ask 'which kind of bike is best suited to these conditions?'
It's easy to fall for memes, we all get that, and most people succumb at least once in their lives, you see others enthusing about something, it looks like fun and you want in, and there's nothing wrong with that, unless like you there is no realistic way for you to partake in said activity.
Your bike should be tailored to your specific requirements, and that's one of the wonderful thing about this hobby, there are virtually unlimited environmental conditions out there that offer all kinds of challenges to cyclists, beyond mere terrain there's weather too, so every riders needs are going to be slightly different.
My advice is to assess those places where you already ride and then look at places nearby where you could ride for fun, think about the weather where you live etc and then try to come up with a bike that is going to be able to cope with all the potential conditions you're likely to face, and don't feel like that bike already exists, the chances are you have a much better feel for the places you ride, your own style of riding, your budget and every other factor that goes into bike design.
