I’m slipping ever closer toward buying a gravel bike, mostly as a road bike that I don’t need to worry about hopping curbs with. Getting sick of ubiking!
You should get a mountain bike if you’re planning on hopping curbs. I would never subject my gravel bike to that kind of punishment.
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I don’t mean to bash it around, but are they not built to clear the occasional root / rut, or are they only designed for riding on buckwheat hulls? Still researching, so I appreciate the input. I’m lately enamored of a Trigon I’ve seen in a shop.
My brother says the frames can be fragile off axis, which I can appreciate.
Yes they are. I hop curbs on my road bike, their structural strength in the axis of design is stronger than you think. Depends on your bodyweight though, if you’re over 100kg then it’s going to suffer more. Gravel bike has a more solid frame so you should be fine.
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Most gravel bikes don’t have suspension forks. To get up/off a 12cm curb, you’d better have front suspension if you don’t want to damage your frame. Gravel bikes, being light weight, are more about speed, though they can handle more terrain than road bikes. You can add wider tires (38mm or wider) if you plan on going off-road, but I would stay away from a rooted, muddy chute. You need a proper mountain bike for that. The best thing about gravel bikes is that they’re more efficient at climbing than mountain bikes.
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I’m not saying you should do backflips on your Pinarello Dogma, but they’re pretty strong. 12cm kerb drop is nothing. Not saying frames don’t break but not normally within the axis that they are designed.
I probably pamper my gravel bike too much, but I got it mainly for the peace of mind I’d have when riding on various road surfaces than I would riding a conventional road bike. Also I like the flared handlebars which are more ergonomically designed so I can go on longer rides without feeling arm muscle fatigue.
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Dude, I’ll hop up and down curbs all day long on my old school 18mm tired road bike, nevermind my 30mm+ gravel bike.
Yeah, well, ride within your own comfort zone obviously. All I’m saying is the bike is stronger than you think. This is not a guarantee, though, so don’t sue me if you drop a kerb and the BB shoots out 
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