Specialized Rock Combo: World’s First? Gravel / Mixed-Surface Production Bike (1989)

Unbound Gravel, arguably the world’s most famous gravel race, was run and won on June 5, 2021. This event and others have contributed to the rapid development of technology that goes into bikes designed to tackle the gravelly road less traveled. Gravel bikes have continually evolved, and are vastly different from the mixed-surface bike(s) I began riding way back in 2006. The men’s overall winning bike for the 2021 Unbound 200-mile distance, the Specialized Diverge of Ian Boswell, was one of several bikes sporting a retro paint livery. This livery is a homage to what is possibly the first, original mixed-surface bike from a big-name manufacturer, the Specialized Rock Combo. To quote specialized, “Rock Combo is a hybrid between a road bike and a mountain bike.“ In this video, JOM of the Gravel Cyclist crew provides a quick run-down of his 90% original Specialized Rock Combo. This bike is one he plans to restore to its original condition as best as possible, ultimately riding it for fun and pleasure and the