You see them in the forest, you see them in the city, you see them packed on trips, you see them on country roads, you see them in front of office towers, you see them on holiday, you see them everywhere - and quite rightly so! Gravel bikes are not only the bike trend of the last few years apart from pedelecs, but also the most versatile type of bike that has ever existed. We tested twelve of them precisely for this versatility and realised how many variations there are for this type of all-rounder.
The 12 gravel bikes in the test
History of the gravel bike
Before the pandemic, the "drop bar", as the downwardly curved racing handlebar on bicycles is technically called, was only occasionally seen on sporty road bikes, but now it feels like every second model leaves the shop with such a part. The lockdowns and the accompanying outdoor health wave have had a huge effect on sales figures, especially for sportier bikes. The fact that gravel bikes have emerged as the winner from this trend was a surprise for some retailers, but on closer analysis, even their predecessors had the potential to be big sellers.
In order to analyse the development of this omnipotent type of bike, MYBIKE has secured the ultra-competent support of 1992 cyclocross world champion Mike Kluge. This discipline, which was popular in the 1980s and 90s, was contested on near-series racing bikes, which were characterised almost exclusively by different brakes, which in turn allowed profiled, albeit very narrow tyres to be fitted. Many bike careers started on technically demanding circuits with carrying passages. These exotic bikes are considered the ancestors of gravel bikes.
Disc brakes make a difference
The sport fell into oblivion for a long time, partly due to the difficulty of controlling the bikes off-road and the virtually non-existent braking effect at the time, with cross veteran Kluge even calling the material life-threatening for amateurs. It was only with the invention and approval of disc brakes by the world governing body that sporty off-road riding experienced a renaissance, first in cross races and then among amateur riders. Today, many of the best road professionals come from cross-country racing, as the discipline used to be called.
Pioneers recognised that such an off-road racing bike combines the advantages of several worlds, and that is precisely why this type of bike has become so popular and blossomed in various ways. Cross-country bikes used to be made of steel, but today and in the test we also find aluminium and even mostly carbon gravel bikes. Frame material and shape have a decisive influence on the riding characteristics, not just the weight, as Max Fetzer, engineer and product manager at Storck, tells us.
With comparable tube shapes, carbon is particularly stiff and light, while significantly thinner aluminium and steel tubes flex slightly more - a disadvantage when steering and accelerating hard, but an advantage on uneven roads because the relative "softness" in the frame absorbs impacts from below. According to Fetzer, the geometry of the frame has at least as much influence on this as the material.
Colourful dozen of gravel bikes
The test field includes three bikes made of steel, three made of aluminium and six made of carbon. As an exotic among exotics, the Bombtrack even has a suspension fork, which is rather unusual for gravel bikes, which are usually sporty and flat. Expert Kluge is a self-confessed carbon fan, but admits that the heavier metal wheels are much more forgiving of riding errors - as well as the odd crash. However, he loves whizzing round corners on the modern, lightweight, manoeuvrable bikes with their steep head tube angles.
He had always wished for such reliable and versatile variants as in the test in his cross-country days. He is also convinced that the hydraulic disc brake was the quantum leap for gravel bikes. He is currently happy about the increasing number of electronic shifting systems, three of the test bikes are equipped with them. And like us, the 61-year-old also feels at home on long tours on gravel bikes or MTBs. You can read in the individual tests why and for whom such a bike is also a top companion on cycle tours and on the way to work in addition to off-road trips.
How MYBIKE tests - Gravel bikes 2023
1. inventory
The test bikes were inspected, measured, weighed and adjusted to the testers before the first metre was ridden.
2nd off-road test
About 15 kilometres of forest and meadow circuit, including firm gravel and forest paths, damp passages and single trails with tight bends and short, crisp climbs and descents.
3rd road test
On at least two "rides home", the bikes demonstrated their urban jungle qualities in terms of how dynamically they responded to acceleration and abrupt manoeuvres, including short high-speed cross-country rides and a course with standardised bags (2 + 4 kg).
4. evaluate
Because not all the characteristics of such a variable bike fit into the summary, we have captured a lot of them graphically (graphics on the range of use and riding position, see example below). The scale for the riding position relates specifically to gravel bikes and is therefore not comparable with trekking bikes. The bar chart regarding the possible uses takes into account both equipment and riding behaviour as well as "soft facts" such as the risk of theft, quick removal and installation of the wheels or possible additional equipment.
Gravel stands for the off-road qualities of seating position, handling and equipment Sport/Road for stiffness and dynamics as well as aerodynamic skills, Everyday/City for the easiest possible handling, moderate seating position and sensitivity of the parts. The Tour/Travel rating particularly rewards riding comfort, options for attaching luggage, robustness and the most variable equipment possible for all conceivable situations when travelling.
The graphic with the crosshairs on the left should give you a first quick idea of how the wheel is orientated. On the X-axis we have compared the smoothness and manoeuvrability, this time as a range, as the bikes were tested in such different situations. The Y-axis shows whether the equipment, including the frameset, was designed more for sporty use, more for comfortable and practical use or variable. Please note: Many manufacturers offer options or complete kits, but in principle only the test bike was rated as supplied.
