Test gravel bikes under 2000 euros: Megamo Jakar 20 - Graveler with an unusual giant cassette
Julian Schultz
· 22.04.2025
In this article, we use so-called affiliate links. With every purchase through these links, we receive a commission from the merchant. All relevant referral links are marked with . Learn more.
The Spanish brand Megamo has had little significance in this country to date, at least for fans of racing handlebars. The company is already firmly in the saddle when it comes to electrified mountain bikes. After all, the location on the outskirts of Girona, Spain's racing bike Mecca, is the best source of inspiration for building good road and gravel bikes.
The Jakar is now the only aluminium bike in the gravel portfolio and is advertised as an all-rounder that can handle everything from day tours to epic bikepacking adventures. The Megamo Jakar has an independent look and is particularly striking due to its fresh paintwork, but it is also available in three much more subtle colour variants.
The Jakar doesn't hide its basic material with aggressively displayed weld seams, but the frame still looks neatly finished. In terms of riding position and handling, it is one of the sportier candidates in the test; the handlebars are comparatively low, the steering is balanced and the tyres are fast - inviting a sporty pace. On the road and fast forest tracks, you could almost get that racing bike feeling, but unfortunately, a key equipment detail is annoying if you want to keep the speed high.
Megamo Jakar: Gravel bike with huge cassette
The single drivetrain fitted to the test bike with a monstrous Eagle cassette from Sram only fits the basic idea of the gravel bike in rare special cases in our opinion. If you're looking for an easy-to-use gearbox with an extreme reduction ratio, you might be satisfied with the configuration.
However, when rolling along on flat terrain or on slight inclines, the gear steps that the mountain bike gradation entails are simply too big. The largest sprocket, which has 52 teeth and, in conjunction with the 40 t chainring, enables a significant gear reduction, is only needed in areas where you would hardly want to ride an unsprung gravel bike with racing handlebars.
The Jakar with tyres up to 50 millimetres wide could be "drilled out" a little for demanding terrain, but even on long, rough climbs and with luggage, the giant sprocket is merely an emergency anchor, as the chain grinds audibly on it and you slow down so much that you threaten to tip over. Perhaps the cassette on the test bike was fitted by mistake, as the Megamo Jakar 20 is currently available with a 10-50 t cassette.
Conversion to 2x drivetrains would also be possible, the frame has a cable guide for a front derailleur and a clamp can be mounted on the round seat tube. If you consider the effort involved, we would rather recommend the 200 euro cheaper, but hardly less well equipped Jakar 30, which comes with 2x10 gearing ex works.
Apart from that, the bike is great fun to ride and can also be upgraded with accessories suitable for everyday use: Threads for mudguards and a pannier rack are provided. However, the bike lacks mounts for fork racks or the toolbox under the bottom bracket, as well as integrated cable routing for the dynamo light, which is common on most of the other bikes in the test.
Carbon bikes from 2299 euros
In addition to the aforementioned Jakar 30, there is also a version with a flat bar for 1299 euros and one with mudguards and pannier rack for 1899 euros, which only has battery lighting. Megamo also offers two carbon gravel bikes: the West with a more comfortable orientation from 2299 euros, as well as the sportier race gravel bike Silk from 3499 euros.
Megamo Jakar: Info & test grade
- Price: 1899 Euro >> e.g. available here*
- Weight of complete wheel: 11 kilos
- Frame sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL (test size greased)
- TOUR grade: 2,6
Geometry
- Seat/top/head tube: 536/575/170 millimetres
- Stack/Reach/STR: 601/389 millimetres/1.54
- Stack+/Reach+/STR+: 655/577 millimetres/1.14
- Wheelbase/caster: 1050/69 millimetres
Equipment
- Drive/gear shift: Sram Apex Eagle (1x12; 40, 10-52 t.) | Grade: 2.5
- Brakes: Sram Apex (160/160 mm) | Grade: 2.0
- Tyres: WTB Riddler TR 45 mm (eff.: 42 mm) | Grade: 2.0
- Impellers: Fulcrum Rapid Red 900/Blackjack Ready
- Impeller weights: 2055/2609 grams (f./h.)
Measured values
- Weight of complete wheel: 10,950 grammes | Grade: 5.0
- Driving stability: 9.4 N/mm | Grade: 1.0
- Rear comfort: 170 N/mm | Grade: 2.7
- Comfort front: 75 N/mm | Grade: 2.0
- Ride/ bottom bracket stiffness: 66 N/mm | Grade: 1.0
Advantages & disadvantages of the Megamo Jakar 20
- Plus: Balanced driving behaviour, simple shift logic
- Minus: MTB cassette with large gear steps, no threads on fork and down tube
All 13 bikes in the comparison test
- Bulls Grinder 4
- Canyon Grizl 7
- Carver Gravel 220 1by
- Cube Nuroad C:62 One >> available here
- Focus Atlas 6.7 >> available here
- Giant Revolt 0 >> available here
- Megamo Jakar 20 >> available here
- Merida Silex 400 >> available here
- Radon Regard AL 10.0
- Ridley Kanzo Adventure Alu
- Rose Backroad AL GRX RX400 >> available here
- Scott Speedster Gravel 10 >> available here
- Stevens Prestige >> available here
The test procedure
Weight (25 per cent of the overall grade): The weighed complete wheel weight in the standardised test wheel size 56-57 centimetres counts for the evaluation. We also show the wheel weights for orientation. The grading scale is set in such a way that a grade of 1.0 is technically achievable: we award the best grade for weights under 7.5 kilograms.
Rear comfort (20 per cent): A measure of compliance under road shocks, measured in the TOUR laboratory. A suspension travel is measured when the seatpost is loaded. The measured value correlates very well with the riding impressions and the feeling of comfort. Good marks also mean decent riding dynamics, which have a positive effect on speed on poor roads and off-road.
Comfort Front (10 per cent): The deformation of the handlebars under load is determined in the same way as for the rear. A good score means a lot of suspension comfort, which takes the strain off your hands on long rides. However, strong sprinters who want a lot of stiffness should look for stiff handlebars.
Front stiffness (10 per cent): Important parameter for steering precision and confidence in the bike at high speeds, determined in the TOUR laboratory. The overall stiffness is determined on the fully assembled frame set, i.e. including the fork. The stiffness values are capped. The aim is not an infinitely stiff frame, but one that is sufficiently stable to ride.
Bottom bracket stiffness (10 per cent): Reveals how much the frame yields under hard pedalling, for example when sprinting. This measurement also takes place in the TOUR laboratory, with realistic clamping, in which the frame can deform as it would when riding.
circuit (5 per cent): The shifting characteristics are determined in the driving test. It is not the price or the quality impression of individual components that is assessed, but exclusively the function of the entire gearbox. The gear range, but also, for example, the cable routing, the quality of the cables and the mounted chain play a role.
Brakes (5 per cent): As with shifting, the test on the road also counts here, and the experience from our countless tests of brakes is also incorporated into the assessment. It is not the component itself that is assessed, but the function of the interaction between the brake body, pads and discs: How well can the brakes be modulated? How durable are the brakes, how do they react in hot or wet conditions, how long are the braking distances?
tyres (5 percent): Rolling resistance and grip are evaluated - as far as known from one of our independent tyre tests or based on driving impressions. The tyre width has no influence on the rating, as this is more a question of personal preference.
Lacquer (5 per cent): The TOUR paint test simulates stone chipping and allows a statement to be made about the durability of the protective top coat. A chisel simulates stone chipping or chain impact. Starting at a height of ten centimetres, the height is increased by ten centimetres until the paint gives way or the maximum drop height of 50 centimetres is reached.
Maintenance/adjustment (5 per cent): The test assesses how easy a bike is to maintain and adjust. Marks are deducted, for example, for special tools required, particularly complex detailed solutions, manufacturer-specific components or maintenance work that can only be carried out in specialised workshops.
The overall score is calculated arithmetically from the individual scores weighted differently (percentages in brackets). It primarily expresses the sporting qualities of the bike.
Julian Schultz
Editor
