Gravel bikes are currently the absolute trend category in bike shops. The latest generation of versatile, sporty bikes with drop bars obviously appeals to a wide audience. Long-established racing cyclists look sceptically at wide knobby tyres, mountain bikers look suspiciously at crooked handlebars: the gravel bike is neither fish nor fowl, which is precisely why it is an ingenious concept for the masses.
In Germany, about as many gravel bikes are sold as non-motorised mountain bikes and racing bikes put together. Everyone wants one, many have one. Naturally, bike manufacturers' mouths are watering. The gravel bike is the new cash cow of numerous product portfolios. The development departments of major brands are becoming increasingly creative and are trying to inject more and more exciting features into the genre.
Even smaller labels that have traditionally focussed on the MTB sector are trying their hand at gravel bikes. We picked out ten striking models from this new generation and wanted to find out which approach is best for bikers.
Gravel bikes that could hardly be more different
The selection of candidates for our gravel bike test resulted in an extremely colourful fleet. On the one hand, there is the adventure specialist Salsa Cutthroat, the Landrover Defender of gravel bikes: a reliable companion for expeditions on trails far from civilisation, but no good for sprinting through town.
On the other hand, there is the Radon Tigard with its elegant titanium frame and handling characteristics similar to those of a Rolls Royce Phantom. In stark contrast to this is the wild Marin Headlands, which, with its likeable redneck charm, craves uncompromising driving fun in the style of a Chevrolet Corvette.
Hot on its heels is the Lotus Elise of the group: the lively Alutech Punk prefers to scurry along narrow mountain passes with the top down. There is a touch of the Mercedes AMG GT in the Pivot Vault: convincing at the wheel but not necessarily in terms of value for money.
Meanwhile, Canyon Grizl, Giant Revolt X, Propain Terrel CF and Santa Cruz Stigmata look particularly attractive in the dealers' yards. With their robust chassis and suspension, they promise to combine the all-round qualities of an SUV with off-road suitability, but are not the most efficient choice for the daily commute to work.
And then there's the Scott Scale Gravel. "Cheeky that name! There's not a single gravel part on it!" a test colleague exclaims when he sees the rigid fork hardtail. In fact, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Swiss were just looking for a clever way to free up full stocks of old mountain bikes. Or is a tractor the best ride on gravel after all?
Fast rides over varied surfaces - that's what prospective buyers expect from a gravel bike. However, many underestimate firstly how differentiated the market has become and secondly how colourful some manufacturers are with their advertising promises. Despite the suspension fork and dropper post, a certain amount of riding technique is required to ride a gravel bike off-road. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
The 10 test bikes
1st Alutech Punk 2.0
- Price: 6499 Euro
- Weight: 8.5 kg
- Frame material: Carbon
- Tyre width: 45 mm
- Special features: Fidlock frame storage compartment, fork flip chip, UDH derailleur hanger
2. Canyon Grizl CF8 w/Rift
- Price: 3499 Euro
- Weight: 10.6 kg
- Frame material: Carbon
- Tyre width: 45 mm
- Special features: Frame storage compartment, carbon fibre seat post, prepared for Fidlock bag system, suspension fork with luggage mounts
3rd Giant Revolt X Advanced Pro 2
- Price: 4299 Euro
- Weight: 10.3 kg
- Frame material: Carbon
- Tyre width: 45 mm
- Special features: Dropper post with 25 mm travel, fork with 40 mm travel, flip chip, carbon wheels, tubeless as standard
4th Marin Headlands 3
- Price: 4,499 euros
- Weight: 9.7 kg
- Frame material: Carbon
- Tyre width: 45 mm
- Special features: Frame storage compartment, mounts for mudguards and pannier rack, luggage mounts on top tube and fork, dropper post
5th Pivot Vault Team Force XPLR AXS
- Price: 5499 Euro
- Weight: 8.8 kg
- Frame material: Carbon
- Tyre width: 40 mm
- Special features: Frame storage compartment, Iso-Flex comfort technology, mudguard mount, UDH derailleur hanger, mounting points for tool mount and top tube bag, lifetime warranty
6th Propain Terrel CF Trail
- Price: 3644 Euro
- Weight: 10.7 kg
- Frame material: Carbon
- Tyre width: 45 mm
- Special features: frame storage compartment, suspension fork, dropper post, mount for mudguard, online configurator
7th Radon Tigard GRX Di2
- Price: 5999 Euro
- Weight: 9.9 kg
- Frame material: Titanium
- Tyre width: 45 mm
- Special features: Gravel bike with titanium frame and lifetime warranty from direct sender, mount for mudguards and pannier rack
8. salsa cutthroat C GRX 1x
- Price: 3799 Euro
- Weight: 11.2 kg
- Frame material: Carbon
- Tyre width: 29 x 2.2"
- Special features: compatible with MTB suspension fork, mounts for pannier rack, large tyre clearance, plenty of space for frame bag, Boost standards, flex rear triangle
9th Santa Cruz Stigmata Rival 1x Rudy
- Price: 5299 Euro
- Weight: 9.8 kg
- Frame material: Carbon
- Tyre width: 45 mm
- Special features: lifetime warranty, frame storage compartment, mudguard mounting possible, UDH derailleur hanger
10th Scott Scale Gravel 10
- Price: 2799 Euro
- Weight: 10.9 kg
- Frame material: Carbon
- Tyre width: 29 x 2.4"
- Special features: MTB hardtail with rigid fork, luggage mounts on the fork, inner bar ends as standard, flat bar
Tyre choice on a gravel bike
In theory, wide tractor tyres even roll more easily than narrow tyres. With identical air pressure, their ground contact areas are the same size but have different shapes. More material has to be deformed on the elongated surface of a narrow tyre in the direction of travel. The braking lever arm of the wide tyre, on the other hand, is smaller. However, rolling resistance depends not only on the width and pressure of the tyre, but also on the structure and surface. At very high or very low speeds, its value is cancelled out by air resistance or wheel inertia. In terms of aerodynamics and acceleration, Scott and Salsa with their fat tyres are clearly at a disadvantage.
Otherwise, there is unanimity among the gravel bikes: seven out of ten manufacturers rely on 45 millimetre tyres. Only the Pivot has a lower tyre width. Interesting: While just a few years ago many gravel bikes were still rolling on Schwalbe tyres, only Canyon still uses their rubber in our test field. Also noticeable was the poor long-term sealing of almost all tubeless systems in the test. This definitely works better with wide mountain bike tyres.
Many gravel bikes are trying to move closer to mountain bikes with their geometry and equipment. Long, flat frames, suspension forks, dropper posts and wide tyres: This is a plus for riding safety. However, lightweight bikes are expensive in this category. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
Seating comfort on a gravel bike
There is more divergence in our gravel bike test group when it comes to seating. The riding positions in the saddle range from short-low on the Alutech to short-high on the Radon and Salsa, long-high on the Propain and long-low on the Marin. Canyon, Salsa and Pivot integrate special flex functions into the frame and seatpost system, but these can only partially improve comfort in practice. Nobody can keep up with the suspension Vario seatpost on the Giant. The all-terrain special model from the Taiwanese bike giant is our tip for rides in rough terrain. With the exception of Alutech and Radon, the test field favours smooth-running geometries with long main frames and mostly slack head angles. The downhill character of the Propain, Santa Cruz and Marin in particular cannot be denied. They can handle a lot of speed, but sometimes need a lot of pressure when handling on twisty trails.
Suspension fork on a gravel bike
When it comes to a recommendation for rough gravel, pothole tracks and easy trails, gravel bikes with suspension forks have a decisive advantage. Wherever the smooth forest road ends, a suspension fork is a real game changer. In the world of mountain bikes, 40 millimetres of suspension travel is extremely little. However, our laboratory and practical tests confirm that the gain in comfort at the front is immense. Less fatigue and more control significantly improve the riding characteristics on rough sections of trail. How much trail action still makes sense on a gravel bike is an eternal topic of debate in the scene. The fact is, however, that virtually every tour planning software incorporates a poorly maintained gravel descent or a short singletrack trail here and there into a gravel tour.
With the additional reserves of a suspension fork and possibly a dropper post that can be lowered from the handlebars, gravel bikers ride with a greater sense of security and have to push less often in unfamiliar terrain. Here again, the comfortable Giant and the versatile Canyon stand out, which runs over bumps with remarkable sensitivity thanks to a proprietary development on the fork. Propain not only integrates mountain bike technology into the gravel bike at a reasonable price, but also aesthetically thanks to the radio-based ecosystem. Compared to a carbon fork, a suspension fork is not only more complex and requires more maintenance, but also adds around 750 grams to the weight of the bike. Only the Santa Cruz remains just under ten kilos.
Alternative rigid fork hardtail
The Scott Scale gravel hardtail does not have a suspension fork but does have MTB handlebars. This makes the bike much easier to control off-road than classic gravel bikes. However, it has to accept the disadvantages in terms of comfort and equipment, as it costs significantly less than its rivals. Mountain bikes with rigid forks are extremely rare on the market, but should be an exciting concept for many a gravel biker. We are eagerly awaiting more manufacturers to jump on the bandwagon. After all, the boundaries between road cyclists and mountain bikers are already becoming blurred.
Conclusion from BIKE editor Jan Timmermann
No, a standardised definition of gravel bikes has not yet been clearly established and yes, the influence of mountain bikes is a benefit for the market. Bikes like the Giant Revolt X are pushing the limits of what is rideable. For long, self-sufficient tours, there is hardly any way around the Salsa Cutthroat. Propain and Canyon prove that MTB technology on gravel bikes firstly does not necessarily have to be expensive and secondly has not yet been developed down to the last detail. Which tyre width will one day become established and what kind of handlebars gravel bikers will be using in the future remains exciting, as the debate continues.
Jan Timmermann
Editor
