Gravel bikes are incredibly versatile. Capable both on and off-road, they’re able to carry you across a variety of terrain types. They’re robust, they’re fun to ride and they generally employ a lot of the best in modern technology, including disc brakes and beginner-friendly wide-ratio gearing.
Most gravel bikes are still light enough and quick enough for use on the tarmac despite their broad capabilities, making them a great all-round choice, and arguably the best option if you’re only going to own one bike.
A quick skim through our reviews over the past few seasons reveals just how quickly the gravel market has exploded. From the occasional inclusion to becoming a mainstay of our testing, gravel bikes are everywhere.
How we test and why you should trust our advice
With almost every manufacturer now offering at least one of these incredibly capable mixed-terrain bikes in their ranges, we’ve been hard at work riding as many of them as possible.
Every gravel bike featured here has been put to the test on a variety of terrain by our team of expert reviewers, overseen by tech editor Sam Challis and website editor Matthew Loveridge.
New to cycling? Read our beginner’s guide to gravel bikes for a complete introduction to the discipline and, if you think gravel might be for you, don’t miss our detailed advice on how to buy a gravel bike.
Read on for the highest-scoring gravel bikes aggregated from our recent reviews, grouped by their frame material.
Best aluminium gravel bikes
- Cannondale Topstone: RRP £2,200 – BUY NOW from Tredz for £1,795
- Canyon Grail 7: £1,799
- Felt Breed 20: RRP £2,159 – BUY NOW from Merlin Cycles for £1,699
- Vaast A/1: £1,719
- Canyon Grizl 7: £1,799
- Kinesis G2: BUY NOW from Cyclestore for £1,680
Best carbon gravel bikes
- Basso Palta II: £3,599
- Cannondale Topstone Carbon 2 L: BUY NOW from Cyclestore for £4,250
- Cannondale Topstone Lefty: BUY NOW from Cyclestore for £4,275
- Canyon Grizl: £2,949
- Cervélo Áspero: RRP £3,399 – BUY NOW from Tredz for £3,000
- BMC Kaius 01 One: £11,350
- BMC URS: £2,850
- Factor Ostro Gravel: £8,430
- Festka Scout: £4,450
- FiftyOne Assassin: €3,499
- Giant Revolt Advanced Pro 1: BUY NOW from Tredz for £4,899
- GT Grade Carbon Pro: £3,300
- Specialized S-Works Crux: BUY NOW from Cyclestore for £11,500
- Vielo V+1 Alto: £5,999
- Pinarello Grevil F: £7,000
- Ridley Kanzo Fast: RRP £4,909 –
- Santa Cruz Stigmata CC: RRP £4,499 – BUY NOW from Tredz for £3,599
- Specialized Diverge STR Expert: BUY NOW from Tredz for £6,299
- Trek Checkpoint SL 6: BUY NOW from Trek for £4.000
- 3T Exploro RaceMax: £4,599
- 3T Exploro Ultra: £5,699
- Ribble Gravel SL Hero: RRP £5.799 – The full Gravel SL range from Ribble
- Liv Devote Advanced 2: RRP £2,599 – BUY NOW from Tredz for £2,299
Best Steel Gravel Bikes
- Condor Bivio: £1,000 (frame only)
- Genesis Fugio 30: BUY NOW from Freewheel for £3,199
- Stayer Groadinger UG: £1,350 (frame only)
Best Titanium Gravel Bikes
- Kinesis Tripster ATR V3: £2,400 (frame only)
- Moots Routt RSL: £6,700 (frame only)
- Moots Routt YBB: £6,600 (frame only)
- Passoni Cicloprato: €6,230 (frame only)
- Stanton Switchpath: £2,429 (frame only)
Best aluminium gravel bikes (plus bonus magnesium)
Cannondale Topstone 1
- Price: £1,999
- Practical and versatile
- Plenty of gear range for off-road conditions
While Cannondale’s alloy Topstone is a bit less radical than the suspension-equipped carbon versions, it’s still a very practical and versatile machine, and our pick of the bunch would be the Topstone 1 with its mix of Shimano 105, Ultegra and Tiagra-equivalent GRX components.
With plenty of mounting points for racks and mudguards, you could almost mistake it for a touring bike. At the same time, generous gearing (a subcompact 46/30 crank and 11-34 cassette on this model) means it’s happy to spin yourself and any kit you’re carrying up any off-road ascent.
While the alloy frame adds a bit of weight versus carbon, the bike is well specced, plus the WTB Nano tyres run quickly on and off-road, thanks to their reasonably continuous central tread.
- Read our full Cannondale Topstone review
- Buy now from Tredz (2023 model, £1,795)
Canyon Grail 7
- Price: £1,799
- Superb value and spec
- No heavier than a road bike at this price point
This superb value bike from direct-to-consumer firm Canyon scored a rare five-out-of-five. Based around a capable aluminium frame, its 40mm tyres provide plenty of versatility, while a double chainring Shimano GRX gravel groupset is an excellent find at this price.
With DT Swiss supplying the lightweight wheelset, which arrives tubeless as standard, we couldn’t find any chinks in the Grail’s armour.
This bike weighs much the same as you’d expect for a similarly priced road model, and space for mudguards (Canyon’s own – there’s no seatstay bridge) mean it’s all the drop bar bike many riders will ever need.
- Read our full Canyon Grail review
- Buy now from Canyon (£1,799)
Felt Breed 20
- Price: €2,649
- High quality alloy frameset
- Nice spec including a T47 bottom bracket
The Felt Breed possesses an aluminium frame so nicely constructed you’re unlikely to wish you’d saved a bit more and got something made of carbon.
With plenty of hydroforming and machining, it provides well-mannered handling, along with generous 45mm tyre clearance and space for a durable threaded T47 bottom bracket shell.
The Breed has single-chainring SRAM Force drivetrain, wide flared handlebars that provide plenty of leverage and 40mm Vittoria Terreno tyres fitted to Devox wheels, making for an acceptable overall weight. It’s a quality that helps the bike make a decent fist of everything you could reasonably expect a drop-bar bike to attempt.
- Read our full Felt Breed 20 review
- Buy now from Merlin Cycles for £1,699
Vaast A/1
- Price: £1,719
- Magnesium frameset is lighter and more compliant than aluminium
- Dropped chainstays increase rear tyre clearance
With radically dropped chainstays, clever internal cable routing, and a bright red metallic paint job, the Vaast makes no secret of its metal frame. Made of magnesium rather than aluminium, this leaves it both lighter and more compliant than bikes created from more traditional alloys.
With a spring in its step, it left our reviewer reckoning it also provides excellent value. The combination of frameset and spec is a remarkable achievement for a comparatively small firm.
Our test model came with Stan’s excellent Grail S1 wheels. However, Vaast offers multiple builds, including one based around diminutive and nimble 650b wheels.
- Read our full Vaast A/1 review
- Buy the Vaast A/1 with Shimano GRX now from Bikester (£1,719)
Canyon Grizl 7
- Price: £1,799
- Capable for bikepacking or short blasts
- Big 50mm clearance
While the Canyon Grail is focussed on speedier rides, the Grizl heads for more technical gravel and bikepacking duties. Its geometry is more relaxed, it can take wider 50mm tyres and you can bolt a whole lot of stuff to it. With the fitted 45mm tyres, there’s room for mudguards, although the lack of a seatstay bridge means you’re best off sticking with Canyon’s proprietary ones.
The geometry is comfortable, with a long top tube and a short stem leading to good weight distribution. Although you can load up for a multiday trip, it’s still fun to take out for a short blast around the woods.
Even though it sits near the bottom of the range, the Grizl 7 gets a Shimano GRX 2×11-speed groupset and DT Swiss Gravel LN wheels. The 42cm bars fitted to the test bike forego the wide flare more common on gravel bikes.
- Read our full Canyon Grizl 7 review and our Canyon Grizl vs. Grail head-to-head
- Buy now from Canyon (£1,799)
Kinesis G2
- Price: £1,680
- Performs well on and off road
- Good technical handling
The Kinesis G2 is a reliable all-rounder, well equipped to tackle both trails and tarmac alike. Taking inspiration from the popular Tripster, the G2 features a shorter headtube and chainstays to produce a nippy bike, capable over relatively technical terrain for its remit.
The G2 has tyre clearance for up to 50mm tyres with 650b wheels, or 45mm with 700c, and the Schwalbe G-One Allround tyres specced help keep the bike functional for dalliances onto tarmac.
Despite being on the hefty side – just shy of 10kg for a size small – the G2 handles superbly and rides like a much lighter bike, and the adapted geometry creates a comfortable but efficient riding position.
- Read our full Kinesis G2 review
Best carbon gravel bikes
Basso Palta II
- Price: £3,599
- Racy feel both on and off tarmac
- Updated geometry and spec for added comfort
The gravel renaissance has largely been propped up by people rediscovering their suspensionless mountain bike-oriented youth, but it’s also become a breath of fresh air for those with road fatigue, having spent ten years since the 2012 boom riding the same country lanes.
Basso’s Palta II appeals to the road cyclist who wants to get in on the action with a racier feel that will still take on rough surfaces with ease and helps build confidence on unfamiliar territory while still performing well on tarmac.
Since its first edition the Italian brand has made some alterations to further enhance comfort through features that better damp bumps and vibrations including a gravel-specific carbon fibre handlebar as well as a more relaxed geometry.
- Read our full Basso Palta II review
- Buy now from 2Pedalz (from £3,599)
Cannondale Topstone Carbon 2L
- Price: £4,500
- Kingpin rear suspension glides over broken ground
- Balanced ride from compliant front end
This second generation Topstone Carbon slightly updates the Kingpin rear suspension, which loses 100g in weight but still offers 30mm of vertical travel. Other changes include a standard seatpost clamp, 45mm tyre clearance for the now standard dished rear wheel and a threaded bottom bracket.
Although the undamped suspension can feel bobbing on tarmac, off-road it leads to the Topstone gliding over broken ground, adding traction over a rigid rear triangle. Despite the rigid front end, the bike doesn’t feel unbalanced in its comfort levels front to rear. The 9.6kg weight does feel quite high, although a significant chunk comes from the SmartSense integrated lighting/radar system, as seen too on the Cannondale Synapse, although this isn’t included in the majority of specs.
- Read our full Cannondale Topstone Carbon 2 L review
- Buy Now from Cyclestore (from £4,250)
Cannondale Topstone Lefty
- Price: £7,500
- Front and rear suspension for comfort
- Very able on technical terrain
A bike for the daring off-road rider, the Topstone features a single-sided suspension fork, plus a frame with radically dropped seatstays that connect to the seat tube via a pivot, allowing the rear triangle to act as a leaf spring.
Rolling on smaller 650b wheels and sporting a cassette wider than on some mountain bikes, it’s a design that plonks itself squarely in the wilderness.
However, it’s far from weird for the sake of weird. For starters, the 30mm suspension fork works exceptionally, plus looks way more pleasing than those found on many other bikes. The same goes for the frame’s matching ability to gobble up bumps.
Of course, both added weight and cost limit the Topstone’s appeal to some riders. However, if you want to get rowdy, this is a bike that’s very happy to play along.
- Read our full Cannondale Topstone Lefty 1 review
- Buy Now from Cyclestore (from £4,275)
Canyon Grizl
- Price: From £1,999
- Large tyre clearance and VCLS seatpost add comfort
- Excellent value, quality spec
A bike that shares more in appearance with Canyon’s Endurace road range than the firm’s more extreme Grail, the Grizl provides a perfect mid-point. Looking fairly conventional, its slim seatstays, massive 50mm tyre clearance and flexible VCLS carbon post all keep things comfy.
At the same time, a short and tall geometry, wide bars, and plentiful mounting points mean it’s both capable and adaptable.
Not the most racy, but also far from being overbuilt, the Grizl provides supreme comfort and competency on most gravel trails. It’s capable of being pushed a little further in either direction and it’s also excellent value.
- Read our full Canyon Grizl review
- Buy now from Canyon (from £1,999)
Cervélo Áspero
- Price: £3,399
- Variable fork offset for consistent handling on 700c and 650b wheels
- Low weight and fast riding
Cervélo is known for making fast road bikes and the off-road Cervélo Áspero is almost equally speedy. Marketed with the slogan ‘haul ass, not cargo’, it’s unashamedly racy. Of course, this doesn’t mean you couldn’t strap bikepacking bags to it, and there’s even a mount for a snack box on the top tube.
However, if you want to go out and win yourself some gravel races, this is the sort of bike that will help you do so. With a low frame weight and nippy handling, it’s literally and figuratively head-down in its approach to riding.
This balance is kept stable whatever tyres you use thanks to something Cervélo calls the ‘Trail Mixer’. Allowing the fork offset to be adjusted to maintain consistent handling, it permits the Áspero to work with 700c or 650b gravel wheelsets or slick road tyres.
- Read our full Cervélo Áspero review
- Buy Now from Tredz (from £3,000)
BMC Kaius 01 One
- Price: £11,350
- Fast off-road feel
- 36cm integrated cockpit
Taking point from its racy road cousin the Teammachine SLR 01 and its adventure-focussed sibling the URS 01, the Kauis 01 One aims to be the best of both, with a sleek integrated design and excellent off-road handling.
The Kaius is BMC’s first race gravel bike and, as such, wants to go fast. The 36cm handlebars aim to get the rider into a more aerodynamic position and the overall build is very light, coming in at 7.7kg for a size 56.
It’s specced with SRAM Red eTap AXS XPLR – inkeeping with its elite gravel essense -, Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels and 40mm Pirelli Cinturato tyres, with clearance for up to 700×44mm.
No wonder Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won the first ever Gravel World Championships on a Kaius.
- Read our full BMC Kaius 01 One review
- Buy BMC Kaius 01 Two Force AXS Wide 2023 from Tredz (from £8,350)
BMC URS
- Price: £2,850
- 10mm rear travel
- Suspension fork and dropper post options
With a suspension fork on the more rugged LT version, remote-activated dropper seatpost, and wide tyres, the URS is a fair few stops along with the trail to mountain bike town. And that’s before you consider its radically slack carbon frame and its in-built rear damper.
Offering 20mm of suspension at the front (a rigid fork version is also available) matched to 10mm at the back, the bike’s off-road abilities are further intensified by a super-wide cassette and single-ring drivetrain courtesy of SRAM’s electronic AXS line.
The URS is superbly capable on the rough stuff and good on smoother surfaces too. Just don’t expect it ever to be mistaken for a road bike.
- Read our full BMC URS 01 review
Factor Ostro Gravel
- Price: £8,430
- Aero frameset designed for gravel racing
- Quality spec including a power meter
Based on the Factor Ostro VAM, the Ostro Gravel combines light weight and fast handling to suit the gravel racer. As you’d expect, frame clearance and geometry have been tweaked for off-road riding, and the bike modifies the Ostro VAM’s aero tube profiles and integrated cockpit, as Factor points out that there’s enough speed to gravel races for this to offer an advantage.
There’s room for 45mm tyres and at this spec you get a Red eTap AXS 1× XPLR groupset with power meter, although unless you’re racing the 44-tooth chainring might lead to gears that are too steep and don’t go below 1:1. The Black Inc 34 wheelset works well for the bike.
The ride is fast and the Ostro Gravel skims over uneven ground and is rapid on tarmac, although the stiff frameset makes it fairly unforgiving over rougher terrain at lower speeds.
- Read our full Factor Ostro Gravel review
- Buy the Factor Ostro Gravel now from Factor Bikes (£8,430)
Festka Scout
- Price: £4,500 frameset
- Excellent handling
- 1× only frameset is stiff but still comfortable
With excellent handling and room for 650b wheels and up to 50mm-wide tyres (42mm with 700c), Festka’s latest gravel bike packs a punch both on and off the road.
It’s the brand’s first 1×-specific bike, and with its longer wheelbase it was clearly built with bikepacking in mind but it’s still a responsive and agile gravel bike.
The Scout’s round and straight tubes make it stiff but not uncomfortable, and aim to offer a neat balance of strength, damping and impact-resistance for riding on rough terrain.
The Scout also offers copious possibilities for bags and racks at no detriment to performance – this is a bike tailored for adventure.
Our reviewer didn’t want to give it back.
- Read our full Festka Scout review
- Buy the Festka Scout now from Festka (Approx £4,500 frameset)
FiftyOne Assassin
- Price: €3,499
- Variable geometry can be tuned to your ride
- Plenty of clearance and mounting points
Variable geometry ensures the FiftyOne Assassin has an adaptable personality. Add in serious clearance, plus a ton of different mounting points, and this bike manages to do a lot of different things well.
This capability is boosted via flip-chips, alloy inserts in the dropouts that can be flipped – from a high to a low position at the fork or across three different fore-aft positions at the rear.
Radically changing the handling from cruiser-like to something far sportier, this allows the Assassin to manage everything from touring duties to mountain bike-style trails. Add in clearance for 47mm tyres, extensive carry capacity, plus wiring for a dynamo hub, and this is a bike you can make of what you want.
- Read our full FiftyOne Assassin review
- Buy now from FiftyOne (€3,499)
Giant Revolt Advanced Pro 1
- Price £4,499
- Light, fast, fun
- Flip chips allow geometry adjustment
A keenly-priced do-it-all gravel bike. Lightweight on account of its carbon chassis and wheels, the Giant Revolt provides a fabulous ride that’s fast, lively and fun. At the same time, its many mounts and generous clearances offer true versatility.
Striking an optimal balance between road-bike-with-abnormally-large-tyres and mountain-bike-with-strange-curly-handlebars, it’s pitch-perfect gravel. With an extended reach to accommodate a shorter stem, the bike’s stack is pretty lofty, which should suit less race-focused riders.
Its disposition can also be adapted thanks to the integrated flip-chips, which allow you to adjust the bike’s geometry. Fitted with 40mm tyres, there’s a definite roadie-esque verve to the Revolt’s ride.
However, although quick, you might want to swap them for anything other than solid surfaces. This small note aside, it’s one of the best gravel bikes we’ve ridden.
- Read our full Giant Revolt Advanced Pro 1 review
- Buy Now from Tredz (from £4,899)
GT Grade Carbon Pro
- Price: £3,300
- Adjustable fork geometry
- Light and punchy ride
Plush over the bumps, unyielding when stamping on the pedals, the Grade benefits from a wonderfully composed frame. Light and punchy to ride, it nonetheless has plenty of mounting points if you want to weigh it down.
The Grade sits somewhere near the middle when it comes to striking a balance between gnar and far and it still benefits from adjustable geometry thanks to its flip-chip fork. Allowing for greater stability, this is particularly designed to benefit anyone choosing to carry bags on the bike.
It’s available with single or double chainring drivetrains, with going for the latter increasing the Grade’s on-road abilities. However, the simplicity of the single ring system will likely appeal to more off-road-focussed riders.
- Read our full GT Grade Carbon Pro review
Specialized S-Works Crux
- Price: £11,300
- Very light
- Very expensive
The world’s lightest gravel bike, the S-Works version of the Crux isn’t far off being the world’s most expensive either. Inspired by Specialized’s road-going Aethos, it’s designed to be sharp handling, incredibly light and, perhaps surprisingly, exceptionally user-friendly.
It manages this thanks to easy-to-access semi-internal cabling, a threaded bottom bracket, and a conventional stem and seatpost assembly. Beautiful looking, more than almost any other bike, there’s no reason the Crux couldn’t serve as your sole drop-bar ride.
At the same time, with space for tyres up to 47mm, it’s hugely capable off-road. A refined and racy bicycle, the Crux sits at the fastest end of the gravel spectrum.
- Read our full Specialized S-Works Crux review
- Buy now from Cyclestore (£11,500)
Vielo V+1 Alto
- Price: £5,999
- Light, efficient gravel racer
- Single chainring only with wide clearance
A refined gravel racer, the slender V+1 Alto is light and efficient. With balanced handling, it’s a bike pleasingly free from gimmicks.
That’s not to say it isn’t radical. It’s restricted to using only a single chainring, and this design choice has been leveraged by Vielo to provide enormous clearance for tyres up to 50mm, along with uninterrupted seatstays to help improve ride comfort.
Stiff where you want it to be, compliant where that works better, and light all over, it’s a racy gravel bike that will fare well with a number board pinned to it. It’s a bike that’s suited to riders more interested in speed and distance over competence on the most rugged terrain, and we’re big fans.
- Read our full Vielo V+1 Alto review
- Buy now from Vielo (from £5,999)
Pinarello Grevil F
- Price £7,000
- Increased stack height over the Grevil
- Still a race-oriented gravel bike
The latest version of Pinarello’s gravel bike looks relatively similar to its forebear but offers a different mix of materials and a drastically different geometry. Despite a now much-increased stack height, the ride is still racy.
In terms of its makeup, the Grevil has swapped from using the lightest and stiffest Toray carbon fibre. Judging that thousands extra on the price probably wasn’t worth the grams saved when applied to a gravel bike, it now employs more workaday materials. In part, the money saved has helped the brand keep its prices stable.
Of course, this top-end build with Princeton Grit wheels and Campagnolo’s Ekar groupset still costs a chunky £7,000. A racy proposition, don’t expect mounts or even extra bottle cage fixings. Instead, the Grevil is a pure head-down off-road racer.
- Read our full Pinarello Grevil F review
Ridley Kanzo Fast
- Price: £4,909
- Aero gravel frameset for fast riding
- Purposeful, if not smooth riding
The aggressive-looking Kanzo Fast could be the only bike you’ll need both on and off-road. The fast in the name isn’t there by chance.
Looking a lot like Ridley’s Noah Fast aero road bike, this is indeed a bike designed to go very quickly regardless of the surface. With a slightly higher and shorter geometry than the brand’s road bikes, the Kanzo is still pretty purposeful, a trait improved upon by its noticeable stiffness. Plus, you even get aerodynamic bars.
Unsurprisingly, there are smoother-riding or more capable gravel bikes out there. However, there aren’t many as purposeful, or that will also behave as well on the road.
- Read our full Ridley Kanzo Fast review
- Buy Now from Chain Reaction (from £2,199.99)
Santa Cruz Stigmata CC
- Price: £4,499
- Increased clearance for 45mm tyres
- Could serve double duties for cyclocross or audax
A gravel-influenced cyclocross bike. Alternatively, a cyclocross bike with a sun-baked Californian disposition. Perhaps the latest Stigmata is a bit of both.
More relaxed, with a lower bottom bracket, plus the option to fit fenders, this new version has been shaped by the requests riders made of its cyclocross-specific previous iteration.
It’s still light and stiff and plenty of the original bike’s fighting spirit remains. Its geometry has only been marginally relaxed – it’s still pretty flighty.
However, now backed by clearance for tyres up to 45mm, the Stigmata is capable as a general gravel bike, a competitive cyclocross racer, and with a change of tyres and the right gearing, would be happy riding a sportive or audax.
- Read our full Santa Cruz Stigmata CC review
- Buy Now from Tredz (from £3,599)
Specialized Diverge STR Expert
- Price: £7,500
- Future Shock headset suspension
- Diverge STR adds rear suspension
The first generation of the Diverge benefited from a Future Shock system that incorporated a suspension cartridge in the top of the fork steerer. The Diverge STR that launched for 2023 adds rear suspension as well, courtesy of a flexible ‘frame post’ whose movement is controlled by a small damper mounted at the rear of the top tube.
While the Diverge STR’s geometry isn’t ultra progressive, it rides brilliantly on a variety of terrain. Generous mullet gearing – where road shifters are combined with an MTB cassette and rear derailleur – means you can climb just about anything.
The flagship S-Works Diverge STR is eye-wateringly expensive but the Expert spec with SRAM Rival AXS offers a near identical ride and saves you a huge sum. If you’re not bothered about the rear suspension, you may still spot the odd deal on the outgoing Diverge.
- Read our full Specialized Diverge STR review
- Buy Now from Tredz (for £6,299)
Trek Checkpoint SL 6
- Price £4,450
- Racy but versatile
- IsoSpeed rear suspension for a smoother ride
A bike that provides some neat tricks while providing plenty of fun. Trek’s Checkpoint hits the sweet spot with a mix of raciness and versatility.
Its carbon frame uses the well-known Isospeed system, which allows the seat tube to flex fore and aft independently of the rest of the frame without compromising on stiffness.
Other areas are also richly featured, with a neat down tube hatch hidden underneath the bottle cage mount, a bash-guard on the down tube, and a dropped drive-side chainstay to help accommodate 700c tyres up to 45mm.
Available in various guises, this build isn’t the lightest. Nevertheless, it benefits from excellent tyres supported by broad-rimmed wheels. The SRAM Rival eTap AXS groupset also functions superbly. Its single 40t chainring works nicely with the 10-44 cassette to give great range, without too big a jump between each sprocket.
Taken together, we found the Checkpoint a well-specced and highly capable machine.
- Read our full Trek Checkpoint SL 6 review
- Buy Now from Trek
3T Exploro RaceMax
- Price: £4,599
- Aero gravel frameset
- Huge clearance and great handling
A product of the mad mind of Gerard Vroomen, there aren’t many bikes that look like the Exploro RaceMax. One of the first of an increasing number of gravel bikes to take aerodynamics seriously, the Exploro’s tight angles, dropped stays, and tucked rear wheel all echo 3T’s racing bike designs.
At the same time, enormous tyres and the ability to run it with a single chainring and 650b wheels mean the Exploro is very capable. A great bike for a broad spectrum of gravel riders, it sits particularly well with all-road riders and competitive gravel racers.
From its profile to its paint job, it’s also very handsome, which never hurts either.
- Read our full 3T Exploro RaceMax review
- Buy now from 3T (from £4,599)
3T Exploro Ultra
- Price: from £5,099
- Exploro Ultra increases tyre clearance to 61mm
- Designed for the most technical terrain
The Exploro Ultra marries extreme off-road capability with a fast ride on-road to create a versatile and distinctive design. The third iteration of 3T’s popular but controversial aero gravel bike, the Exploro Ultra has been shaped to work best with wide 650b tyres around 55mm-61mm.
Made for the most technical and therefore slowest terrain, the Ultra’s aero benefits are most likely to pay dividends on the rarer occasions it’s used on the road. At the same time, it utilises its big tyres to override the framesets’ otherwise aggressive attributes once off-road.
Other radical features include a dropper post and a super-wide single-ring drivetrain. So how does it add up? It’s undoubtedly the most exaggerated example of how designer Gerard Vroomen can successfully squish together two typically disparate drop-bar genres – aero and gravel.
Leveraging the transformative effect of tyre size and pressure, the Ultra switches personalities as extremely as it mixes genres. Off-road, its chunky Vittoria tyres offset the harshness of the aero frame and allowed it to take on technical terrain.
Yet back on the tarmac, the frame’s attributes become more dominant, leaving it feeling far more like a quick road bike than its off-road capability would otherwise suggest.
- Read our full 3T Exploro Ultra review
- Buy now from 3T (from £5,699)
Ribble Gravel SL Hero
- Price: £5,799
- Handles impressive range of surfaces well
- A raceable spec, but still with all the mounts for bikepacking
The Hero build of the Ribble Gravel SL, as its name suggests, is the top spec of the brand’s dedicated gravel bike. Its aerp carbon frame is kitted out with Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels and SRAM Force AXS 1x groupset, as well as an own-band Level integrated cockpit, although as with all Ribble bikes, you can choose your own spec.
It’s a bike that’s designed to be raced, but there’s added versatility with a full set of mounts for bikepackers too, including on the fork legs. We found its all-rounder credentials handled everything from fast riding on tarmac to mountain bike nursery slope trails, although the latter brought out some handling nervousness and required care.
- Read our full Ribble Gravel SL Hero review
- See the full Gravel SL range from Ribble here
Liv Devote Advanced 2
- Price: £2,599
- Women’s geometry makes for a comfortable position
- Feels slightly heavy for big climbs and hike-a-bike at 10kg
The Devote is women’s brand Liv’s carbon gravel bike and offers a geometry that’s tailored for women riders as well as women’s specific touchpoints. The Devote 2 has a good spec at a reasonable price, with 2x Shimano GRX shifting and a sub-compact Praxis chainset, although we did swap out the Liv Approach saddle.
The Devote feels stiff when climbing on gravel and, with a wheel swap, when tackling some serious alpine roads, although the 10kg-plus weight did feel as if it held us back on occasion. The bike comes ready set up tubeless, saving you some faff and with five sets of mounts, there are plenty of options for load carrying.
- Read our full Liv Devote Advance 2 review x
- Buy Now from Tredz (from £2,299)
Best Steel Gravel Bikes
Condor Bivio
- Price: £1,499.99 (frameset)
- Road bike-like geometry
- Plenty of mounts for the bikepacker
This steely machine is an adventurous gravel bike with the genes of a road bike but the rough style of gravel.
The Bivio will take 650b tyres with clearance for up to 47s, or 700c tyres up to 42mm, but we found it was best suited to the latter size, given that the head angle and bottom bracket height is similar to that of a road bike.
Built from triple-butted, custom-formed Columbus Spirit tubing, and benefitting from a carbon fork, the Bivio offers as close to a custom ride that an off-the-shelf model can produce.
It also has plenty of discreet mounts making it set up for bikepacking adventures.
Our reviewer found it to be ‘near-perfect’, fast and versatile and the ideal bike for a road cyclist looking to try out the trails.
- Read our full Condor Bivio review
Genesis Fugio 30
- Price: £3,199
- Bulletproof frame
- Dropper post and 650b wheels
Strong and forgiving, steel makes a solid choice for bikes destined to have a hard life. If you intend to load the aforementioned bicycle with bikepacking bags or panniers, this goes double.
However, despite being equipped to lug you and your gear to the ends of the earth, the Fugio is equally happy spending its days mucking about in the woods.
A fact suggested by our build’s dropper seatpost and 650b wheels, the Fugio is a very modern bike made from a traditional material.
Accentuated by a vivid paint job and more mounting points than we knew what to do with, it understandably weighs a bit more than we might like. Still, we found it to be tons of fun.
- Read our full Genesis Fugio 30 review
- Buy Now from Freewheel (from £3,199)
Stayer Groadinger UG
- Price: £1,350 (frameset)
- Low volume, custom produced bike adds rarity
- Trail-friendly geometry
A small batch production bike that offers as much fun as it’s possible to have while hanging off of a set of drop bars.
The gnarlier of Stayer’s two gravel models, the Groadinger UG possesses a trail-friendly geometry and comes as standard with nimble 650b wheels.
Almost like a road bike-inspired mountain bike, those after something only a tyre swap away from being at home on the tarmac might want to look elsewhere.
However, we think the Groadinger is a classic among its own small sub-genre. It’s custom made and there’s also the option to spec practical touches like mudguard or rack mounts.
- Read our full Stayer Groadinger UG review
- Buy now from Stayer (From £1,350 frameset)
Best Titanium Gravel Bikes
Kinesis Tripster ATR V3
- Price: £2,400 (frameset)
- Well priced for Ti
- Easy to maintain
Affordable (for titanium) and massively versatile, the Tripster benefits from a decade of evolution. This adventure tourer was early onto the scene, and has recently become even more capable with increased clearance, more load-carrying capacity, and an upgraded carbon fork.
As at home on a mixed surface touring weekend as it is taking on a competitive gravel race, this durable and forgiving titanium frame flatters in almost any situation. The ATR acronym stands for ‘Adventure-Tour-Race’, and it’s truly capable of all three.
Built for riding, not fettling, simple standards including semi-internal cabling and a threaded bottom bracket keep it rolling with a minimum of maintenance hassle.
- Read our full Kinesis Tripster ATR V3 review
Moots Routt RSL
- Price: £6,700 (frame only)
- Great ride on and off-road
- Superb construction and finish
The Routt is pretty close to being the perfect single bike. It’s a delight off-road yet gobbles up the tarmac with equal gusto.
This is managed thanks to its exquisite titanium construction and a geometry that transfers between genres without giving much away.
With clearance for tyres up to 45mm, swapping the treads redefines the bike, leaving the Routt as close to being a single bicycle for all occasions as we can think of.
Beautifully made and likely to outlive its owner, the Routt justifies its rarified pricetag and gains an equally rare five-star review.
- Read our full Moots Routt RSL review
- Buy now from Saddleback (frameset £6,700)
Moots Routt YBB
- Price: £6,600 (frameset)
- Minimalist rear suspension
- Comfortable and composed off-road
YBB stands for ‘why be beat?’, and the moniker is applied here to a titanium gravel bike with the addition of ultra-minimalist rear suspension.
Using a classic softail design, the Routt YBB integrates a simple damper into its seatstay bridge and uses the flexibility of its titanium chainstays to allow rear wheel travel. This bike aims to answer the question in its name without adding significant weight.
The YBB is fabulously comfortable and composed on rough surfaces, and it manages this without giving away much in terms of power transfer.
Assembled and finished with real skill and infinitely durable, its premium price comes with the option to customise the rest of the spec.
- Read our full Moots Routt YBB review
- Buy now from Saddleback (frameset from £6,600)
Passoni Cicloprato
- Price: €6,230 (frame only)
- Niche Italian gravel frameset
- Best suited to more gentle gravel and road riding
The gorgeous Cicloprato is a handmade titanium gravel bike created to order in Milan. As such, it’s both highly customisable and very expensive.
Latin scholars won’t need us to remind them that ‘prato’ means meadow. And our tester found the Cicloprato more suited to riding through meandering fields than rattling down more rutted forest trails.
Blending road racing traits with off-road nous, it’s stable yet flickable thanks to a short rear-end and slightly slacker front. It’s appreciably stiff for road riding, but is probably most pleasing on better groomed unpaved surfaces.
Custom assembled, we can’t see any reason not to opt for the excellent Campagnolo 13-speed Ekar groupset and Shamal wheels as fitted to our bike.
- Read our full Passoni Cicloprato review
- Buy now from Passoni (frameset from €6,230)
Stanton Switchpath
- Price £2,429 (frameset with carbon fork)
- MTB crossover handling
- Capable in the rough and for bikepacking
A gravel machine made by a company known for its mountain bikes, the Switchpath offers pure fun. Promising to bridge the gap between a cross-country mountain bike and a gravel bike, it’s ideal for bikepacking or rattling down off-road paths.
Unsurprisingly it’s capable in the rough stuff, thanks partly to a long wheelbase and chainstays, paired with a slack 70° head tube angle, all of which maximise stability.
With the springiness you’d hope for from titanium, the Switchpath is happy barrelling down choppy trails, while room for 700×47mm tyres (or up to 50mm with 650b) adds further cushioning.
We think mountain bikers will be at home without feeling like they’ve crossed into a different tribe. At the same time, road purists will find the Switchpath familiar enough while offering an invitation to explore new territories.
- Read our full Stanton Switchpath review
- Buy now from Stanton (£2,429 frameset)
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