Top Gravel Bikes We’d Actually Buy

[@bikeradar]

What gravel bike do you ride? Let us know! 👇

[@xclent1975]

@@bikeradar Orbea Gain

[@bushanliger]

Jamis Renegade

[@vinnym8632]

Fairlight Faran

[@matthewlewis2072]

Cotic Escapade (on sale). Hunt wheels, SRAM Apex 1x11 (both second hand); rest was ported over from my eBay bike. Under £1.5k. I win.

[@JohnCarter-q2g]

Reilly Reflex, SRAM Force EXPLR with zipp 303 firecrest wheels

[@randallmiller3842]

I went to the local bike shop I like and bought what they have. In my case it has been a Cannondale Topstone. It’s been great.

[@NathanCooper-x3k]

Cannondale topstone lefty, just fits 50mm on the frame. Amazing ride. Will never go back

[@roypennock8046]

I live in Western Canada where mountain biking is dominant. I grew up with the rigid 26" mountain bikes of the 1980s and 90s and have been very satisfied with my Marin Gestalt XR, GRX 1x11 with a Deore 11-51 mullet setup in back. Nearly as slack as some hardtails, It handles rough singletrack and steep climbs on the trail while staying smooth and efficient on the road. The alloy frame and carbon fork have enough rack screws that I am considering my first attempt at bikepacking with it this summer! 👍

[@ScottCopeland-yh9lm]

For me a gravel bike needs these things to start. A metal frame, steel, ti, or aluminum with steel fork. English treaded bottom bracket. External cable routing and it has to fit. Enjoy your day friends 🧡

[@patrickenglish9593]

Kinesis tripster ATR from 2014 (reduced as new frame set launched) , now with GRX 2x bits and pieces, SRAM 11-36 cassette because you always need a bail out gear, Pacenti PI25 wheelset and WTB venture 40 mm tyres. Commuter, tourer, gravel, off road bike packing it’s just great

[@andreronan1035]

And my wife complaining about my 4 bikes …

[@bikeradar]

I hear a Warren garage tour video planning....

[@andreronan1035]

@ that’s a wonderful idea !

[@chivacetana]

He married!? That’s a good wife.

[@CourtneyHump]

Currently sporting a FiftyOne Assassin with Force AXS and ENVE G23 hoops and Tufo Thundero 45s...love love love that bike.

[@virginiascurti5036]

I really like the idea of Cerakoting a bike. This process has almost replaced traditional bluing in the gun industry because of it's scratch and corrosion resistance.

[@basengelblik5199]

40mm tires and suspension? Help me understand...

[@531c]

This is actually a really good video. I must show it to my wife, cos I want another bike to bring the total to five😅

[@DavideXillia]

Cannondale topstone but next bike will be a personalized build from the trek checkmate frame. Soon you will review the checkmate ?

[@skybluenz]

Kona Rove DL, Steel frame , SRAM Rival drivetrain , TRP hybrid brakes - great balance between spec and price - got mine for the princely sum of 750 quid.

[@xclent1975]

Great video ! Cheers

[@bikeradar]

Thanks for watching!

[@finarollerz]

There is such a huge margin from “performance” fast gravel to pretty much bike packing, one thing about gravel is it’s so personal. I ride a Flaanimal 5 it’s not the fastest but climbs ok and does Everything else.

[@octodadmtbmartyrichards2862]

Marin gsalt with dropper post because it suits my local loop: 1/3 gravel 1/3 road 1/3 river trail ❤❤❤ don’t need suspension on gravel

[@JamesSmith-ly2ef]

You can get a Crux Pro for £5,450 at the moment from £7k which is still pretty high. You get more value with a Lauf Seigla for £1k less

[@JulianKent]

Just get a Carbonda 696 or 707, throw on a GRX 610, and be done. You can get it with any paint you want, any (reasonable) wheels you want, upgrade any little pieces, and it should all still come out sub $2K.

[@diegoeleazar9154]

Kona Search XR A Suspension???

[@JFomo]

Boring picks from everyone and lots of pandering to the i have no money crowd. What are all the new and cool gravel bikes?

[@vincefava7929]

Open U.P. - the OG AR/gravel bike.

[@nellyx1x493]

If not actually racing at the pointy end then a 'carbon' gravel bike is the last of the 4 materials I'd choose for this type of bike.

[@JulianKent]

Carbon is actually easier to repair than any of the others. Bring a bit of thread and tow with you and hardware store epoxy will solve 99% of issues. Even steel you'd need to find someone with a welding setup.

[@nellyx1x493]

@@JulianKent Yeah, really easy to botch a repair, and even easier to break in the first place... I say this as an early adopter of carbon mtb's from the mid 90's, and owner of many carbon bikes- but for a gravel bike the downsides outway the benefits for most casual riders. Ti/Steel will last a lot longer, Alu is also fine with big tyres. Most mass brands just use carbon now because its low cost/ high margin, low-skilled manufacture and couldn't build a high quality metal frame even if they wanted to.

[@JulianKent]

@@nellyx1x493 It's the same with Ti, most 'custom' 'boutique' outfits just send the specs to somewhere like Waltly who makes it and ships it back. Pretty rare anyone makes anything except steel frames in-house these days. And with Ti and Alu good luck repairing anything except at a specialist shop - you need at least a TIG system, and Alu needs to be heat treated afterwards too. Even for any decent steel frame I wouldn't trust most welders since the tubing is really thin anywhere likely to actually need repairs. The real downside of carbon is that a thin hollow tube isn't as tough for crush loads, so smashing a rock is more likely to damage it.

[@nellyx1x493]

@@JulianKent That may be true of ‘budget’ Ti brands, but there’s still a variety of capable US/ Euro workshops doing it in house at a range of price points, proper making- not just refinishing. There’s something nice about a gravel bike that we don’t have to worry about dropping, rock strikes or baggage handlers… just a bit more chill. I’ve never broken a steel or Ti frame in my long time riding, whereas my carbon kill count is the wrong side of ideal.

[@stevemullin1195]

Why not just bolt the derailleur straight to the frame like the surly steel frames do.

[@billybob7088]

Lynskey or Litespeed...Ti is the only way to go

[@Klunker1]

I put an Enve fork and drop bars on my Lynskey Live Wire mtn bike with 2.2 tires. Works great for everywhere I ride.

[@basengelblik5199]

Very big gap in this video ... titanium

[@davidloombe3657]

I thought you might have included titanium in your bike choices.

[@matthewlewis2072]

"Affordable"...£3k+, except Jack didn't give a price 🤡

[@peterlynch2285]

Evil Chamois Hagar

[@martincaron7709]

3000$ ! Accessible ? Are you serious ?

[@blackheartbikeco]

🖤🖤🖤

[@Daniel-ynuhnunu]

Oi❤😊

[@bikeradar]

Oi!

[@mister_ray]

Yes dumb to buy a bike now that is not UDH compatible. Shimano has fallen way behind on MTB and gravel group sets.

[@IvanMalechko]

12 speed grx with 10-45 or 10-51 cassette. No compromises and no UDH needed. And even got a top end mechanical version. And even 2x version (unbelievable!). Easy to maintain, super reliable, parts available anytime anywhere. How far behind is it?

[@mister_ray]

Shimano offers no 1x12 (or 13) Di2 GRX or XTR group set. SRAM years ahead.

[@IvanMalechko]

@ Oh, I just realized there’s no Di2 1x option :). I wouldn’t choose it over mechanical anyway-that’s just my personal preference and ideology. Still, it’s a shame. At least Shimano finally came out with ‘semi-wireless,’ although it took them nearly 10 years after SRAM went fully wireless, lol. But in terms of performance it’s still mostly a matter of preference or sponsorship, at least for now.

[@TurboWolf5000]

🎅 🍺

[@jeffer9499]

"These are bikes that are actually affordable" and then only one guy does the assignment. The other buys a 2k frame and throws 2-3k more in parts "laying around". Other says he couldnt afford this bike but picks it anyway due to buying it second hand. Way to be "Men of the people"

[@barryandhorace]

£4.5k as an affordable option? Sorry pal you are so far up your own ++++. Affordable options are going to be under 2K. Can you all recalibrate your thinking on what people can afford.

[@greasycervelo]

Gravel riding. When you want to mtb but have less fun

[@timtaylor9590]

E shifting is trash

[@Milo-wl2if]

Not going to disclose the bike name, but it’s aero, as light as a Crux and takes 52mm tyres. Don’t want a run on them….

[@fruuuuuuuuuuut]

which bike?

[@cjohnson3836]

There's nothing universal about SRAM UDH except the word in the name. Something only becomes universal it everyone else adopts it. Otherwise, its just one more standard to add to the list.