The apex of our recent Cyclingnews Awards was a pair of group tests, one for road bikes, and one for gravel bikes, the cohort for each comprising a slew of bikes under £4,000, or an equivalent dollar or euro value. We tested each bike on an identical course, including fast open gravel, road, steep techy climbs, and concurrent steeper descents. As well as helping us pick apart which bike we felt worthy of an award, we also collectively had some more general thoughts and learnings that apply to the gravel genre more generally.
Given we are, at heart, a consumer advice platform, it would be remiss of us not to share these findings with you, so that if you don’t fancy one of the bikes from our buyer’s guide to the best gravel bikes, you can at least make a more informed decision whatever you decide to purchase. Without further ado, then, what did we find after riding so many gravel bikes back to back?
