With their dropped handlebars, gravel bikes can look like on-road racers, but they can handle a lot more than tarmac.
They are, of course, great on smooth surfaces with their sporty riding position enabling good power and a decent turn of speed, but they come equipped with wider tyres, large wheels, lower gearing and versatile features such as mudguards and pannier racks that make them more versatile than pure velocity machines.
As such, a gravel bike is an ideal accompaniment for longer trips in which you expect to leave the roads and move onto something rougher, looser or muddier. They’re also great for riding in the winter, when weather conditions can be less conducive to skimming along dry, flat surfaces. Electric gravel bikes, and gravel bikes with a degree of built-in suspension, are available, but the majority are traditionally powered and rely on their tyres and geometry for shock absorption.
The geometry of a gravel bike is subtly different to that of a road bike. The wheelbase is usually longer and the angles are less sharp, increasing the bike’s stability when you take it off-road. There's usually also an increased gap between the tyre and the frame - referred to as clearance - so any mud you pick up won’t affect the bike’s workings.
Your riding position will be more upright and relaxed, with the head tube being longer and the handlebars higher as a result. This makes it more comfortable, as well as allowing you to shift your weight around more. You still have the distinctive drop handlebar shape, however, and flared bars that give extra leverage when turning are common.
Many gravel bike features are also found on mountain bikes, including the wide range of gears and wide tyres, but the handlebar setup and resemblance to a road bike sets them apart. If you’re looking for a step up from a hybrid or other bike you use for commuting or travelling, and don’t intend to stay completely on the road, then an entry-level gravel bike may be just the thing you’re looking for.
Best entry-level gravel bikes at a glance:
- Best for getting out and riding: Orro Terra X GRX400 - £1,199.99, Merlin Cycles
- Best for a quality all-rounder: Ribble Gravel SL Sport - £2,599, Ribble
- Best for a budget ride: Merida Silex 200 - £1,225, Tredz
- Best for all types of riding: Specialized Diverge E5 - £2,550, Cycles UK
- Best for gravel and roads: Vitus Venon Evo-GR Rival - £2,999.99, Vitus
- Best for big tyres: Canyon Grizl CF SL 8 1by - £2,699, Canyon
- Best for comfortable riding: GT Grade Carbon X - £3,000, Cycle Solutions
- Best for taking a step upward: Trek Checkpoint SL7 AXS - £6,100, Sigma Sports
See below
Orro Terra X GRX400
Best for: getting out and riding
If you’re looking for your first gravel bike, then this one is well worth considering. It’s excellent value for money and is well-specced and balanced, while its short wheelbase gives it plenty of manoeuvrability in the turns.
The Orro Terra X is built around an aluminium frame, which can make it feel heavy on a long hill climb compared to carbon fibre models, but as you’re paying half the price we’re prepared to let that one slide.
Buy now £1200.00, Merlin Cycles
Ribble Gravel SL Sport
Best for: a quality all-rounder
The cheapest of three Gravel SL options, the Sport combines a carbon fibre frame with the flared handlebars so typical of a gravel bike. The 12 gears are arranged in a single cassette so you can shift through them all with one hand via Shimano’s GRX system.
Shimano also supplies the disc brakes, and chunky Pirelli tyres help keep you upright whatever the conditions. The frame includes mounts for a pannier rack at the back, while attachment points on the front forks mean you can carry all you need for a camping trip.
Buy now £2599.00, Ribble
Merida Silex 200
Best for: a budget ride
This aluminium bike offers a full Shimano shifting system, plus disc brakes and mounts for your luggage. There's a more expensive carbon version, but it’s this one you’ll want to be looking at if you want to experience gravel riding without shelling out multiple thousands. The gears are split between two rings, and the disc brakes are mechanical rather than hydraulic, but this entry-level budget buy still offers a lot of bike for the money.
Buy now £1225.00, Tredz
Specialized Diverge E5
Best for: all types of riding
Bikes, including gravel bikes, tend to specialise, but Specialized has gone against nominative determinism here and produced an all-rounder that even comes with a form of suspension through the Future Shock system, which sits above the head tube and can move up to 20mm vertically.
The bike also has excellent tyre clearance and sports an alloy frame with carbon forks. There are hydraulic disc brakes, a single 11-speed cassette, and it includes plenty of rack mounts ready to carry your burdens.
Buy now £2550.00, Cycles UK
Vitus Venon Evo-GR Rival
Best for: gravel and roads
A carbon fibre bike designed in Belfast, the frame of the Evo-GR Rival is very light, has space for some serious clearance for up to 45mm tyres, and can fit mudguards and bags. It’s a stiff but comfortable ride that you can tailor to your liking, and comes with an 11-speed drivetrain that uses a single ring.
The manufacturer claims it blurs the line between gravel and road bikes, and with technology borrowed from the company’s range of road machines, it’s a versatile ride.
Buy now £2999.99, Vitus
Canyon Grizl CF SL 8 1by
Best for: big tyres
With space for tyres up to 50mm wide (though it comes with 45mm rubber as standard), this member of the Grizl range comes with an 11-speed Shimano drivetrain turned by a single ring, a sprung seat post that gives a degree of shock absorption, and a press-fit bottom bracket that may elevate it in the eyes of those who like to work on their bikes themselves.
There are also bikepacking bags designed especially for the Grizl frame, making it a system worth buying into if you like to adventure offroad.
Buy now £2699.00, Canyon
GT Grade Carbon X
Best for: comfortable riding
A gravel bike with a recognisable shock absorber on the front fork, the GT Grade’s carbon fibre frame uses geometry derived from mountain bikes to keep your weight central, while its long wheelbase improves stability. This combines to create a comfortable ride that can take rougher tracks in its stride, with 23mm rims that are ideal for the wider tyres preferred for gravel biking, and an 11-speed cassette at the back.
Buy now £3000.00, Cycle Solutions
Trek Checkpoint SL7 AXS
Best for: taking a step upward
This is a cutting-edge carbon fibre frame that costs a little more than the rest of the bikes on this list. For the money, you get wireless gear shifting, and a 12-speed cassette with an enormous 50-tooth cog that’s perfect for making your way up steep inclines. There's a shock-absorbing seat post to take the worst of the bumps out of an off-road ride, and of course, there are mounts for racks, bags and bottles so you don’t have to go into the wilderness empty-handed.
Buy now £6100.00, Sigma Sports
