What do you do if you sort of wanted a mountain bike, but at the same time, also wanted a road bike? Well, you get both, of course. But what if you absolutely had to have just one bike? It’s perhaps from this dilemma that the gravel bike was born, and indeed, in many ways, gravel bikes are just reincarnations of the mountain bikes from the 90s – rigid-framed road bikes adapted for off-road terrain.
Now, what if you had your gravel bike, but wanted to go faster and further without getting tired? You get the electric gravel bike – the next big thing in the world of recreational e-bikes. Indeed, recent years have ushered in countless new electric gravel bikes, all rocking fancy tech, responsive compact motors, and lightweight frames. All the big players – Trek, Cannondale, and Giant – have their own interpretation of the ultimate e-gravel, and inevitably, they cost quite a pretty penny. This is where so-called B-tier players enter the picture, with the latest of which being French outdoor and sports retailer Decathlon.
