FAST TRACK

Which of this trio of speedy mid-priced gravellers would make the best all-round, off-road race companion? We find out…

- Warren Rossiter

Our trio of new gravel machines here eschew the current trend for progressive-geometry, mountain bikeinspired styles such as the freshly crowned gravel bike of the year, the GT Grade Carbon Pro LE. Instead, our three contenders all take inspiration from road-going rides.

This means their frame design and geometry should blend the compliance and tyre clearances to cope with off-road riding with the rider position of a speedy roadster to produce an all-surface-capable bike. And one that'll keep you on pace with the roadies on a Sunday club run yet still be able to compete at the sharp end of a gravel event.

01 Single chainrings

All of our bikes use SRAM's electronic wireless 1x gravel-specific AXS XPLR drivetrains and all come with lightweight carbon wheels. A 1x set-up helps you avoid getting a clogged up front derailleur in mucky conditions. It still offers a decent range of gears to cope with the type of terrain you'll be on, but has bigger gaps between the gears and prioritises lower ratios over the highest gears of road bikes.

02 Which wheels?

The lightweight, faster-rolling 700c wheels wheels here show that the bikes are also built for speed. Larger wheels have more versatility for use on tarmac too. Reducing wheel size to 650b in order to fit widervolume tyres is more commonly seen gravel bikes designed for more rugged terrain. You might still find 650b wheels on smallersized frames, though, helping to maintain proportional geometry.

03 Treading carefully