Pearson Summon The Blood

A great ride and top-notch components, but is it better suited to endurance riding than the rougher side of gravel, asks Stefan Abram

- Stefan Abram

£7,300 | 9.34kg

Pearson lays claim to being the oldest bike business in the world, but considering the depth and breadth of its gravel range, it is certainly keeping up with the times. The Summon The Blood is a titanium build that leans towards more nimble riding and less-heavily laden bike-packing. There are four other models to choose from, built from steel, carbon, and more titanium.

Frame

Starting with the tubing, Pearson uses 3A1 2.5V triple-butted titanium to save weight while maintaining strength.

The 72.8° head angle is notably steep for a gravel bike. Although there still are some frames out there that hover around the 72° mark, many more have been going significantly slacker.

A slacker head angle typically makes the front end feel more controlled and less twitchy. To stop the handling tipping over into feeling slow and lazy, many brands will increase the length of the top tube and shorten the length of the stem to compensate. With a shorter stem, the steering axis is reduced, and that generally has the effect of making the bike feel a bit more responsive.

The Summon The Blood's chainstays come in at 425mm, which is quite short for a gravel bike - but generally this is a good thing as it tends to make a bike feel more responsive in the corners. You would want a longer rear end if you were planning on really heavily loading up the bike and weren't so fussed about sharp cornering, though.