Exploring the best gravel race bikes is to explore the nature of the gravel bike genre. For some, the key attribute of the best gravel bikes is versatility; the possibility to transition from road to rough with as little disruption as possible. But with versatility comes trade-offs. The further you go from the tarmac, the more the bike needs to change to suit the conditions.
For a racer, though, speed is a prerequisite, no matter where you want to find it and how you get it. So that simplifies matter somewhat: the best gravel race bikes are those that compromise the least on speed.
Therefore, you might ask, are the best gravel race bikes just road bikes with bigger tyres slapped on? The short answer is ‘no’. While some of the bikes in this guide are closely related to their road bike cousins, their designs have all been adapted more thoroughly than to just accommodate a bigger tyre treads.
For some, this will include advanced suspension and dampening technology added into the build, while others rely more on the way the carbon fibre frame itself is manufactured to supply the compliance needed to handle rough surfaces.
As with anything, personal preference will come into it. Everyone will have their own ideas of what they are willing to trade off for the sake of something else. But we have put ourselves in the mindset of a racer. While comfort will still be a factor, it might not be as high on the agenda as handling, responsiveness or outright acceleration. Whether or not the bike has 1x or 2x gearing may be a key ingredient or whether or not it comes with one of the best gravel wheelsets.
When you have decided on the best gravel race bike for you, it might be time to take a look at the best gravel bike pedals. If you aren’t ready to spend big, the best budget gravel bikes might be worth checking out, or you may want an easier way to explore the countryside on the best electric gravel bikes.
You may even still be a little confused about what a gravel bike actually is – and we’ve got you covered in that department too with this handy explainer as to what a gravel bike actually is.
All the bikes in this guide have been extensively tested with a full review written about each one. We looked at how their specs stack up against the competition, how they deal with different surfaces from road to light gravel to more extreme off-road that starts to bleed into mountain-biking terrain. We, of course, looked at their speed as well responsiveness, handling,…
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