Gravel Bike Routes

Gravel bikes are the breakout bicycle star of the time. Combining road cycling speed and style with modest mountain biking hardiness for off-road terrain, they are the perfect go-(almost)-anywhere vehicle for leisure, utility and commuting where you want to often escape the roads.

Most feature a thin suspension-free frame and (usually) drop handlebars that look like a road bike, but space for knobblier tyres and a design geometry that helps you stay stable on rougher routes. You’ll feel nimble on the roads and still confident enough to tackle tricky cobbles, bumps and of course… gravel.

Incredibly versatile machines, many have an almost excessive amount of mounts for bottles, bags and panniers, making them ideal for “bikepacking”. You can tackle a gritty trail, power along some tarmac and get your weekly shop all in one.

Whereas very similar Cyclocross bikes are designed for a specific sport riding over muddy grass banks, with restrictions on their design, the Gravel category (also known as Adventure Road) is more like the Road bike set free to do whatever the hell it wants to get wherever it wants. If you’re only going to buy one bike for leisure and utility, and don’t want to tackle the very toughest bridleways, you can’t go wrong.