Many will credit the US for the origin of gravel riding, where long, remote stretches of unpaved roads bridged the gap between road cycling, mountain biking and cyclocross.

Yet in the UK, the world’s oldest off-road cycling club, the Rough Stuff Fellowship, established in 1957, demonstrates that there was certainly more than one origin for the cycling discipline that we now largely call ‘gravel’.

Taking the road (or should we say ‘groad’?) less travelled allows riders to hone their passion for exploration and adventure, and for some provides an opportunity to try a new racing discipline too. The variable terrain offers some riders a shift from the usual focus on speed and science of road cycling and often provides a respite from roads and traffic.

With mountain biking evolving to be more extreme and specialised over recent decades, gravel riding offers a more accessible discipline where riders can head out straight from their front door. These riders can now explore further afield and enjoy trails that would be relatively tame by modern mountain biking standards on rigid, drop-bar bikes that help make them a little more spicy again.

Many gravel riders started out on modified cyclocross, mountain or touring bikes, until the mainstream bike industry took note of the boom and began creating gravel-specific models, helping gravel to gain a foothold as a new global discipline. Rides no longer ended where the tarmac did, as gravel bikes were built to withstand more challenging terrain.

Where can you ride gravel?

The US is hailed as the spiritual home of gravel riding, with a third of its 4.1 million-mile road network unpaved. It’s easy to see why the discipline and associated events have really taken off in North America, with such an abundance of great gravel roads from the Midwest prairies to the Colorado Rockies.

The term ‘gravel’ might be a little misleading in the UK and some areas of Europe, however. Multi-terrain or adventure cycling might describe it better, as you’re more likely to find routes linking up dirt doubletracks, flowy singletrack, forest fire roads, canal towpaths, field margin trails and farm roads with sections of tarmac in between, rather than long stretches of pristine gravel roads – depending where you’re riding, of course.

It’s worth doing a little research into your local laws to find out where you can ride, or if you’re planning on taking your gravel bike on holiday. For example, in the UK you’re permitted to ride a bike on bridleways and byways but not on footpaths, whereas in many European countries you can also ride on hiking routes.

Just like mountain biking, weather and trail conditions are likely to dictate where you choose to ride, with better-draining areas preferable for year-round riding while you leave the boggier, muckier trails for the drier summer months.

Do you need a gravel bike?

Matthew Loveridge / Immediate Media

Gravel bike geometry, gearing and tyre clearance are all designed specifically to address the demands of off-road riding. While it’s not essential that you use one to ride off-road, they can make the ride much more comfortable and enjoyable.

Don’t expect your gravel bike to be as responsive and speedy on the tarmac as a road bike, or as capable as a trail mountain bike. A gravel bike is an enabler: allowing you to explore beyond where the tarmac ends and even sample some singletrack too. You can enjoy the efficiency of riding drop bars on the roads and tamer tracks, while also tackling more technical trails that you wouldn’t dream of riding on skinny, slick tyres.

Many riders limited by space or budget choose a gravel bike with two wheelsets: one for gravel riding and one for road. Here, you can switch easily between tyres for on- and off-road use, although you should be aware that the gearing probably won’t be optimised for both disciplines.

Is a gravel bike the same as a cyclocross bike?

Robert Smith

While gravel bikes and cyclocross bikes do have a lot in common, there are some key differences once you look more closely.

The best cyclocross bikes are designed purely with ’cross races in mind and are constrained by UCI rules dictating a maximum of 33mm tyres and bar width of 50cm. The geometry is race-focused, with a high bottom bracket, more aggressive riding position and sharp steering for tight cornering.

This all serves the purpose of an hour of power well, but won’t be the most suitable – or comfortable – for longer-distance gravel rides.

You typically won’t find additions such as mudguard eyelets or rack mounts, and often no more than one bottle cage mount.

So while you can use a cyclocross bike for gravel riding, they’re not best designed for the job. The best gravel bikes offer much greater tyre clearance, more relaxed and stable geometry suitable for longer days in the saddle and rougher terrain, as well as more luggage-mounting options.

Do you need a gravel bike if you have a hardtail mountain bike?

Andy Lloyd / Immediate Media

There’s certainly nothing wrong with riding hardtail mountain bikes, or even a rigid MTB on gravel tracks and trails, though you’ll be likely to feel the benefit of a dedicated gravel bike if you intend to take a lot of your riding over to rough roads.

The rigidity of a typical gravel bike frameset combined with a drop-bar position will give you greater pedalling and aerodynamic efficiency on roads and gravel tracks, even if that means sacrificing some comfort offered by the suspension fork of a hardtail.

Jack Luke / Immediate Media

For longer rides and multi-day bikepacking tours, you’ll also find that a drop handlebar offers more varied hand positions, which can be beneficial for minimising hand and wrist discomfort.

For Deborah Goodall, organiser of the Yorkshire True Grit event in the North York Moors, gravel riding takes her back to the early days of riding her rigid mountain bike.

“If I went out on the same tracks and paths on my current mountain bike, it wouldn’t excite me because the bikes handle it too easily,” she says. “But with a drop-bar gravel bike, you get to the bottom of a descent, look back and think ‘I can’t believe I’ve just got down that’.”

Why are tyres so important for gravel riding?

Simon Bromley / Immediate Media

A suitable set of gravel tyres can make the difference between having a blast on your ride or a total nightmare. As the contact point between your bike and the terrain you’re tackling, you’ll need to match your tyre type, tread, volume and pressure to the trails and conditions you anticipate encountering.

Tubeless tyres come highly recommended for off-road riding since you’re likely to find thorns and sharp rocks off-road, and this will also allow you to run lower tyre pressures with a decreased risk of pinch flats. That said, it’s still possible to cause a snakebite puncture in your tyre with a tubeless setup, so getting the tyre pressure right is key.

Tyre choice is crucial when it comes to gravel riding: consider the tread, width and casing type for the kind of conditions you’re likely to encounter.

Robyn Furtado

Tyre widths vary from 32mm to over 50mm, or 2.1 inches, although the most common tyre width tends to be around 40mm. The width you choose to run with depends on your frame’s tyre clearance, as well as the pressures you’d like to run. Larger tyres will allow you to run lower pressures, giving more comfort, as well as allowing you to tackle more technical terrain with greater confidence.

Many riders limited on tyre clearance opt for 650b wheels and tyres (27.5-inch equivalent), so they can run wider tyres without changing the frameset.

Trail conditions are the most likely element to determine which tread you should use. Here, you’ll need to balance your requirements for grip and speed, based not only on what terrain you’re facing, but also how the weather will affect your ride.

Opt for a more aggressive, knobbly tread for wetter, muddier conditions, or a slicker tread for dry hardpack. There are now many options on the market to help you choose – check out our pick of the best gravel tyres for your ride.

Many brands now offer their tyres in multiple casings: lighter, more supple options designed for racing and more durable, reinforced alternatives for everyday riding, more technical terrain and bikepacking.

How have gravel bikes and kit evolved?

Matthew Loveridge / Immediate Media

Over the last few years, we’ve witnessed a huge surge in the number of bikes and amount of specifically designed kit on offer, in parallel with the growing popularity of gravel riding.

Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo have all launched gravel bike groupsets designed with a greater gear range than typical road cycling groupsets, and these have become commonplace on many gravel builds.

There are increasing numbers of electric gravel bikes available too, allowing more riders to explore further and steeper than ever before.

Flared handlebars are now very common for gravel bikes, giving greater stability on the drops, and some riders opt for much wider bars than you’d typically find on road bikes.

Russell Burton / Immediate Media

There are also a few brands that have integrated suspension systems into stems and seatposts, aiming to relieve the rider of discomfort caused by rougher terrain. Gravel bike suspension is now also available in the form of the RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR fork (30 or 40mm travel), the Lauf Grit fork (30mm travel) and even Niner’s MCR 9 RDO full suspension gravel bike (50mm travel).

Besides bikes and componentry, gravel-specific clothing and shoes have become more popular. Pockets seem to be particularly in vogue, with cargo bib shorts allowing you to stow smaller items than you’d usually pack in jersey pockets, allowing you to ride in a T-shirt and reflecting the more casual perception of gravel riding.