Plus new bikes from Ridley, Trek, Allied and Giant

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Published: Tuesday, 04 June 2024 at 14:00 PM


Another edition of Unbound Gravel is done and dusted. This year, the world’s largest gravel race saw bigger than ever fields, new course records and heaps of new gravel tech on display. 

Mountains of new products landed just before or at Unbound, further cementing its position as the place to launch new gravel tech

A great deal more tech raced by top athletes is still in the prototype stages or awaiting its official launch later this year. 

From the ever-increasing importance of aero gear to a closer look at unreleased bikes, here are the key talking points from Unbound that are likely to drive wider gravel cycling in 2024. 

Tyres – fatter is faster

Mountain bike tyres are an increasingly common sight at races such as Unbound, although tyres in the 45 to 50mm range are more typical. – Sam Andrews / Our Media

In gravel’s formative years, tyres ranged in width from 35-38mm. Most racers began using tyres in the 40 to 42mm range as manufacturers expanded frame clearance. 

Now, many of the top professional riders use tyres that are 45 to 50mm wide.

Lachlan Morton's Unbound winning bike
Morton ran a mullet tyre setup of sorts. – EF Education Easy Post

This year’s Unbound 200 winner, Lachlan Morton, sped to victory on the largest Vittoria tyres he could squeeze into his Cannondale SuperSix EVO CX SE frameset. Up front, he ran a 50mm-wide Terreno Dry, which didn’t leave much room for mud in the fork. Out back was a 44mm-wide Mezcal. 

Despite the extra heft of these tyres, Morton set a new course record of 9hr, 11 min and 47secs.

I’m sure you’ve heard the tired (tyred?) joke about gravel bikes being mountain bikes from the 1990s. 

In the case of Allied’s prototype frame ridden by Payson McElveen, there’s a grain of truth to it. 

McElveen ran 2.25in Maxxis Aspen ST mountain bike tyres. These are true cross-country race tyres. McElveen’s eighth-place finish proved the worth of wider rubber. 

Rene Herse tyres at Unbound
Some riders experimented with running slick tyres at Unbound. – Sam Andrews / Our Media

There was also variation in the tread riders used for Unbound. While conventional lightly treaded gravel tyres are most popular, some feel that, if course conditions comprise large and loose gravel, the minimal tread of most gravel tyres won’t provide much traction anyway, opting for slicks to improve efficiency.

For example, former Unbound champion Ted King ran 44mm-wide Rene Herse Snoqualmie Pass road slicks.

Keegan Swenson – the 2023 men’s winner and favourite heading into this year’s race – teased his bike setup with plump Maxxis Re-Fuse slick tyres ahead of the event, but swapped to conventionally treaded 700c x 45mm Maxxis Reavers for race day. 

Specialized Pathfinder tyre
The Pathfinder is a perennial favourite of the gravel racing world. – Sam Andrews / Our Media

As for specific models, the Specialized Pathfinder still appears to be one of the most popular gravel racing tyres.

1x is gaining momentum, but there’s still a place for 2x

New SRAM RED XPLR AXS collage
SRAM’s new 1x Red gravel groupset was seen everywhere at Unbound. – Sam Andrews / Our Media

SRAM looks set to launch a new 1x 13-speed Red-level gravel drivetrain

It appears to borrow heavily from the recently launched Red AXS road bike groupset

As existing 1×13 groups from Rotor and Campagnolo demonstrate, adding a 13th cog makes the steps between gears more manageable for road and gravel riding. It’s likely SRAM has added an additional cog for the same reasons. 

Virtually every SRAM-sponsored athlete was running it, so consumer availability can’t be too far off. 

1x with chainguide
There’s no real consensus on whether 1x or 2x is the right choice for Unbound. – Sam Andrews / Our Media

At this year’s Unbound, riders lucked out with weather conditions, with the course running largely dry. 

Had it been as muddy as last year, 1x drivetrains may have had an advantage over 2x chainrings, because there’s no front derailleur to clog with mud and debris. 

While we can’t attribute Morton’s 2x drivetrain with standard road chainrings as the componentry that cinched his victory, it certainly didn’t hold him back. 

Classified had a big presence at Unbound, racing the hub paired with SRAM and Shimano drivetrains, as well as a new TRP 1×12 drivetrain.

Ridley riders, including Belgian Arno Van Den Broeck, appeared to be racing a new TRP 1×12 drivetrain with a twist – these bikes looked to be equipped with Classified’s Powershift rear hub

This internal gear hub provides riders with a range similar to a 2x setup, without the disadvantages of a conventional double crankset. 

Given Ridley has a racing partnership with Classified, it’s highly likely this new hybrid drivetrain made its debut at Unbound. 

Allied’s Prototypes: A new ABLE or ECHO?