Gravel race bikes and gravel bikepacking bikes are two very different things, so why do we still call both of them ‘gravel bikes’?

By Warren Rossiter

Published: Saturday, 17 June 2023 at 12:00 am


I want to divide gravel bikes into categories based on what they’re built for, and I want to do it now.

The exploding popularity of gravel has brought more people than ever to the world of drop-bar bikes, from dyed-in-the-wool roadies to full-send mountain bikers, via new riders dipping their toe into riding for the first time.

Gravel riding has opened up new horizons for just about everyone – including bike brands keen to jump on the bandwagon, and that means we’re experiencing something of a bout of growing pains when it comes to the huge range of gravel bikes out there.

While mountain bikes have diversified into an ever-confusing amount of sub-genres, as the sport has evolved into wide variety of disciplines and sub-discipines, gravel bikes are often lumped together as one category: gravel.

It’s time for the great gravel divide to take place, to establish useful – and that’s the key here – sub-categories for riders trying to navigate the huge number of options out there.

It’s something I’ve been vocal about in the past on the BikeRadar Podcast and over on our YouYube channel when I pitted two very different gravel bikes – the Surly Grappler and Scott Addict Gravel head-to-head.

Now it’s time to commit words to the page, though, with my take on the future direction of gravel categorisation.