Choosing the right gravel bike for your riding style and requirements can be difficult at the best of times, especially when there’s so many options available. Each rider has their own list of priorities for what they consider as important, whether they’d prefer an all-rounder, a bike that can hold its own in a gravel race, or something that can provide all day comfort while bikepacking.
We’ve got 7 models of gravel bikes available, and for this reason, we’ve underlined 4 factors which we believe to be the most important points to consider when buying a gravel bike.
Please then refer to the table below, which explains which bikes feature which characteristics to allow you choose the best bike for your needs. (click on the image of each factor for more information)
Bike |
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Frameset Material |
Tyre Clearance |
Mudguard/Pannier Mounts |
Geometry Aggressive or Relaxed? |
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Tempest |
Titanium / carbon fork |
46mm:700C / 50mm: 650B |
Yes |
Relaxed |
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Goldrush |
Titanium / carbon fork |
44mm: 700C / 50mm: 650B |
Yes |
Relaxed |
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Mystique |
Full carbon frameset |
43mm |
Yes |
Relaxed |
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Free Ranger |
Full carbon frameset |
48mm:700C / 50mm:650B |
Yes |
Aggressive |
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Roadrunner |
Titanium / carbon fork |
35mm |
Yes |
Aggressive |
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London Road Ti |
Titanium / carbon fork |
35mm |
Yes |
Relaxed |
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London Road Gravel |
Alloy frame / carbon fork |
45mm |
Yes |
Relaxed |
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Frameset material
We offer three different types of material throughout our gravel range. These are:
Titanium: offering a great blend of comfort and lightness, titanium will keep you comfy all day long due to being compliant, meaning it flexes while you ride to take the edge off bumps and vibrations on the terrain. It’s heavier than carbon, but more forgiving. All our titanium bikes feature a carbon fork to reduce the weight a little too.
Carbon: The lightest material, carbon gets the weight down as low as possible and creates a stiffer ride, putting all the energy into higher speeds and quicker acceleration.
Alloy: A budget friendly material, alloy offers a stiff ride but is still light enough to benefit from the power you put into the pedals. A little heavier than carbon and titanium, but easier on the pocket.
Tyre Clearance
The frames tyre clearance is the space which a frame offers to allow a certain size of tyre. Smaller clearance means narrower tyres will be fitted, and larger clearances mean a wider tyre can be fitted. The advantages of each are explained below:
Narrower tyres: provide a smaller footprint on the ground meaning less rolling resistance, so less energy is lost from the tyres creating friction on the road.
Wider tyres: offer more surface area, and as such provide more comfort and grip, but are a little bit slower than narrower options.
Pannier and Mudguard Mounts
Panniers mounts allow you to fit pannier racks, which enable you attach bags to your bike for bike packing/touring trips. These also double as mudguard mounts, which allow the attachment of full length mudguards to protect you from dirt/debris flying off your tyre. Both panniers and guards can be fitted in conjunction with one another should you want to.
Geometry
A bikes geometry refers to the angles or length of each tube on the bike which will influence how the bike rides. We’ve divided geometry into two brief explanations below:
Relaxed geometry: this refers to a frame design that prioritizes comfort over speed, not to say it won’t do both though! A relaxed style of geometry enables stability and confidence in rough terrain. The steering will also be less twitchy as the angle of the fork is more relaxed too.
Aggressive geometry: typically bikes with this form of geometry have a lower handlebar height and have a steeper fork angle. This means the bike will be more aerodynamic, allowing you to reach higher speeds which will be easier to achieve and sustain. It may mean a bit more time getting used to the position required to ride comfortably, but once you’re there, you’ll be able to cover miles faster and easier.