Gravel bikes are built for unsurfaced roads and tracks, but their wider tyres and abundant frame mounts make them a good choice for commuting.
Like hybrids, gravel bikes are a blend of road bike and mountain bike. They look more like road bikes due to the drop handlebar but have wider tyres that will tackle well-surfaced tracks and towpaths as well as tarmac. They have a less aero, more upright riding position than road bikes, along with lower gears and disc brakes. Crucially, for commuting, they usually have mounts for full-length mudguards and a rear rack. As such, they’re a more practical option for most commuters than either road or mountain bikes.
Gravel bikes have become more and more popular recently. There’s not only down to fashion. Like hybrids, gravel bikes are versatile enough to be used pretty much anywhere except in races and on challenging off-road terrain. Bike buyers have voted for that versatility with their wallets – which means there are now lots of gravel bikes to choose from.
However much you’re planning to spend, make sure the gravel bike you’re getting has mudguard and luggage mounts – most do but not all. Hardly any gravel bikes actually come with these commuting accessories, so it’s worth including them in your Cyclescheme package. (Your retailer can advise on what will fit your bike best.)
Consider getting a second pair of tyres as well. Gravel bike tyres won’t buzz and drag on tarmac as badly as mountain bike tyres but they’ll still slow you down a little. Slicker tyres such as Continental Contact Speed (£29.95), Panaracer GravelKing Slick TLR (£54.99) or Rene Herse Barlow Pass (£82) will roll better and can still handle off-road journeys in dry conditions. If you prioritise puncture resistance over rolling performance, get Schwalbe Marathon Plus (£43.99).
Marin Nicasio 1 ST £849
This is one of the few gravel bikes with a step-through frame. (That’s what the letters ST signify; there’s also a version with a top tube.) While that makes cycling in a skirt easier, it’s even more useful for anyone who struggles to get a leg over a top tube. It’s also helpful when riding with a child seat. The Nicasio’s steel frame and fork have all the fittings you need for commuting equipment. The WTB Exposure tyres are fairly slick so don’t need swapping for the ride to work. Gearing (2x8 Shimano Claris) is a little high for a gravel bike, which could be an issue if it’s very hilly where you live, while the brakes are a standard for a sub-£1,000 bike: cable discs.
Thanks to an aluminium frame and a full carbon fork, Boardman’s ADV 8.6 is lightweight for a budget gravel bike, tipping the scales at just 10.6kg. The gearing is also unusually good at the price. It’s 2x9 Shimano Sora rather than a cheaper 8-speed groupset, and it utilises a smaller (46-30) chainset and a larger (11-34) cassette to give a more practical range of gears. The wheels are tubeless ready, which gives upgrade potential, and the frameset has fittings for mudguards and a rear rack. The women’s version is available in smaller sizes than the standard ADV 8.6, with shorter cranks and shorter stems for a more female-friendly fit.
Cube Nuroad One FE £999
While most gravel bikes can be fitted with commuting kit, Cube’s Nuroad One FE comes with everything you need already installed: mudguards, a rear rack, a kickstand and lighting powered by a hub dynamo. Straight from the shop, it’s ready for the ride to work. The carbon fork has mounts for a front rack as well, so you could fit four panniers for a cycling holiday or a supermarket weekly shop. Gears and brakes are par for the course at this price point: 2x8 Shimano Claris, thankfully with a larger, 11-34 cassettte; and Tektro cable discs. The bike’s 40mm Schwalbe G-One Comp tyres roll OK on tarmac as they’re lightly treaded.
Van Rysel Microshift Sword 1x10 Gravel AF £999.99
Like most bikes from Decathlon, this Van Rysel punches above its weight in terms of value. It’s equipped with a 10-speed groupset rather than the 9-speed you might expect – a 1x Microshift Sword setup whose huge, 11-48 cassette gives a lower bottom gear than any of the other bikes here. The brakes are good too: unlike most cable disc brakes, both pistons move on these TRP Spyres, which gives better-modulated braking. The aluminium frame and carbon fork have fittings for a rear rack and mudguards, and the clearances are excellent. You could comfortably fit mudguards over the 40mm Hutchinson Touareg tyres provided, or switch up to 50mm tyres without mudguards. The wheels are tubeless ready.
Trek Checkpoint ALR 3 £1,190
The ALR 3 is Trek’s least expensive Checkpoint model. It has the same good-quality aluminium frame and carbon fork as the dearer models, both barnacled with bikepacking mounts as well as fittings for mudguards and a rear rack. Dual-piston brakes similar to the Van Rysel’s TRP Spyres offer performance towards the upper end of cable disc levels, while the 2x9 Shimano Sora drivetrain is equipped with a usefully smaller 46-30 chainset like the Boardman. The Bontrager wheels and 42mm tyres are notable in that they come set up tubeless. You can run them at lower pressures for comfort and control off road, and many punctures on trail or tarmac will self seal.
Surly Preamble Drop Bar £1,199.99
The Preamble is described by Surly as a ‘steel commuter and gravel bike’ – in that order. It’s an acknowledgment of a gravel bike’s everyday capabilties. The Preamble doesn’t come with equipment like Cube’s Nuroad One FE but has fittings for all the essentials, plus a front platform rack. The frame and fork are chrome-moly steel, which is relatively heavy but durable. Sizing options are generous, with models to fit riders as short as 5ft tall. That size XS bike, along with the size S, gets smaller, 650B wheels to keep everything in proportion. Gearing is a 1x9 setup from Microshift, although the cassette is only 11-36 so it lacks the range of the Van Rysel. The brakes are among the most effective cable disc brakes you can buy: Avid BB7.
Sonder Camino Al Tiagra Hydraulic £1,349
There are lots of different versions of the Sonder Camino, including some with titanium frames or flat handlebars. This is an aluminium one with a carbon fork, a wide, flared drop bar, 2x10 Shimano Tiagra gearing and hydraulic brakes. Like all Caminos, it has off-road-friendly steering geometry and lots of frame and fork clearance. You can fit 700C tyres as wide as 50mm or smaller-diameter 650B tyres up to 2.1in. Wheel size choice is one of the many options on the online store page; you can also add equipment such as mudguards and a rear rack. It’s good value for a bike with hydraulic disc brakes – particularly at the time of writing, when it had been reduced to £1,149.
Planet X Tempest SRAM Apex XPLR £1,799
Titanium is typically used for high-end road and gravel bikes because it’s strong, lightweight and resilient. It’s also expensive, which is why you see so few titanium commuter bikes, even though titanium doesn’t rust and shrugs off scratches. The Planet X Tempest is that rare thing: a titanium bike with carbon fork that’s relatively affordable. It has room for tyres up to 48mm wide for off-road comfort but also has fittings for mudguards and a rear rack. It’s equipped with a 1x12 SRAM XPLR drivetrain, hydraulic brakes, and Fulcrum Rapid Red 500 wheels that are tubeless ready. You can select faster rolling tyres (such as Schwalbe G-One Allround) at point of purchase.
Dolan GXC Carbon Disc Gravel Bike – Shimano GRX610 £1,799
Like Planet X, Dolan sells direct, which keeps prices keen. Hence the aluminium bike price tag on this carbon fibre model. Many carbon fibre bikes lack frame fittings; this one doesn’t. You can fit a rear rack and mudguards, and even add them when you buy online. The build menu is extensive, allowing to choose a 2x GRX drivetrain if you don’t want the standard 1x, as well as switching the tyres, adding lights and so on. Clearance for tyres up to 45mm wide means you don’t have to choose between mudguards and pothole-proof rubber like you would with a road bike. The brakes are hydraulic, as they are for all versions of GRX.
Genesis Croix De Fer 30 £2,299
The Croix De Fer was one of the earliest gravel bikes, first appearing in 2009. Sixteen years later it’s still a steel-framed all-rounder with disc brakes and fittings for luggage and mudguards. Frame and fork clearances are much bigger now, however – tyres up to 47mm will fit. And of course it has modern components. The Croix De Fer 30 (the range goes from 10 to 50) has 2x10 Shimano GRX gearing, hydraulic brakes and tubeless-ready wheels and tyres. The Croix De Fer 30 is quite expensive for a steel bike but it is made from a good-quality steel tube-set, Reynolds 725. This is stronger than cheaper chrome-moly steels so a bit less material can be used, saving weight.
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