Check out these gravel grinders!
Check out these gravel grinders!
Gravel bikes. Everyone’s talking about them, and some of us are even riding them. These innovative, all-round machines are the crazy children of a threesome between a racing bike, a cyclocrosser and a mountain bike. And now there are a decent number of them on the market at a price point that ensures quality, but won’t break the bank entirely. We take a look at four aluminium gravel bikes under €2,000.
Cannondale Topstone 105
This is the mid-range version of the Topstone model, from the very respectable Cannondale stables in the US. The frame is SmartForm C2 aluminium alloy. The fork is the full carbon Topstone Disc with a tapered steerer. The groupset is 2×11 Shimano 105 7000 GS, and it is also fitted with Shimano 105 7070 hydro disc brakes. The crankset, however, is not Shimano: it is an FSE Omega ME 46/30, possibly to accommodate the lower, gravelicious gear ratios which result. The bike comes with a rear cassette with 11-34 gearing as standard.
The frame (and wheels) can comfortably accommodate the 40mm WTB Nano TCS tyres that are fitted as standard. This bike is priced at €1,799 in the Netherlands. Note the range of lugs attached to the frame for top tube bag, three bottle cages an even the once-taboo rear baggage rack lugs. This one’s clearly adventure-ready and ready to hit the trail!
Canyon Grail AL 7.0
The Canyon Grail (great name!) AL is a reasonably-priced machine with great looks. This bike is fitted with the latest Shimano 105 groupset, with more standard gear ratios than some of the bikes on this list. The 105 crankset is a standard compact set up with 50-34 chainrings. The rear 11-speed cassette is 11-34. The bike comes with DT Swiss C1850 wheels as standard, with Schwalbe G-One Bite tyres, which are 40mm wide. This machine has clearly been designed with bike-packing in mind, as the photo shows. The Shimano 105 disc brakes are trail-ready.
The Grail AL is available in three sizes for men and two for women, and the smaller bikes are fitted with smaller 650b wheels, to retain manoeuvrability. The price? €1,499. This is pretty damned reasonable, but do bear in mind that Canyon is an internet shop and you will be required to assemble the bike to a certain extent.
Cube Nuroad Race 2019
Cube’s gravel bike has the confusing word ‘race’ added to its name, but this is because the makers claim to have combined ‘all the best qualities of our road race and cyclocross series in a rugged, versatile and lively bike that’ll have you seeking out new routes to explore’. Like the other bikes at this price point, the Nuroad Race (grrrr) has an aluminium frame. The 6061 T6 Superlite frame has fender and rack lugs fitted as standard. The front fork appears to have an aluminium crown and carbon blades, while the groupset is Shimano 105 R7000.
The gearing is standard compact on the front (50-34) and an 11-32 cassette on the rear, making it the least adventurous on the list. The brakes are Shimano 105 hydraulic flat-mount discs. The Nuroad comes with Schwalbe G-One Allround tyres that are 35mm wide, but the makers say the bike can take up to 40mm tyres if required. It is an elegant looking machine with tasteful paintwork. Price? Around €1,399, and therefore the most reasonably-priced among the gravel bikes on this list.
Rose Pro Cross Gravel
This bike certainly gets your attention. If not for its orange livery, then for what appears to be a rather good-looking machine from the German internet bike store Rose. The frame is triple-butted aluminium, but you may notice it has internally-routed gear and brake cables which give it that sleek look. The Shimano 105 7000 version (there’s also a 1×11 Sram Apex version that is cheaper than this) weighs in at a very respectable 8.9kg.
The Rose Pro Cross Gravel features a standard compact chainset up front (50-34) with an 11-speed 11-32 cassette. This gearing might be regarded as rather conservative for real off-road thrill-seekers, especially if you a carrying luggage. Interestingly, this bike has DT Swiss 27.5-inch wheels as standard, fitted with Schwalbe G-One 40mm-wide tyres. Price? At €1,749 it’s certainly not the cheapest of our gravel bikes. It does have has rear fender and front rack lugs incorporated.
Gravel bikes. Everyone’s talking about them, and some of us are even riding them. These innovative, all-round machines are the crazy children of a threesome between a racing bike, a cyclocrosser and a mountain bike. And now there are a decent number of them on the market at a price point that ensures quality, but won’t break the bank entirely. We take a look at four aluminium gravel bikes under €2,000.