{"id":929251,"date":"2026-10-15T16:38:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T16:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/929251\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T16:38:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T16:38:21","slug":"stress-testing-6-completely-different-gravel-bikes-to-find-the-future-of-gravel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/929251\/","title":{"rendered":"Stress Testing 6 Completely Different Gravel Bikes to Find the Future of Gravel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Published October 15, 2026 10:00AM<\/p>\n

What does the future of gravel bikes look like? That\u2019s the question we\u2019re exploring in Velo\u2019s 2027 Gravel Bike Field Test<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From aero bikes with extra tire clearance to what can only be classified as a mountain bike with drop bars, there are more approaches than ever to gravel bikes. We\u2019ve curated a selection of six examples of modern gravel bikes, each progressive in its own way, and put them head to head in Squamish, B.C. to see where exactly gravel is headed.<\/p>\n

Last week in episode 1<\/a>, we took our six test bikes on a first impressions loop that featured a little bit of everything: champagne gravel, loamy dirt trails, and slightly technical, rocky single track\u2014with climbing and descending for all of the above.<\/p>\n

Now Levy, Josh, and Logan are back for episode 2, where it\u2019s time to put each bike through a series of challenges designed to push the bikes (and, frankly, the test riders) to their limits to see how well they perform under the wide range of different conditions that can all be called gravel riding.<\/p>\n

\"VeloLogan, Josh, and Levy at the Velo Field Test. (Photo: Will Tracy\/Velo)
\nThe 3 Challenges
\nClimbing<\/p>\n

Logan drew the short straw this time around, picking the climbing challenge\u2014but he doesn\u2019t seem too bummed about it. Can somebody please stop making him call it interval training? How does each bike handle an off-road climb sprinkled with a few challenging elements like rocks and roots? We timed each run to find out.<\/p>\n

\"VeloLogan and Levy questioning their life choices. (Photo: Will Tracy\/Velo)
\nDescending<\/p>\n

Next up, it\u2019s Levy\u2019s turn, and he\u2019s drawing on his 20+ years of mountain biking experience in the descending challenge. This technical singletrack is definitely on the outer limits of where you\u2019d want to take a gravel bike, but that\u2019s the point of the challenge\u2014pushing these bikes to their limits.<\/p>\n

\"VeloLevy is Velo\u2019s resident off-road descending expert. (Photo: Will Tracy\/Velo)
\nEfficiency<\/p>\n

No one on the Velo tech team likes to ride long distances quite like Josh, who\u2019s known to do at least one century ride every week, so naturally he\u2019s taken on our efficiency test. We had him ride every bike on a washboard gravel road while holding a steady 200 watts to see which of our six bikes comes out on top.<\/p>\n

\"VeloJosh took on our efficiency test, including a couple laps on the Salsa Fargo 32 Ti. (Photo: Will Tracy\/Velo)
\nThe 6 bikes on test<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Giant Revolt Advanced SL
\n\"Velo(Photo: Max Barron\/Velo)<\/p>\n

The all-rounder: race it or go adventuring.<\/p>\n

Specification: Giant Revolt Advanced SL 0, SRAM Red XPLR
Tire clearance, claimed: 53mm
Weight (tested size): 7.85kg\/17.3lbs (ML)<\/p>\n

Factor Sarana
\n\"Velo(Photo: Max Barron\/Velo)<\/p>\n

The ultra endurance machine.<\/p>\n

Specification: Factor Sarana, SRAM Force XPLR
Tire clearance, claimed: 56mm
Weight (tested size): 9.58kg\/21.12lbs (Medium)<\/p>\n

Argon 18 Anti Matter
\n\"Velo(Photo: Max Barron\/Velo)<\/p>\n

The aero approach to gravel.<\/p>\n

Specification: Argon 18 Anti Matter + SRAM RED XPLR
Tire clearance, claimed: 55mm
Weight (tested size): 8.5kg\/18.74lbs (Medium)<\/p>\n

Obed GVR
\n\"Velo(Photo: Max Barron\/Velo)<\/p>\n

The progressive race bike.<\/p>\n

Specification: Obed GVR, SRAM Red XPLR
Tire clearance, claimed: 56mm
Weight (tested size): 9.12kg\/20.1lbs (Medium)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pivot Les SL Drop Bar
\n\"Velo(Photo: Max Barron\/Velo)<\/p>\n

The drop-bar mountain bike.<\/p>\n

Specification: Pivot Les SL Drop Bar, SRAM GX Eagle Transmission 12-Speed
Tire clearance, claimed: 29 x 2.4\u2033
Weight (tested size): 9.78kg\/21.56lbs (Medium)<\/p>\n

Salsa Fargo 32 Ti
\n\"Velo(Photo: Max Barron\/Velo)<\/p>\n

The 32er. How much difference do big wheels make?<\/p>\n

Specification: Salsa Fargo 32 Ti, \u00a0SRAM GX Eagle Transmission
Tire clearance, claimed: 60mm
Weight (tested size): 9.48kg\/20.9lbs (Medium)<\/p>\n

The test riders<\/p>\n

To settle the debate about the future of gravel once and for all (or perhaps muddy it more than ever), we\u2019ve assembled three test riders who, like the bikes, couldn\u2019t be more different.<\/p>\n

Reformed mountain biker turned drop-bar obsessive Mike Levy leads the charge, bringing a technical, rowdy background and a preference for chunkier roads and adventuring far off the beaten path\u2014on Earth and beyond.<\/p>\n

\"VeloOur host Mike Levy. (Photo: Will Tracy\/Velo)<\/p>\n

He\u2019s joined by Velo\u2019s in-house team of tech editors. Josh Ross likes to ride long distances as efficiently as possible\u2014catch him pedaling all day and night across the gravel roads of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. He\u2019s all about pushing his personal boundaries, and finding the equipment that will help him go the extra mile (or extra 200 miles).<\/p>\n

\"\"Velo Senior Tech Editor Josh Ross.\u00a0 (Photo: Max Barron\/Velo)<\/p>\n

Having once finished 18th overall at the Unbound 200, Logan Jones-Wilkins can\u2019t stop thinking about going fast and squeezing every drop of performance from gravel gear. But when he\u2019s not mixing it up in the pointy end of races, he likes his gravel bike to be a medium for adventuring into the unknown.<\/p>\n

\"\"Velo Tech Editor Logan Jones-Wilkins. (Photo: Max Barron\/Velo)<\/p>\n

That\u2019s three different approaches to gravel, and, naturally, their takes are as varied as the riders themselves. Can they settle their differences and agree on anything? We may have to resort to some good ol\u2019 fashioned tactics to resolve things\u2014which may or may not mean go-kart racing.<\/p>\n

Squamish: The ultimate testing grounds<\/p>\n

To put these bikes to the ultimate test (and the riders too), we\u2019ve taken everyone to the outdoor playground that is Squamish, British Columbia. Finding out the future of gravel means pushing bikes to their limits, so we\u2019ve found a mix of terrain from single track to washboard fire roads to do just that.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re stress testing the bikes to get the most possible out of them. In this first episode, we\u2019ve put together a test loop that takes our riders on a smattering of every kind of terrain one might consider gravel, from champagne roads, to loamy dirt trails, to slightly technical, rocky single track, and we\u2019ve got climbing and descending for all of the above.<\/p>\n

\"VeloSquamish provides a little bit of everything when it comes to gravel. (Photo: Will Tracy\/Velo)<\/p>\n

To keep our testing focused on the bikes themselves, we\u2019ve brought in control tires, 50mm Schwalbe G-One RX tires<\/a> run at the same tire pressure, mounted to Easton EC90 ALX wheels<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Poll: Which bike is the future of gravel?<\/p>\n

Thank you to our sponsors!<\/p>\n

Velo Field Test wouldn\u2019t happen without the support of these sponsors. A big thank you to Endura<\/a> for providing kits and helmets, Schwalbe<\/a> for tires, and Easton<\/a> for wheels!<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nThe team that made Velo Field Test possible<\/p>\n

A special thank you to the crew who made this Velo Field Test a reality!<\/p>\n

\"Velo(Photo: Will Tracy\/Velo)<\/p>\n

Video team: Logan Patrick Nelson<\/a>, Max Barron, Stefan Licko
\nVideo editor: Stefan Licko
\nBike shop support: Bici<\/a>
\nLunch wranglin\u2019, Kei truck driving and chauffeuring: Will Tracy, Brian Park
\nTesters: Josh Ross, Logan Jones-Wilkins
\nHost: Mike Levy<\/p>\n

\"VeloThe team after wrapping a day of shooting. (Photo: Will Tracy\/Velo)<\/p>\n

Enjoy the video and stay tuned for episode 3, where we\u2019re taking the bikes on a big ride around Squamish to figure out the future of gravel bikes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Published October 15, 2026 10:00AM What does the future of gravel bikes look like? That\u2019s the question we\u2019re…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":929252,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,166818,85,496066,68225,496067,496068,496069,67883],"class_list":["post-929251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cycling","tag-parent_category-gravel","tag-sports","tag-tag-argon-18","tag-tag-evergreen","tag-tag-factor","tag-tag-giant-bicycles","tag-tag-obed","tag-type-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/929251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=929251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/929251\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/929252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=929251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=929251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=929251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}