{"id":610863,"date":"2026-04-17T19:44:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T19:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/610863\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T19:44:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T19:44:11","slug":"the-hottest-trend-in-cycling-gravel-bikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/610863\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hottest Trend in Cycling: Gravel Bikes"},"content":{"rendered":"

2:17 PM | Friday, April 17, 2026<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

A visit to a bike store can be intimidating with endless options to choose from. It\u2019s Pam Sayler\u2019s goal to ease those fears.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of categories in bikes,\u201d said Pam Sayler, owner of Trailhead Cycling. \u201cE-bikes are all the craze right now. Electric bikes flatten the hills and take the wind away.\u201d<\/p>\n

From different sizes, colors, shapes and speeds, Sayler has a solution for anyone looking to try an e-bike. Sayler said e-bikes range in price from $1,500 to $12,000. She offers three tips to guide your search:<\/p>\n

First, make sure the e-bike is UL 2849 certified, meaning all the electrical systems have been tested for safety from any fire hazard.<\/p>\n

Second, verify the e-bike has a warranty policy that provides service in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, you can order a bike directly from China, but you\u2019re going to get it in a box without any support,\u201d said Sayler. \u201cAnd it may or may not be UL listed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Third, understand the e-bike classifications, which are often used to determine legal access to trails and bike paths<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Class 1: Pedal-assist only, top speed 20 mph
\nClass 2: Throttle-assisted, top speed 20 mph
\nClass 3: Pedal-assist only, top speed 28 mph<\/p>\n

Sayler also cautions cyclists to understand the regulations of e-bikes. For example, you must be at least 15 years old to operate an e-bike in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also need to know that there are speed limits on our trails, especially the Three Rivers trail. And if you\u2019re on the road, you\u2019re responsible for understanding and following all the rules of the road as if you were a motorist,\u201d said Sayler.<\/p>\n

\"E-bike<\/p>\n

The Velotric line is popular for customers new to e-bikes.<\/p>\n

Gravel Bikes A Hot Trend<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s not an e-bike you\u2019re looking for, gravel bikes have become a hot trend.<\/p>\n

\u201cA gravel bike does look like a road bike,\u201d explained Sayler. \u201cThe difference being you have a little more slack or relaxed frame geometry, you have a lower gear ratio for more climbing or inconsistent surfaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayler mentioned that gravel bikes have almost entirely replaced road bikes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people, if they come in looking for a road bike, [they] test ride a gravel bike and realize: I want more comfort, I want more control, I want better gear ratio.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gravel bikes are also available in electric versions, but Sayler said most of them sold at Trailhead Cycling are human powered.<\/p>\n

And just like e-bikes, there\u2019s a wide range in price for gravel bikes, anywhere from $600 to $10,000, depending on what you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s beautiful about gravel bikes is it allows you to get off the road or off the paved trails,\u201d said Sayler.<\/p>\n

\"Gravel<\/p>\n

Example of a gravel bike sold at Trailhead Cycling<\/p>\n

Also see: Spring Cleaning? Trailhead Cycling Collecting Used Bikes To Help Kids<\/a><\/p>\n

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Brooklyn Center<\/a> | Brooklyn Park<\/a> | Crystal<\/a> | Golden Valley<\/a> | Maple Grove<\/a> | New Hope<\/a> | Osseo<\/a> | Plymouth<\/a> | Robbinsdale<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2:17 PM | Friday, April 17, 2026 A visit to a bike store can be intimidating with endless…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":610864,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,82],"class_list":["post-610863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=610863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/610864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=610863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=610863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=610863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}