GREAT VALUE GRAVEL BIKES
FOUR ADVENTURE READY-RIDES RIDDEN & RATED
The idea of a bike that can get you off the beaten track yet not feel sluggish on tarmac has wide appeal...
Recently gravel bikes have dominated drop-bar bike sales. The idea of a bike that can get you off the beaten track yet not feel sluggish on tarmac has wide appeal, so we’ve tested four of the best for under £2000.
California-based brand Marin launched in 1986 as one of the early mountain-bike specialists. It’s expanded into road, cyclocross and now has a wide range of gravel and adventure bikes. The Nicasio 2 combines a classic, slim-tubed steel frame with Marin’s Beyond Road geometry and a road-derived drivetrain. This is a bike with versatility at its core.
Fuji’s Jari 1.3 Adventure is built around a light alloy frame and carbon fork and aims to offer versatility from the same mould as Marin. Fuji, however, has opted to provide the rider with a gravelfriendly, wide-range 1x drivetrain and more off-road specific rubber. With the Silex, Merida looked to its mountain bikes for design inspiration. The result is a machine with a more upright riding position but with the nimble on-road manners of an endurance bike. A sub-compact 46/30 chainset adds versatile, go-anywhere gearing into the mix too.
Finally, it’s On-One’s Free Ranger. The UK brand (part of the Planet-X empire) started out making singlespeed mountain and road bikes, building up a committed and dedicated fanbase. It’s now expanded into gravel with a full (Toray) carbon chassis and SRAM Force 1x drivetrain and a smattering of brand-name parts for a bike that looks like a best-valuefor-money package.