MOMSEN GP300

Like Pyga, Momsen is also a South African company – based in Port Elizabeth – producing top-quality bikes for local conditions. Their GP300 gravel bike is a budget offering with some surprisingly decent specs: The frame is lightweight aluminium with clearance for 2,1-inch tubeless tyres; the drivetrain is 1x11 SRAM Apex; and it comes with cableoperated disc brakes (not as good as hydraulic but fine for gravel). A gravel bike gives you the freedom to mix things up – a little bit of tar (with some riding on the verge for safety’s sake); some non-technical single track and home via green belts or farmland. That’s when you’re at home – it really excels when you leave the city and head out onto a gravel ribbon of a road that unspools towards the horizon. There are new models appearing almost weekly, but the GP300 is the best gravel bike you’ll find at the price. R17 500 at Momsen retailers – find one at momsenbikes.com