BEST METAL GRAVEL BIKES
Lockdown restrictions have made gravel riding even more appealing. Cue a quartet of versatile and durable bikes that dispense with carbon for steel and aluminium
REDUCE YOUR OFF ROAD CARBON FOOT PRINT
If you’re looking for gravel adventure and have a two-grand budget, we’d suggest searching beyond carbon and aim for some of the toughest rides around made from metal. Carbon fibre may well be the ultimate material when it comes to lightweight road riding, but there’s a lot to be said for quality steel and aluminium when building a bike that’s designed to take a few knocks. I’m a big fan of welded tubes and frames kitted out with a plethora of fixtures and fittings, forging not only a tough but also a highly versatile all-road machine.
For this test, I’ve looked to brands you may not be aware of, and ones that possess a unique difference – none more so than BiviBIKES. This Liverpudlian micro-brand designed the Graveller with two frame options, the Bunker and Bunker+, the difference being the plus gets a spar-tube from top to down tube. This affords additional fittings and is compatible with the brand’s luggage range. The standard Bunker frame uses Japanese Sanko tubing with mountain-bike style reinforcing gussets; the dropouts are cnc’d (more expensive than plate steel); and attention to detail on the frame is impressive for this price.
Ragley is a British brand that built its name in steel mountain bikes and the Trig wears its influences well with a radically sloped frame, huge tyre clearances and massive mudready tyres as standard.
Then we have Vitus. The brand may have a Gallic history but Vitus is now very much a British entity as part of the CRC/Wiggle empire. The Substance SRS 1 uses a British-steel Reynolds 725 frame and, like its carbon cousin, is based around 650b wheels and plus-sized tyres.
Our most expensive bike on test is Felt’s new Breed 20, which is based around a lightweight alloy frame and premium parts, such as SRAM’s Force, carbon seatpost and a Praxis carbon chainset.