For context, the UCI’s weight limit for road bikes in its races is 6.8kg.īeyond just making hills melt away, that extreme light weight made the Crux unbelievably nimble. In a size 52cm and without pedals or bottle cages, the bike tipped the scales at a feathery 6.9kg – which is frankly absurd. Testing the Crux in its top level spec, it was astonishingly fast with a particular aptitude for the climbs. But for 2022, the range has had a refresh and a rebrand – now top level gravel racing has been added to the résumé.
Types of gravel full#
Read more: BMC URS ONE Apex full review (opens in new tab)įor many years, the Crux has had its feet firmly planted in the muddy fields of cyclocross. It’s not totally bedecked in mounts – we wouldn’t choose it for bikepacking trips measured in weeks rather than days – but for those shorter, local rides which make up the majority of the time spent on our bikes, it’s a complete blast and a pleasure to ride.Īvailability is a little restricted in the US for this exact model right now, but there are builds with other groupsets available from Mike's Bikes (opens in new tab) and The Pro's Closet (opens in new tab). It still retains the efficiency you’d expect from a gravel bike – it successfully completed the South Downs Way, a challenging one-hundred-mile gravel trail in the South East of England. Yet for all that, this isn’t a kind of monster-cross, essentially MTB with drop bars. This, combined with the short 425mm chainstays, adds up to a bike which can be popped around the corners, but still doesn’t feel skittish on the descents. At 70 degrees and 70mm, these numbers are quite far off what you’d get on a modern MTB, but for gravel it’s really quite progressive. Several cues are taken from BMC’s mountain bike range, such as a slacker head angle and stubbier stem. The BMC URS One impressed with its brilliant balance between being fun and capable off-road, whilst remaining efficient enough to easily handle long distance epics. Lack of mounts on fork for extra carrying capacity Read more: Vitus Substance CRS-2 eTap AXS Rival full review (opens in new tab) This model isn't currently available, but there are plenty of others being sold at Wiggle (opens in new tab), with prices ranging from one grand to well over three. Sticking to the suggested tyre widths does close off riding this bike on some terrain – or at least makes it slower going than with a fully fat Canyon Grizl, for instance. We felt there was ample clearance at the front for 650b x 2.1in tyres as well as going wider at the rear. The rated maximum tyre clearance at 650b x 47mm or 700c x 42mm sells this bike rather short. For tours measured in months rather than days, you’d want tubes made from metal rather than carbon, but for week long trips, the Vitus Substance is a lightweight and efficient rig. It comes with 650b tyres, bottle mounts on the fork legs and the underside of the downtube, as well as attachment points for a rack and a set of panniers. The Substance leans towards the more rugged and long distance end of the gravel spectrum. Coming with a 2x12 electronic groupset and a full carbon frame, to get a similar spec from some of the bigger bike brands would set you back nearly twice as much.īut while those extra gears and reasonably light weight certainly add to the experience, it’s the frame design that’s fundamentally of the most importance, but Vitus has done a good job there too. Vitus has a built a strong reputation for delivering excellent bikes at an incredible price – and the Substance CRS-2 very much follows in that vein. Not best suited for tight and twisty riding With the demand for new bikes still being so high, the availability of certain models is pretty sparse and there aren't as many discounts as we'd normally see. We’ll take you through all the best gravel bikes we’ve reviewed, explaining exactly what type of riding they’re best suited for so you can narrow down your search to those that best meet your needs. If you're interested in digging a bit deeper into gravel bike tyres, we've also got a dedicated page discussing the best size and tread pattern for gravel bikes. They tend to be a little heavier and not quite as responsive in the corners – but if you're laden down by a suite of bags, you're not really going to miss or notice that much.
They'll have plenty of mounting points to carry bikepacking bags along with really wide tyre clearance so that you can fit tyres to give you traction and comfort on long off-road rides. On the other hand, a racy frame may lack the clearance for really wide gravel bike tyres and may not have a comprehensive set of mounting points for gear.Īt the other extreme are gravel bikes designed for bikepacking.
The best gravel bikes for fast riding now often include aero features, snappier handling geometry, and lighter weight gravel bike wheels.
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