What’s New in Gravel Bikes and Components
Gravel bikes and gear have made the leap to the mainstream in 2019.
Each year at the Sea Otter Classic there’s at least one product category that dominates exhibitor booths. This year, it was undeniable that gravel bikes have made the leap from niche to mainstream. Almost every company has some form of gravel or adventure bike in its quiver.
Component options are on the rise as well, with new alternatives for gearing and new tire choices. Perhaps most noteworthy is the development of suspension technologies to help riders grind out long days on rough roads.
Take a scroll through this Mtbr Gallery for a look at some of the top gravel gear highlights 2019.
Canyon is releasing a budget-friendly alloy version of its Grail gravel bike. Photo by Josh Patterson
Unlike the carbon Grail introduced last year, the aluminum Grail uses a standard handlebar. Photo by Josh Patterson
The skinwall Scwalbe G-One tires are a nice touch with the Grail’s forest green paint. Photo by Josh Patterson
CushCore has developed a version of its flat-fighting tire inserts for gravel bikes. Photo by Josh Patterson
e*thirteen was showing off an 11-speed XCX Plus cassette with a 9-34t range for gravel bikes. Photo by Jason Sumner
e*thirteen’s new XCXr gravel crankset is 213 grams lighter than a comparable SRAM Force 1 crankset. Photo by Jason Sumner
In addition to cassettes and cranks, e*thirteen has chainrings for gravel grinders. Photo by Jason Sumner
European brands are starting to embrace gravel. LOOK’s new 765 Gravel is up to speed with all the key features. Photo by Josh Patterson
We appreciate the ability to run two bottles on the downtube. Photo by Josh Patterson
Norco’s Search XR was introduced last season and continues to be one of the best thought-out options for gravel riding and bikepacking. Photo by Josh Patterson
The Search XR has mounts on the fork to carry extra water bottles or additional cargo. Photo by Josh Patterson
The top Search XR build (shown here) comes stock with a dropper seatpost. Photo by Josh Patterson
Otso’s new Waheela C carbon gravel bike is a packed with thoughful features including four bottle mounts and the ability to change the chainstay length by 20mm and bottom bracket height by 4mm. Photo by Josh Patterson
This flip-chip in the Waheela’s rear axle can be used to slightly raise or lower the BB when swapping between 700c and 650b wheelsets or to lengthen or shorten the stays for quicker or more stable handling. Photo by Josh Patterson
Even Pinarello is looking to jump into the gravel game with the Grevil line. Photo by Josh Patterson
Pinarello’s Grevil is designed to work with 700c and 650b wheels. Photo by Josh Patterson
The Grevil’s lines make it stand out from the throngs of other gravel bikes at the show. Photo by Josh Patterson
Big Agnes has developed a version of its ultralight Copper Spur tent for bikepacking. Photo by Josh Patterson
The bikepacking version of the Big Agnes Copper Spur features shorter poles and a stuffsack that can be mounted directly to your frame. Photo by Josh Patterson
This Trek Checkpoint was decked out in a classy build. Photo by Josh Patterson
Bontrager’s new Aeolus Pro 3V wheelset is gravel-ready with an internal width of 25mm. Photo by Josh Patterson
Bontrager’s new GR1 Team Issue tires look like they’ll be fast and predictable. Photo by Josh Patterson
UK brand Vielo was showing off it’s V+1 go-anywhere model. Photo by Josh Patterson
The Vielo V+1 has slender seatstays to take the edge off impacts. Photo by Josh Patterson
The new RockShox AXS wireless seatpost makes it easy to add a dropper to dropbar bikes. Photo by Josh Patterson
After at least three years of development, Niner is ready to bring its full suspension gravel bike to market this fall. Photo by Josh Patterson
The Niner MCR 9 RDO features 40mm of front suspension with 50mm of travel in the rear. Photo by Josh Patterson
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