Cyclist
Best gravel race bikes 2025 reviewed
The best gravel race bikes are designed for fast riding off road. While gravel adventure bikes and generalist gravel bikes offer ever-wider tyre clearance and numerous mounting points, gravel race bikes are in general much more pared back. Their geometry is often closer to road bikes and tyre clearance is more restricted, although there are exceptions.
Often, bike makers will have both a gravel race bike and a gravel adventure bike in their range, such as the Specialized Crux and Diverge. Specialized goes even further, offering the full suspension Diverge STR in addition to the standard Diverge, indicating just how differentiated the gravel bike world has become.
Our guide to the best gravel bikes covers race, adventure and general options and you can read our guide to the best gravel adventure bikes if you’re more into exploring. But read on for our picks of the best gravel race bikes and a buyer’s guide to what to look for if you’re looking for a fast gravel bike for racing and on/off tarmac use.
Reviews of the best gravel race bikes
- 3T RaceMax – read our full review
- Argonaut Supernaut GR3 – read our full review
- BMC Kaius – read our full review
- Canyon Grail – read our full review
- Cervélo Áspero – read our full review
- Enve Mog – read our full review
- Factor Ostro Gravel – read our full review
- FiftyOne Assassin – read our full review
- Open Upper – read our full review
- Scott Addict Gravel – read our full review
- Specialized Crux – read our full review
Why trust Cyclist‘s advice
At Cyclist, we hand pick the best drop bar bikes to review for Cyclist magazine and our online review pages, and our readers are treated to in-depth coverage of all that’s new in the world of road and gravel riding. That means that we’ve ridden and reviewed the cream of the gravel race bikes available, know the features to look for in a gravel race bike and can pinpoint the pros and cons of each.
We’re not paid for our reviews, so you can trust us to offer impartial advice and an unbiased opinion.
The best gravel race bikes reviewed by Cyclist
3T RaceMax
£3,984 (frameset) | View offer
- Aero frame with big 61mm 650b tyre clearance
- Rigid, stable and fast
The 3T Racemax (3T has dropped the Exploro moniker from its bikes) offers wide 61mm tyre clearance on 650b wheels, while it is claimed to have better aerodynamics than the original Exploro. 3T is now aiming the Racemax squarely at gravel racers, with 2x Shimano and 1x SRAM options, as well as selling frameset-only.
We found the Racemax had an aero road bike feel on tarmac, even if the 40mm tyres slowed things down. The frame’s rigidity and short 415mm chainstays make up for that with efficient power transfer though. Head off-road and the bike is smooth and stable, making for rapid progress and descents. Despite the close tyre clearance, the frame stayed mud-free too. Six sizes allow you to get the right fit for you.
- Read our full 3T Racemax review
- Buy now from 3T (frameset £3.984)
Argonaut Supernaut GR3
$13,000 | View offer
- High-end frame in standard sizes and builds
- Fast-riding and stable once at speed
Argonaut custom-builds most of its bikes in Bend, Oregon to fit the rider, but the Supernaut GR3 is built to a standard geometry and carbon layup chosen by the high-end brand. There’s a choice of SRAM Red XPLR AXS or Shimano mullet builds with Argonaut D33 wheels.
The Argonaut Supernaut’s geometry took some getting used to. With a 68.5° head tube, it’s so slack that there’s a tendency for wheel flop at lower speeds. Once you hit a fast descent the bike comes alive though, offering stability and allowing you to hold more speed than you’d usually dare. The chainstays are short, but still offer 50mm tyre clearance and, helped by the 7.8kg bike weight for the XL size, lead to nimble climbing. It’s not aero-refined, but the Supernaut GR3 is rapid and flatters your skills when riding fast.
- Read our full Argonaut Supernaut GR3 review
- Buy now from Argonaut ($13,000)
BMC Kaius
£11,350 | View offer
- Borrows frame features and aerodynamics from the Teammachine road race bike
- Long seatpost extension helps keep the back end compliant
The BMC Kaius borrows much of its design from the Teammachine road bike, including the aero tube profiles and bottle cages. The combination of a compact frame and compliant seatpost help smooth the ride and, following an aero road bike trend, BMC fits integrated bars that are 36cm across the tops to improve the rider’s aerodynamics. The top spec bike we reviewed weighs just 7.7kg, but BMC says it has reinforced the frame where bashes might happen when racing gravel.
There’s decent 44m tyre clearance and 2x drivetrain compatibility, while the geometry is more relaxed than many gravel race bikes, leading to stable steering and a balanced ride once on gravel. We were impressed with the Kaius, even if a recall in February 2025 has slightly tarnished its image.
- Read our full BMC Kaius review
- Buy now from BMC (€11,999)
Canyon Grail
£4,799 | View offer
- Race focussed aero frame, but with load-carrying capacity
- Fast and surefooted on road and off
Stripped of its two-level bars, the second generation Canyon Grail focusses on fast rides, with a more stable geometry, aero profiles and an integrated cockpit. It also adds in-frame storage and Fidlock bag mounts – fit a front frame bag and Canyon says it’s even more aero. Optional fork sleeves add capacity if you do want to load up.
Fast on road, the Grail handles off-road verging into MTB territory with ease. It’s surefooted even in sloppy and rutted terrain, although the stiff frame doesn’t go far to smooth the ride. There’s a top tier CFR carbon grade, in addition to CF SL and CF SLX framesets and all are well specced for their price.
- Read our full Canyon Grail CF SLX 8 Di2 review
- Buy now from Canyon (£4,679)
Cervélo Áspero
£4,200 | View offer
- Second tier Áspero is aero without the big price tag of the Áspero 5
- Efficient thanks to stiff frame, but without foregoing comfort
The Áspero is Cervélo’s more affordable gravel bike, with the Áspero 5 filling the premium gravel race niche. The latter is slightly lighter and more aero – and a lot more expensive. We still reckon that the standard Áspero is a good option though, with an aero frame and road bike-like ride plus off-road capability.
There’s space for 42mm 700c or 48mm 650b tyres plus a 46-tooth chainring. The Áspero’s fork incorporates a flip chip, designed to fine tune the ride when swapping between the two wheel sizes. The Áspero is not set up for mudguards, but you can add a top tube bag and third bottle cage for longer rides.
The bike’s climbing prowess impressed, thanks to a stiff frame, and it was fast downhill on tarmac too, attesting to its aero credentials and low ride position. Saddle comfort is improved by a slender seat tube and lowered stays.
- Read our full Cervélo Áspero review
Enve Mog
£5,500 (frameset) | View offer
- Racy geometry, but still room for 50mm tyres
- Fast, agile ride with the mounting points for bikepackers
Enve says it’s aimed for a balance between stability and capability with the Mog, but still considers it a gravel race bike. The aero profiled frame has 50mm clearance for 700c tyres, although the bike is aimed more at 44mm. The geometry favours a more racy ride feel and is akin to the Specialized Roubaix, while the spec tested, awash with Enve kit, weighed just 8.2kg.
The Mog’s combination of almost road bike speed on tarmac and agility on singletrack impressed, although we reckon it’s best suited to US style gravel racing. Despite this, Enve gives you a complete suite of mounting points, including fork leg bosses and down tube storage, so the Mog could do double-duty for bikepacking.
- Read our full Enve Mog review
- Buy now from Saddleback (£5,500)
Factor Ostro Gravel
£8,430 | View offer
- 7.9kg weight with aero frame, wheels and bar/stem
- A firm, fast ride best suited to smoother gravel and tarmac
Factor designed the Ostro Gravel to be aero at gravel race speeds with 45mm gravel race tyres fitted to its Black Inc Thirty-Four hookless wheels and its own Black Inc bar/stem. The geometry is akin to a road race bike, although with longer chainstays and a higher stack. The 7.9kg weight is more road bike than gravel bike too.
The frame favours fast riding, as at low speeds there’s little smoothing when hitting ruts and rocks. We reckon the Ostro Gravel works best for easy fire roads, rather than more technical trails. It’s close enough to a road bike to allow you to ride predominantly on tarmac, linking in gravel sectors.
- Read our full Factor Ostro Gravel review
- Buy now from Vires Velo (from £7,499)
FiftyOne Assassin
£2,999 (frameset) | View offer
- Front and rear flip chips to tune the ride
- Handling can be changed between edgy and precise or stable and relaxed
The FiftyOne Assassin is made in Asia rather than the brand’s native Dublin. Tyre clearance is 47mm with both 1x and 2x drivetrains. It’s another fast gravel bike designed for double duties, with a full set of mounts and even dynamo cable routing. Front and rear flip-chips in the dropouts allow you to alter both the trail and the wheelbase, so you can swap between a more stable ride or snappier handling.
The effect on handling is dramatic, with a descent that’s relaxed in long setup feeling edgy when switched to short geometry, which is equally great for twisty singletrack and for road riding. The flip side of the flip chips is some extra weight – around 8.9kg.
- Read our full FiftyOne Assassin review
- Buy now from FiftyOne Bikes (frameset £2,999)
Open Upper
€3,500 (frameset) | View offer
- Road bike geometry with 40mm tyre clearance
- Fast and fun on road and off-road
While the Open Wide does gravel adventure duties, the Upper is a different beast, despite space for 40mm tyres on 700c or 2.1 inch tyres on 650b rims. The 850g claimed frameset weight and road bike-like shape and geometry make for endurance road bike handling and speed on tarmac. Drop the tyre pressure though and it’s equally adept on tough terrain.
On road it’s stiff, with comfort balanced by the wide tyre clearance, and off-road the handling is fast and confident. We found the Open Upper one of the most fun bikes we’ve ridden. It looks great too.
- Read our full Open Upper review
- Buy now from Open (frameset €3,500)
Scott Addict Gravel
£5,399 | View offer
- Fast handling but stable off-road
- Better for tamer gravel and tarmac than technical riding
The Scott Addict Gravel is another gravel bike that’s as at home on the road as off, with 45mm tyre clearance and an 8.9kg weight in the 10 spec reviewed. Trade up to the RC spec and you can drop that to around 8kg. The long frame and short stem offer off-road stability with sharp handling and keep the reach to the bars in check.
The Addict Gravel is a bike for easier, hardpacked gravel, but we found it less surefooted on singletrack or rougher surfaces. It’s stiff though, so it climbs and corners well and the aero frame profiles may offer some free speed. Despite the fast gravel leanings, you can still fit mudguards.
- Read our full Scott Addict Gravel review
- Buy now from Scott Sports (£4,599)
Specialized Crux
£11,700 | View offer
- Lightest gravel bike in the world at 7.25kg
- Responsive, stiff and pared back
£11,700 for a gravel bike! But Specialized claims that the 7.25kg S-Works Crux is the lightest gravel bike in the world (more afforable versions are available, including an alloy Crux, which Spesh claims is the lightest alloy gravel bike).
The S-Works bike is more akin to the Aethos road bike than the gravel Diverge, with a premium FACT 12r frameset but with 47mm tyre clearance. It’s now UDH compatible and comes fitted with a SRAM Red XPLR AXS Full Mount groupset.
The Crux is responsive, stiff and fast as well as light, making for easier climbing. It’s not so cosseting that you can cruise – the Crux is a bike you need to pilot over trickier gravel routes to get the best from it. There are no extra mounts beyond a third bottle cage and the cables are still non-integrated though.
- Read our full Specialized S-Works Crux review
- Buy now from Sigma Sports (£11,500)
Gravel race bikes: what to look for
If you want to go fast on gravel, here’s what to look for.
Weight
Gravel race bikes prioritise low weight over extra comfort features. In this, they’re much like the best road race bikes, with bike brands often using the same carbon fibre grades in their premium gravel race bikes as in their road bikes. You can choose a spec with premium components to shave weight off too.
The Specialized Crux, above, is the extreme example, but many of the best gravel race bikes hover around 8kg, a weight that would grace a road bike.
The downside, of course, is high price, but usually there are multiple specs that offer more affordable options with a slightly higher weight but similar ride qualities.
Geometry
Typical gravel race bike geometry veers close to that of road bikes, with steeper head tube angles and shorter wheelbases than gravel adventure bikes. This often leads to less tyre clearance than adventure gravel bikes, to keep the chainstays short for sharper handling. So whereas many gravel adventure bikes can fit 50mm tyres, gravel race bikes are often limited to 45mm or so.
There are exceptions though, perhaps foremost being the Argonaut Supernaut GR3. Its head tube angle is a very slack 68.5 degrees and its tyre clearance 50mm. You’d expect that to put it in the adventure category, but Argonaut’s sponsored rider Sarah Max says that the slack angles and stability help her to go faster and win races thanks to the stability when descending rapidly.
Integration
Pretty much every performance bike now has cable integration, with brake hoses and, where there are any, gear cables fully enclosed through the handlebars and stem and into the head tube. It’s a trend in gravel race bikes too which, along with aero profiled bars, improves front-end aerodynamics.
Often integration means a one-piece bar and stem. It looks great and is more aero, but means any fit adjustment requires replacing the expensive bar/stem. It also precludes bar angle adjustment, so make sure you’re comfortable on your chosen component.
Aerodynamics
Integration is one factor in gravel race bike aerodynamics. As with road bikes, an aero frame profile is seen as a significant contributor of free speed in gravel races, so many gravel race bikes borrow aero tubes from their road bike brethren.
Winning times in gravel races are getting faster, although in general average speeds are still lower than in road races. That means that the best gravel race bikes are often aero tested at lower speeds than road bikes. A case in point is the latest Cannondale SuperX, which was aero tuned at 35km/h rather than the 45km/h Cannondale uses for its road race bikes. With the lower speeds, aero gains are lower but still significant.
Aerobars are also often used in gravel races to lower wind resistance, so the option to fit them is handy. Aero profiled bar/stems may prevent this or limit the options available, so you may need to replace them with a conventional round bar and separate stem. Canyon has got around this with the Grail by selling aero extensions specifically designed to fit the bike’s custom double-drop bars.
Gearing
With the increasing speeds of gravel racing, the typical gravel bike gearing may be too low for some riders. Although complete bikes usually still come fitted with a gravel bike groupset, many gravel bikes are designed to allow riders to fit a road bike groupset. The Canyon Grail, for example, will accept a 52/36t semi-compact road bike crankset and many gravel race bikes can be fitted with chainrings larger than the subcompact cranksets typical for gravel bikes.
If you want higher gearing for faster rides, many gravel race bikes can be bought frameset-only, so you can choose your own components and gear ratios.
Load carrying
Most gravel race bikes cut down on the mounting points of generalist gravel bikes and gravel adventure bikes. Nevertheless, gravel racers still need to eat, drink and carry spares, so you’ll still typically see a third bottle mounting point under the down tube and top tube bag bolts. In-frame storage is often included.
Fork leg mounts and mudguard mounts are often absent though, so don’t expect most gravel race bikes to be able to do double duty as a load carrier or all-weather road bike, although there are exceptions.
On-road use
If you read through our detailed reviews of the best gravel race bikes, you’ll find that many of them perform pretty well on road too, as you might expect from the features listed above. They come at a similar space from the opposite direction to the best all-road bikes, which ride well on road but perform pretty well on light gravel.
So if your riding is more road than gravel an all-road bike may be the way for you to go rather than a gravel race bike.
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