The best gravel bikes under £2,000 / $2,000 are a great way to sample the delights of gravel riding.
At this price point, gravel bikes start to get very good, with quality frames and components on many of the latest bikes.
As well as venturing off-road, buying a gravel bike can be a smart decision if you want a versatile all-weather machine that can take mudguards or a pannier rack, for winter riding or cycling to work.
With this in mind, gravel bikes have largely replaced cyclocross bikes as the go-to for year-round practicality.
They open up a new realm of riding, with wide gravel tyres and disc brakes enabling them to ride on unpaved surfaces, whether that’s smooth singletrack, fire roads or just your local towpath.
We've tested more than 200 gravel bikes here at BikeRadar. The bikes in this buyer's guide, costing between £,1,000 and £2,000, have all been ridden and reviewed by our test team, who have ridden gravel bikes since their inception in the early 2010s.
Best gravel bikes under £2,000 / $2,000
Boardman ADV 8.9
- £1,150 as tested
- Pros: Great handling; excellent components
- Cons: Bar can transmit vibrations
The Boardman ADV 8.9 has won our Budget Bike of the Year award two years in a row, thanks to its versatility, great spec and superb ride both off-road and on.
The bike might not be exciting when it comes to looks, but the majority of welds in the aluminium frame are neat and almost carbon-like, and it has a genuine carbon fork for weight-saving and comfort.
The geometry is inspired by mountain bikes, with longer and lower figures than a standard road bike, providing excellent control off-road.
Boardman has specced the bike with 40mm Schwalbe gravel bike tyres and a Shimano GRX 400 10-speed drivetrain with hydraulic disc brakes, which is impressive at this price point.
The bike has a double chainset with 48/32t chainrings and a wide-ranging 11-36t cassette, giving you a pleasingly low gear. It rolls on tubeless-ready wheels and tyres, another plus for a low-priced bike.
There are plenty of practical touches, such as wide tyre clearance and fittings for mudguards and a rear rack.
Ribble Gravel AL Enthusiast SRAM Rival 1x
- £1,999 as tested
- Pros: Capable on rough terrain and great spec
- Cons: Reach too long and draggy tyres
This Ribble Gravel AL Enthusiast has a SRAM Rival 1x groupset and 650b wheels from Mavic, which makes its sub-£2,000 price tag really impressive.
The bike is sprightly and fun to ride. The 47mm-wide WTB Sendero tyres aren’t the fastest, but they really come into their own on rough, technical terrain.
The SRAM Rival shifting is smooth, while the hydraulic disc brakes provide plenty of stopping power.
The 42-tooth chainring works well on flat and smooth terrain, but a 40t or 38t chainring would be handy for dirt climbs and bikepacking.
Fit is the one area that could be improved. The reach is long, particularly for women who tend to have proportionally longer legs and shorter torsos than men. However, switching the seat post for an in-line post would get around this problem.
Orro Terra S GRX600
- £2,000 as tested
- Pros: Steel-framed with lively handling; great value for money
- Cons: Brakes set up soft
The Orro Terra S GRX600 is a lesson in how to build a steel bike with slim tubing bringing plenty of life and zip to the ride. Its lively handling is matched with a smooth and steady feel, making it at home on double-track gravel roads and singletrack trails.
Orro has matched the impressive frame with a compelling spec list for the price tag. The bike comes with a Shimano GRX600 1x drivetrain, Fulcrum wheels, Continental tyres and a Deda cockpit.
With its mounting points, this bike would be equally suited to commuting, winter road riding and bikepacking, as well as gravel riding.
It's a shame it isn't set up tubeless and the brakes were a little soft in testing, but this doesn't detract too much from a practical yet fun ride.
Cannondale Topstone Alloy 2
- £1,800 / $1,925 / €2,199 / AU$3,199 as tested
- Pros: Bang up to date with mounting points and plenty of tyre clearance
- Cons: Tyres are narrow
The Cannondale Topstone Alloy 2 is an aluminium version of the Cannondale Topstone Carbon, bringing many of the same features to a more affordable price point.
The Topstone’s geometry is fairly conservative for a gravel bike, but this isn’t too surprising considering it's intended to cover road to light off-road riding.
When riding, the Topstone performed immediately on the road. Its build is suited to fast riding and it feels a lot like an endurance road bike.
A flared handlebar helps navigate rougher terrains, but lumps and bumps are exaggerated by the lightweight 37mm Vittoria Terreno Dry tyres. If you want to make this bike more suitable for riding off-road, it can fit up to 700x45mm gravel tyres.
Elsewhere, the bike has a 2x drivetrain with a 10-speed cassette. This feels like a compromise, with 11-speed and now 12-speed being commonplace.
Genesis Fugio 30
- £2,000 as tested
- Pros: Fun; competitive price
- Cons: Slow on tarmac; downgraded parts
The Genesis Fugio 30 embodies what’s so great about gravel riding, proving to be bundles of fun and capable of covering big miles.
Previous Fugios had steel frames, but this version is alloy, saving 500g over its predecessor.
The Fugio 30 may not be the fastest on roads, but its relaxed geometry and clearance for 57mm tyres make it ideal for exploring and riding terrain and trails beyond your comfort zone.
The price has been kept low with the odd downgraded component, which is the only thing holding this bike back from a higher score.
Marin Gestalt X10
- £1,255 / $1,549 / €1,599 as tested
- Pros: Great off-road handling; comfortable
- Cons: Brakes lack feel
The Marin Gestalt X10 is a gravel bike inspired by mountain bikes.
Its geometry isn't massively different from a hardtail mountain bike, with a long wheelbase and slack head tube. So it might come as little surprise that the Gestalt isn’t so quick on paved surfaces. But when it comes to pure off-road riding and technical trails, it’s excellent.
Our tester said the Marin is one of the most comfortable budget gravel bikes he’s tested, with the front end minimising vibrations and taking hits in its stride.
The Microshift drivetrain offers great shifting and ample range for off-road riding.
The TRP mechanical disc brakes have enough power, but are less progressive than pricier hydraulic brakes.
Merida Silex 400
- £1,400 as tested
- Pros: Clever mountain-bike inspired geometry; Shimano GRX groupset
- Cons: Slender wheel rims
The Silex 400 from Merida borrows a lot from the company's knowledge of mountain bikes. Take the geometry of its aluminium frame, which pairs a long reach with a short stem length in order to improve handling without compromising on the rider's position.
As a result, you can expect a huge fun factor from the Silex's ride.
It's also well equipped for the money, thanks to a mix of Shimano's GRX 400 and 600 transmission and braking components, along with plenty of Merida finishing kit.
It'll take mudguards, racks, bottle cages and more thanks to a plethora of mounts, thus making it a viable bikepacking, touring or commuting companion.
Ribble CGR 725 Steel
- £1,349 as tested
- Pros: Classy looks; supremely versatile
- Cons: Weighty
The CGR 725 Steel from Ribble is defined by its charming Reynolds 725 steel chassis, which is compatible with 700c and 650b wheels, and tyres up to 47mm.
It’s a classy looking, comfortable bike to ride with heaps of practicality. It’s about as versatile as bikes get thanks to rack mounts, mudguard fittings and bosses galore.
The bike we tested didn’t stray far from Ribble’s off-the-peg configuration and featured Shimano’s Tiagra groupset, Tektro mechanical disc brakes and Mavic Aksium Disc Clincher wheels.
Riders looking for a different spec can toy with Ribble’s BikeBuilder service, which allows individual component upgrades, from groupsets and wheels right the way through to different handlebars. Similarly, those who seek a more individual look can opt for Ribble’s custom colour option.
Vitus Substance VRS-1 HT Apex
- £1,999 / $2,800 / €2,700 / AU$3,800 as tested
- Pros: Comfortable fit; RockShox Rudy suspension fork
- Cons: Entry-level drivetrain
There's a dizzying number of bikes in the Vitus Substance range, priced from £750 up to £2,500.
This Substance VRS-1 HT Apex is one of the higher-specced models and it's the priciest of the aluminium builds.
The bike has a RockShox Rudy XPLR gravel suspension fork offering 30mm travel, and this proved impressive, working in tandem with 47mm tyres to smooth out the ride.
Vitus has also specced a dropper post. The dropper was difficult to set up and our tester would forgo it to reduce weight and maintenance.
This fancy tech comes with compromises elsewhere. Vitus has specced the bike with SRAM Apex, whereas other brands may use the pricier – and lighter –SRAM Rival at this price point.
Ultimately, the Vitus Substance VRS-1 HT is really fun to ride and if you enjoy technical riding the Rudy fork may be worth the weight penalty.
The SRAM Rival-equipped version of this bike, for £500 more, could prove a wise upgrade if your budget allows it.
Also consider...
These gravel bikes scored fewer than four stars in testing, but are still compelling options to consider.
BiviBikes Graveller
- £1,499 as tested
- Pros: Great frame quality
- Cons: One size fits all
The Graveller is BiviBikes founder Fraser Barsby’s vision of the perfect adventure bike.
It uses skinny steel tubes and smart welds to create a wonderful frameset with all the fixtures and fittings you need for big adventures.
The bike is easy to control and the low gear range guarantees easy climbing. It’s also quick on the tarmac thanks to its large wheels and Schwalbe G-One tyres.
It’s a superb all-road machine that screams quality, but it’s only available in a 55cm frame, so particularly tall and short riders will likely have to look elsewhere.
Lapierre Crosshill 2.0
- £1,199 as tested
- Pros: Good looks; mounts; tyre clearance
- Cons: Average brake performance; slow uphill
The Lapierre Crosshill 2.0 is a good entry point into the world of all-road riding, or in other words, cycling on tarmac and less demanding trails and tracks.
The bike has plenty of tyre clearance and mounts for racks and everything you may need to fit on a gravel bike, especially for bikepacking.
The bike looks good and feels good to ride, but it’s slow up hills, in part due to its 11kg weight (size medium).
The bike compromises on components, which may lead some to look elsewhere. But the Lapierre could be a good choice if you’re looking for a multi-purpose, entry-level bike that can handle adventures and commuting.
Strength training workout: leg boosters
Benefits: Leg strength will increase load and power through the pedal stroke. Weight is specific to the individual: start off with lower weights, building up over time.
Kit needed: Free weights of a suitable weight.
Nutrition: Substantial meal 2 to 3 hours prior to workout.
Warm-up: 10 minutes on bike followed by air squats (no weights), calf raises (push up onto your tiptoes then lower), lateral band walk (walk with an exercise band looped around your lower legs).
Main set: 3 sets of the following:
Weighted/back squats: Build to 10-12 reps of a medium weight, with a weight bar across your upper back or holding a weight in both hands in front of you at chest level.
Single-leg deadlifts: Low weight, concentrating on form/balance (8-10 each side), Hinge at your hips to pick up a kettlebell or dumbbells from the floor, lifting one leg straight out behind you as you lower, then hinging back up with the weight(s) in your hands.
Bulgarian split squats: Concentrating on form/balance (8-10 each side). Stand in front of a weights bench or similar with your back to it and lift one foot up behind you, resting the top of it on the bench.
Lunge forwards then push back up. You can hold dumbbells by your sides to progress this move.
Kettlebell/dumbbell swings: Engaging your glutes (10-12 reps). Stand with feet shoulder-width and a kettlebell on the floor in front of you.
Hinging at the hips and bending your knees slightly, pick up the kettlebell and pull it back between your legs to create momentum to then swing it forwards and up to shoulder height. Let it return to between your legs and repeat.
Single-leg bridges: Engaging your glutes (10-12 reps). Lie on your back on the floor, arms by your sides.
Lift one leg off the floor, keeping it straight, then push your hips up until your body and lifted leg are all in a diagonal line. Lower and repeat.
Cool-down: Stretch out the muscles you’ve been working.
Nutrition: Eat some protein and fast-digesting carbohydrates within 20 to 40 minutes of finishing.
