When I first started testing more affordable gravel bikes, I must admit to being a little underwhelmed. None of them had the progressive geometry of the great trail-capable gravel bikes I’d tried at higher prices.
Neither did they have the modern features and generous tyre clearances being demanded at the competitive end of gravel-bike design. As for any kind of aerodynamic considerations, well, forget it.
Mid to low-end gravel options were simply replacements for cheap cyclocross bikes or touring bikes, favoured by commuters. They had a mishmash of components, were usually heavy with sluggish tyres and essentially no-brand, cheap options.
This year has seen that begin to change, and 2026 looks as though it’ll be a bumper year for proper gravel bikes at attainable prices.
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Things are looking up
I’ve seen lower-end components improve, and some of that’s down to challenger brands such as Microshift making some solid components. Mainly, though, it's due to both Shimano and SRAM taking the lower end of the market more seriously with CUES U6000 and Apex Eagle, respectively.
Component selection has also got better, with fit-for-purpose gravel bars, good saddles, tough wheels and better tyres. All have come about thanks to gravel's increase in popularity.
This all means I’ve had the pleasure of trying out some great bikes at solid prices most of us can afford.
For singletrack-oriented riders, bikes such as the brilliant Marin Gestalt X10 are hard to beat, and at ‘only’ £1,225, it’s a veritable bargain.
Want to blend a bit of bikepacking with trail-capable handling? the alloy Focus Atlas 6.7 is a solid option, as is Whyte’s latest Verro.
Want a great all-rounder capable of racing cyclocross? Specialized nailed it with the Crux DSW. Boardman's ADV 8.9 is another solid performer that’s good at anything you throw at it, including tarmac – a real all-roader.
Trek's aluminium incarnation of the Checkpoint is exceptional, too (review coming soon) – it’s as versatile and capable as bikes costing more than double its £1,700 price tag.
Trek’s design borrows heavily from the higher-priced carbon version, so that means aerodynamic tube shapes, full internal cable routing and geometry that’s performance-oriented.
Trek is taking riders on tighter budgets as seriously as sponsored professionals, and that’s a good thing.
In 2026, we’ll see Mondraker’s aluminium incarnation of one of the best gravel bikes I’ve ever ridden, the Arid Carbon RR. The Arid RR in alloy, at a more affordable price, looks a winner – and one I can’t wait to try out.
Canyon, similarly, has an aluminium incarnation of the so-capable Grizl, starting at £1,449, sharing the same great all-round geometry and on-trend 50mm tyre clearances.
It’s great to see bikes such as the Boardman, Trek, Specialized and Mondraker embracing the latest standards (including UDH dropouts) and generous tyre clearances, effectively making them future-proof.
Overall, it seems the bike industry has finally chosen to pay the same sort of attention to its lower-priced gravel bikes as was previously reserved for the high-end.
Hopefully, this means we’ll never again have to suffer the ignominy of lower-priced bikes being a dumping ground for outmoded and outdated tech.
The future's bright
It’s not only metal bikes either; Ribble should be applauded for trickling down its Ultra Grit carbon frame to the £2,500 price point, while still having an alloy bike (the AL Grit) at £1,699.
Giant has an alloy version of the Revolt for 2026, starting at £1,200. The highly regarded carbon Revolt has an appealing £1,999 entry point.
Merida’s aero-optimised Mission gravel race bike starts at £2,250, yet it shares the same CF4 carbon frameset as the very bike that took the bronze medal in this year's UCI Gravel World Championships.
I’m optimistic about gravel bikes and lower-budget bikes in general for 2026. Trek, Merida, Focus, Giant and Canyon are showing the way and should be praised for doing so.
Finally, it appears the bike industry is giving this huge end of the market the respect it deserves.
