Unbound Gravel is arguably the world’s premiere gravel race, and as a result, it has become a hotbed for brands to showcase and tease their latest bikes and equipment.
The bikes raced at Unbound Gravel are markedly different from the first winning bike in 2006. Back then, gravel riding was hardly a formalised discipline. But even the last few years have seen rapid changes in gravel bike tech, which is encapsulated by the bikes we expect to see raced this weekend across the Flint Hills of Kansas.
The last week has seen bikes being leaked and official announcements, and you can also expect to see some of the bikes that broke cover at The Traka last month.
Specialized Crux
The new Specialized Crux 5 was launched on Thursday, ahead of Unbound Gravel, and the race was a consideration in the bike’s design.
While many of the latest gravel bikes are moving towards being as aerodynamic as possible, Specialized instead designed the new Crux to be a lightweight-aero all-rounder.
Maybe it's marketing, maybe it's keeping an eye on the mass market, but Specialized said that because gravel racing is slower than road racing, and rolling resistance is higher, the point at which aero features – and their weight penalty – outweigh their advantages is different.
Specialized said that if Sofía Gómez Villafañe raced the new Crux instead of the previous model at last year’s race, she could have finished almost 10 minutes faster, potentially bumping her up from third to second place.
A new Giant
Giant has leaked a new Revolt ahead of Unbound. The bike appears to be lighter with a more aggressive and racier design.
The front-end stack appears to have been reduced and the frame shapes seem to have been slimmed down. The bike also looks to have lost its mounting points on the fork and the internal storage in the frame.
This might not signal a complete shift to a racier, less versatile Revolt. Last year, a ‘Giant Revolt Advanced SL’ was added to the UCI’s list of approved frames. This would be the first time the company has created a top-spec ‘SL’ version of its gravel bike, and it could be focused on racing while the lower-tier models keep the practical features.
Ridley RS2
The Ridley RS2 has already broken cover at the Traka, but it’s likely that the Belgian company’s aero-optimised gravel race bike will rear its head again at Unbound.
Unlike the new Crux and teased Revolt, the RS2 goes all in on aerodynamics. The bike has a deep head tube, like the latest Ridley Noah Fast 3.0, while the seat tube hugs the rear wheel tightly.
This doesn’t mean the RS2 scrimps on tyre clearance. The bike we spotted at the Traka had 2.2in Vittoria Peyote cross-country mountain bike tyres.
Two bikes from Factor
Two more bikes that appeared at the Traka and could be seen in Kansas come courtesy of Factor.
Canadian Rob Britton raced the new Factor Sarana in the Traka 560. The Sarana was designed with input from Britton and combines a 40mm suspension fork with aerofoil tubes. He’s set to race the Unbound XL this year, having smashed the course record in 2025 by more than two hours with a time of 17hr 49min on the Factor Ostro Gravel.
Also at the Traka was a prototype Factor. Like the Ridley RS2, the prototype takes inspiration from the road with a fork that’s similar to the wide-splay design found on the Factor One aero bike.
Canyon Grail
Another bike we can expect to see at Unbound, after we spotted it at the Traka, is the new unreleased Grail CFR.
The bike appears to be heavily influenced by the latest Canyon Endurace, and takes a more aggressive approach than the previous Grail. Canyon also appears to have upped the bike’s tyre clearance from 42mm to 53mm, which follows the trend for wider tyres in gravel.
Scott’s 32in gravel bike
Design features borrowed from aero road bikes and the adoption of XC tyres look conservative next to the bike Scott has produced for defending Unbound champion Cameron Jones.
The Swiss company has created a 32in-wheel prototype for Jones and Robin Gemperle, winner of the 2025 Tour Divide and Silk Road Mountain Race.
Although details are scant, Jones said the bike with its oversized wheels makes him feel like he’s “levitating over the surface”.
“I'm genuinely scared how fast I'll be able to corner once on a course with proper descents,” he added.
Although the cycling industry might be cautious about what 32in wheels mean for its future, a win for Jones would make one of cycling’s current hottest trends even harder to ignore.
