You can spend a fortune on a gravel bike. But what's the difference between a $1,200 gravel bike and one costing $12,000 – and what more do you get as you increase your spending?
To find out, I lined up four gravel bikes: a Boardman ADV 8.9 costing $1,200, a Wilier Rave SL priced at $4,600, a Cannondale SuperX 2 with a $6,800 price tag and a $12,000 custom ENVE MOG.
I rode each bike over the same mix of tarmac and gravel roads, with a selection of climbs and descents, and a mix of off-road surfaces, bends and more.
Boardman ADV 8.9
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- £1,200 / $1,200
The alloy Boardman ADV 8.9 looks great. It has a carbon fork, internal cable routing, and tubeless-ready wheels and tyres out of the box. It's well specced for the price too, with a full Shimano GRX 10-speed gravel groupset, including hydraulic disc brakes, and quality touchpoints.
The alloy wheels aren't the lightest, though, and contribute to an 11.7kg bike weight.
Out on the trail, the Boardman's ride position is comfortable and the long wheelbase offers stability and composure, although the ride still feels quite snappy.
It's a little jittery on rougher surfaces, but rolls well and you can feel the weight on climbs.
Gear shifts are snappy, although I think the brakes needed a bit more riding in to develop their bite.
The 40mm tyres are a little narrow, although Boardman says there's frame clearance for 50mm, so there's plenty of room for wider gravel tyres.
The frameset is really good and would merit an upgrade to a set of the best gravel wheels to lower weight. For a beginner cyclist or someone wanting a winter commuter – or just a versatile bike – it's spot-on, though.
The Boardman is a bike that will inspire you to push your gravel riding skills that bit further.
- Read more: Boardman ADV 8.9 review
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Wilier Rave
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- $4,400 / £3,699
At around three times the price of the Boardman, the Wilier Rave has an aero-shaped carbon frame and a mechanical 1x 12-speed Shimano GRX groupset that has nicer shifting than the 10-speed.
The wheels are Miche alloy and weigh around 1,700g, but they're wider than the Boardman's and they're fitted with 40mm Schwalbe G-One Allround tyres.
At 9.3kg overall, there's a chunk less weight than with the Boardman.
The lower weight can be felt straightaway, although the ride is still firm despite the carbon frame. I reckon that's down to the alloy rims. I'd have felt more confident on wider tyres, although there's not the clearance for much more than the 40mm Schwalbes fitted. That might also help smooth out the ride, but the Wilier will still carry significantly more speed than the Boardman.
You can tell the Wilier is a gravel race bike from its handling, the ride feel and the aggressive position.
Its ride might get quite tiring over rougher ground for a general rider, but it's a frameset package that you could build upon.
- Read more: Wilier Rave SL review
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Cannondale SuperX 2
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- $6,800 / £6,550
Cannondale's SuperX gravel race bike was launched in February 2025. As with the Wilier, it's aero-profiled, but the spec includes gorgeous Reserve 40|44 GR carbon wheels and Vittoria Terreno T50 40mm tyres, as well as a Shimano GRX Di2 825 2x 12-speed electronic groupset.
Cannondale has designed the rear of the bike for added flex and you can fit 2.1in tyres if you want extra grip.
Instantly, the all-carbon build feels much smoother and more sprightly, and the tyres provide plenty of grip through corners, although the racy geometry doesn't help much if you're thrown off-line. I loved the braking power on offer and the smooth in-saddle climbing.
I reckon the carbon wheels are what really makes the difference and there's more rear-end comfort than with the Wilier.
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ENVE MOG
- $12,000 / £13,500
This custom 8.6kg ENVE MOG, as you'd expect, comes with everything you'd want from a gravel race bike. It's fitted with ENVE aero wheels, supple 44mm ENVE Hex tyres and a Shimano GRX Di2 12-speed groupset.
First impressions are just how fast, smooth and responsive the bike is. You can feel the supple tyres and the rear-end composure, so aided by the low weight, it's great for climbs.
If you can have the ultimate of everything, the ride is sublime, with the frame, wheels and tyres smoothing out even the roughest gravel. A lot of that's down to the extra-wide, supple tyres, though.
- Read more: ENVE MOG review
Which bike should you buy?
I reckon the Wilier hits the sweet spot of price and performance. That said, for the same price, gravel bikes from the likes of Canyon, Giant and Merida offer better specs, which are likely to include electronic shifting rather than mechanical and possibly better wheels, too.
Drop down a spec level and you could have cash to spare for a wheel upgrade or a power meter, something that was absent even from the $12,000 ENVE MOG.
