The Innova Super Gravel is a distinctly different-looking gravel bike, with its shockless rear suspension, 100mm suspension fork, 60mm tyre clearance, and geometry that wouldn’t look out of place on a hardtail mountain bike.
The combination of all this results in an entertaining ride – in fact, it’s been one of this year’s most surprising gravel bikes I've tested.
An otherwise great build is let down slightly by gearing that's too close to mountain biking, and wheels that result in a slightly sluggish feel, but overall it's a great bike to ride, and something new school gravel riders will love.
- Read more: Best gravel bikes in 2025: top-rated carbon, aluminium, titanium and steel gravel bikes reviewed
Lee Cougan Innova Super Gravel frame
The Innova Super Gravel frame is more of a soft tail rather than a multi-pivoted suspension like Trek’s new Checkout. It has more in common with Cannondale’s Topstone, Specialized’s Diverge STR, and Basso’s (which are part of the same group) Tera.
The Innova uses a pair of oil-filled pistons housed inside an elastomer spring. These combine to dampen impacts, with the heavily tapered chainstays designed to flex as the rear wheel rolls over rough ground.
This suspension design is claimed to offer 30mm of vertical travel at the rear wheel.
Innova calls the patent-pending system ISS (Innova Structural Suspension) and claims it offers the smoothness of an air shock without the weight penalty. Lee Cougan claims the frameset weighs in at 1,200g for a size medium, which includes all hardware.
The frame routes cables and hoses internally via an Acros headset. There’s a single set of bottle bosses on the down tube, which also has a substantial bash plate protecting its underside, wrapping around the bottom bracket shell.
The rear end uses 148mm Boost axle spacing, as opposed to the standard 142mm axles that gravel bikes are typically designed with. This limits wheel upgrades to those from mountain bikes only.
Naturally, tyre clearance is generous, at 2.4 inches (60mm).
The frame is paired with a 100mm travel Fox Factory 32 Kashima fork. That's far more travel than we’ve seen on gravel bikes so far – even outstripping the Rock Shox Rudy XL by 40mm.
Lee Cougan currently doesn’t have an official sales channel in the UK.
You’re covered in mainland Europe or the US, but getting one to the UK is a little more involved, and you may end up paying out for import duties if you source one from Europe.
Lee Cougan Innova Super Gravel geometry
The Innova Super Gravel geometry takes its inspiration from mountain bikes.
With a slack 69-degree head angle matched to a steep 73-degree seat tube angle, it makes the most of the long travel fork. Whilst still keeping you positioned over the cranks.
The long 428mm chainstays give generous tyre clearances and add stability over rough surfaces.
The long reach and tall stack (before you account for fork sag) are matched to a short stem across all sizes – just 80mm on my size large test bike. This helps keep the steering response keen rather than sluggish and the ride position racy rather than relaxed.
The front end is corrected for a long travel (100mm) fork. That means for a gravel bike, this has a very short headtube too.
| S | M | L | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube (mm) | 420 | 475 | 515 |
| Top tube (mm) | 590 | 615 | 625 |
| Head tube (mm) | 100 | 105 | 115 |
| Chainstay (mm) | 428 | 428 | 428 |
| Head tube angle (degrees) | 69 | 69 | 69 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 73 | 73 | 73 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1,107.6 | 1,133 | 1,143.7 |
| Reach (mm) | 428.5 | 452 | 459.2 |
| Stack (mm) | 616.1 | 621.1 | 630.5 |
| BB height (mm) | 310 | 310 | 310 |
Lee Cougan Innova Super Gravel specification
The build here combines a selection of parts from mountain biking and gravel.
Starting with the drivetrain, Lee Cougan has combined SRAM Rival AXS shifters and brakes with SRAM’s mountain bike GX crankset, cassette, and T-type direct mount wireless GX rear derailleur.
It all works well together (SRAM’s components are largely cross-compatible by design), though the combination of a 34-tooth chainring and a wide 10-52 tooth cassette sways far more towards pure off-road than the taller gearing usually associated with gravel bikes.
The brakes are paired with 160mm rotors from Galfer, and work well.
The house brand Microtech RK25 alloy wheels are 25mm wide internally, and are tubeless-ready.
With a claimed weight of 1,625g these burly hoops aren’t overly heavy, but lighter wheels exist. They are shod with the rarely-seen CST Jack Rabbit II tyres in a large 2.25-inch (57mm) width.
The studded tread looks purposeful and intended to bite down into the surface, without being overly aggressive and draggy. Not a bad choice for a gravel bike at first glance.
Up front, the angular, slick 80mm long -20d WOZ Alpha stem clamps a Basso carbon gravel bar (Basso is Lee Cougan’s parent company. This has a great shape with its flattened ovalized top section and compact drop that has just the right amount of flare to keep wrist clearances generous without disrupting the lever angle.
At the back, a simple FSA KFX carbon seat post is topped with Selle San Marco’s short, well-padded, Ground saddle with chromoly rails.
Lee Cougan Innova Super Gravel ride impressions
The Innova Super Gravel has epic abilities on the roughest terrain, but it comes up short on the roads to the trailhead.
It’s not because of the suspension fork, which has a sturdy lockout, nor is it because of the chunky treaded tyres – pop a few extra PSI in the 2.25-inch rubber, and it rolls well enough.
It’s more down to the very mountain bike-oriented gearing.
With the biggest gear of 34/10, I found myself running shy of the right gear on anything above cruising speeds – get onto any sort of smooth tarmac descent, and I was spinning out all too soon.
Off road, I’ve no complaints though, especially on steep singletrack climbs where the Innova is brilliant. The combination of the light gearing at the other end and the bump-smoothing capability of the frame and fork is brilliant.
It’s not just uphill where the Innova Super Gravel excels – the confident handling makes this bike brilliant when it comes to tight, twisting singletrack trails. The wide bar and 69-degree head angle, when combined with 100mm of travel, mean you can hit rocky tracks at pace with confidence.
Exposed roots become something to speed over rather than avoid. Every lump and bump is an excuse to pump through and keep momentum. On less well-equipped gravel bikes I’d be reaching for the brakes or feel compelled to find a smoother line.
The only limitation I found to taking the Innova to steeper, more technical trails was the lack of a dropper post. The frame is designed to take one, though, and I’d love to get one fitted.
The CST Jack Rabbit II tyres are a great match – on summer dry trails, the small-block tread bites for grip in the loosest sandy surfaces.
On damper surfaces, §they’re just as impressive, thanks to the decent array of shoulder blocks that have just enough flex to aid grip.
They don’t break away suddenly, but when I was reaching the limit of adhesion, I got a slight feel of drift on the rear tyre. Until recently, I haven’t had much chance to use them in mud, but so far, they’ve been good.
They don’t feel as rapid as my current favourite Maxxis Rambler in a size 45mm. Though they’re not far off – impressive considering the 12mm size difference.
The wheels are solid and free of flex, but the upgrade potential here is clear, especially if you're more used to lightweight gravel wheels and tyres. I felt the extra mass on longer steady climbs, and the bike does lack a little zip when it comes to acceleration.
Something like Hunt’s Proven XC carbon wheels at 1,254g and CST’s triple compound version of the Jack Rabbit II (at 490g each) would shave over 840g in the rolling stock. That would add plenty of the extra zip that this current build sadly lacks.
When you’re up to speed or descending, you don’t feel that extra mass.
The drivetrain, aside from the gear range niggle, impresses. Slick, quick, accurate shifting every time. Braking is full of power and lots of feel, especially with the new Rival lever shape.
The contact points are excellent and only add to the overall cosseting feel. The San Marco saddle, especially, is short, well-padded, and very well shaped for gravel use.
Lee Cougan Innova Super Gravel bottom line
I’m hugely impressed with the Innova Super Gravel. It can’t help but put a smile on my face every time I ride it. The deeper you go into technical trails, the more it impresses, and the handling combined with the bump-smothering fork and compliant back end just enhances control and inspires confidence.
In this specification, however, it pushes just a bit too much into mountain biking territory. It certainly needs a taller gear for road and princess gravel, and I’d also want to get it rolling on a lighter wheel and tyre combination.
Perhaps the ideal Innova Super Gravel option, then, would be the frame kit (€2,799 / $3,299) and then build your own from there.
Currently, Lee Cougan only offer the one complete build (Mullet SG). I’d like to see the Innova Super Gravel offered in a lighter build with more gravel-specific gearing.
