Explore the world of bikepacking on gravel with our comprehensive guide. Bikepacking is a self-sufficient bike trip where you carry your gear on your bike, allowing you to venture into remote areas.
Gravel bikes are perfect for this type of adventure, offering a balance of efficiency, comfort, and capability on diverse terrain.
With the right gear and a suitable frame, you'll be ready to conquer the trails less traveled. Whether you're planning a multi-day trip or just starting out, our guide will provide you with the essential information you need to get started.
The Rise of Bikepacking on Gravel Terrain
The surge in bikepacking's popularity has been closely tied to the rise of gravel bikes. Gravel bikes are fast and efficient on pavement due to their drop bar body positioning, yet they're comfortable and capable on dirt thanks to their wider tires and more stable frame geometry. This versatility makes them ideal for bikepacking adventures.
Bikepacking doesn't just start at the trailhead; it encompasses a wide range of terrains including forest roads, shale roads, crushed rock, and the pavement that connects them. The gravel bike category has exploded in popularity over the past decade, creating a perfect platform for bikepacking adventures that blend road efficiency with off-road capability.
What Makes Gravel Perfect for Bikepacking Adventures
Gravel terrain offers a perfect middle ground for bikepacking, providing access to remote areas while allowing for relatively fast travel compared to technical mountain bike trails. The stable geometry and increased tire clearance of gravel bikes make them ideal for carrying bikepacking bags and gear over long distances and varied surfaces.Modern gravel bikes have evolvedto include features that enhance the bikepacking experience, such as multiple mounting points for bags and extra water bottle cages.
The Freedom of Self-Sufficient Travel
Self-sufficient travel is at the heart of the bikepacking ethos, with riders carrying everything they need in lightweight, strategically placed bags. This approach allows for the freedom to explore back roads, forest service routes, and connecting pavement, opening up countless route possibilities. The freedom to ride where you want, when you want, is a significant draw for bikepackers, making gravel terrain an ideal choice.
By combining the efficiency of road bikes with the capability of mountain bikes, gravel bikes offer bikepackers the best of both worlds. Whether you're riding on gravel, dirt, or pavement, these bikes are designed to handle it all, making them perfect for bikepacking adventures.
Essential Features for the Ultimate Bikepacking Gravel Bike
The ideal gravel bike for bikepacking is one that balances comfort, stability, and carrying capacity. When planning a multi-day adventure on varied terrain, the bike's design plays a crucial role in the success of the trip.
Frame Geometry and Sizing Considerations
A gravel bike's frame geometry is critical for comfort and handling. Look for a frame with a taller stack height (600mm+ for a size large) to provide a more upright riding position, reducing strain on your neck, back, and hands during long days in the saddle. Proper sizing is also essential to ensure the bike is comfortable and easy to handle when loaded with gear.
Optimal Gear Ratios for Loaded Climbing
When carrying additional weight from camping gear and supplies, having sufficiently low gear ratios becomes essential. Aim for bikes with a climbing gear of 22-25 gear inches to comfortably tackle steep terrain when fully loaded. This ensures that the bike can handle the demands of bikepacking on gravel terrain.
Tire Clearance and Selection
Clearance for wide tires is a non-negotiable feature for serious bikepacking. The ability to run 45-50mm (or wider) tires provides the versatility to adapt to changing conditions from smooth gravel to rougher doubletrack. Choosing the right tires for the terrain and conditions is crucial for comfort and performance.
Mounting Points for Bags and Accessories
Multiple mounting points throughout the frame (including on the fork, under the downtube, and on the top tube) dramatically increase your options for carrying water and attaching bikepacking bags securely. This feature is essential for carrying all the necessary gear on long adventures. Some bikes also offer mounts for bars, enhancing the carrying capacity.
The choice of frame material, such as steel or carbon, affects ride quality, durability, and price. Steel offers excellent vibration damping and repairability, while carbon provides the lightest option for those prioritizing speed. Ultimately, the best bike for bikepacking will depend on the rider's priorities and the terrain they plan to tackle.
Budget-Friendly Gravel Bikes for Bikepacking
You don't have to break the bank to get a great gravel bike for bikepacking adventures. For riders looking to enter the world of bikepacking without breaking the bank, several excellent budget-friendly options provide the essential features needed for gravel adventures.
Salsa Journeyer Advent
The Salsa Journeyer Advent stands out as an exceptional value at just $999, offering a thoughtfully designed frame with all the key features needed for bikepacking adventures. Despite its affordable price point, the Journeyer includes premium features like tubeless-compatible wheels, a comfortable upright geometry with a 598mm stack height, and clearance for 50mm tires.
Budget bikes in this category typically make sensible component choices, focusing on reliability and serviceability rather than cutting-edge technology that might be difficult to repair on remote routes. The Journeyer's versatility is enhanced by its wheel size options - available in both 700c for faster rolling on smoother surfaces and 27.5" for increased comfort and control on rougher terrain.
When shopping for budget bikepacking bikes, look for models that don't compromise on the essentials: adequate tire clearance, comfortable geometry, and sufficient mounting points for gear and water bottles. The Salsa Journeyer Advent ticks all these boxes and has been praised for its design and value, scoring 19/20 in a recent review of the best budget gravel bikes under $1000.
Aluminum Frame Champions
When it comes to bikepacking on gravel terrain, aluminum frame bikes stand out for their stiffness, durability, and affordability. These characteristics make them an attractive option for riders seeking a capable bikepacking platform without the premium price of carbon fiber.
Canyon Grizl7
The Canyon Grizl7 is a top contender in the aluminum gravel bike category, offering a compelling blend of performance, durability, and value. With a price tag of $1,999, this bike is equipped with a lightweight (10.7kg) aluminum frame, a carbon fork, and a carbon seatpost that provides a silky-smooth ride.
The Grizl7 features a 2x12 drivetrain, hydraulic disc brakes, and clearance for 50mm tires, making it well-suited for bikepacking adventures on gravel and mountain roads. The bike's 605mm stack height provides an upright riding position, essential for comfort during long days of riding.
Key Features of the Canyon Grizl7:
- Aluminum frame gravel bikes offer an excellent balance of performance, durability, and value.
- The Canyon Grizl7 features a lightweight frame paired with strategic carbon components for enhanced comfort.
- At $1,999, the Grizl delivers features typically found on more expensive bikes, including hydraulic disc brakes and a 2x12 drivetrain.
- Aluminum frames are well-suited for bikepacking adventures due to their stiffness and resistance to damage.
- The Grizl's generous sizing options (eight sizes) ensure riders of all heights can find their perfect fit.
- Modern aluminum manufacturing techniques have improved ride quality, with bikes like the Grizl incorporating shaped and butted tubing.
For riders seeking a reliable and capable gravel bike for bikepacking, the Canyon Grizl7 is an excellent choice, offering a great balance of gear, comfort, and performance on various roads and mountain trails.
Steel Frame Favorites for Long-Distance Comfort
When it comes to bikepacking on gravel, a steel frame bike like the Fairlight Faran2.5 offers the perfect blend of comfort, durability, and repairability. Steel frames have long been favored for long-distance bikepacking trips due to their legendary comfort and durability in remote locations.
The Fairlight Faran2.5 represents the pinnacle of modern steel frame design, combining traditional material benefits with innovative engineering to create a bike perfectly suited for extended gravel adventures. At £1999, the Faran offers exceptional value with its meticulously designed frame featuring ovalized tubing for optimal stiffness-to-weight ratio and a host of thoughtful details.
Fairlight Faran2.5
The Fairlight Faran2.5 is the best gravel bike in the steel frame category, priced at £1999, weighing 11.0kg, and featuring a 23" climbing gear, 50 mm tyre clearance, and a 610 mm stack height. If you have a preference for steel bikes, the Fairlight Faran from the UK is a top pick.
The attention to detail of these frames is unparalleled for the price. For example, the top and down tubes have been ovalized just for Fairlight, providing the equivalent lateral stiffness of a bigger tube but without the added weight. The cable guides are interchangeable depending on your derailleur and brake setup, the rear dropouts are modular, and there are stainless washer plates up the back so your rack bolts don't scuff your paint.
Key Features:
- Steel frames have long been favored for long-distance bikepacking trips due to their legendary comfort, durability, and repairability in remote locations.
- The Fairlight Faran2.5 combines traditional material benefits with innovative engineering to create a bike perfectly suited for extended gravel adventures.
- At £1999, the Faran offers exceptional value with its meticulously designed frame featuring ovalized tubing for optimal stiffness-to-weight ratio.
- The bike's 610mm stack height provides an extremely comfortable upright position that reduces fatigue during multi-day bikepacking trips on rough dirt roads.
- The Faran is available in five frame sizes, each offered in 'regular' or 'tall' variants, accommodating different rider proportions.
- Steel's natural vibration-damping properties make it ideal for long days in the saddle, with the material's resilient ride quality becoming even more apparent when traveling over washboard gravel roads or rough surfaces.
Carbon Fiber Options for Lightweight Bikepacking Gravel
For bikepacking enthusiasts seeking the ultimate lightweight experience, carbon fiber gravel bikes are the way to go. These bikes offer a unique combination of minimal weight, enhanced comfort, and robust performance, making them ideal for multi-day adventures on gravel terrain.
GT Grade Carbon Pro
The GT Grade Carbon Pro is a standout in the carbon frame category, boasting a weight of 9.5kg and a price tag of $2,900. Its innovative "floating" seatstays design allows for up to 30mm of vertical flex, significantly enhancing comfort on rough gravel roads. With a 50mm tire clearance and a 603mm stack height, this bike is well-suited for bikepacking adventures that demand both performance and comfort.
The GT Grade Carbon Pro features a carbon frame that is engineered for optimal stiffness and controlled flex, ensuring efficient power transfer while maintaining comfort over long distances. Its drivetrain is designed to handle the demands of loaded bikepacking, providing smooth gear transitions even under heavy load.
Propain Terrel CF
For those seeking the ultimate in lightweight bikepacking, the Propain Terrel CF is an exceptional choice, weighing in at 8.0kg. Priced at $4,999, this bike offers remarkable value for its ultralight category. It features 50mm tire clearance and a 608mm stack height, making it capable of handling challenging gravel terrain with ease and comfort.
The Propain Terrel CF is designed with progressive geometry, featuring a longer reach and shorter stem, which provides stable handling when loaded with bikepacking gear. Its carbon frame is compatible with suspension forks, allowing riders to customize their setup for additional front-end comfort.
Suspension-Enhanced Gravel Bikes
Suspension-enhanced gravel bikes are revolutionizing the bikepacking world by combining comfort, control, and speed. These bikes bring mountain bike technology to the gravel world, significantly improving the riding experience over rough terrain.
YT Szepter Core2
The YT Szepter Core2 is a standout in the front suspension category, offering a 40mm travel suspension fork that reduces hand and arm fatigue on rough roads. With a weight of 10.8kg and a comfortable 611mm stack height, it's ideal for bikepacking adventures.
BMC URS LT TWO
For the ultimate in comfort, the BMC URS LT TWO provides both front and rear suspension, featuring 20mm of travel in its unique fork design and 10mm of rear travel through elastomer springs. This full-suspension gravel bike weighs just 9.5kg and is perfect for tackling steep mountain roads.
Suspension-enhanced gravel bikes like the YT Szepter Core2 and BMC URS LT TWO not only improve comfort but also maintain better tire contact with the ground, enhancing traction and control. These bikes are remarkably versatile, performing efficiently on both smooth roads and rough terrain.
Alternative Drivetrain Options
For bikepackers seeking reliability and low maintenance, alternative drivetrain options are revolutionizing the gravel biking experience. Traditional derailleur systems, while popular, can be prone to issues in rugged terrain, making alternative systems an attractive choice for serious bikepackers.
Alternative drivetrain systems offer significant advantages for bikepacking adventures, particularly in terms of reliability, maintenance requirements, and performance in challenging conditions. Two notable examples are the Priority Gemini, featuring a Pinion gearbox, and the Avaghon Grave, equipped with a Rohloff hub.
Priority Gemini (Gearbox)
The Priority Gemini is one of the best gravel bikes in the gearbox category, priced at $3,499. It boasts a weather-sealed 12-speed Pinion gearbox that can electronically shift gears in just 0.2 seconds. This system allows for shifting under load, while coasting, or even when stationary. The Gemini's design focuses on low maintenance and ease of use, making it ideal for tackling steep roads and challenging terrain.
Avaghon Grave (Gear Hub)
The Avaghon Grave is among the best gravel bikes in the gear hub category, priced at €4,499. It features a Rohloff hub with a 14-speed gearing system, known for its reliability and efficiency. The Avaghon Grave is designed for bikepackers who value the benefits of a gear hub system, including reduced maintenance and improved performance in demanding conditions.
Both the Priority Gemini and Avaghon Grave feature belt drives instead of traditional chains, eliminating the need for lubrication and reducing maintenance. Comprehensive reviews and guides suggest these alternative drivetrain options are worth considering for serious bikepackers due to their superior long-term reliability and reduced maintenance requirements.
Flat Bar Gravel Bikes for Bikepacking
For those seeking a unique bikepacking experience, flat bar gravel bikes offer an exciting alternative to traditional drop bar models. These bikes combine the efficiency of gravel bikes with the handling characteristics of mountain bikes, making them ideal for bikepacking adventures.
Flat bar gravel bikes are designed to provide a more upright riding position, which can be beneficial for long-distance touring and comfort during extended periods of riding on varied terrain. The flat bar configuration also allows for improved leverage and control, particularly on technical descents.
Hudski Doggler
The Hudski Doggler stands out as an exceptional flat bar gravel bike, featuring a thoughtfully designed frame that adapts mountain bike geometry principles for gravel riding and bikepacking. With a price tag of $1,600, it offers excellent value for its features and performance.
The Doggler is equipped with a full carbon fork, a 12-speed drivetrain, and a 20-inch climbing gear, making it capable of tackling diverse terrain, from smooth gravel roads to rougher forest paths. Its 50mm tire clearance provides the flexibility to run wider tires for added comfort and traction.
The bike's geometry, with a long wheelbase and slack head tube angle, creates a super stable ride. The steep seat tube angle positions the rider's weight further forward, enhancing climbing capability on steep roads.
The Hudski Doggler comes with a tall handlebar featuring a large grip angle of 27 degrees and a shorter reach than typical flat bars. This design results in a relaxed, upright pedaling position, ideal for all-day rides and reducing strain on the rider's wrists.
Essential Bikepacking Gear for Gravel Adventures
To conquer the trails less traveled, you'll need the essential bikepacking gear for your gravel bike. The right equipment can make or break your adventure, ensuring you're prepared for the challenges of gravel terrain.
Frame, Handlebar, and Seat Bags
Bikepacking bags are designed to distribute weight evenly across your bike, maintaining handling characteristics and riding comfort. Frame bags utilize the main triangle of your bike to carry heavier items like food, cooking equipment, and tools, keeping the center of gravity low and central.
Handlebar bags or rolls typically hold bulky but lightweight items like sleeping bags and clothing. These bags are designed to work with both drop bars and flat bars, maintaining access to different hand positions.
Seat packs attach to your seatpost and saddle rails, providing significant storage capacity (5-15 liters) for items you won't need during the day. Proper packing is essential to prevent unwanted swaying on technical terrain.
Sleeping Systems and Shelter
Modern sleeping systems for bikepacking prioritize compressibility and low pack size. Ultralight tents, bivies, or tarp setups paired with compact sleeping bags or quilts are ideal for gravel adventures.
These systems are designed to be lightweight and compact, making them perfect for bikepacking trips where every gram counts.
Tools and Repair Kits
A well-thought-out repair kit is essential for remote gravel adventures. This should include multi-tools with chain breakers, tubeless repair items, spare derailleur hangers, and a compact pump, all tailored to your specific bike's components.
Additional accessory bags like top tube packs, stem bags, and fork cages can increase carrying capacity for frequently accessed items like snacks, electronics, and extra water.
Your Bikepacking Gravel Journey Begins Here
The world of bikepacking gravel is vast and inviting, offering a unique blend of exploration and self-sufficiency. With a broad range of bikes and gear available, the possibilities for setups are nearly endless, allowing riders to tailor their adventures to their preferences.
Embarking on your first bikepacking gravel adventure doesn't require expensive gear or years of experience. Start small with overnight trips close to home to test your setup and build confidence. The bikepacking community is incredibly welcoming, with numerous online resources and local groups providing guidance and companionship.
As you begin, remember that there's no single "right way" to bikepack. Your approach will evolve based on the terrain you enjoy and your comfort preferences. Consider the bikes highlighted in this guide as a starting point, but feel free to explore beyond our list. The perfect bike is one that inspires you to get out and explore the world of gravel bikepacking.
Whatever path you choose, the combination of self-sufficient travel, versatile gravel bikes, and the freedom to explore less-traveled routes creates an unmatched experience. So, find your way, gear up, and start your bikepacking journey today.
