Best gravel bikes under £1,000 2024 — go beyond the tarmac for less

Vitus has enjoyed great reviews on road.cc in the past, including the Vitus Substance CRS-2, which comes in at £1,999.00 and has the same geometry, so the extremely affordable Substance V-2 is certainly worthy of our top spot in this guide for those on a smaller budget.

The Substance V-2 features a double-butted aluminium frame, so durability and solid power transfer is guaranteed. Comfort levels are cranked up via the carbon fork, further aided by big-volume 700 x 40c tyres on WTB rims that’ll consume humps and bumps for breakfast. It’s also 650b compatible, and that versatility stretches to the groupset as you have the choice of 1x or 2x, though it comes equipped as standard with Shimano’s Sora nine-speed groupset that’ll do a job.

Flared handlebars and multiple mounts for bottles and luggage complete an impressive value-packed package.

“An excellent entry point to gravel riding thanks to sorted geometry and a great ride quality from the Boardman’s frameset.” The words of us here at road.cc when reviewing the Boardman ADV 8.9. This is from the same family so you’ll save cash but still enjoy a helluva ride.

As ever with Boardman, you get a lot for your money. The alloy frame features nice, clean welds for an aesthetic that belies its price tag. Carbon forks cut weight while boosting comfort, on and off road. The easy, more upright geometry amplifies the comfortable experience, while a low bottom bracket boosts stability

Shimano Sora 2 x 9-speed gearing is reliable and, coupled with the 11/48 rear, will provide enough range for the steepest of off-road ascents. Tektro disc brakes provide stopping power, while Boardman’s own-brand wheels use 38mm Schwalbe tubeless-ready tyres for a good mix of dampening off-road and speed on road.

The Claud Butler Primal is one of the cheapest gravel bikes we’ve come across, but that doesn’t mean it’s totally scrimped on performance. It’s a fun machine that’s equally at home on open roads, navigating the urban jungle and moderately slippy trails.

Its aluminium frame ensures good power delivery, while there’s a reassuring quality to its handling. Perhaps the biggest surprise is comfort. The combination of moderately chunky 38mm tyres and a fine saddle results in an impressive ride, especially on tarmac where we suspect much of the Primal’s riding will take place. Internal cable routing and undersized rear triangle adds a contemporary edge.

Of course, at this price point there are compromises. The dual control levers of the 7-speed Shimano Tourney groupset are a little floppy and the mechanical Tektro disc brakes feel spongy. But overall, it's an excellent budget gravel bike for fun times on and off road.

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The Polish brand Rondo enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2017 when they created what they termed ‘the first variable geometry road bike in the world’. This chameleon-like quality derived from Rondo’s TwinTip fork that featured a removable axle insert to set the axle in different positions, to make it either more upright or racier.

This technology’s the company’s USP and is seen on the RUUT AL 2. How effective is it? Well, our sister site, off.road.cc, tested the AL 1 and the feedback was mixed. While there was a slight difference in handling, there was no noticeable difference in loop times. The change is also a little bit of a faff.

Still, many of you might love it. As you might the super-strong and responsive 6061 alu frame that forms the core of the RUUT AL 2, which flows into a full-carbon fork and those TwinTips. The drivetrain’s 1x, though a hybrid of Microshift 11-42 11-speed cassette and SRAM Apex rear derailleur. It’ll do the job but the purists in us would prefer avoiding the mix-and-match. Rondo’s wheels are tubeless compatible with 40mm tyres adding comfort.

Ok, so it's not a full bike but if you're a tinkerer, you could easily build up this frameset for under a grand with some budget-friendly wheels and components.

Sonder is the in-house brand of UK outdoors retailer Alpkit, a B Corp-certified brand with arguably some of the best environmental and ethical standards in the business. Our tester rode the previous Camino model two years previous, riding it over thousands of tarmacked, gravelly and bikepacking miles. The latest iteration brings two major developments – a full-carbon fork with triple luggage mounts and internal routing through the down tube – that only add to its appeal.

Wheel clearance is up to 50mm for 700c and 55mm for 650c. As big tyres mean comfort and grip, rough descents are smoothed out for the most enjoyable of adventures. This big clearance stems from the chainstay design, meaning it’s for either a 1x chainset or very small 2x chainset.

Its paint job is stunning and, all in all, it represents cracking value for money that you can build up as a commuter, tourer or bridleway-escape machine. With the right components, you could build this up for under a grand, albeit Alpkit sell a built-up SRAM Apex1 version for the current price of £1,049.99.

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