Yoeleo G21 DB Pro Gravel Bike

The Yoeleo G21 DB Pro gravel bike does everything you need it to. The full carbon fibre frameset and Shimano GRX build we have here is a decent weight, the geometry is easy to live with, and a set of deep-section carbon wheels give you an aero boost should you find some flat sections of trail. It's very 'middle of the road', which may suit you, but it lacks a bit in personality for my liking.

Our guide to the best gravel bikes has more options. 

> Buy now: Yoeleo G21 DB Pro for $4,400 from Yoeleo

Ride

So, let's kick of with that 'middle of the road' statement I made above, and what I mean by it.

We all love cycling for different reasons. For the fresh air and the freedom, for convenience or keeping fit, the escapism and the peace and quiet. For some riders the intricate details of the bike, or their connection with it as a rider, aren't a huge deal. The bike is merely the tool for the job, the thing that gives you the opportunity to get out there.

If that's you then I reckon you'll like the G21. The geometry at the front end is relaxed, which makes the steering predictable – regardless of the surface you are riding on it gives no surprises. This is a very easy bike to ride. Even with the wrong tyres fitted for muddy conditions, resulting in a lack of grip, the Yeoleo slips and slides but never really feels out of control.

The rest of the geometry is no different. There is nothing out of the ordinary here, and you'll easy cover plenty of miles without really noting the bike, helped by its sub-9kg weight.

Stiffness-wise, it's a very capable machine, too. It's a fairly rigid setup so it accelerates well and is a confident climber.

For me, though, I love the interaction between myself and the bike, and the Yoeleo just doesn't give the feedback I like. The frameset, while very good from a performance point of view, is quite 'dead' feeling, something I've noted on other carbon fibre frames. Whether it's down to the lay-up or the combination of that and the grade of carbon used is hard to say, but I am left slightly underwhelmed by the actual ride characteristics.

At first I thought it might be the deep-section wheels as, again, some deep-section rims can also feely quite lifeless in terms of feedback. Swapping them out for some other wheels in my possession that I know well did show that to be the case to a small degree, but the frameset is still lacking on the engagement front.

With this amount of feedback missing, I found I couldn't quite commit to the corners or descents on my main 30-mile gravel test loop, especially as the conditions have got wetter and more challenging. You don't get that information I like – from the front tyre, is it gripping, sliding? what's the rear up to? I just didn't feel it gave me the confidence to let the bike go, even in the dry. When diving into a bend I'd have to guess the braking point, or traction point, to shift my body weight or give the brakes a dab. It always felt like there was a slight delay between what the bike was doing and you feeling it through the handlebar or saddle.

Comparing it to something like the Vitus Venon Evo GR or the Fairlight Secan I reviewed recently and rode alongside the Yoeleo, it just feels a bit lacking in the whole rider and bike relationship.

It's the same with regards to the ride quality. The G21 isn't uncomfortable by any stretch, it's just that there is a bit of high-frequency buzz there when you are really going for it. This is a bike that will require you to use the tyre pressures to increase comfort instead of maybe running them how you want them for feel or performance.

This negativity aside, if you are in that first camp of riders who just want a quick, relatively light gravel bike that is very easy to ride then you are likely to get on well with the G21, especially if your rides are longer, even adventure length.

The fork on our test bike comes with triple mounting points on each leg, and with the others on the frame the Yoeleo is designed to take plenty of kit – in terms of volume at least, bearing in mind the 110kg overall weight limit.

With some bags fitted front, rear and in the middle, those mild-mannered handling characteristics come to the fore.

A lot of gravel bikes spend a lot of time on the road, even if that is simply to join the gravel sections together. Used this way the G21 will roll along well and it's easy to ride. The handling does feel quite slow, though, so it's not the kind of gravel or all-road bike you are going to bung some slicks on and use as a commuter or winter trainer.

Frame & fork

You may not have heard of Yoeleo before, but it's been going for a fair few years now. Beginning in 2007 as a manufacturer of OEM carbon fibre components, it evolved into Yoeleo in 2011. The company now creates a huge range of bikes at its base in China, and by supplying direct it can keep prices competitive.

The G21's frame is made from high-modulus Toray T800 grade carbon fibre, and overall, after a quick inspection while assembling it, it looks to be well made and finished with a good paint job. It's available in either this Desert Brown colour or Arctic Ice, or you can go for a custom paint job for another $300.

Some carbon frames can be far from smooth and tidy on the inside, the old 'out of sight, out of mind' mantra, but Yoeleo uses what it describes as ProMoldCore technology. It's basically using latex bladders at high pressure to mould and control the shapes of the inside of the tube or frame sections. It leaves a smooth finish, with no excess material left over, reducing weight and giving a uniform finish.

It's a smart-looking frame, with the modern take on running all cables and hoses directly through the frame and fork from the handlebar, and you get a lot of integration between the tube sections, with each running into the other, for an aero and smooth finish.

Things like the seatpost clamp are also internal, as is the headset.

For the bottom bracket the G21 uses the T47 standard, so the frame has a larger diameter and wider bottom bracket shell, like that used for press-fit setups, but instead of being pushed into the frame the T47 uses threaded bearing cups like a traditional BSA system. This is intended to stop water and dirt ingress between press-fit bearing cups and the frame due to poor tolerances.

The G21 has a dropped chainstay on the drive side to increase tyre clearance, which results in the ability to run up to 53mm-wide tyres. The 45mm 700C rubber we have fitted means there is plenty of room for shedding mud build-up, too.

As I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of mounting points on offer: mudguards and a rear rack, plus two bottle cages in the traditional position, but also mounts for a bento bag on the top tube.

You can choose whether you want a fork with mounting points or not, and if you go for the one we have you get those triple mounts on each leg. It doesn't have mounting points for a front mudguard in the traditional position, but you could use the lower of the three with a bit of stay manipulation.

Under the down tube you get some protection from stone strikes, which is a nice touch.

Everything else is as you'd expect, really, with 12mm thru-axles and flat mounts for the brake callipers.

The warranty on offer is good at six years, although for $300 you can upgrade this to a lifetime warranty.

The G21 is available in seven sizes, ranging from 45cm to 60cm, which corresponds to the seat tube length. Top tube lengths range from 510mm to 592mm.

Our 54 sits bang in the middle with a 551mm top tube, and stack and reach figures of 566mm and 383mm respectively.

The head tube is 134mm in length with a 70-degree angle, while the seat tube sits at 73.5 degrees. You get chainstays of 433m and the bottom bracket drop is 79mm.

Groupset

The G21 Pro comes with a Shimano GRX RX810 groupset, although this will soon be updated to the RX820 12-speed which has superseded the 11-speed RX810.

It's a 2x setup (two chainrings) and comes with a 48/31-tooth crankset paired to an 11-34T cassette. I use this combination on my own gravel bike and find it a great spread of gears, both high and low, and it's usable on the road too.

In use, the GRX shifters are great, with a solid feel to gear changes and great ergonomics on the levers, with their flat front giving grip when braking on rough terrain while the small hoods provide a comfortable position for long and short rides.

Braking performance from the hydraulic setup is top notch, with loads of power and modulation.

Finishing kit

Aside from those from Shimano, the rest of the components are pretty much Yoeleo's own.

As standard the G21 comes with the H21 carbon fibre integrated handlebar/stem (not shown) which is available in a range of stem lengths and bar widths that you spec at the time of ordering. I found it comfortable in terms of shape and plenty stiff enough. There is a good wide flare to the handlebar too, which gives extra stability and slows the steering a touch when you are in the drops.

We were also sent the H25 handlebar and ST1 stem, which you can see here in the photos. This is an option you can go for if you don't want a fully integrated design. Both the handlebar and stem are created from Toray T700 carbon fibre.

The seatpost is full carbon fibre and has quite an interesting design for adjustability. You can slide the saddle rails fore and aft in the clamp as usual, but you also have a small amount of movement in the saddle clamp itself in relation to the seatpost, meaning you can set it up with an offset or inline saddle position.

The saddle is from Pro and I found it very comfortable. With its firm padding and shorty design it's definitely one for those who like a performance riding style.

Wheels & tyres

As standard the G21 Pro comes with a 35mm-deep SAT C35/35 DB Pro wheelset, although our bike was fitted with the 50mm-deep version.

The rims are made from Toray T800 carbon fibre and are 30mm wide externally, 22mm internally. Full details on Yoeleo's wheel range can be found in our feature, Made in China: a guide to the Yoeleo wheels range, but the basics are that the rear hub uses a ratchet freehub with 56 teeth which keeps the engagement angle low, and the rim weight is around 475g. This translates into an overall claimed weight of 1,518g, give or take 15g.

They come with a warranty of three years.

I found them a good set of wheels to ride. As I said earlier, they are a bit harsh and don't have the greatest ride quality, but that can sometimes be the case with deep-section rims because of the amount of carbon being used.

They stayed true throughout the review period, and I had no issues with them whatsoever.

Just like the wheels, we have different tyres to those that are supplied as standard, as listed on the website. Instead of rubber from Kenda we had a pair of WTB Riddlers. These are tyres I have ridden many times before, and they perform very well on dry surfaces while being able to cope in soft mud as long as it isn't too wet and clingy.

Value

When we wrote the wheel feature mentioned above, Yoeleo had a UK distributor, but that doesn't look to be the case any more, with the original link to Revolution Wheels now redirecting to Yoeleo's website. You can order direct from there, though, and you also get free shipping worldwide.

All the prices are in USD and will be converted at the end of checkout via PayPal or the other payment methods on offer. Delivery from China is going to take a little while, and import taxes/VAT and so on aren't included in the $4,400 price. When I used my Paypal account to work out what it would all cost, it used the exchange rate of 1 GBP = 1.177 USD giving a price of £3,737.71 excluding the tax and VAT. With VAT that comes to £4,485.25.

A bit of online research suggests import duty is a bit hit and miss, so it could be a bit of a lottery on whether you have to pay, although the courier will no doubt sort that, and then you'll have to pay the courier before your bike is delivered.

European customers can order from yoeleoeurope and as orders are shipped from its German warehouse there are no taxes to be paid.

For comparison, you could get a Generation 2 Canyon Grail CF SL AXS for £3,349. It comes with a SRAM Rival AXS electronic groupset and Canyon's carbon integrated cockpit. You aren't getting carbon wheels, though, as the Grail comes with a pair of aluminium-rimmed DT Swiss Gravel LNs.

Suvi recently rode the Grail CF SLX 8 Di2 which she was very impressed with. For the £4,799 asking price you are getting Shimano GRX Di2, DT Swiss carbon wheels and a carbon cockpit.

Orro's Terra C comes with a SRAM Rival AXS XPLR groupset, carbon fibre frame and fork, and Fulcrum wheels for £3,299.99 or Campagnolo's Ekar groupset for £3,899.99. It doesn't have the massive tyre clearance of the G21, with just 42mm (although I'd argue that 40mm is the sweet spot for the majority of gravel riding), but it does offer a great ride quality, and is a lot of fun. I tested both Ekar and GRX 800 models in 2021, while Dave put the 105 Di2 model through its paces last year.

Specialized's Diverge range sits either side of the G21 Pro, with the Comp Carbon costing £4,000 (Shimano GRX mechanical, DT Swiss alloy wheels, FACT 9r frame) and the Expert Carbon £5,750 with the same frame equipped with carbon wheels and a SRAM Rival AXS groupset.

We tested the Diverge STR Expert recently on off.road.cc if you want to know more.

Conclusion

At first glance the Yoeleo looks to be great value for money, but once you start adding VAT and the possibility of import duty it isn't quite as competitive. Plus, with no UK distributor there might be concerns over warranty returns to China. Yes, we buy many bikes online these days, but most have some kind of hub in the UK for ironing out potential problems.

Also, for me the G21 doesn't quite deliver the ride and performance I'm after to justify the purchase risk. As I said earlier in the review, the Yoeleo is a good bike, with sedate handling, but it doesn't do anything that really makes it stand out from the crowd.

Verdict

Decent weight and easy to ride off-road, but lacking that bike/rider involvement some seek