Updated: 23rd January 2024
For those yearning to venture beyond the paved roads, craving the thrill of exploration that a standard road bike can’t offer, yet still desiring to maintain speed and minimize weight, your search ends here.
What is considered a light gravel bike?
Presented below is a curated selection of some of the lightest gravel bikes available on the market. But what does “light” mean in the world of gravel bikes? Typically, gravel bikes weigh between 11 kg to 13 kg, slightly heavier by about 2kg compared to most road bikes. However, the lightest bike we found was 6.81kg.
When considering a gravel bike, one might ponder the importance of weight. The answer largely depends on your intended use. For enthusiasts of gravel grinding and bikepacking – embarking on journeys with a tent and essential gear for extended wilderness stays – weight isn’t a primary concern.
However, for those aiming to conquer KOMs (King of the Mountains) and outpace their road cycling peers, a lightweight, speed-oriented gravel bike becomes crucial. The bikes listed in this article represent the lightest, most performance-driven options in the gravel bike domain, catering to those who seek both adventure and speed.
What is the lightest gravel bike?
1. Syre Punkcake
The custom Syre Gravel by Twisted Wheels, weighing in at just 6.81kg (15.01 lbs), stands out as the lightest gravel bike on our list. The Syre Punkcake, a blend of ‘punk’ for its rebellious spirit and ‘pancake’ for universal appeal, is an epitome of high-performance and fun in the gravel bicycle category, designed and developed in Europe.
Embodying a philosophy of ‘clean look’, the bike’s design focuses on simplicity and classic lines, ensuring nothing superfluous detracts from its aesthetic and performance. Its 420mm chainstay, forward-shifted seat tube, and large seat tube angles contribute to the bike’s lightning-fast acceleration, responsiveness, and speed, offering full control on any surface.
The unique combination of head tube angle, rake, and trail in its geometry creates a magical balance between high-speed stability and sharp steering responsiveness. With a 75mm BB drop, the bike achieves an ideal mix of agility and stability.
This gravel bike is a technological marvel, featuring a unique ‘Yoke’ bottom bracket with double dropped chainstays, allowing for the installation of up to 2.5-inch tires and a 2x system on a remarkably short 420mm chainstay. It includes a minimalistic seatpost clamp and internal cable routing for a sleek look and noise-free performance.
The frame, made from three different types of carbon fiber, varies in weight from 910g to 1030g depending on the frame size, making it exceptionally lightweight. The fork, also crafted from carbon fiber, weighs 480g and supports full internal cable routing.
Tire clearance is generous, accommodating up to 50mm for 700C and 2.5” for 650B tires. The bike features versatile ring sizes for both 1x and 2x setups and multiple mounting options including five bosses under the bottom bracket and options for adding bosses to the fork and top tube. The bike utilizes thru-axles for both the rear (X-12 142х12) and front (X-12 100х12) and is equipped with disc brakes (140mm or 160mm rotors). The T47 bottom bracket ensures a goodbye to Press fit issues.
In essence, the Syre Gravel is a masterpiece of engineering and design, combining lightweight agility with robust performance capabilities, making it the perfect choice for both off-road adventures and long-distance tours.
Lightest Gravel Bike Leaderboard!
| No. | Bike Model | Weight (kg) | Weight (lbs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Syre Punkcake (Twisted Wheels) | 6.81 | 15.01 |
| 2 | Specialized S-Works Crux | 6.90 | 16.21 |
| 3 | Lauf Anywhere Ultimate | 7.70 | 17.00 |
| 4 | Open U.P.P.E.R | 8.00 | 17.64 |
| 5 | Salsa Warroad (top-line model) | 8.00 | 17.70 |
| 6 | Scott Addict Gravel Tuned | 8.10 | 17.86 |
| 7 | Trek Checkpoint SLR 9 eTap | 8.10 | 17.86 |
| 8 | Giant Revolt Advanced Pro | 8.11 | 17.88 |
| 9 | Liv Devote Advanced Pro | 8.20 | 18.08 |
| 10 | Cervélo Áspero 5 | 8.20 | 18.08 |
| 11 | Salsa Warbird (Carbon AXS Wide model) | 8.30 | 18.30 |
| 12 | Cannondale Topstone Carbon 5 | 8.46 | 18.65 |
| 13 | Ridley Kanzo Fast | 8.50 | 18.74 |
| 14 | Juliana Quincy CC GRX | 8.51 | 18.76 |
| 15 | Ibis Hakka MX | 8.53 | 18.80 |
| 16 | Santa Cruz Stigmata | 8.57 | 18.89 |
| 17 | 3T Exploro | 8.70 | 19.20 |
| 18 | Canyon Grizl | 8.70 | 19.20 |
The Specialized S-Works Crux is said to weigh 6.9kg (16.21 lb), which is their top-of-the-line option. While the Crux Comp weighs in at 8.5 kg (18.73 lb), which is their baseline model in the 2022 lineup.
Offering some of the best tire clearance-to-weight ratios on the market with the option to run up to 47c tires while also offering a performance gravel geometry. With a 1.46 stack/reach ratio for a 56cm frame. The performance-focused geometry “creates the feeling of being ‘in’ the bike for incredible confidence while still feeling quick and nimble at the bars.”
To get lightweight gravel bike status the Crux had to drop the rack, fender, and bag mounts allowing riders to engage in a straightforward riding experience. Making it not the ideal bike for bikepacking in this regard, you can still mount bags though. Also, the bike provides a 10mm longer reach to give riders a more ideal weight distribution and the shorter stem offers more controlled steering.
3. Lauf Anywhere Ultimate
The Lauf Anywhere, in its lightest build, weighs 7.7 kg (17.0 lbs) for a medium-sized frame. Excelling as a mixed-terrain bike, it’s designed to smooth out bumps on both pavement and gravel. This bike is just as comfortable loaded with bags for a wilderness adventure as it is on a casual day ride.
Equipped with a tire clearance of up to 45mm for 700c tires, the Lauf Anywhere even comes with a handy bottle opener.
4. Open U.P.P.E.R
Offering all the standard performance gravel bike features. Such as dual wheel size compatibility and a dropped chainstay. These bikes find that balance between road bike speed plus go-anywhere capabilities. Making them fast but also able to go on rad adventures. The idea behind the U.P.P.E.R bikes is the option to run multiple tire setups.
Road tires to make it a very fast road bike, turn it into a go-anywhere bike with gravel tires 32-40mm or run 650b mountain bike tires allowing it to be pretty much unstoppable. It does feature a road riding position for that extra speed even if you run MTB tires. Meaning you can get to the trails faster. Weighing just under 8 kg!
5. Salsa Warroad
The top-line model of the Salsa Warroad weighs 8.0 kg (17.7 lbs). Released in 2020, its stunning colors and design caught my attention. Primarily an endurance all-road bike, it’s ideal for 80% road and 20% off-road riding. Compatible with both 700c and 650b wheels, its endurance road geometry ensures comfort on long rides, and extra frame and fork mounts provide ample storage for all-day adventures.
6. Scott Addict
The Scott Addict Gravel Tuned bike tips the scales at 8.1kg (17.86 lbs). This super-light build is tough enough for rough terrain and accommodates chunky tires. It also has ample mounts for liquids and bikepacking essentials, making it perfect for exploration.
7. Trek Checkpoint
The Trek Checkpoint SLR 9 eTap, weighing 8.10 kg (17.86 lbs), is a gravel-grinding powerhouse. Trek’s premier carbon gravel bike, it’s built for the rigors of the world’s toughest gravel races. The 700 Series OCLV Carbon frame features IsoSpeed for gravel smoothing and a progressive geometry for nimble and stable handling.
8. Giant Revolt Advanced Pro
Giant’s first carbon gravel bike, the Revolt Advanced Pro, made its debut three years ago. Weighing around 8.11 kg (17.88 lb), it offers a comfortable ride, progressive geometry, and low weight.
The 2022 model sees improvements like a pushed-out front wheel for added stability and a lower bottom bracket. It’s designed to appeal to a broader range of riders, with the option to extend the chainstay by 10mm and rumored capability to fit up to 53mm 700c tires.
9. Liv Devote Advanced Pro
Weighing around 8.2 kg (18.08 lb), the Liv Devote Advanced Pro is one of the lightest bikepacking bikes available. It’s also featured in our list of the best women’s gravel bikes.
Perfect for bikepacking, gravel grinding, and adventure rides, it boasts a clean, contoured finish with internal cable routing and clearance for up to 45c tires. Some models come with a D-Fuse seatpost or dropper seatpost to absorb off-road vibrations.
10. Cervélo Áspero 5
The lightest weight I found for the Cervélo Áspero 5 was around 8.2 kg (18.08 lb).
The Áspero 5 Red XPLR eTap AXS Disc, a sub-$10,000 bike, likely falls into this lightweight category too. Built for speed, not leisure, it suits a new breed of gravel rider—one who races the trails and pushes limits. It performs like a road bike, but with off-road capabilities.
11. Salsa Warbird
Made for gravel racing, fire-road riding, and road riding the Salsa Warbird geometry focuses on stability and comfort. Offering that extra comfort on long rides. It features many mounts to carry gear for bikepacking adventures. This is a great bike for those looking to ride fast, bikepacking adventures on road or gravel. The Warbird is an agile, light, nimble, very refined, and entirely capable gravel bike. Perfect if you want to ride fast! The Carbon AXS Wide model weighs in at 8.3 kg (18.3 lb).
12. Cannondale Topstone
The Cannondale Topstone Carbon 5 weighs approximately 8.46 kg (18.65 lb). It features rear Kingpin suspension on fast-rolling 700c wheels (with up to 700c x 37 or 650b x 48 tire clearance), delivering comfort, control, and speed from tarmac to the outback.
Featured as one of the fastest gravel bikes in our list of the fastest gravel bikes & gravel race bikes. The Kanzo Fast weighs about 8.5 kg (approx 18.74 lb)
Combining a gravel-specific geometry with aerodynamic tubing and wide tire clearance. You get the option to run up to 42 mm tires. With a stack/reach ratio of 1.52 for a medium frame. Meaning a slightly more upright riding position in comparison to the Crux.
14. Juliana Quincy
The Juliana Quincy CC GRX build weighs 8.51 kg (18.76 lb). This women’s gravel bike is lightweight, strong, and comfortable, benefiting from years of mountain bike innovation. It includes size-specific fork offsets, 3 water bottle cage mounts, and room for a 45mm 700c or a 2.1″ 650b tire.
15. Ibis Hakka MX
The Hakka is a versatile bike, great for road rides, cross and of course gravel, and even some backcountry exploration. With the subtle sculpted chainstays it gives the frame clearance for up to 700 x 40c or 27.5 x 2.1” tires. Weighing in at 8.53 kg (18.8 lb)
16. Santa Cruz Stigmata
The Santa Cruz Stigmata, released in 2007 initially as a cyclocross bike, is a do-it-all drop-bar machine. Made from carbon fiber and weighing around 8.57 kg (18.89 lb), it has clearance for 700×45 mm or 650×53 mm tires, making it fast and versatile.
17. 3T Exploro
The 3T Exploro, weighing 8.7 kg (19.2 lb), is the ultimate aero-adventure gravel bike with the largest tire clearance in this list – up to 27.5 x 2.1″ MTB tires. It’s a game-changer in gravel racing and riding, combining road speed with mountain bike toughness and winning prestigious events like Dirty Kanza and Jeroboam.
18. Canyon Grizl
At around 8.7 kg, the Canyon Grizl is also included for its impressive weight, especially for a dedicated bikepacking gravel bike. With clearance for up to 50mm tires, it’s built for real adventures on rough terrain.
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