Are you looking to either buy a grave bike with suspension or add some gravel shocks to your current gravel bike setup? We are going to cover everything gravel bike suspension in this article.
Let me start off by telling you a little story! I just got back from the Victoria Divide bikepacking race that rides from outer suburbs of Melbourne to Albury via Mt Buller. And it was some rather rough stuff in sections. I did it on my Kona Sutra LTD gravel/adventure bike. And let me tell you it was very demanding on a rigid bike. There was some times when I wish I has some kind of suspension to easy the jarring.
To be honest the Sutra did it really well. It could have been so much more rough on some other bikes. It did a good job a dampening vibrations. Some of the terrain was down hill with large fist size rocks. It just would have been nice to run some gravel front shocks and have some kind of gravel bike suspension.
Best Gravel Suspension Forks
Before we get into any gravel bikes with suspension options out of the box. Lets see what you have for existing gravel bikes and converting them into a bike with more play!
There are a couple ways to add suspension to a gravel bike. The main two are with a suspension fork and/or stem. But here are some of the most popular gravel bike suspension forks.
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MRP Baxter Gravel/Adventure 700C Fork
If you are after the budget friendly gravel bike front fork on the market. The cheapest out of the three I am going to share with you is the MRP Baxter that comes in at $799.95 at Jenson USA. MRP answered gravel cyclists prayers with the Baxter! It is a lightweight and dependable suspension fork for gravel riding and racing, bike packing and general all-road adventuring. But some of the other options in this articles are lighter. It weighs in at 3.5 pounds or 1.59 kg.
It also features 40mm of travel and 32mm stanchions. And you get the options for either 12mm or 15mm thru axles, 3-position compression, positive and negative air spring and rebound adjustments. Also the fork allows the use for 700x40c or 27.5×2.5″ tires.
Fox 32 Float AX Factory 700C
The chassis of Fox’s 32 Float AX was originally designed for 100mm XC race bikes. But due to the popularity of gravel grinding, they appropriated the design for 700c bikes. The AX has a cool 40mm of travel, to keep it efficient but still forgiving. A 15x100mm Kabolt axle is sturdy and light, and the tapered steer tube adds to the smooth, reliable handling.
The Float Evol air spring is smooth and predictable, and FIT-4 adjustability offers 22 clicks of fine-tuned compression options. There’s a lockout option for increased efficiency, and the sleek finish matches easily with a variety of frames. Easily fits 700x40c tires and weighs in at 1420 grams or 3.13 pounds. This fork is priced at $818.99 at Jenson USA.
Lauf Grit SL Suspension Fork
The premium gravel bike front suspension fork out of the three is this Lauf Grit SL. With its own truely unique style and design. If you are looking for the simplicity and lightweight of a rigid fork but with the cushioning benefits of suspension. The Grit is the lightweight option only weighing in at 900 grams or 1.89 pounds.
It offers a highly efficient 30mm of travel. The fork is designed for gravel and cylcocross frames with 700c or 27.5” wheels and a tapered steer-tube. The Lauf is available for hubs using 12mm or 15mm thru-axles.
The fork essentially works by a leaf spring system much like you may have in your automobile. Basically, there are six small leaf springs made of high-performance S2 glass fibers on each side of the fork which, when under load, flex and absorb trail bumps.
One of the awesome things about this fork is it requires Zero Maintenance. The fork has zero moving parts, lab tested with over 1 million compressions with no signs of wear and tear. Priced at $990.00 over at Jenson USA.
Best Suspension Gravel Bikes
Okay what is you are in the market for a gravel bike? As I mentioned I already have a gravel bike with a rigid design. I am honestly not sure if I would buy a bike with a suspension fork. I like the feel of the rigid at times. It depends on the type of riding you plan doing most. I personally would have loved have a suspension on those rough sections. But I generally ride gravel and road conditions and like the speed of rigid more.
However if you plan to ride mostly technical off-road and want the drop bar feel then a gravel bike with suspension might be a good idea! So here are some of the best suspension gravel bikes. They are in no particular order but I will briefly touch on the details of each.
Cannondale Slate
The Slate is a unique bike! You get the Cannondale Lefty Oliver Carbon w/ PBR, 30mm Travel, 45mm offset suspension fork. With fat and fast-rolling 650 x 42c tires. The Slate is built on a Slate, SmartForm C1 Premium Alloy frame. The bikes is designed around a geometry with short chainstays that give it snappy quickness, while a slack head angle and long front-center keep things stable for off-road excursions.
Salsa Cutthroat Suspension
The good old Salsa Cutthroat! If you want to read in more detail about this bike we have a review here. But the Cutthroat is a adventure gravel style bike, that is available in rigid and suspension fork options.
For those of you who don’t know the Cutthroat was originally designed to tackle the Tour Divide. And with a shock-absorbing RockShox 29er suspension fork and plenty of stability and storage for long-distance comfort. It turns this into a bike certain to obliterate endurance records but also ride the really rough stuff with comfort! You can pick up one for a discounted price at REI for $2,699.93
Niner MCR 9 RDO
Then we have the Niner full suspension gravel bike. This I believe is the only full suspension gravel bike on the market. It is such a nice looking bike. Niner make some really nice bikes. I did a review of the Niner RLT 9 Steel 2020 bike. (no suspension but still a nice bike!)
This bike is designed to be a much more capable gravel bike. Suited for more aggressive trail riding. With the Niner MCR 9 RDO, you’ll be able to ride faster, go farther, and stay longer. The MCR 9 has 50mm of Constantly Varying Arc suspension that is gravel-tuned for more confidence, comfort, and control on rougher terrain. The carbon fiber frame has clearance for up to 700x50c or 650b x 2.0″ tires.
The frame also has an integrated rear fender that protects the suspension. And you get 11 fixed mounting points for frame bags, bottles. Allowing you to go on epic bikepacking adventures on some of the toughest trails! The bike come sin a few models but the cheapest comes in at $4,700.00 over at Jenson USA.
Bombtrack Hook ADV
I saved my favourite until last. Here at Cycle Travel Overload we are all about adventure capable bikes. And this just screens adventure bike! Although classified as a gravel bike. It has so much versatility for bikepacking adventures.
I am a big fan of the Glossy Orange Teal Fade colour-way it looks so aesthetically appealing. Then you have the suspension fork and that 1x drivetrain, oh yess, please! You a steel frame with mountain bike width tyres. Plus all the carrying options you’ll ever need. Really digging the three eyelets you have potential mounting down the seat stays. Could be a good spot for cargo cages or water bottle mounts.
It features the MRP Baxter fork which gives 40 mm of travel for bulletproof confidence. And you get the Ritchey WCS Venturemax travel bar that offers 24 degrees flare. So much more options with this bike.
Canyon Grizl Suspension
A gravel bike built for bikepacking but with even more versatility thanks to the RockShox Rudy suspension fork. Its a true gravel all-rounder, if you want maximum flexibility for all-terrain bikepacking adventures. Featured as one of the top bikepacking bikes in our ultimate list for 2022.
All Grizl models come equipped with wide 45 mm rubber with clearance to take up to 50 mm. Canyon have done a great job only including a balance with the right number of practical frame and fork mounts you’ll actually use (for the fully rigid models). Apidura offer collaboration bags for your gear, that are fully waterproof highly durable packs tailored to the Grizl.
But I hope this article was helpful and it has given you some ideas for bikes and forks when it comes to gravel bike suspension options.
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