T E C H T A L K
SWEET GRAVEL TAMERS
There’ s a fine balance of weight, comfort, cost and capability when you’ re looking to blur the lines between road and trail. Here’ s our shortlist of lekker, locally available gravel grinders designed for rugged detours and long backroad missions.
Comfort cruiser Specialized Diverge STR Expert | RRP R125 000 | specialized. com Specialized have brought their revolutionary Future Shock 2.0 suspension system to this gravel bike. With 30mm of rear travel and 20mm in the front, including a fully adjustable damper in the head tube to absorb impacts, this offers a smoother, more controlled ride on even the most unforgiving of gravel roads. Paired with the bike’ s progressive geometry, it promises exceptional stability and agility. There’ s no compromise on speed either, with a lightweight FACT 11r carbon frame( 1.1kg in size 56) and a high-performance SRAM Rival 1x drivetrain that’ s built for efficient power transfer. As shown, it rolls on Roval Terra C wheels fitted with 42mm Tracer Pro tyres, but clearance allows for up to 47mm tyres. There’ s integrated storage for tools inside the downtube. This is one for the serious gravel athletes.
22 | GRAVEL BIKE