00:00As the gravel bike realm continues to evolve, the echoes of 2023 resonate with a surge in
00:08gravel racing and the continued expansion of gravel exploration. In the world of racing,
00:14the UCI Gravel World Series went from strength to strength with 16 events globally and the
00:20second world championships in Italy, while the world of bikepacking has continued to
00:25gain traction worldwide. Unsurprisingly, all of this has led to more and more gravel-specific
00:31tech hitting the shelves in the last 12 months. Brands such as Canyon and Bianchi both brought
00:37gravel-specific carbon cockpits to their 2023 gravel bikes, while Vetus further blended the
00:42road gravel bike line with the release of the Venom. Suspension has started to slowly enter the
00:49market too, with the gravel bike genre finding its feet between the two subcategories of all road
00:54riding and exploration gravel riding. While seemingly expanding in all directions,
01:00we're taking a look at what we think is coming to the world of gravel in 2024.
01:10In late 2023, Shimano finally updated its GRX lineup to feature 12-speed shifting. The big news,
01:18though, is that it was mechanical only. Shimano's justification for this was that, apparently,
01:24more than 50% of its customers bought mechanical GRX over electronic DI2, so Shimano made mechanical
01:31shifting a priority. We think, though, that Shimano GRX DI2 will receive an update in 2024,
01:39and we expect we could see 12-speed electronic gravel shifting as early as spring this year.
01:46It's fair to say that Shimano left us slightly bamboozled by the lack of it in 2023, with clear
01:52pressure on the Japanese component giant to catch up to the ever more wallet-friendly 12-speed
01:57electronic offerings from rival SRAM. The 12-speed DI2 shifting technology already exists in both
02:04Shimano's road and mountain bike ranges, so it seems almost inevitable that GRX DI2 is on the horizon.
02:12The big question remains, though, and that being whether or not Shimano will be able to bring a
02:17combination of cost and quality that can rival the competitively priced competition.
02:26It's always worth remembering that the gravel bike genre is still relatively new. Even the big brands
02:32are still pretty early on in product development cycles, which means we are still years off the
02:37much smaller refinements often associated with road bikes today. With most gravel riders starting to set
02:44up in either the speed or adventure camp, bike manufacturers are getting a better understanding
02:49of the demands that the different subcategories face, most notably frame geometry.
02:55Matej Mohoric's recent victory at the Gravel World Championships in Italy showed us that aerodynamics
03:01might just be overrated, on gravel at least, after he won on a new Merida Silex,
03:06the brands, Gravel Explore Bike. Something we think the industry will certainly pick up on.
03:132024 will almost certainly follow a similar trend to the last few years, with bikes becoming even more
03:19progressive. This means slacker head tube angles, longer reaches, and shorter stems, all in the name
03:25of stability. The difference here, though, is that we expect to see this across race bikes as well as
03:31adventure bikes, so expect to see a lot more mountain bike-inspired geometry over the next 12 months.
03:42We mentioned at the start of this video that both Canyon and Bianchi have recently released
03:47gravel-specific carbon cockpits to the cycling world, and we think they are just the beginning.
03:53Gravel riding brings a totally different set of demands to what we commonly see on the road,
03:57with vibration dampening and comfort being more of a priority. Off-road handlebars are often flared too,
04:04to allow for a wider, more stable base when descending or traversing technical terrain.
04:10The magic of carbon fibre allows it to be engineered in such a way that it can provide
04:15stiffness in one direction while remaining flexible in another plane. With gravel riding entailing such a
04:20broad range of terrain, it seems obvious that bike brands will be battling to build strong,
04:25comfortable and controllable cockpits as gravel bikes become both faster and more capable.
04:31All of this development comes at a cost, which is probably why we're only at the very beginning
04:36of high-level gravel-specific kits, but we think as gravel riding continues to grow,
04:42so will development budgets, leaving plenty of innovation to come at the front end of gravel bikes
04:47in 2024. Adaptive dampers are most commonly associated with range-topping sports cars and
04:58avid off-roaders, but a recent patent from SRAM tells us they could be coming to the world of gravel
05:04bike riding in the very near future. Back in 2016, SRAM released Shockwiz, a suspension sensor capable
05:11of analysing your setup and then communicating data to your smartphone, theoretically enabling you to
05:18make smarter setup decisions for your weight and riding. It's fair to say that it hasn't really
05:24become mainstream, perhaps due to the £379 price tag, but the patent published in November 2023
05:31indicates that Shockwiz might be about to receive an overhaul. The idea seems to be integrating Shockwiz
05:382 suspension technology, which alongside a remote lockout system, could allow for adaptive suspension
05:44on gravel and mountain bikes. We think suspension systems from SRAM will likely come out in the next
05:5012 months. Whether or not we'll see them on gravel bikes first, though, is another matter.
05:59Over the last few years, the bike industry has seemingly embarked on a mission to hide every nuts,
06:05bolt and cable from our view, in a bid for both aerodynamic efficiency and aesthetic perfection.
06:12And the obsession for neatness is no doubt coming to the gravel bike sphere, but we're not talking
06:17about brake hoses and gear cables. In 2023, Canyon made a bid to add functionality to its gravel bikes
06:24through integrating storage into its endurance road and gravel bikes, and we think many more brands will
06:30be hopping on the bandwagon this year. Bikepacking has continued to grow in popularity over the last year,
06:36and it seems like a no-brainer for more bikepacking integration to hit the market in 2024.
06:42We expect the untidy sights of velcro straps to decline this year, making room for neater bag mounting,
06:48like Canyon's magnetic system, on the latest grail.
06:51It's not just the bags, though. Trek first showed off in-frame storage in the checkpoint two years ago,
06:58and since then, frame storage has continued its refinement. We expect that this year,
07:03we will see a continuation of the bike brands shamelessly cutting holes in their frames,
07:08making room for more inventive toolkits, and freeing up more pocket real estate.
07:132023 saw a whole host of gravel race bike and all-road bike releases. The Specialized Roubaix SL8,
07:26the Vetus Venon, Canyon Grail, and the Merida Endurance GR, just to name a few. But with so many
07:33UCI-focused releases over the last couple of years, 2024 will likely see the pendulum shift back towards
07:40adventure gravel bikes, which we think will increasingly be offered with suspension.
07:45As riders push the limits of what gravel riding entails, bikes are becoming more capable,
07:50which has led to many bikes in 2023 coming suspension fork ready. The main drawback of a suspension fork,
07:57for most though, is the cost. For example, SRAM's Rudy Explore fork retails for £779 here in the UK,
08:06which is enough to drastically increase an off-the-shelf bike price tags, perhaps dissuading
08:12some brands from selling suspension fork builds. Back in September, however, State Bicycle Co. released
08:18an all-road suspension fork, which offers the same 40mm as the Rudy Explore for just $450. We expect
08:26that this is just the beginning, and as the cost of suspension falls, it will become much more commonplace
08:33on the most progressive gravel bikes, which will no doubt reignite the age-old question,
08:38isn't a gravel bike just an old mountain bike with drop bars? Let us know down in the comments below
08:44which piece of gravel bike tech you are most excited for, and tell us, how would you define a gravel bike?
08:50If you enjoyed the video, then please do drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content,
08:55and we will see you again very soon.
09:00you
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