Tested: Full-Suspension Gravel vs XC MTB (Which Is Best?)

Gravel bikes are just mountain bikes from the 90s with drop bars, right?! Read the comments on any BikeRadar video, and it’s clear that’s what many of you think!

Add in the latest crop of short-travel full-suspension gravel bikes, and the difference between gravel and XC is less clear than ever.

Trek’s new CheckOUT SL gravel bike – which features 55mm of rear suspension and 60mm of travel up front – blurs the lines like never before, leaving us wondering where gravel ends, and XC begins?

To find out, Warren Rossiter invited MBUK TV’s Tom Marvin along for a day on the trails, with Warren giving the CheckOUT a thorough testing, while Tom jumped on Trek’s World Cup XC racer, the Supercalibre.

Watch to see where each bike excels, with the pair tackling a heady mix of off-road trails, including fast gravel roads, chunky gravel surfaces, and some muddy singletrack.

Thanks to Trek Bikes for sponsoring this video.

00:00 Intro
02:01 Tarmac Ride and Conclusion
04:09 Gravel Ride And Conclusion
07:21 Singletrack
08:09 Final Conclusion

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