1. United Gavriil - ₹1,40,000

I’ve used this bike for 17,000+ kilometres in 2022 and you can follow that journey on Instagram. It is the first gravel bike by the Indonesian brand and they really hit it out of the park with this model. No other manufacturer offers a full Shimano GRX build with the top of the line 812 Rear Derailleur at this price. A very well sorted bike that will do everything you ask of it.

Pros:

  • Top of the line GRX drivetrain
  • Quality carbon fork
  • Latest standards-tapered head tube. TA front & rear

Cons:

  • Budget wheels

If you’re not hung up on brand names then this bike offers you everything a bigger brand does but at a much better price. Just change the wheels out to realise its true potential.

2. Scolarian MudFest - ₹85,000 onwards

My gravel bike for 2023. Comes with seamlessly drawn heat treated tubing. Hand built in Coimbatore, India. A playful bike that is equally at home on gravel and with light bikepacking. The Microshift Advent X 1X drivetrain has more range than GRX and is the shifts are precise.

Pros:

  • Impressive frame with a very playful nature. Not boring like touring steel bikes
  • The drivetrain is excellent
  • Built, fit and finish and overall components - FSA crank and headset. The SCW MUD drop bars are quality too
  • External cable routing, Eureka!

Cons:

  • The cable actuated hydraulic brakes should be offered as default

Highly recommended. Sets the standard on how a steel bike should feel and handle. A mile cruncher par-excellence on roads and equally at home on the gravel trails.

3. Decathlon Triban RC120 Gravel Bike - ₹59,999

One of the best budget gravel bikes for those who want to get into gravel cycling. The frame and components are a mish-mash from the Decathlon parts bin but all of them are reliable and work well. The welds are meaty and not quite ascetically pleasing but make perfect sense for a bike that costs less than a Garmin Solar GPS unit. Plus you can always walk into a Decathlon store for a size fit and for repairs. The 1X Microshift drivetrain is also on par for the price.

Pros:

  • Tubeless ready wheels
  • 1x drivetrain
  • Carbon fork

Cons:

  • Promax DSX single piston brakes are meh
  • Aesthetics especially the meaty welds

For anyone who wants to get into Gravel but is on a strict budget, this is the one to get.