When gravel bikes first came out, the concept of a road bike with wide tires was a little far-fetched, but it was exactly what everyone wanted and needed. It left some companies questioning if they could take the concept further, which they did, and flat bar gravel bikes were born.
Here at Gravel Biking, we get asked some amazing questions, and we often get asked if there’s such a thing as a flat bar gravel bike. Well, there is, and in this article, were going to be telling you all about them by discussing:
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What Is A Flat Bar Gravel Bike?
A flat bar gravel bike is a bike that is designed for all terrains but is best suited for gravel. It will typically use a frame similar to a road or mountain bike and is made for speed and control. Flat bar gravel bikes come in all shapes and sizes, and, like your typical gravel bikes, you will see oversized tires and a relaxed geometry.
An excellent example of a flat bar gravel bike is the Marin DSX 2. Not only does it look fantastic, but it has been designed with light off-road terrain in mind and is ready for dust. Unlike your typical gravel bike, it has flat bars and even comes equipped with mountain bike gearing. It’s made to be lightweight, fast, and comfortable, and it gives you a lot of control.
Related Reading: 6 Best Gravel Bike Handlebars
Flat Bar Gravel Bike Quick Picks
| Manufacturer | Frame | Price | Find |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marin DSX 2 | Aluminum | $1,300 | Check Prices Now>>> |
| Surly Preamble | Steel | $900 | Check Prices Now>>> |
| Salsa Journeyer Flat Bar Deore 700c | Aluminum | $1,100 | Check Prices Now>>> |
| Specialized Diverge Expert E5 Evo | Aluminum | $2,600 | Check Prices Now>>> |
| Trek FX Sport 6 | Carbon | $3,600 | Check Prices Now>>> |
Your Questions About Flat Bar Gravel Bikes
Out of all the questions we get asked about flat bar gravel bikes, here are some of our favorites answered by our experts:
Can A Gravel Bike Have A Flat Bar?
Gravel bikes can have flat bars. There’s not really a definition of what a gravel bike should be but a bike designed to be ridden on gravel. We see gravel bikes that look like road bikes with larger tires and some that look like mountain bikes without suspension.
Are Flat Handlebars Better?
Gravel bikes typically come as a drop bar bike, and there’s only a small number of models which are a flat bar bike. It really comes down to personal preference more than anything. Some gravel riders much prefer flat handlebars to the typical drop bars that you get on gravel bikes.
What Are The Advantages Of Flat Bar Gravel Bikes?
Flat bars come with some excellent advantages compared to drop bars. Here are a few of the
Benefits of flat bar gravel riding:
- More upright, comfortable riding position
- Better control with a wider grip
- Better stability when riding on technical roads
- Equipped with mountain bike components
- Lots of choices of different types of flat bars
- They are generally cheaper than a drop bar gravel bike
What Are The Disadvantages Of Flat Bar Gravel Bikes?
Having flat bars also comes with some disadvantages, which it’s definitely worth knowing before buying a flat bar gravel bike:
- Less hand position options when riding
- You are less aerodynamic as your stance is much wider
- You can’t use road and gravel bike groupsets
Related Reading: Are gravel bike groupsets different from road bike groupsets?
6 Best Flat Bar Gravel Bikes
Now that you know a little bit about flat bar gravel bikes, let’s tell you about some of the best on the market. Here are the bikes you need to know about:
Marin DSX 2
Marin was born in Marin County, California. It’s the home of mountain biking and a place many bike companies choose as their headquarters. Marin is not shy about making amazing off-road bikes, and the DSX 2 is a great example of what they can do.
Marin calls this the mountain biker’s gravel bike. With an upright lightweight aluminum frame, large 45c tires on 700c rims, and a Shimano Deore 12-speed MTB groupset with a hill-crushing 10-51t cassette. What’s not to like? It’s definitely a gravel bike that will be great for those tougher trails.
Features
- Lightweight 6061 aluminum frame with a carbon fork
- 700c tubeless-ready wheels with 45c tires for maximum ability
- Deore 12-speed groupset with a large range
- Great value for money at only $1300
- It comes in many versions, even with the suspension
Specifications
Cost: $1300
Frame: Aluminum 6061 frame
Fork: Carbon Fiber with tapered steerer
Groupset: Shimano Deore 12s with 10-51t cassette
Wheelset: 700c Marins Own
Tires: 45c WTB Riddler
Brakes: Shimano Hydraulic Disc Brakes
Rating: Best Off Road
- Lightweight 6061 aluminum frame with a carbon fork
- 700c tubeless-ready wheels with 45c tires for maximum ability
- Deore 12-speed groupset with a large range
- Great value for money at only $1300
- It comes in many versions, even with the suspension
Overall Score
9/10
Pros
- Marin quality
- Solid aluminum frame with carbon fork
- Excellent components
- Great wheels and tires
Cons
- Not the cheapest
- Laggy on the road
Surly Preamble
Another great company that knows its off-road bikes are Surly. They make adventure bikes that push boundaries and are ready to ride around the world no matter how tough the terrain is. The Preamble is a gravel bike that is a simple but effective tool to take you on and off-road cycling.
The frame and forks are made of Chromoly steel, offering incredible comfort and strength. It has the design of a road bike with flat bars. In addition, it has a very upright riding position which offers a lot of control and does make riding easy on the back. It comes with a MicroShift 8-speed groupset giving a wide range, and a 32h wheelset to tackle any rock garden.
Features
- Chromoly steel frame and fork
- Excellent value for money at only $900
- Looks amazing in a light blue
- MicroShift 8 Speed Groupset with an excellent range
- Avid Mechanical disc brakes
Specifications
Cost: $900
Frame: Chromoly Steel
Fork: Chromoly Steel
Groupset: MicroShift 8 Speed
Wheelset: Unbranded
Tires: 38c Kenda Kwik Tendril
Brakes: Avid BB5 Mechanical Disc Brakes
Rating: Best Budget
- Chromoly steel frame and fork
- Excellent value for money at only $900
- Looks amazing in a light blue
- MicroShift 8 Speed Groupset with an excellent range
- Avid Mechanical disc brakes
Overall Score
7/10
Pros
- Cost is excellent
- Looks great
- Good for both roads and gravel
- Surly makes solid bikes
Cons
- Quite basic components
- Mechanical disc brakes
Salsa Journeyer Flat Bar Deore 700c
The Salsa Journeyer is a gravel bike that comes in many shapes and specifications. One of the best options they give you is the flat bar version, and we personally love it. With an aluminum frame in an Ash finish and a lightweight aluminum fantail fork, it doesn’t just look sporty, it is sporty.
It comes with a Shimano Deore 10s groupset, which will give you rapid shifting and a wide range of options to choose from. The wheelset comes from WTB. It’s called the Serra, and it’s paired with 38c Teravail Washburn tires. The journeyer is a fast, fun, and strong gravel bike that is very agile.
Features
- Very agile and fun flat bar gravel bike
- Strong but lightweight aluminum frameset
- WTB wheels and Teravail Tires are excellent
- Hydraulic disc brakes for excellent stopping power
- Shimano Deore groupset offers an excellent range
Specifications
Cost: $1100
Frame: Aluminum 6061
Fork: Fantail Aluminum
Groupset: Deore 10 Speed
Wheelset: WTB Serra
Tires: 38c Teravail Washburn
Brakes: Tektro Hydraulic Disc Brakes
Rating: Best Looking
- Very agile and fun flat bar gravel bike
- Strong but lightweight aluminum frameset
- WTB wheels and Teravail Tires are excellent
- Hydraulic disc brakes for excellent stopping power
- Shimano Deore groupset offers an excellent range
Overall Score
8/10
Pros
- Cost is good
- Great finish
- Good for both roads and gravel
- Geometry is excellent
- Good components
Cons
- Quite basic components
- Could be lighter
Related Reading: Gravel Bike vs Hybrid Bike
Specialized Diverge Expert E5 Evo
If we were asked what the best high-performance flat bar gravel bike is, the Specialized Diverge Expert E5 Evo would definitely be in our top three picks. It’s not only absolutely stunning to look at. They have really put time into making it incredibly practical for the gravel rider who wants to go beyond the normal speed.
With a lightweight aluminum frame and carbon forks, it comes in at only 10kg. On top of that, you have a SRAM GX 12-speed mountain bike groupset which will make any incline easy work. You also get incredibly powerful SRAM Level TLM disc brakes, an internal suspension system in the headtube, and even a dropper post, so you can get super low on sketchy descents.
Features
- Very lightweight at 10kg
- Looks Incredible
- SRAM Hydraulic disc brakes
- Internal suspension system
- SRAM GX Groupset
- Dropper post
Specifications
Cost: $2600
Frame: Aluminum 6061
Fork: FACT Carbon
Groupset: SRAM GX 12 Speed
Wheelset: DT Swiss G540
Tires: Rhombus 42c
Brakes: SRAM Level TLM
Rating: Best Runner Up
- Very lightweight at 10kg
- Looks Incredible
- SRAM Hydraulic disc brakes
- Internal suspension system
- SRAM GX Groupset
- Dropper post
Overall Score
9/10
Pros
- Incredible performance
- Great on and off road
- The best components
- Very high quality
Cons
- Cost
- Could look better in our opinion
Trek FX Sport 6
The Trek FX Sport 6 doesn’t just look like the fastest flat bar gravel bike. It probably is. We know Trek makes excellent bikes, but this is just another level compared to its competitors. There’s not anywhere this bike is held back. It’s fully equipped and has some excellent specifications. It may be $3600, but the value is in parts and performance.
It’s a full carbon fiber frameset, and not only that, it’s equipped with a set of carbon fiber wheels too. Weighing in at only 9.4kg, it’s as light as a road bike, but it’s got amazing trail ability. Joining this epic frameset is a Shimano GRX gravel bike groupset with a clutch mech, hydraulic disc brakes, and GR1 tubeless setup tires. The Trek Sport 6 is a serious performance flat bar gravel bike.
Features
- Full carbon frame and forks
- As light as 9kg, ready to ride
- Shimano GRX gearing with clutch mech
- Shimano hydraulic disc brakes
- Matte black finish with an aero wheelset
- Carbon fiber wheelset
Specifications
Cost: $3600
Frame: OCLV Carbon Fiber
Fork: Carbon Fiber
Groupset: Shimano GRX 11 speed
Wheelset: Bontrager Aeolus carbon wheelset 700c
Tires: GR1 Tubeless 40c
Brakes: Shimano hydraulic disc brakes
Rating: Best Overall
- Full carbon frame and forks
- As light as 9kg, ready to ride
- Shimano GRX gearing with clutch mech
- Shimano hydraulic disc brakes
- Matte black finish with an aero wheelset
- Carbon fiber wheelset
Overall Score
9.5/10
Pros
- Looks incredible
- Great on and off road
- Very lightweight
- Very high quality build
- Very little could improve this bike
Cons
- Cost
Norco Search XR Flat Bar Deore
Like the Salsa Journeyer, the Norco Search XR comes in many different forms and specifications. The flat bar Deore is what we will be speaking about now, and we feel this list wouldn’t be complete without this bike. Coming in at around $1150, it’s the best value for money bike on this list, in our opinion.
It’s an aluminum frame paired with a carbon fork, but what makes this bike unique is the twin dropped chainstays and extra length they have given the bike. This makes it excellent for control and gives it great stability. It also comes with a Shimano Deore MTB 11-speed groupset, hydraulic disc brakes, and WTB rims. It’s the full package without a big price tag.
Features
- Aluminum frame with a carbon fork
- Dropped chainstays and extra length
- Shimano Deore groupset
- WTB i23 rims with Vittoria tires
- Price is excellent
Specifications
Cost: $1150
Frame: Aluminum
Fork: Carbon Fiber
Groupset: Shimano Deore 11 speed
Wheelset: 700c WTB i23
Tires: Vittoria Terreno Dry 38mm
Brakes: Tektro hydraulic disc brakes
Rating: Best Value For Money
- Aluminum frame with a carbon fork
- Dropped chainstays and extra length
- Shimano Deore groupset
- WTB i23 rims with Vittoria tires
- Price is excellent
Overall Score
8/10
Pros
- Good components
- Norco makes a quality bike
- Cost is very reasonable
Cons
- Cost
Is A Flat Bar Gravel Bike Worth It?
It’s easy to assume that gravel bikes only come with drop bars, but in modern times, we see a lot more being released with flat bars. They offer something that many other types of bikes can’t, which is the ability to be sporty but also offer a high level of comfort on light off-road terrain.
We 100% think a flat bar gravel bike is a great way to enjoy cycling and would highly recommend one. It’s a bike you will have a lot of fun with and is excellent for beginner cyclists who want to learn to cycle quickly and comfortably.
Read More: Best Steel Gravel Bikes