Gravel cycling is a lot of fun, and nobody imagined it would take off as well as it did. One minute you were either a road cyclist or a mountain biker then all of a sudden, you had this middle ground where everyone came together. It was one of the best things to happen to cycling in years. With all the excitement is coming new gear, including the full suspension gravel bike.
Gravel bikes come in all shapes and sizes, and it can be really challenging to know what to look for when buying one. With them being designed as more of a do it all bike, you have many different options. One question we are often asked as gravel experts is, “Do I need a full-suspension gravel bike?” In this article, we’re going to be discussing;
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What does full suspension mean?
Full suspension is a term that refers to the frame. A full suspension frame is unique because it has a suspension point at the front and on the rear. You will hear the term full suspension used in mountain biking, as this is where you commonly see full-suspension bikes.
The front point of suspension is the forks. You will see many bikes with front suspension forks, typically mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, and fat bikes. They make the ride much more comfortable and give a bike a huge amount of ability when it comes to riding off-road.
The rear point of suspension is called the rear shock. You will see this on mountain bikes mainly, and there are a few different designs on the market depending on the mountain bike you are riding.
Can Gravel Bikes Have Suspension?
Gravel bikes can have suspension. There are actually many on the market with full-suspension systems. They might not be as obvious as you think though, and they do come in different forms. Here are a few different types of suspension on gravel bikes:
Forks and Shocks
You will find the standard suspension systems on gravel bikes all the time. This will be your gravel suspension forks and rear suspension shocks. Typically they will be made for lighter terrain, so for example, unlike a mountain bike suspension front fork that will travel 130mm, a gravel suspension fork might be 80mm or even 60mm of travel.
A good example of a gravel bike suspension fork is the SunTour GVX LO R 700. It’s a lightweight front suspension fork that offers 40mm – 60mm of travel and is made for light trails and gravel roads.
Suspension Stems and Seat Posts
Many gravel bike companies tend to go down the route of suspension stems and seat posts instead of dedicated suspension components. This is a great way to go, as it keeps the bike lightweight and agile while offering decent comfort. You will only get around 20mm to 40mm of travel out of these, but they can be enough for gravel biking.
A good example of a suspension stem is the Redshift Shock Stop. It’s a stem that can be added to a bike and offers 20mm of travel on the front. Although it may not sound like a huge amount, it will make a big difference to comfort on long off-road rides.
Frame Features
Finally, we have frame features, which are a little more complex than the other types of suspension system. Frame features are when a gravel bike frame manufacturer designs the frame to have natural suspension. For example, chainstays that flex and forks that have blades that can bend. It doesn’t offer much travel at all, probably around 10mm, but it does take the edge off bumpy roads.
An excellent example of this is the Lauf bikes. Certain models come with a bladed carbon fork, which offers flexibility at the front with a very little weight penalty. It’s an incredible system that shows the true strength of carbon fiber.
Can you put front suspension on a gravel bike?
This is a question asked by many gravel cyclists who want to take some tougher trails. The short answer is yes. To do this, you will need to either swap out your stem for a suspension stem or swap out your rigid forks for suspension forks. There are a few considerations that you will need to take into account.
Let’s start with the suspension stem. You will need to ensure that it is compatible with your bike and understand you should replace it with one of the same length and degree in angle. Unfortunately, these don’t often have lockouts, so they will always be on, which isn’t ideal. It will add weight, and on the road can be a little annoying.
Then we have suspension forks. These will be a great upgrade, but it’s worth checking if your frame can be used with suspension forks, and understand it will make your bike much heavier. Another consideration is there’s a strong possibility that it will change the bike’s geometry, which could affect the handling negatively.
Why do some gravel bikes have no suspension?
It’s very common to see gravel bikes without suspension, and there are many reasons why you will find many manufacturers choose to go down this route. Here’s what you need to know:
Simplicity
Without the suspension, a gravel bike is much simpler. There’s much less to the bike, and it just looks cleaner and is easier to stay on top of maintenance.
Cost
If you remove the gravel bike suspension options from the build sheet of a gravel bike, you take away a big portion of the cost. Manufacturers are able to make much cheaper bikes just using rigid forks, which often are the better option for gravel biking.
It’s not always needed
When you buy a gravel bike, you might find yourself riding on light trails, gravel riding and spending a lot of time on the road. You don’t often see extreme mountain bike trails. In this case, you generally don’t need suspension. It will just slow you down.
Handling
The suspension only really improves handling on technical trails. A gravel bike generally isn’t used in these situations, so it actually takes away from its ability to perform in its natural environment.
Weight
Gravel bikes are meant to be lightweight and fast. Many manufacturers choose to avoid suspension because it adds too much weight and takes it too close to being a hardtail mountain bike from a road bike.
Related Reading: 5 Best Electric Gravel Bikes
Full-Suspension Gravel Bikes
Full-suspension gravel bikes look like such a mash-up of parts, and we love it. Here are some examples of some of the best we have seen:
Topstone Carbon Lefty
Cannondale is one of the world’s biggest bike manufacturers. The Cannondale Topstone is a bike you might have come across before. They are very popular, and as gravel bikes, they perform. What a lot of people don’t know is the top model they make is actually full suspension.
The frame is made of carbon fiber, and up on the front, you have a lefty suspension fork giving 30mm travel. If you are unsure what a lefty is, it’s where the fork only goes down one side of the bike, the left. You also have on the rear a small suspension pivot providing the suspension on the rear.
It comes with 650b wheels, a SRAM electronic groupset, and some excellent WTB tires. Coming in at roughly $10,000 CAD, it’s a big investment, but you will struggle to find anything that could give you the same experience without spending more.
Niner MCR 9 RDO
When it comes to off-road bikes, Niner is a big name and well-known for making some incredible mountain bikes. The gravel bikes they make also come great. The MCR 9 RDO is one of the most capable gravel bikes you will ever see.
With a Fox 32 40mm travel fork and an X Fusion rear shock, this bike is ready for anything. The unique rear pivot and shock housing turn heads. It’s one of the most unique looking gravel bikes and is an incredible do it all cycling tool.
It will ride excellently with a large 700c wheelset and some Schwalbe G One performance gravel tires. You have clearance for tires up to 2” on a 650b wheel too. It also has a SRAM Force electronic groupset with a wide range and even comes tubeless out of the box.
Related Reading: Gravel Bike vs Hybrid Bike
Specialized Diverge Pro
Specialized has always been ahead of the game when it comes to cycling and bike technology. The new Diverge is an excellent example of this. They have gone down a completely different direction from other full-suspension gravel bikes, and we really like them.
They have hidden both suspension components on the Diverge. If you look closely, you will find the front fork to be the future shock fork, and on the rear, they have also installed a future shock into the seat tube. You get 20mm of travel from these, and it’s enough to take the bumps out of the road.
The bike is very well equipped with a SRAM Force 1X electronic groupset and a mean set of Roval Terra CL wheels. You also get some 42mm Tracer Pro tires, all Tubeless and ready to go. The Diverge is the choice of many professionals.
Final Thoughts
Full-suspension gravel bikes are an amazing way to cycle on and off-road. You typically don’t see many though, because there’s not a big market for them. Gravel riders seem to like their gravel bikes a little simpler, and we understand that. In our opinion, they have a place, but you can often get enough comfort from just the large tires alone.
Read More: Gravel Bike vs Road Bike