Merida big.trail 600

Weight 9.70kg (56cm) Frame Carbon fibre Fork 3T Fango Extrema Integrale, carbon fibre Groupset SRAM Rival eTap AXS/GX Eagle AXS Transmission (10-52t) Brakes SRAM Rival eTap AXS Wheels Zipp 303 S Tyres

It seems that bike design progresses in leaps and bounds every year, helping unlock new levels of potential out on the trails. Whether that’s through geometry and suspension tweaks or entire redesigns

Weight 10.5kg (L) Frame Butted 6061 aluminium alloy Fork Carbon fibre Groupset Shimano GRX RX400, 10-speed Wheels Boardman ADV tubeless ready rims on Formula RX-512/142 hubs Tyres Goodyear Connector,

Weight 11.42kg (L) Frame Aluminium alloy Fork Carbon fibre Groupset Shimano GRX RX400, 10-speed Wheels WTB ST i23 TCS rims on Novatec hubs Tyres WTB Riddler, 700c x 45mm Finishing kit Focus alloy hand

With gravel bikes becoming ever more tech-laden and reaching astronomical five-figure prices, could it be that the sport is getting too exclusive? We looked towards the other end of the scale to see i

Entry-level road bikes are better value than ever ...