Gravel bikes are disrupting the cycling world with their rugged frames, go-anywhere attitude, cushy wheels, and comfortable drop bars. But now, gravel bikes are getting a little extra oomph with a brand new category known as gravel e-bikes. If you’re in the market for a gravel e-bike, you’ll want to check out the ultimate list of gravel e-bikes.
Most major bike manufacturers are now offering a gravel e-bike for a fast, comfortable, and stable ride over rough terrain. There are many to choose from, including Canyon, Cannondale, Meridia, Specialized, and more. You can select the gravel e-bike you love best based on your budget, terrain, speed, distance, and even battery capacity.
In this article, we’ll talk about the best gravel e-bikes for rough terrain, road riding, bikepacking, and for your budget. But before we look at the individual bikes, we’ll take a look at what a gravel e-bike is and what you need to know before you buy one.
What Exactly Is Gravel E-Bike?
Gravel e-bikes give you stability over rough terrain, comfort for longer rides, tires with extra traction, and a power boost for when you need it. They offer everything you would expect from a typical gravel bike, including drop bars, longer chainstays for stability, and lots of gears for hills. In addition, most have plenty of mounts to haul your belongings, whether you are hitting the grocery store or going bikepacking.
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And, of course, a gravel e-bike has a motor that will help you get up that hill a little easier or ride a little bit faster.
A Few Caveats of Gravel eBikes
So while we love that an e-bike can get you home when you’re tired or help you go faster to keep up with someone, they do have a few caveats.
Weight
Gravel e-bikes are heavy. Yes, you can pedal them without the assist, but you might go slower (especially uphill) with the extra weight.
Speed
In America, the speed of e-bikes is capped at 28mph for some and 20mph for others. In some countries, this is even lower. However, going this fast on more technical gravel could get you in a heap of trouble. You’ll be safer if you run the widest tires possible.
Distance
The distance your e-bike can go depends on how much pedal assist you use while riding. Some batteries will give you up to 80 miles of assistance, especially if you don’t overdo it. If you’re going to go longer than that, you either need to pack an extra battery (which means some additional weight on the bike) or be prepared to pedal a heavy bike unassisted.
Best Budget Gravel E-Bikes
Since we don’t all have unlimited budgets for bikes, there are a few gravel e-bikes that are a little more affordable and a lot of bang for your buck. So check out these great rides at a comfortable price.
Boardman ADV 8.9e
This bike is an excellent value for a gravel e-bike, and it makes a great all-around bike. It is probably the lowest price bike to install a Fazua motor system. It’s perfect for light gravel, but you can upgrade to a plusher tire if you feel like hitting some more challenging terrain.
· Aluminum frame with a carbon fork
· Fazua motor system
· Battery Capacity: 250Wh
· Max torque: 60Nm
· SRAM APEX 1×11 groupset
· 38mm Vittoria Terreno Zero Tires
RIBBLE CGR AL E SRAM APEX 1X 650B
Another excellent value in the area of gravel e-bikes is the Ribble CGR AL. The only drawback to this bike is that it doesn’t have as much power as other, more expensive e-gravel bikes. However, it will give you an extra push when needed, and its sleek design means the motor is very discreet.
· Aluminum frame with a carbon fork
· MAHLE Ebikemotion X35 M1 250W motor
· Panasonic 36V/250Wh battery
· SRAM Apex 1 HRD 1×11 speed
· Tires are WTB Horizon Road Plus TCS 650b x 47c
· Approximately 30 pounds
Cairn Cycles E-Adventure 1.0
This e-bike gives you a whole lot of rides for your dollar! It comes with lots of mounts for racks and gear, making it a good choice for adventures, as well. However, if you take it bikepacking, you’ll need a way to recharge the battery, as it doesn’t last that long. This bike offers excellent handling over tough terrain, too.
· Aluminum frame with a carbon fork
· Fazua Evation 1.0 motor
· 250Wh battery
· SRAM Rival \42t, 10-42t
· Hyrdaulic disc brakes
· Tires are WTB Resolute 700x42c
· 32.2 pounds
Best Gravel E-bikes for Road Riding
If you are investing in a gravel e-bike, you’ll probably want to use it on the roads, too, whether you are just tooling around town, hauling groceries, or exploring with friends. Giant offers two all-around gravel e-bikes that will take you from the tarmac to the dirt path.
Giant Revolt E+ Pro 28mph
· Aluminum Frame
· Drive system: Giant SyncDrive Pro Drive System
· Battery capacity: 500Wh
· Max torque: 80Nm
· Shimano GRX groupset
· Maxxis Receptor Semi-Slick Gravel Tires
LIV Rove
The LIV Rove is a women’s specific bike, but it has a lot of benefits, especially if you will be riding paved roads and gravel. One of the best things about this bike is its extra-low standover height, which is excellent for women.
· Aluminum Frame
· SyncDrive Core Motor
· 50Nm of Torque
· Six speed settings
· 160 km range
· Low standover height
· Great for in-town and gravel roads both
Merida ESilex + 600 2021
If you are looking for a fantastic all-around gravel e-bike, look no further. This bike shines when it comes to everything from your weekday commute to your weekend bikepacking trips. It has plenty of mounts for all of your bags, a relaxed riding position, and a quiet motor. The only downside is that this bike lacks a little oomph on steep hills, but otherwise, it can pretty much do it all, from the city to the countryside.
· Aluminum Frame
· eBikemotion X35 motor
· 250Wh integrated battery
· 40Nm torque
Best Gravel E-bikes for Rough Terrain
If adventure is your thing, you might be looking for a gravel e-bike that can handle rougher terrain. There are a few that just might fit the bill.
CANYON GRAIL: ON
The Grail: On is a bit heavy due to the size of the battery. However, this extra-large battery gives you longer usable power.
· Carbon fiber frame and fork
· Bosch Performance Line CX motor, often seen on mountain bikes
· 85 Nm of torque
· Bosch PowerTube 500Wh battery
· Shimano GRX RX600/812
· Tires: Schwalbe G-One Bite 50mm
· 37.7 lb
· Relaxed, upright position
· Clearance for up to 50mm tires
· Specialized Grail handlebar
CANNONDALE TOPSTONE NEO CARBON 3 LEFTY
This bike gives you the best suspension you can find on a gravel 3-bike. However, there is a lot of torque for the wheels, so you might want to beef up your wheelset if you plan to purchase this bike. It offers plenty of power and a good battery range, as well.
· Carbon frame with lefty fork
· Bosch Performance Line CX motor
· Bosch Powertube battery, 500Wh
· Shimano GRX 600/810
· Disc brakes with 160mm rotors
· Tires: WTB Resolute TCS, 650x42c
· 38.27lb
Orbea Gain M30 1X
The Orbea Gain gives you a natural pedal-assist feel, a large display that includes road info and integrated lighting. In addition, the lower bottom bracket means extra stability on rough roads.
· Carbon frame and fork
· Ebikemotion X35 motor
· Ebikemotion 36V/6.9A 248Wh ANT+ battery
· Shimano GRX RX600 groupset with 40t chainring and 11-40t cassette
· Hyrdaulic disc brakes
· Tires: 700 by 38c Schwable G-1 Bite
Pivot E-Vault
Pivot E-Vault is not an inexpensive bike. However, it’s an excellent bike for those off-road adventures and has lots of built-in mounts to carry your gear bags. This bike has nimble geometry but a huge tire clearance. You’ll need to switch out the current tires for big off-road adventures, though, since it comes stock with 32mm.
Another cool feature is the discreet drive system and batter hide inside the frame. Of course, you can remove them to use that frame for storage, as well.
· Carbon frame and carbon wheels
· Fazua Evation Drive System
· 252Wh Battery
· 55Nm Torque
· Shimano Ultegra Groupset
· Hydraulic Disc Brakes
· Tires: 700 x 32mm Maxxis Re-Fuse
· 29.9 pounds
Best Gravel E-bike for BikePacking
SPECIALIZED TURBO CREO SL CARBON COMP EVO
This gravel e-bike gives you a fantastic battery range, which will help you take it bikepacking or on longer day trips. Furthermore, the motor is exceptionally smooth and controlled, giving you a natural feel. Lastly, you can pair your heart rate monitor with this bike to automatically adjust the amount of assist it provides you.
· Carbon fiber frame with Future Shock 2.0 fork
· Dropper Seat Post
· Specialized Sl 1.1 motor
· 320Wh Battery with an optional bottle-sized extender
· Shimano GRX810
· Hydraulic Brakes with 160mm rotors
· Tires are Specialized Pathfinder Pro 700×38
· 29.7lb
Final Thoughts
As you look into purchasing your first gravel e-bike, you’ll want to keep in mind what terrain you’ll be riding, how long you’ll be riding, and what type of riding you love best. Since e-bikes are heavy, you may struggle to pedal without the assist in some situations. So just don’t forget to charge the battery!
