Cycling Weekly editors chose nine of the top gravel bikes on the market and put them to a group test. With today’s gravel bikes spanning a wide range of usage—from lightweight race bikes to those geared more toward adventure, bikepacking and rugged off-road terrain—the editors narrowed their focus for this test.

“We’ve chosen to focus on the middle section of the gravel spectrum for this group test, as these bikes are, on the whole, the most versatile rigs which keep your ‘gravel horizons’ at their broadest,” wrote Cycling Weekly tech features editor Stefan Abram. “Also, this swathe of the spectrum encompasses that nascent category of gravel race bikes, which is where a huge amount of industry development has been going over the last few years - as a result, these are responsible for many of the most interesting recent releases.”

Put to the test against the best all-rounder gravel bikes on the market, the Revolt Advanced Pro (https://www.giant-bicycles.com/showcase/revolt-advanced-pro) outperformed competitors including the Specialized Crux Pro, the Trek Checkpoint SL 7 and the Cannondale Topstone 3. Testers pointed to the Revolt’s light weight, compliant ride quality and adjustability as some of the key factors that make it stand out.

“Whereas so many gravel bikes cater to one niche or another, the Giant Revolt manages to straddle a much wider section of the spectrum than most,”wrote Abram. “Still, it’s not a jack of all trades and master of none; it goes toe-to-toe with the best on either end – even offering some unique features which really make it stand out from the crowd.”

One of the features that left an impression was the D-Fuse SLR seatpost. “The stock D-Fuse seatpost is said to provide 12mm of flex (and you really can feel that compliance) but rather than simply being stuck with a proprietary post, the Revolt is also compatible with 30.9 round seatposts,” Abram wrote. “This opens up compatibility with a greater range of dropper seatposts than a traditional ‘roadie’ 27.2mm tube, but skinnier seatposts can still be fitted with the use of a shim - which similarly keeps your options open for the majority of suspension seatposts currently on the market.” 

Abram also pointed to the flip chip on the rear dropout that allows you to adjust the wheelbase and add rear tire clearance. “Set in the ‘short’ position, the Giant Revolt is up there with the most aggressive of racing gravel bikes,” Abrams wrote. “But when set in the ‘long’ position, the wheelbase extends further than the Ribble Gravel SL and Pearson On&On. A secondary benefit of the FlipChip dropouts is that it opens up the tyre clearance to a whopping 53mm (2.1 inches) on a 700c rim - larger than any other model on test.”

As for the ride quality, testers were most impressed with the Revolt Advanced Pro’s smooth compliance, which Abram called “utterly exceptional.”

Summing it up, Cycling Weekly concluded: “The Revolt is an excellent bike in so many other aspects - and the way it not only straddles, but excels, in two separate sections of the gravel spectrum is highly unusual and greatly appreciated.”

For more, check out the full review on the Cycling Weekly website. (https://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/gravel-bikes/we-tested-9-off-road-machines-to-crown-our-gravel-bike-of-the-year)

And for all the details on the full range of Revolt gravel bikes, click here. (https://www.giant-bicycles.com/global/revolt)