Since the dawn of the sport, gravel has been synonymous with words like “innovation,” “grit,” and “spirit.” Races have become longer, routes have become more challenging, and athletes have become more experimental. While road racing obsesses over marginal gains, gravel racers think of something crazy, an idea so outside-the-box that it just might work.
Do you remember the first time a pro gravel racer put MTB tyres on their gravel bike? We all thought it was ludicrous. Yet, only a few years later, this has become the norm at races like Big Sugar Gravel. This begs the question: what’s coming next? What crazy idea in 2025 will become the norm in 2027?
1. Gravel Aero Goes Mainstream—Especially at the Pointy End
If you are a gravel racer, you have likely thought about a thousand different ways to make your setup faster. Whether that is an integrated cockpit or a wind tunnel-tested position, you’ve likely had the thought. Despite the arduous 200-300km race distances, gravel has shifted towards race-optimised setups that include deep rim carbon wheels, aero frames, and skin-tight aero suits. What’s coming next will be an expansion on the aero priority, small but decisive refinements and a closer look at the details.
Watch for:
- Aero-optimized forks, tubes and tyre clearance
- Hydration packs stuffed into (rather than on top of) the aero skinsuit
- Lower and narrower riding positions
- Fairing-style bottle cages
2. Tyre Width Stabilizes (Or Decreases)
2025 was the year of tyre expansion, but we may have already reached the peak of the curve. As courses grew more technical, conditions more challenging, and flat tyres more consequential, gravel riders opted for larger and larger tyres. In many races, such as Unbound Gravel and Big Sugar, a significant number of pros mounted 2.2” MTB tyres onto their gravel racing setup.
Larger tyres typically provide more grip and puncture protection, but gravel tyre tech is improving rapidly. It won’t be long before 45-50mm gravel tyres are, once again, faster than MTB tyres, even on technical terrain. Of course, there will still be extreme cases where MTB tyres are faster, but those will be few and far between. And it’s not just tyre tech that is evolving at a rapid rate…
3. You Will See Suspension Forks Everywhere
Like MTB tyres on gravel bikes, suspension forks used to be for ‘extreme cases only.’ But that is changing at a rapid rate, and now you can find suspension forks on the start line of any gravel race. Even the pros are using them, and that means they are fast. While they might add a tiny bit of weight, they can also improve aerodynamics when paired with the right frame and tyre width.
Suspension forks, such as the RockShox Rudy and Lauf Grit, can improve traction and comfort across a wide range of terrain. You might want to go rigid for the fastest, smoothest gravel races, but most gravel routes include some combination of singletrack, washboard descents and wooded tech sections. When you consider the improved aerodynamics of a suspension fork setup, it becomes the go-to option for most gravel events.
4. Suspension Seatposts Become Acceptable (and Fast)
Speaking of suspension, the fork isn’t the only area you could add the bump-numbing stuff to a gravel bike. Suspension seatposts have been around for years, first earning the spotlight at Paris-Roubaix. The bumpy cobblestones begged for an innovation that improved comfort on rough terrain, and thus, suspension seatposts were born. While these bendy and flexible seatposts aren’t for everyone, they could become increasingly popular on road and gravel bikes.
Keep an eye out for:
- 20-40 mm seatposts with new suspension designs
- Adjustable “race mode” stiffness settings
- Gravel frames designed around flex posts
5. Tyre Inserts Become Standard Equipment
As gravel tyres become lighter and faster, they can also become less flat-resistant. It’s a classic negative correlation: the faster and lighter your setup, the more fragile it becomes. Gravel cycling is not the place for fragility. In fact, most pros would probably opt for a heavier and more durable setup if it cut their puncture risk in half.
While tyre tech is improving at a rapid rate, it isn’t enough to eliminate the chances of a flat. Thus, many pros have run tyre inserts to increase protection. Inserts have a bad rap of being heavy and slow. But as the tech improves, they could become a gravel rider’s best friend.
By 2027, expect most gravel setups to include:
- Featherweight tyre inserts
- Inserts enabling lower tyre pressures that increase comfort and speed
- Brands offering tyre+insert systems
- Inserts that add lateral stability for cornering
6. The Rise of “Smart” Gravel Computers
Perhaps this one is a bit of a stretch, a bonus point, and something that I would personally love to see in gravel. We all love tech, and we all love gravel. To truly combine the two, we want to see as much data as possible in real time. How cool would it be if you could see real-time surface conditions, rolling resistance and traction levels on your bike computer?
Imagine coming into a corner, and your bike computer is telling you to what speed you need to slow down to make the corner without losing traction. It’s a bit Black Mirror-esque, like piloting a self-driving car, but it could also be the future of gravel.
Those are some far-fetched ideas, but it would also be nice to have a bike computer that provides safer turn-by-turn cues and auto-rerouting that actually avoids unrideable terrain. Have you ever been rerouted onto a 65mph highway in Arkansas? Because I have.
Final Thoughts
Gravel is the most rapidly evolving segment of cycling. It is part innovation lab, part wild west, and part escape from traditional road culture. While the spirit of gravel may be dead, there is no sign that the sport is slowing down. Races are selling out faster than ever, and there are a million new gravel products every year. We’ll keep a close eye on which ones are marketing attempts and which are here to stay.
The fact of the matter is, gravel isn’t going anywhere. When there are this many talented people in a single space, innovation thrives, and crazy ideas turn into time-tested movements.
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