A second gravel bike is being added to the range of the Hamburg-based brand Stevens for 2026. Until now, the Camino has been the gravel all-rounder for all situations. For those looking for a more agile and lighter bike, only the cyclocross classic Super Prestige offered a sporty off-road racing bike with narrow tyres and extremely agile geometry that was optimised for short races on winding circuits. Now the Camino is getting a sporty offshoot, the Camino RS. It is designed for gravel races and fast off-road rides and offers the riding characteristics of modern gravel bikes. According to the manufacturer, the carbon frame is around 200 grams lighter than that of the Camino Pro. This is partly due to the "missing" bolt-on points, as found on typical bikepacking models.
We also tested these road bikes from 2026
No bikepacking with the Stevens Camino RS Pro AXS
The simply designed frameset also dispenses with any other features that make gravel bikes suitable for everyday use and travelling: No storage compartment, no mudguard eyelets, not even fixed points for a small top tube bag. Instead, there are hints of aerodynamic tube shapes on the down tube, head tube and fork crown, which are said to have been borrowed from the Arcalis aero racer. Apart from that, the bike has a very classic look, with a clear diamond shape with straight tubes, built with clamped handlebars and a round seat post. The top model with SRAM Force drivetrain with 13 sprockets and carbon rims from Zipp impressively demonstrates that a reasonably affordable gravel bike does not necessarily have to be as heavy as a tank. Just over eight kilos is a strong result, as a look at the competition makes clear. In the current test year, no lighter gravel bike has rolled into our lab so far; among the significantly lighter bikes, there are only some very expensive bikes like the Specialized Crux or BMC Kaius. There is even potential to save weight on the Camino RS: with a top groupset and lighter wheels, 7.5 kilograms would be possible, which would be absolutely top league.
Balanced
The low weight pays off especially on trails where there is a lot to do: Tough climbs, forest floors covered in roots and narrow trails with lots of bends - the Stevens shines and is a lot of fun to ride. It offers more reserves than a classic cross bike and requires less riding skill. But it also feels at home on other terrains. The fast tyres are impressive on smooth slopes and asphalt, and at high speeds the bike is stable enough to be ridden for a long time, even on rough straights. The balanced mix of steering geometry, which was adopted almost one-to-one from the versatile Camino, strikes the right balance between smoothness and agility and also suits the Camino RS well.
The suspension is sporty and firm, the carbon seatpost absorbs subtle vibrations well, but does not bob like the extreme comfort seatposts on some adventure gravel bikes. The rider has to cushion rough impacts, as the 40 mm tyres, which are quite narrow by today's standards, are a tribute to the low weight and high speed. With tyres up to 45 millimetres wide, the Stevens can be set up to be even more comfortable and suitable for off-road riding. However, mountain bike dimensions, which fit many gravel bikes today, are not possible on the Camino RS. For the gear ratio fitted to the top model, you should at least have good legs in the mountains: The 13 sprockets of the XPLR cassette are driven by a 44-tooth blade, which means that only a small gear reduction is available in first gear. On the other hand, it has a harmonious gradation at high speeds.
The comparatively comfortable riding position does not quite match the sporty character. On paper, the naked frame still appears to have a balanced cut and lies in the middle between stretched race and upright endurance geometry. However, the headset cap, which guides the brake lines into the head tube, raises the handlebars by almost two centimetres, and there is also an upper handlebar with a slight rise. On comparable race gravel bikes, you sit much more sportily and with more saddle rake. The only way to change this would be to swap the stem. Thanks to standardised clamping and not fully integrated cables, this is relatively easy, but the options here are also limited.
In addition to the top-of-the-range equipment shown, Stevens is rolling out two further variants of the Camino RS. All come with electronic drivetrains. Interesting for fans of double cranks: a Shimano GRX Di2 2x12 drivetrain is available for 4799 euros. The finely graduated gearing also offers real mountain gears, and the bike is said to weigh 8.2 kilograms. The 8.6-kilogram entry-level model for 3299 euros comes with SRAM Apex AXS 1x13 and a smaller 40 mm chainring.
The most important details about the Stevens Camino RS Pro AXS
- Price: 5199 Euro
- Weight of complete wheel: 8.1 kilos
- Frame sizes: 48, 51, 54, 56, 58, 61 cm
- TOUR grade: 1,8
Geometry data
- Seat/top/head tube: 520/583/165 millimetres
- Stack/Reach/STR: 601/401 millimetres/1.50
- Stack+/Reach+/STR+: 662/553 millimetres/1.20
- Wheelbase/caster: 1055/60 millimetres
Equipment of the Stevens
- Drive/gear shift: SRAM Force XPLR (1x13, 44, 10-46 t.) | Note: 2,0
- Brakes: SRAM Force (160/160 millimetres) | Note: 1,0
- Tyres: Schwalbe G-One R Pro 40 millimetres | Note: 1,5
- Impellers: Zipp 303 PLR S
- Impeller weights: 1451/1917 grams (v./h.)
Measured values of the gravel bike
- Weight of complete wheel: 8070 grammes | Note: 1,7
- Driving stability: 8.35 N/mm | Note: 1,7
- Rear comfort: 139 N/mm | Note: 2,0
- Comfort front: 125 N/mm | Note: 3,7
- Ride/ bottom bracket stiffness: 59 N/mm | Note: 1,3
Stevens Camino RS Pro AXS: strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
very light, inexpensive, easy to maintain, balanced steering geometry
Weaknesses
No fastening options
How TOUR tests
Jens Klötzer
Editor
