Test 2016: Gravel bikes for women - Two gravel bikes for women in a practical test

Versatility is the secret of their success: according to many bike manufacturers, gravel bikes are a bike category with growth potential because they are sporty multi-talents. Thanks to wider tyres and a longer wheelbase, the mix of cross and road bike is not limited to asphalt roads, but is also not as specifically designed for off-road use as typical cross racers. It is a robust, sporty, fast road bike that can also be used to turn off onto an unpaved forest or dirt track without causing any technical problems or damage to the material.

The gravel bike has its origins in the USA, where many side roads in rural areas are only gravelled and not asphalted. The development of gravel roads by sporty cyclists cultivated its own type of racing bike, which is now also enjoying increasing popularity in Europe due to its wide range of uses. Last but not least, the versatile - one could also say unspecific - bike is intended to attract new groups of buyers who are still unfamiliar with the world of racing bikes.

BEGINNER-FRIENDLY

Specialized and Giant also see women in particular as a potential target group for gravel bikes; those who are new to sporty cycling and also those who climb into the saddle occasionally rather than regularly. Both groups are united by the desire for a bike that makes many things possible and requires little - such as profound riding skills or years of training to get used to the sporty, stretched seating position of the classic road racer. So it was only a matter of time before the first gravel bikes specifically for women appeared: For example, the Invite from the Giant brand Liv for 849 euros and the Specialized Dolce Evo CEN for 1,499 euros.

Both bikes are designed to give beginners a lot of confidence. The Liv is even more extreme than the Specialized, on which you sit a little more sportily, but also very comfortably. The Liv Invite, on the other hand, has a geometry that no longer has much to do with classic cycling. Even in the sportiest setting, the saddle is barely higher than the handlebars, which is typical for a road bike. The rider sits appropriately upright, the bike steers very smoothly and the wide tyres further boost confidence in the bike. Our tester Annina Jenal, who as a racing cyclist also masters the fast pace, remarked: "Although you sit like on a trekking bike, you have the feeling that you can't go wrong with this bike. I felt extremely safe." The studs on the side of the tyres and the additional brake levers on the upper handlebars underline this impression.

MULTI-TALENTS WITH ROOM FOR MANOEUVRE

The Specialized Dolce Evo CEN is not quite as extreme. The difference lies partly in the riding position and partly in the tyres: While the Invite with off-road tyres also holds its line safely on forest trails, the Dolce Evo with treadless 28-millimetre tyres feels more at home on the road. However, swapping the tyres on both bikes would not be a problem, which would allow the range of use to be shifted significantly in one direction or the other.

Carefully selected components complement the concepts, as is familiar from both manufacturers: the handlebars are narrow and rather tightly curved, which suits petite or small people with small hands; the saddles may be chunky and wide, but they are so comfortable and softly padded that they are painless to own even without padded cycling shorts. The Liv also entices with a favourable price of 849 euros - but as a bike for a rather inexperienced target group, it has to put up with significant criticism from this point of view. The rather high weight of the bike is the lesser problem, which was not so important to our test rider; the Tektro brakes are not particularly powerful either, but they do work. However, the drivetrain is not up to date: even our experienced tester - this year's winner of the TOUR-Transalp in the women's category - couldn't cope with it at all. The less common, very affordable Shimano Claris groupset with triple cranks, square bottom bracket and only eight sprockets on the rear wheel is technically state of the art from the 1990s. With only eight sprockets, it is often necessary to use the front derailleur to find the right gear; trimming the chain so that it doesn't rub against the guide plate of the front derailleur when riding at an angle was almost impossible. Annina found the gears tricky and complicated: "I have to keep looking down to see where it's rubbing and where I need to correct it. The gear indicator doesn't help much. For a beginner, a gearstick with just two blades would be a better choice," she said. She also found the outdated design of the gear levers unergonomic. She had an easier time on the Specialized with its modern Tiagra groupset with two chainrings and ten sprockets: "There's only big or small at the front, and the chain doesn't grind even when you're riding at an angle. You can ride much longer on one chainring."

Her advice: It's better to invest a little more money and buy a bike with more modern technology; 20 "modern" gears that are easy to use, even for beginners, are definitely preferable to 24 ratios with a hitch. Fewer gears may sound like a disadvantage at first. In practice, however, more gears can be used and nowadays they can be adapted to almost any terrain and any requirement with small chainrings and wide-spread sprocket packs, as on the Specialized - which brings us back to the topic.

"The bikes are not for ambitious racers, but beginners will have an easy time on both. The complicated gears on the Liv bothered me, but the handling is very good-natured. The Specialized is a little sportier and the technology looks much more modern." (Annina Jenal)