Like with mountain bikes, it's been equally as tough to wrangle a gravel bike these past 18-months due to the pandemic, BREXIT and even the Suez Canal drama, but that hasn't stopped us. We've managed to get our filthy mitts on a bunch of gravel bikes this year, including full carbon featherweights and steel framed adventurers. Here are the top five gravel bike reviews you've read this year based on viewership alone.

• The reader's guide to off.road.cc's review scoring system
• Range overview: Bombtrack Bicycle Co.

• Opinion: We need to be more specific about what 'gravel' is

Of course, the longer a review is live, the more views it'll accumulate so to keep things nice and fair we took the analytics from a month after each review's publication. If you're partial to a mountain bike escapade, be sure to check out our five most-viewed mountain bike reviews of 2021. Let's get on with it; in ascending order.

1) Kona Libre EL

The Kona Libre EL is an electrically assisted gravel bike with a Shimano Steps E7000 drive motor. It delivers a relaxed but capable ride with all the power you might wish for. There are plenty of mount options, should you wish to explore further with a smaller 650b wheel size that allows for a wider tyre. However, the choice of tyres may be the biggest performance limiter.

• To see the full review of the Kona Libre EL, click here.

Salsa Cutthroat Cabon GRX 810

It might have drop handlebars and knobbly tyres, but the Salsa Cutthroat C GRX 810 is no normal gravel bike and nor is it a mountain bike. Instead, it is a hybrid of the two, designed to tackle the demanding ultra-adventure race, the Tour Divide. While that may seem niche, I found it incredibly capable and a huge amount of fun to ride. All the same, it does beg the question: would a hardtail mountain bike be a better option?​

• To see the full review of the Salsa Cutthroat Carbon GRX 810, click here

Bombtrack Hook EXT

With a large tyre clearance and plenty of mounts, the Bombtrack Hook EXT is a hugely versatile machine. It manages to offer an impressively fun and nimble approach to the tracks and trails regardless of whether you are riding it loaded up for an adventure or smashing it around stripped back. It’s like a cyclocross bike on steroids!

• To see the full review of the Bombtrack Hook EXT, click here.

Rondo RUUT AL1

The Rondo RUUT AL1 is a gravel bike that offers adjustable geometry via a TwinTip system built into the fork. The adjustments are subtle, but whatever the setting the RUUT is masses of fun to ride – though it doesn't stack up for spec against its competition.

• To see the full review of the Rondo RUUT AL1 click here.

Canyon Grizl CF SL 8

The Canyon Grizl is designed to take on whatever you fancy – it's a versatile and comfortable ride that can suit various styles of riding. Big tyres and clearances make it comfortable yet still capable of going fast, but while it has all the mounts, it doesn't feel like a true adventure bike.

• To see the full review of the Canyon Grizl CF SL 8 click here.

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