off-road.cc's Best Gear of 2020 - Gravel Bike Components and Accessories
Top scoring kit that will all make worthy gravel upgrades
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We review lots of gear and bike parts here at off.road.cc and this is a big old round up of the best of them. Whether you are looking for a wheel upgrade, a new bikepacking bag or a new set of tyres these are the top scoring items of 2020. Read on for the best components and accessories you can buy for your gravel bike.
- off.road.cc's Best Bikes of 2020/21 - Gravel Bike of the Year Award, plus Benchmark, Bargain and Editor's Choice
- off-road.cc's Best Bikes of 2020/21 - Mountain Bike of the Year Award, plus Benchmark, Bargain and Editor's Choice
- Buyer's guide to waterproof mountain bike and gravel jackets
The test team has taken a long hard look at all the gear that scored well this year and come up with a list of kit that we'd all be happy to use to upgrade our own bikes with. In this round-up we have only considered products that have scored highly on test, that means a score of 4.5 or 5 out of 5. Those top scoring products will have undergone a tough test period and been score on their performance, value and quality as well as getting an overall score.
This gear isn't all super pricey either, you'll see some great components and accessories to suit all budgets. This is kit works well for its given purpose, is hardwearing, it won't let you down and is kit that we think is well worth the money should you choose to buy any of it.
We've included links to our original reviews below each product so you read all about that particular piece of kit. There are also buying links in the articles too to help you find the best deals on the 'net.
The best gravel components and accessories of 2020
Alpkit Kraku titanium micro-stove
£28
To kick things off, we start with the Alpkit Kraku stove. It's is an incredibly small and light gas stove, good for cooking and ideal for hot drinks on bikepacking adventures. It easily fits inside a mug yet produces a rapid boil, though the small platform and lack of an ignitor means it's best kept for travelling light and alone.
LifeLine Adventure Seat Pack
£40
The LifeLine Adventure Seat Pack offers a reasonable 7.5 litres of storage within a single compartment. The ripstop fabric is strong, very waterproof and light – the whole thing weighs just 320g – while the Velcro and buckle straps are quick and secure. The tapered shape needs careful packing to stop the pack sagging, however.
LifeLine Adventure Frame Pack
£40
The Lifeline Adventure frame bag fits 2.1 litres of storage beneath the top tube. It's a simple design with a single zip and one large storage area, while its 300D ripstop nylon fabric and welded seams mean it's both light and impressively waterproof. It might not be a looker, but it's cheap, simple and effective.
CamelBak Women's Chase Bike Vest 1.5L
£90
The women's CamelBak Chase Bike Vest is a 1.5L hydration pack with 2L of storage, and it's designed to be worn – yes – like a vest, rather than a pack. The result is a secure, stable, roomy alternative to a bumbag or waist pack and ideal for shorter mountain bike or gravel rides.
Vaude Trailframe frame bag
£70
Vaude's Trailframe bag is a tough and waterproof roll top bag, with a side access zipper that keeps your gear easily accessible. It's a simple design that's stable, functional and easy to fit and remove, though the straps can be a bit of a faff.
Maxxis Rambler Folding EXO TR
£55
The Maxxis Rambler EXO TR in this huge 50mm width is aimed at gravel bikes that have large tyre clearance. It offers masses of grip and, perhaps unsurprisingly given the size, a very smooth ride. It is also decent on road with very few, if any, weaknesses – though there's a fair chance this largest width won't fit in your frame.
DT SWISS G 1800 Spline 25 700c wheelset
£350
The DT Swiss G 1800 Spline 25 is a bargain gravel wheelset with decent performance and premium looks. The hub has a slow pick up and the set is not especially light, but £350 for a disc-compatible, aero-spoked, thru-axle set of wheels with rims good for 42mm tyres is pretty compelling.
Prime Kanza 650B Carbon Gravel wheelset
£600
Prime has created a tough yet lightweight package with its Kanza 650B Carbon Gravel wheels. The wide rims make fitting larger tyres a breeze and they stand up to a lot of abuse on the trails. At under 1,600g they are responsive too, and you certainly can't complain about the price.
Ortlieb Frame-Pack Toptube
£105
The Frame-Pack Toptube offers four litres of space and the high quality, fully waterproof design you expect from Ortlieb. It has lots of adjustment for fitting and makes a good option for riders looking to keep their bottle cages accessible.
Ortlieb Fork-Pack
£50
The Fork-Pack from Ortlieb is a bag with a unique quick release mount, and offers just over three litres of space. It's completely waterproof, very secure and comes with fittings for several different types of forks. Fitting to a suspension fork is a faff, however, and if your rigid fork lacks even a single mount you're out of luck completely.
Topeak BarLoader
£60
Lightweight and waterproof, the Topeak BarLoader is easy to fit, has an impressively rugged build and keeps all your valuable gadgets/dry clothes/best biscuits safe yet easily accessible.
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