How To Plan A Gravel Bike Route

Gravel biking has surged in popularity, as they can offer more versatility than a road bike or mountain bike, and appeal to a wide range of people. However, unlike road rides where road signs can easily be followed, it is important to plan a gravel bike ride to ensure the route will all be rideable and to ensure you're not going to get lost in the countryside. Here is our guide on how to successfully plan your gravel bike route.

Assess Your Equipment and Skills

Before hitting the trails, it's important to know both your gravel bike's capabilities and your own riding skills. A gravel bike that's fully loaded up with bikepacking bags, for example, is not going to be well suited to particularly rocky descents, however an unloaded bike with larger volume tyres may cope with the terrain fine. Similarly, this applies to your own abilities; if you are new to the sport, starting with some gentler terrain and working up would be wiser than tackling technical descents and steep climbs right away.

Gravel Bike Vs Road Bike

Depending on the route you're choosing to take on, a road bike may be a viable option if you don't have a gravel bike. Some popular coast-to-coast routes, for example, will only take in small off-road sections, which with some decent puncture resistant tyres, can be fine on a road bike. If your route has large portions of railway lines, fire roads or even singletracks, a gravel bike will likely be the better option, as they are not only more capable off-road and less susceptible to punctures, but will also provide more comfort from the larger tyres.

Research and Plan Your Route

Use Route Planning Apps: Apps like Komoot, Ride with GPS, and Strava can be excellent for planning your gravel bike routes as they allow you to choose terrain types, check elevation profiles, and view heatmaps that show popular routes ridden by others previously. Komoot is particularly good for gravel bike route planning as it has gravel-specific features, providing detailed trail information and user photos to help you assess trail conditions.
Cross-Reference Multiple Sources: Getting route information from various different sources including Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, and local council websites, can help to ensure you have the most accurate and up-to-date information. Although perhaps not always right up to date, it can also be a good idea to carry a paper map in case signal is too poor or battery levels are too low for digital devices to work.
Seek Local Knowledge: One of the best ways of finding good gravel bike routes is to speak with staff in local bike shops, cycling clubs, and online forums as the people here will ride the routes themselves. Joining group rides can also uncover hidden gems that might not be listed online, and may not be obvious from a map.

Consider the Terrain and Weather

When planning your route, consider the type of terrain and the weather conditions. Gravel bike routes can vary significantly in difficulty, with some routes taking in steep climbs or potentially even technical descents, which can take more time to complete. With rain causing some sections to become muddy, this can further slow progress, so be sure to allow enough time if you need to be at a campsite for a certain time.

The weather is also something to account for when planning how to transport any equipment too. If you are expecting rain, then quality waterproof bikepacking bags from brands such as Apidura and Ortlieb are worth their weight in gold as they will keep your gear clean and dry.

Safety and Backup Plans

Always let someone know your planned route and expected return time. Many GPS devices allow you to share your live location with a friend or family member, so they know where you are in the event of an emergency.

Conclusion

Planning a gravel bike adventure is more involved than just picking a path on a map. An understanding of your equipment, from your gravel bike to your bikepacking bags, is a very good idea so you can be fully aware of what you are able to tackle. Getting insights from locals can help with route planning, and even lead to finding some excellent trails and fantastic scenery or landmarks that you may otherwise have missed purelpy planning from a map.