Best Bikes of 2021: Road, Gravel, and Mountain Bike Awards

Introduction

Every year, a handful of bikes rise above the rest. This roundup looks back at the bikes that stood out in 2021 across the road, gravel, and mountain bike categories, judged on a combination of performance, ride quality, handling, price, value for money, looks, and how well each bike met the brief it was designed for. The list is not in any particular order, and most categories celebrate standout machines rather than a single champion, although one bike does collect an overall award at the end.

How These Awards Were Chosen

Every bike listed here was ridden in real-world conditions before earning its place. The focus is less on spec sheets and more on how each bike actually feels to ride, where it delivers measurable performance, and whether the complete package justifies the money. Looks matter too, because a bike you enjoy looking at tends to be a bike you ride more often.

These picks are not perfect scores, and a few of them will be genuinely debatable. The broader point is that overall quality across the industry is remarkably high, and finding a genuinely bad bike is much harder than it used to be. Most criticisms today come down to pricing or specification choices rather than the frame design itself.

Best Value Road Bike: Boardman SLR 9.4

The best value road bike award goes to the Boardman SLR 9.4. By building a genuinely credible carbon fiber road bike around SRAM Rival eTap AXS, the most affordable wireless electronic groupset available, Boardman delivered strong performance, reasonably low weight, solid handling, a decent set of wheels, and good contact points. The bar tape was a little on the skinny side, but that is a minor detail on an otherwise very complete package. The only real issue was availability, with the first batch selling out within a day. An all-new aluminum endurance road bike from Orbea also earned a mention in the value category, impressing with a smart-looking frame, wide tire clearance, stable geometry, and full internal cable routing at a price where that kind of finish is rarely seen.

Best Value Gravel Bike: Canyon Grizl

The Canyon Grizl is a gravel bike that simply does everything well. In carbon form, it offers measured, confidence-inspiring geometry with stable and planted handling, huge tire clearance, and mounts for accessories, bags, tools, and cages. That makes it equally at home on bikepacking trips, commutes, and local woodland trail rides.

The Grizl skips the divisive hover handlebar of the Grail in favor of a conventional two-piece bar and stem, which makes it easier to live with and more normal-looking. Equipment across the range is strong, with Shimano GRX and SRAM options, DT Swiss wheels, Schwalbe tires, and comfortable contact points, so there is nothing that needs changing before you hit the trail. An aluminum version now offers even better value, including a build around the new RockShox Rudy suspension fork.

Gravel Close Contender: Giant Revolt Advanced

The Giant Revolt has long been a popular and sensible choice in the gravel and adventure market, and the new Revolt Advanced leans further toward gravel racing. The result is a faster, sharper-handling bike that still keeps the versatility the range is known for. Adjustable geometry lets riders lengthen the wheelbase for wider tires and a more relaxed feel, effectively offering two bikes in one.

The version tested with GRX Di2 and carbon fiber wheels came in at £5,000, which is a lot of money but much less than many brands charge for a similarly equipped bike. More affordable models in the range use the same fundamental frame with lower-end components.

Money No Object: Bianchi Specialissima

If budget is no object, the Bianchi Specialissima was the road bike of 2021. It is one of the finest riding road bikes in recent memory, with supreme ride quality and the emotional connection that only a few machines manage. The Countervail carbon layup delivers an incredibly smooth ride even on skinny tires, approaching the comfort you would expect from an endurance-focused bike.

Despite that comfort, the Specialissima remains sporty and dynamic. It responds eagerly when the pace rises, moves beautifully through corners, and the complete package simply works. The price is steep, but the combination of looks and ride quality made it the easy money-no-object pick.

For anyone chasing the very best road feel without budget constraints, this is the bike to put at the top of the test list.

Money No Object: Specialized Crux

The Specialized Crux is technically a cyclocross race bike, but with improved tire clearance and a longer, slacker geometry than the previous version, it is now a more capable gravel bike than ever. The top-end build weighs a claimed 7.25 kg, thanks to a frame claimed at 725 grams, which makes it lighter than many road bikes while still accepting wide tires and serious off-road capability.

On the trail, the Crux feels sensational. The low weight and stiff frame deliver amazing acceleration from corner to corner and up climbs, and the bike feels alive and energetic wherever you point it. With clearance for tires up to 47mm, it can run a pure gravel setup, and it is quick enough to hold its own on the road.

Best Value Aero Road Bike: Canyon Aeroad CF SL

In the aero performance category, the Canyon Aeroad CF SL earned a worthy mention. This is the entry version of the Aeroad range, using a regular two-piece handlebar and stem. It builds on the foundations of the previous model with a bit more comfort in places, while keeping the same sharp handling and the same accessible sense of speed that works regardless of your fitness level.

Value is a Canyon trademark, and the specification here is fantastic for the money. The only real downside is slightly understated looks compared with the most glamorous aero bikes of the year.

Best All-Season Road Bike: Fairlight Cycles Strael Version 3

For riding all year round in any weather, the Fairlight Cycles Strael version 3 is a masterpiece of steel design. Fairlight pushes steel as far as it can go, and the new version’s squashed and curved flattened chainstays look like something from a carbon bike. The result is a remarkably smooth ride that invites long days in the saddle, whether that is 200 km, 400 km, or far more.

The Strael fits mudguards, wide tubeless tires, and front and rear dynamo lighting, so it genuinely works as an all-season machine for audax, light bikepacking, touring, and club riding. A thoughtful detail is the sizing: every frame size offers tall and regular stack options, such as a 56T and a 56R, giving a level of fit customization that most mainstream brands simply do not offer.

Best Bike Innovation: Fast A1

The best innovation award goes not to a single component but to a material: super magnesium. Magnesium was tried in bicycles back in the 1990s with some success and some real downsides. The Fast A1 gravel bike re-introduces the material in a way that addresses those limitations and makes it a viable frame option again.

The benefits are clear. Super magnesium is much cheaper than carbon fiber, lighter than aluminum and steel, and not much heavier than a good carbon frame. The ride quality is considerably smoother than aluminum, closer to steel or titanium, while still feeling more involving than some carbon frames that can seem lifeless. On top of that, the material is easier to recycle and less environmentally damaging to extract than carbon or aluminum.

The Fast A1 itself is not the perfect demonstration of the material, with a geometry that falls short of modern gravel standards. But on the trail and the road it clearly shows what the material can do, with a springy, peppy ride that is impressively smooth. If more brands embrace the material, it could become a credible mainstream alternative going forward.

Best Mountain Bike: Scott Spark RC

The Scott Spark RC stood head and shoulders above the other mountain bikes ridden in 2021. Visually it is a stunner, with the rear shock hidden inside the frame for clean, smooth lines that make it look better than almost any other full-suspension bike. It also rides better than ever, with more rear travel and longer, slacker geometry than the previous model.

That geometry transforms the descending experience. Climbing and sprinting remain as strong as before, but the bike now feels almost like a mini trail bike, fast and fun on descents that would have felt sketchy on a traditional cross-country geometry. It is still 120mm of travel, so there are limits, but those limits are much further away than they used to be. For riders who want race-bike speed and efficiency without actually racing, this is a much broader and more appealing bike than ever before.

Mountain Bike Close Contender: Transition Spur

The Transition Spur has similar travel and geometry to the Scott Spark, but it is less cross-country race focused in its DNA. This is a down-country bike or a lightweight, short-travel trail machine: less obsessed with climbing, although it climbs very well, and more focused on descending, jumping, and having fun on playful trails.

The Spur pushed the Spark hard for the top spot. Its suspension is refreshingly simple, its looks are attractive, and it is probably a little more fun on the way down. The Spark edged it out overall because it was slightly faster all round and offered better value, especially with a wide range of carbon and aluminum models across the lineup.

Biggest Disappointment: 3T Exploro RaceMax

Not every bike that generates excitement lives up to expectations. The 3T Exploro RaceMax was the biggest disappointment of 2021, largely because the previous version was so good and the new one promised so much.

It is genuinely fast, an aero machine that delivers speed on the road with slick tires and off-road with smooth gravel tires. But the geometry is too race-focused and the comfort is lacking for a bike in this category. The very stiff, hard ride becomes a tough companion on anything but well-maintained gravel, and the rear tire clearance is tight: with 40mm and 42mm tires there was very little space left between the seat tube and the rear tire. The large aero-shaped downtube also collected mud during dirty rides.

In essence, this is a bike for racing at speed on smooth, groomed gravel rather than for exploring rough woodland trails where comfort and tire volume matter more.

Bike of the Year: Giant TCR Advanced

The Giant TCR Advanced takes the overall bike of the year award for the second year running. It remains the best all-round race bike available: reasonably lightweight, good value for money, and with excellent performance and handling in one package.

Built up from a frameset with a SRAM Rival groupset and Enve 4.5 wheels, the TCR Advanced proved itself as a genuine daily driver. A bike set up exactly how you want it feels like a favorite pair of slippers or a well-worn jacket, one that you get on and ride without thinking. It delivers happy miles every time, and that is exactly what a bike of the year should do. There are, of course, plenty of excellent bikes that were not available for hands-on testing in 2021, with supply issues keeping some out of circulation entirely. But based on the bikes that were actually ridden across road, gravel, and mountain categories, the Giant TCR Advanced was the most complete and most lovable bike of the year.

Overall Buying Advice

The biggest lesson from this year’s lineup is that there are very few poor bikes on the market. The standard across road, gravel, and mountain ranges is exceptionally high, so the decision usually comes down to pricing, specification, and how well each bike matches the riding you actually do.

For riders on a budget, the value picks are hard to beat: the Boardman SLR 9.4 for road riding and the Canyon Grizl for gravel. Riders who want the very best frame and ride quality can justify the jump to the Bianchi Specialissima or the Specialized Crux, while the Giant TCR Advanced remains the smart all-round choice for most road riders. Mountain bikers looking for one bike that races and plays should shortlist the Scott Spark RC and the Transition Spur.

If a bike feels right on a test ride, suits your local terrain, and fits the budget, that is almost always the right buy. Look at what you will ride most often, weigh the specification against the price, and remember that the best bike is the one you actually want to get on every day.

Conclusion

2021 produced one of the strongest and most varied groups of bikes in recent memory. From value-packed road and gravel machines to money-no-object showpieces, an innovative new frame material, and mountain bikes that blurred the line between cross-country and trail riding, there was genuinely exciting progress across the industry. The year also served as a reminder that not every hyped launch is a winner, and that fit, value, and ride quality matter more than any spec sheet.