For those who don’t know, gravel bikes are usually fully rigid bikes designed for light offroad use, while also being able to fly on the tarmac and deliver the perfect combination of drop bars, tire widths, geometry, and attachments to allow you to maximize the distance you can travel and the gear that you can bring with you.
They are perfect for touring and long-distance multi-day bike trips and are optimized perfectly for this thanks to the various designs and features they use.
There are many designers and brands offering gravel bikes currently, from smaller workshops and upcoming brands to established bicycle giants, meaning there is something out there to suit everyone.
Interestingly, these bikes don’t often use the aluminum frame construction adopted by most modern mountain bike brands, with most gravel bikes being made of steel, a material that hasn’t been popular in bikes in a very long time.
The reason for this is that aluminum is prone to cracking, particularly under the heavy loads and long distances gravel bikes are designed for.
However, there are some bikes that are made of titanium, which offers all the strength and durability of steel, while also offering the lightness of aluminum.
There is a growing number of titanium designs and frames on the market now as their popularity increases and more riders place a premium on reducing weight while maintaining strength and durability which is essential for gravel riding, touring, and bikepacking.
In this guide we’re going to look at 11 of the very best titanium gravel bikes currently available, looking at the features and design of the bikes, reviewing their quality, and why they are so much better than their steel counterparts.
It’s also worth noting that this list will only include bikes sold as a complete functional set, and won’t look at frames sold separately.
However, there are many brands, such as Nordest for example, who offer some excellent Titanium frames but don't yet offer fully built bikes.
If you’re interested in looking at titanium frames, there are plenty of them out there, but this guide focuses on bikes that are ready to rock straight out of the box!
Best Titanium Gravel Bikes
It’s time to look at who, in this case, 11 of the very best titanium gravel bikes from some of the leading brands in this area of design.
These bikes come from all over the world and are among the most versatile and quality bikes money can buy. Feast your eyes, and start thinking about how you can justify making a few grand ‘disappear from your bank account!
Ribble is a small but fast-growing and high-quality bike manufacturer based out of the UK and has been hand-assembling bikes since 1897.
Their heritage and focus on quality have led them to create one of the most popular and stunning titanium bikes currently available, the Adventure Ti.
There’s a lot to love from this model, from the lightweight titanium frame to the stunning stealth black carbon forks that further save weight and increase the already impressive performance of this bike.
There is double-tap gear shifting provided by the SRAM rival 1, in a 1x11 speed configuration that gives plenty of range while keeping things simple and avoiding awkward front derailleurs which are increasingly out of fashion.
The large WTB Ranger tires are a hopping 2.8 inches wide giving incredible off-road grip, and the drop handlebars have a nice flare giving a great blend of comfort, aerodynamics on the road, and control on the rough stuff.
While this bike is expensive, it is one of the most versatile, with aggressive geometry that’s at home off-road and the rigidity to make road riding as efficient and clean as possible.
Genesis is another quality bike brand out of the UK and is much younger, only coming into existence in the early 2000s.
In 2009, the wildly popular Croix De Fer was launched, combining road comfort and speed with offroad confidence making this a superb tourer.
However, the updated titanium version is even better, if a little more expensive.
The bike is made of double-butted titanium and features all the eyelets and bosses you need to mount all sorts of bags and racks wherever you need to, making this one of the most versatile long-distance bikes on the market.
The bike also has generous tire clearance, nice drop bars, and a wide range of gears making it incredibly fast and comfortable in various situations and conditions.
Bombtrack is another brand that has, ahem, exploded in popularity since the rise of gravel biking, and their Hook EXT Ti is among the best in the world, not only for its beautiful lines and anodized finish, but the sheer number of features the bike has to offer.
Featuring carbon forks, plenty of bosses, big wheels, plenty of gears, and drop bars, the bike is a true go-anywhere warrior and a true beauty of form and function.
Sonder is another brand that has exploded in popularity thanks to the rise of gravel bikes, and the Camino Yi is a perfect example of why these bikes are so popular, with a gorgeous finish, SRAM Rival 1 gears, and big 700C wheels for speed and comfort.
The bike is available in four sizes for maximum comfort, features carbon forks and drop bars, and has a range of brake options available depending on the budget you have.
Salsa is a very well-established commuting and touring bike brand, and also has some respectable mountain bike offerings.
The brand has developed a great reputation for quality, so it’s no surprise that the popular Fargo has been revamped into a titanium beast that almost looks more like a mountain bike than any other options thanks to a very aggressive down tube and a geometry that gives huge confidence off-road.
However, the carbon forks, drop bars, and well-positioned seat post makes for a very comfortable cockpit when covering long-distance mileage too.
This offering from Moots is a perfect option for people who want maximum versatility, sharp handling, and fast climbing.
The short seat stays lend themselves to nimble handling when offroad, and the large wheels help massively with this too, but it’s a capable road option too.
If you’re after a titanium gravel bike that offers 650b wheels, the Thunderhawk may be the bike for you, and it combines its features to make it a perfect gravel bike that can endure long tours and bikepacking trips while being able to rip more adventurous rides and singletrack.
There are various versions of the Bossi available, from the GRX 2X to the FORCE 1 and AXS, and all of these bikes offer something a little different so you can really tailor your choice to your requirements.
It’s a bike that can go anywhere, with road-friendly geometry, but a short seat stays for confidence and control over the back wheel.
It is durable thanks to a titanium body and large downtube, and features plenty of rack mounts too, with tire clearance to run 650b or 700C wheels comfortably.
If you’re down under and looking for a quality gravel bike to see the sights this offering from Rondo is a superb choice.
There are some great features, from adjustable dropouts to adjustable geometry as well as a long wheelbase and slightly relaxed angles for added confidence on rough terrain, while still giving great tarmac performance.
The lightspeed Ti is an absolute speed demon, with its large number of gears, aerodynamic profile, and a long history of use in various competitions since the late 80s.
The short seat stays again offer confidence on climbs and tight corners while having geometry for comfortable road riding too.
While it’s available as just a frame, the Kevin also comes as a complete package, featuring very road-friendly, long-distance geometry, plenty of bosses and attachment points for racks, and the ability to mount 650b or 700C wheels.
The carbon forks help save weight and are very precise and aerodynamic, while the Rival 1 groupset is well known for its quality and reliability.
Why Titanium?
In short, titanium is stronger than aluminum and lighter than steel. It’s the perfect bridging point for bikes that need to be versatile, which makes this a natural choice for premium gravel bike models and brands.
It’s worth noting that titanium is more expensive, which means that titanium bikes are also considerably more expensive than their steel counterparts, however, anyone who has tried a titanium gravel bike will struggle to go back to using steel, as the whole feel of the bike is so much more responsive, nimble and enjoyable to ride.
With all that said, check out another Ribble titanium gravel bike review from off.road.cc in the video below. Thanks for visiting!
