Recently we covered how to choose a gravel bike and now we want to touch on the issues you will face when choosing a gravel bike groupset. Even if the gravel bike you are considering buying comes pre-built, it is likely that the manufacturer will offer at least a few build variations. So knowing the basic differences among the major groupset manufacturers will help you know which option will be the best choice for you.

Which are the best gravel groupsets

In general, you will come across primarily the big-3 in groupset manufacturing when spec’ing out your gravel bike: Shimano, SRAM, and Campagnolo. Each has its own personality with a variety of options that can appeal to every type of gravel rider, from fast gravel to wild adventurer. 

There are a few questions about how you want your gravel bike to ride to answer even before you start delving into the groupset brand to choose.

1x or 2x gravel groupsets?

Though this has become almost an existential question, whether you decide to run a 1x or 2x does not have to become so polarized that you get into arguments with your riding buddies. The answer really comes down to a couple of basic riding preferences. Do you like to have a wide range of gears to ensure you can climb up gravelly walls? Or are you more interested in keeping the jumps between gears as small as possible? 

The difficulty of the gravel routes could also factor into whether you want to go with one option over the other. If you are primarily going to be enjoying wine routes and well-maintained fire roads, then a 2x might also be the way to go since you won’t have to worry about heavily cratered and rutted passages bouncing your chain around that it drops or get jammed in the front derailleur. Alternatively, if you are on a lot more singletrack and facing extremely steep gravel climbs, then a 1x with a wide gear ratio will get you smoothly through the steep, rough stuff. And anyone planning on doing any gravel bikepacking with heavily loaded frames will definitely want to choose a gearing option with a bail-out gear that will help you scale even long climbs fully loaded. 

Sometimes your choice of groupset brands will also lock you into one system or the other. For instance, Campagnolo’s Ekar gravel groupset comes only in a 1x configuration. However, if you are determined to set up your gravel bike with Campagnolo and still want to have a 2x configuration, you could definitely choose something like the Campagnolo Chorus 2x12 set up with 48/32 front chainrings and an 11-34 rear cassette. That would give you the tighter 2x gear ratios as well as an easiest gear that offers a sub-1:1 gear ratio, which should be enough to get you over even very steep terrain.

Electric or mechanical?

Whether you need electric or mechanical shifting for your gravel bike can depend on a few things, some of which do not include wanting just to be as blingy as possible. Mechanical shifting can be easier to self-service when on extended bikepacking adventures. But there is no question that electric shifting makes the process of shifting in rough situations so much easier and more efficient that it can be hard to go back to mechanical once you have tried electric. 

Riders with smaller hands or who are coming back from hand or wrist injuries will also appreciate the ease with which electric shifting works. But as with the 1x or 2x question, not every groupset offers both mechanical and electric options. SRAM has been the most committed to making multiple options with electric shifting. Shimano has a few options with Di2 technology, and Campagnolo currently does not offer Ekar in an electric version, though that does not mean that it won’t eventually receive the EPS treatment as well. 

Shimano gravel groupsets

The Japanese brand Shimano occupies the comfortable position as among the most popular components manufacturers for good reason. The brand has consistently over the years produced well engineered, smoothly working drivetrains and braking solutions for road bikes, mountain bikes, and now gravel bikes. 

The fact that Shimano has been a top brand not only for road bikes but mountain bikes for many decades is reflected in the company’s gravel GRX groupset options, which borrow the best from both sides of the divide, which results in an intelligent mix of variety, durability, and performance in their gravel groups.

Shimano GRX RX820

• 12-speed option
• 2x and 1x versions
• Mechanical and Electric capability

The gravel equivalent of Dura Ace. Smooth function, durable and lightweight, it is the top of the line option for professional gravel racers and amateurs alike.

Shimano GRX RX810

• 11-speed option
• 2x and 1x versions
• Mechanical and Electric capability

The gravel equivalent of Ultegra.

Shimano GRX600

• 11-speed options
• 2x and 1x versions
• Mechanical only

The gravel equivalent of 105.

Shimano GRX400

• 10-speed option
• Mechanical only
• 2x only

The gravel equivalent of Tiagra

SRAM gravel groupsets

Though Shimano likes to claim that the GRX is the first gravel groupset in the world, that’s only because SRAM has long had the policy of making as many of their components as possible interchangeable among the various disciplines – road, mountain bike, gravel. That is super great for the consumer, except maybe when it comes actually to deciding what to fit together! The agony of choice.

But there are certain components within the SRAM range that are gravel-specific, intended to offer better performance over rough terrain as well as additional durability. For instance, you’ll find that the gravel rear derailleurs come with special clutch systems to ensure the chain works efficiently and securely. The gravel-oriented components will also offer much wider gear ratios designed for adventure gravelling.

SRAM Red XPLR AXS

• 13-speed option
• Wireless electric
• 1x only
• Compatible with all existing 12-speed AXS components
• Compatible with UDH-equipped frames only

The release of this 13-speed SRAM groupset was quite an event in the summer of 2024. It followed the release of the Red AXS 12-speed road groupset in the spring. Lightweight, improved braking and ergonomics, this is currently the gravel-specific groupset by which all others will be judged. 

SRAM Red eTap AXS

• 12-speed option
• Wireless electric
• 2x with a 1x option when paired with the Red XPLR eTap AXS rear derailleur

Whether road or gravel, the Red eTap AXS provides top performance with envelope-pushing technology.

SRAM Force AXS

• 12-speed option
• Wireless electric
• 2x with a 1x option

WIDE option to shift the chain line 2.5 mm out for greater tire clearance.

SRAM Rival AXS

• 12-speed option
• Wireless electric
• 2x with a 1x option

WIDE option to shift the chainline 2.5 mm out for greater tire clearance.

The Rival AXS is a budget option that uses small parts and materials that add weight to the components, but do not negatively impact the performance.

SRAM Apex

• 12-speed option
• Wireless electric and mechanical options
• 1x option only
• WIDE spacing to shift the chainline 2.5 mm out for greater tire clearance

With the 1x only option, the Apex focuses on gravel-specific and perhaps bikepack touring adventures. 

SRAM Force, Rival, Apex 11-speed

• Mechanical shifting
• 1x options

Though still very effective as gravel components, these are legacy options mostly found on used and budget-level bikes.

Campagnolo gravel groupsets

Campagnolo was late coming to the gravel party, but when the Italian company released their Ekar gravel-specific groupset, its high performance and exceptional beauty converted a lot of people who had previously not considered investing in Campagnolo components. The engineers built on the already exceptional performance of the Magura-backed disc braking system that they had introduced with their first disc brake road groupsets, and added the first 13-speed groupset on the market. 

Many nay-sayers maintain that 13-speeds are just unnecessary, but it actually is an effective way to make a 1x system with a wide gear ratio function while minimizing the jumps between cogs. Sticking with mechanical drivetrains for both their gravel offerings, Campagnolo seems to be weighing the importance of easier in-the-middle-of-nowhere maintenance over the smooth-shifting bling factor of an EPS option. That’s not to say the next generation won’t offer electric shifting; it’s just an indication of how their minds are working. 

Ekar

• 13-speed
• 1x only 
• Mechanical only
• Beautiful carbon crankset

The reliability of the shifting, precision of the braking, and beauty of the design definitely help to rate the top-of-the-line Ekar as a prime choice for anyone looking to build-up an elite gravel bike. As noted at the beginning of this blog, the lack of a 2x option might put off people who are interested in small jumps between gears, but with the 13-tooth rear cassette and three different cassette options, the jump between cogs stays extremely tight until you get to the top few bail-out cogs:

• 9-10-11-12-13-14-16-18-20-23-27-31-36
• 9-10-11-12-13-14-16-18-21-25-30-36-42
• 10-11-12-13-14-15-17-19-22-26-32-39-44

Combine those gear ratios with a choice of 38, 40, 42, or 44-tooth front chainrings, and you can get a pretty spot-on drivetrain set up for everything from gravel racing to multi-day bikepacking.

Ekar GT

• 13-speed
• 1x only
• Mechanical only 
• More adventure-oriented gearing
• Slightly more price conscious 

There’s a lot of interchangeability between the Ekar and Ekar GT, but they are not quite as inter-swappable as SRAM likes to make its various groupsets to be. That being said, it’s likely a case that the Ekar GT has been designed more as an adventuring, heavy-load-carrying bikepacking groupset rather than as specifically a more price-conscious option. It is less expensive than the Ekar version, but not tons less expensive. 

The big selling point will be that the GT or Gran Turismo version will be the wider range of gearing available. In addition to adding a 36-tooth front chainring, the designers have included cassettes with 9-42t, 10-44t, 10-48t cog options. 

• 9-10-11-12-13-14-16-18-21-25-30-36-42 teeth 
• 10-11-12-13-14-16-18-21-24-28-33-38-44 teeth
• 10-11-12-13-14-16-18-21-25-30-36-42-48 teeth

Pairing the 36-tooth front chainring with a 48-tooth cog at the back will ensure you can spin up the steepest inclines even when fully weighted down with all possible bikepacking luggage you can fit on a frame. 

What about Classified gravel groupsets? 

Classified Cycling is a Belgian company that has started making waves in the bicycle components industry. Founded in 2019 by a couple of engineers from the automotive industry, they initially set out to fix what bothered them about the inefficiencies of the front derailleur. 

The Classified Powershift Hub is what resulted. It’s a very clever piece of engineering which allows you to build the Powershift two-speed internal gear hub into a rear wheel, thereby removing the need for a front derailleur without losing the gear range or ratios offered by 2xs. Classified makes their own wheels, but also can be placed in a custom wheel build and have also partnered with a variety of wheel brands to include the Powershift hub in pre-built wheels for purchase. The Hub works seamlessly when combined with their single piece 11, 12, and 13-speed cassettes, Handlebar Shift Button Unit, and Thru Axle that uses Bluetooth technology to receive the message from the Shift Button to tell the Hub when to shift. 

The company is also starting to expand to other components like a full-carbon crankset. It has proved a gamechanger for a lot of gravel pros who missed the benefits of a 2x system when racing gravel, but didn’t want to deal with the hassle of a mud-caked front derailleur. It is still fairly unusual to see a Classified setup out in the wild, but if we were in the process of custom-building a new gravel bike, we’d certainly look into the possibility of including a Classified Powershift system.

Gravel bike groupsets - Lots of choice to get you rolling

Even if these are just the most popular and readily available component choices, it’s still a lot to choose from and more than enough choice to get you rolling no matter what your budget. Aside from the issues we’ve already addressed like whether you want to run a 1x or electric shifting, there are more nuanced questions to ask. 

For instance, does weight matter to you? Will you want to make certain you can build your gravel bike up to be as light as possible, or are you more interested in long term durability. That’s not to say low weight and durability are mutually exclusive, but certain design aspects can promote greater longevity – like the fact that not requiring a front derailleur with a 1x reduces the impact grit and grime will have on your drivetrain. 

Whether you are looking to take as few paved roads as possible or want a gravel bike that is efficient on the road as on the dirt, there are a lot of options, and Wrench Science has the experts that can help guide you through the exhilarating process of building up your new gravel rig.