The New OBED GVR: Huge Tire Clearance and Suspension-Ready Geometry

As Gravel racing continues to surge in popularity and competitiveness, we’re seeing riders pulling out all the stops on the equipment front in search of any kind of an edge. That, in turn, keeps pushing the industry to keep improving their bikes, enabling riders to keep pushing the limits – in terms of both their efforts out on the course, and the equipment their riding.

Which has set the stage for Obed Bikes to release its latest gravel race bike – a revamped GVR gravel race bike that takes what was already a great ride (you can check out Ryan Heisler’s review of the original GVR) and turns it into a versatile speedster ready for any conditions.

As the “gravel and mountain bike” part of American Bicycle Group’s three-brand business (Quintana Roo and Litespeed being the other two), Obed bikes are sold direct to consumer, which allows for lots of customization. And that’s where the Obed GVR truly shines.

“Gravel racing has progressed incredibly quickly, and riders now expect more from their equipment than ever before,” said Brad DeVaney, Obed’s lead engineer. “With the GVR, we set out to build a bike that captures the true spirit of modern gravel competition—fast, versatile, and capable of handling whatever the course throws at you.”

While we haven’t had a chance to ride the new GVR, Slowtwitch’s fearless leader, Eric Wynn, did have a chance to check it out during a trip to American Bicycle Group headquarters in Chattanooga a few weeks ago and was suitably impressed, especially with the new geometry of the frame.

Race-Day Rocket

It’s incredible to see the different set ups elite gravel racers are going for these days, and the big thing with this new edition of the GVR is that pros and gravel enthusiasts looking for optimal performance will have lots of options available without having to sacrifice aerodynamics, all while still riding a light-weight machine.

The new carbon lay-up has allowed the Obed engineers to slim the frame down to just 886 grams. (That’s for a medium without paint and hardware, but the key stat is that number is 150g lighter than the original GVR.) That weight reduction comes while maintaining the stiffness, comfort and durability of the original bike, according to the folks at Obed.

Tire clearance has been increased to a whopping 56mm – that’s enough to accommodate 2.2″ mountain bike tires. Tires that wide will be an option for those buying an Obed GVR through the custom bike builder site. Suffice it to say that everything from traditional gravel tires to monster MTB rubber will work, which means this bike can easily be prepped for smooth champagne-gravel or the gnarliest mud-swept backcountry conditions.

Through the bike builder site, you can select components, wheels and cockpit options, while also creating your own special ride through the various colour choices. (Obed reports that the “2026 colour palette features the best automotive-grade paints used by Ason Martin, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche, and multiple decal options, allowing any rider to create a beautiful dream bike that is uniquely theirs.”)

Suspension, Here We Come

There’s a lot more to the new bike than cosmetics, though. The redesigned fork is considerably wider, improving the aero properties of the bike thanks to better airflow between the wheel and the fork blades. The wider fork also allows for a front tire up to 61mm, or 2.4″ wide.

For those who want to go the suspension route, the GVR features suspension-corrected geometry that allows for either a rigid fork or a gravel suspension fork. That includes the new DT Swiss F 132 One fork, which offers 40mm of travel and a remote lockout, so riders can dial in their ride based on the terrain.

The geometry has also been tweaked in other areas, too. The GVR is available in five sizes (XS to XL). Compared to the original version, the reach and front-centre are longer, the head angle is more relaxed and the bottom bracket drop has been increased to provide more stability on high-speed descents and technical riding. The increased fork rate makes the bike more nimble in competitive situations, too.

Here’s the geometry chart for the new GVR:

Hydration and Gear Options

The versatility continues in terms of mounting options, too. There are six bottle cage mounts on the down tube and three on the seat tube. There are top tube bag mounts, along with accessory mounts on the underside of the top tube and down tube. All that means its easy to carry three bottles on the main triangle of the frame, if that’s your thing, while all the accessory mounts should be more than enough for nutrition and other supplies needed for races of virtually any length.

In terms of pricing, according to the Obed website complete bikes start at US$3,990 (down from $4,200 right now), while the GVR Gravel Bike Frameset will set you back $2,469 (down from $2,599). The new bike is available for order now, with bikes being shipped out mid-May.

While we haven’t got out on this second-generation Obed GVR, it sure looks like the company has dialled in a winner, both in terms of performance and price-point.

Tags: