Indonesia Shows Up to the Gravel Game With the Electrified E-Gavriil: Sells for $3,250

Let's be honest, when was the last time you heard of a cycling manufacturer from Indonesia? Possibly never, but it would seem that this country does boast a few bicycle builders, one of which is United Bike, a brand with a history dating back to 1964. Uhm, that's technically more time in the industry than Trek or Cannondale, so why isn't United at the front of the cycling pack? Mainly because they remained a family-owned gig, and that's always been enough.

However, United is still very active and takes the time to offer machines that are in tune with current trends. Sure, they don't boast the massive lineups and collections of significant teams, but having an electric gravel machine means they're up to date with industry movements.

The E-Gavriil they call it, and this Indonesian wonder is selling for around $3,250 (€3,200 at current exchange rates), but does it have what we need to safely, efficiently, and smoothly coast over a diverse range of terrains and even take you on some adventures? That's precisely what we'll be exploring today.

Now, as you could expect from an electric gravel bike for this price, the Gavriil is built using an aluminum frame. From there, a geometry typically found on such machines is also evident. But, I want to point out the tubing we see on this bike. The top tube starts with an inverted triangle shape near the head tube, while towards the seat tube, that triangle begins to flatten out. This should offer us a bicycle with heightened vertical compliance at the front, with elevated lateral stability at the rear.

As for the all-important aspect of any e-bike, the electronics are up next. Overall, you can tell that United has been keeping tabs on this industry because they're using a mid-mounted system on the Gavriil, and guess who's supplying the motor? If you guessed Bafang, you'd be one of the few to have thought of this e-drive manufacturer, but considering they're often considered a godfather of modern e-bike systems, you should have no issue rocking this M800 motor.

Coupled with a removable 10.4 Ah battery pack, the 35 Nm (26 ft-lb) of torque the motor kicks out should offer a feeling similar to that of a Fazua Drivepack. According to the manufacturer's website, these two systems boast a range of up to 70 kilometers (44 miles) and a top speed of 25 kph (16 mph). Oh, and if you think that Shimano didn't stick their fingers in this pie, don't, as the rest of the drivetrain is a 1x11-speed GRX setup with an 11-40T cassette.

Ok, so we're looking at an electric gravel bike with a decent range and a price slightly lower than what other manufacturers are offering. Sounds promising, if you ask me. Then again, to help really seal this deal, United added some extra versatility to the Gavriil, the ability to be equipped with an array of racks and cargo carriers to help you ride further, transforming this bugger into a downright adventure bicycle.

There you are, Saturday morning, waiting on your cycling buddies to show up at your house. From here, you have a plan to take a 100-kilometer (62-mile) bikepacking trip over the next couple of days. While the bike can take it, the downside is that limited range, often requiring you to pick up another battery pack in case this sort of adventure is something you don't want stopping you. Once you're done adding the extra cargo racks and picking up another battery, you should be looking at an electric gravel bike priced at around $4,000. Just a little something-something to consider if this is a sport you want to get into.