As a general cyclist, I often struggle to identify myself as belonging to just one two-wheel fraternity. With the exception of unicycling and artistic cycling, I have dabbled in every other discipline so, as a consequence, I have more bikes than garage space.
Ever on the lookout for ways to reduce my 'tool for every job' bicycle collection, the Fara F/Gravel caught my eye as potentially the best do-all gravel adventure bike for me.
Construction
At the heart of the Fara F/Gravel is its carbon frame and fork.
This plays a significant role in the design and ride characteristics, allowing the overall bike to be relatively lightweight. Fara suggests the frame weighs 1050g, and our fully built size M53 test bike weighed 9.99kg/22lbs.
Fara says that the F/Gravel's geometry has been "oriented towards the fun side of gravel". In practice, my bike has a wheelbase of 1028cm and a head tube angle of 72 degrees.
Fara was founded in Norway in 2015 and creates bikes specifically for long-distance adventure cycling. The brand has a concise range of three bike models: F/Road, F/All-Road, and F/Gravel. It offers ready-to-ride full bikes or the option to build your own.
To put that in perspective, comparing it to other gravel bikes of a similar size shows that it's on par with the Canyon Grail CF SL 7, but longer and more relaxed than the Specialized Crux.
That's not to say that the bike lacks fun and sporty geometry; it's just not wildly unique to Fara. But hey, it's a proven recipe for creating a great gravel bike, and if it's not broken, why fix it?
The Fara F/Gravel stands out because of its dropped curved seat stay design. The brand claims this adds compliance to the ride. While I can't verify that statement, the overall package does allow for decent tyre clearance (up to 50mm) and the ability to run either one-by or two-by chainsets.
The F/Gravel frameset has a healthy dose of practical features, although internal cabling will always be a topic of debate.
Leaving cable routing aside, details like the universal 27.2mm round seatpost fitment make an aftermarket dropper seatpost a straightforward option. Thanks to the fully integrated mounts for luggage, mudguards, and racks, setting up the Fara for a bike-packing or touring adventure is also easy. Even with these accessories in place, 50mm tyres can be fitted.
However, easy doesn't equate to cheap. I'm sure many aftermarket options will be compatible, but if you want to fully utilize the mounting system with the brand's own range of bags, bottles, and frame protectors, you'll have to be prepared to pay for them.
Fara's on-line bike builder enables you to pick from a full range of colours, groupset and gearing options, wheelset, cockpit choice and size as well as saddle.
Another notable design feature is the integrated Stash-Hatch in the downtube. From experience, it's a bit of a marmite feature, so some riders will find it more useful than others.
My test bike was the F/Gravel Element, which is the starting point price-wise in the range.
This version comes equipped with the entry-level 1x SRAM Apex XPLR gravel-specific groupset plus a Fulcrum Rapid Red 900 alloy wheelset shod in Panaracer Gravelking SK+ 43c tyres.
The front features a flared Ritchey Butano alloy cockpit, while seating is provided by a Fizik Terra Argo X5, 150mm saddle.
The ride
So far, the bike is living up to my expectations. Living on the edge of the Peak District National Park, my options for off-roading are wide and varied, from groomed canal towpaths and disused railway trails to reasonably techy bridleways. The F/Gravel has tackled them all admirably.
Fara has pitched the geometry of the frameset just right, with a nimble and agile ride feel. Yet, it still inspires confidence to tackle a grassroots pump track along the side of a canal. The bike, it transpires, was clearly way more capable than the grip of the Gravelking SK tyres in the mud.
This was also the case when I took my daughter out for a cyclocross skills session. We traversed a very slippery bank before dropping down to a field over tree roots and weathered stone steps. The bike didn't skip a beat, although the tyres did. While the bike felt easy to handle, I could have used a touch more grip to really let go of the reins.
Continuing the skills session, the lightweight nature of the build made drills of tight turns, as well as sprinting out of corner efforts easy. So, I'm pretty confident that putting on a set of more rugged tyres will make the bike way happier in the UK mud. It may even be proficient enough for a cyclocross event.
However, the most noticeable takeaway from the test ride experiences has been how good my back felt during and after each ride.
I generally start suffering after an hour on a bike and have just got used to sucking it up. The Fara F/Gravel, however, has made me think that perhaps I don't need to, and maybe there's even a long adventure ride in me yet.
Value and Conclusion
The Fara F/Gravel has proved to be a brilliant bike. It's an absolute blast to ride with a sense of urgency, but its geometry is so comfortable you could easily take it on an all-dayer/bike-packing adventure.
I really loved the digital shifting of the SRAM Apex XPLR electronic groupset. This, along with the hydraulic disc brakes, will mean minimal hands-on spannering other than the rear mech battery charging requirement.
However, that does need to be balanced with the adventurous nature of the bike and the prospect of dealing with mechanicals when out in the wild.
The only crunchy issue is the stashbox. I'm mostly showing my age by not really 'getting them.' It's just a bit too fiddly and faffy for me. Perhaps if I were bike-packing, I'd find the extra space handy.
Overall, the bike is excellent, and at £3381, it represents excellent value for money.
Spec
- Frameset: F/Gravel Toray carbon
- Groupset: Sram Apex AXS XPLR, 1x12 - 40t/ 11-44t
- Wheelset: Fulcrum Rapid Red
- Tyres: Panaracer Gravelking 43SK
- Cockpit: Ritchey Butano alloy 12deg flare
- Saddle: Fizik Terra Argo X5, 150mm
