“I can’t explain it,” says Martin, “but after years on a mountain bike, I just stopped enjoying it. And suddenly, this new concept brought me back to my roots.” That’s how he fell in love with the swift and agile feel of gravel bikes.
Martin works in the corporate world and doesn’t want his name in the media. But under the condition of anonymity, he agreed to share his inner struggle: when it comes to gravel, is the classic ‘bio’ bike the way to go or does the electric assist offer something even better?
Like most gravel enthusiasts, he admits that gravel bikes don’t differ all that much from rigid mountain bikes—but they do offer a huge advantage in speed. “You just have to learn how to ride them properly so that you don’t absorb every bump through your body and end up completely rattled,” Martin laughs. He heads out, clipped into the drop bars of his gravel bike at least three times a week. Favourite riding spot? “The wide gravel trails in the German part of the Ore Mountains,” he reveals, for anyone looking to explore new routes.
Bio-Mondraker vs. e-Cube
He tackles the Saxon gravel with two very different bikes. Sometimes, he rides the carbon-framed Mondraker Arid R; other times, it’s the Cube Nuroad Hybrid C:62 with electric assist.
The Mondraker’s geometry closely resembles the mountain bikes this Spanish brand is known for. It has a flattened top tube and a triangular down tube, designed to strike the right balance between stiffness and shock absorption. A lightweight carbon seatpost adds to the ride comfort.
The electric Cube Nuroad features the lightweight Bosch Performance Line SX motor with 55 Nm of torque and a compact 400 Wh battery. “The motor is integrated so well that if you didn’t already know it was there, you wouldn’t even realise it’s an e-bike at first glance,” Martin says.
How noticeable is the motor’s weight?
As soon as people hear the word “motor”, they start asking about weight. “Sure, they could look at the specs or weigh the bike themselves,” Martin shrugs, “but what really matters is how the weight feels. And yes, there is a difference—but it’s all relative. One bike is fast because it’s light, the other because it has a motor. On both, I feel like I’m flying through the landscape.”
According to him, the Mondraker is built to launch forward the moment you put power to the pedals. “You can actually feel how badly it wants to go!” Of course, the motor has its advantages too. The question is—which bike is better for what kind of ride? Does it depend on the route’s profile? The total distance? “I’d say it’s neither,” Martin answers. “The real deciding factor is time. If I’ve got a full day ahead and there’s no rush, I take the bio gravel. If I’m short on time and wondering whether it’s even worth putting on my gear, the e-gravel is the answer.”
Want a workout? Both will give you one
The difference between the bikes becomes most obvious on long climbs. While the e-gravel benefits from the motor’s boost in watts, the bio gravel demands a shift to an easier gear and some good old-fashioned leg power. “And as we all know, that can seriously hurt,” Martin laughs. But even with pedal assist, it’s not like climbing is a free ride. To get optimal support from the motor, you need to maintain a steady cadence—and that’s where many riders new to e-bikes are caught off guard. Because the motor propels the bike uphill so efficiently, it subtly pushes the rider to spin at a higher cadence.
“Honestly, I feel like I work harder on the e-bike,” Martin admits. “It’s that feeling of speed—you just want to go even faster.” According to his eBike Flow app, his cadence while riding the e-gravel typically hovers around 90 rpm.
The biggest surprise? His Garmin watch shows a higher heart rate when he’s riding the e-gravel. “Maybe on the bio bike, I subconsciously pace myself. Another explanation is that I take the e-gravel on shorter rides when I have less time, so I push harder,” he speculates. On his favourite loop, Martin averages 17 km/h on the bio-gravel and 24 km/h on the electric one.
That motor comes at a price
Another factor that can sway potential buyers: battery limits. For many, this can be the dealbreaker. “I don’t really worry about running out of charge, though,” Martin says. “I once did an 80 km ride in the Austrian Alps with nearly 2,200 meters of climbing. I got back to the car with 1% left—but I made it. And worst case? I just pedal the rest. I used to ride a 13-kilo mountain bike, and I didn’t mind that at all.”
For many people, price is a key factor—and yes, it varies significantly.
“It’s hard to compare because both bikes come in different builds with components at different price points. But to keep it simple, I’d say the Cube e-gravel costs about 25% more than the Mondraker bio-gravel.”
And how would Martin rate the two, star-wise? “Neither gets a perfect five—but both earn a solid four stars, equally and fairly,” he says. And we thank him—because he’s just made our decision a whole lot easier (lol).
Conclusion
A bio-gravel bike is perfect for strong, well-conditioned riders who have the time to spend hours in the saddle. An e-gravel bike delivers a fantastic riding experience and a genuine workout for those who treat cycling as a time-limited hobby. And as with any bike, what matters most isn’t what’s parked in your garage—it’s whether you’re out there riding it.
