Gravel bikes are tough but just how much of a beating can they take? To find out, we sent Hank to a 4×4 test track on a bike equipped with Shimano GRX 400, the brand’s entry-level mechanical gravel groupset. Oh, and he’s taking on a Land Rover Defender too! Gravel bike vs 4×4: which is the ultimate off-road machine?
In association with @RideShimano 👉 https://gcn.eu/Shimano
00:00 Intro
01:42 Bike & Challenges
03:04 Land Rover Defender
04:28 Round 1 – Mud Steep Climb
07:25 Round 2 – Mud Dunk
10:52 Round 3 – Swamp
13:37 Round 4 – Time Trial
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A Chance to Escape – Alec Slayne
A Real Hotshot – Hampus Naeselius
Consistency – Timothy Infinite
Corpse Drag Gravel – SFX Producer
Demon in the Night (Instrumental Version) – TAGE
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Who or what should Hank go head-to-head against next? 👀 Let us know in the comments below! 👇
Haaaang on a minute – the car gets multiple attempts to make it successfully through the Mud Dunk and scores a point, but Hank falls off once in The Swamp and koses out?!?!? Conclusion – bikes rule 💪🏻
Would be better if you had someone who knew how to drive in the Land Rover, its easy to make anything look bad if the operator isn't up to the task.
E-Gravel vs 4×4?
What wheels and tires are on the bike?
4 rounds and 5 points! Interesting maths!. Bike stomped it over the smelly old Land Rover.
American here, I would subscribe to gcn+ if you were to try this in moab utah.
I really hope GCN pay Hank danger money on top of his salary😂
Hank is becoming the John Noakes of GCN
That's how you do it! Kudos to Hank!
Does anyone sell heated saddles for Si's next cold weather adventure?
Hank is my favorite GI Joe
I gotta say, seeing Hank tear around that mud with a groupset very similar to mine is quite inspiring. Fair play!
AMO QUESTA PUNTATA! Saluti dall'ITALIA!!!!! 🇮🇹
Compare like for like. Nuts with nuts. Hank the tank on a gravel. Blake no brake on hardtail. BTW are gravel riders transGENRE?
Hank the tank…! Legend
Well done Hank for showing off what a gravel bike can do. Even road bikes can deal with a fair bit as I have found out, the only thing that let it down was the slick tyres. To see what a specialized bike is capable of look at Danny Hart's 2011 World Championship Winning Downhill Run at Champery, even a mountain goat would struggle with that. Bikes are just fun and sometimes you just have to get muddy. Be a kid again and worry about the clean up after you get home.
Firstly, Hank is a beast on a bike, secondly, how many sheep can you carry on the back of a gravel bike and thirdly, where did Si find wellies that would fit his ankles?
Hank, always game 🤣
What about Challenge 5: Cleaning the vehicle? 😀
I’ve got a Ribble CGR 725, with GRX 2x 400 on order… so you gave me that warm fuzzy feel. That said, should have used a mountain bike 🤔
That's the worst land rover driver I've ever seen
I personally prefer the option where I don’t have to call a tow truck when I get in over my head and have to do the walk of shame.😆
Looks like a bit of a set up to me. I've driven a Land Rover through much worse than that. Diff locks and low ratio used? Or was it on road tyres?
Man… I felt it when you said that cars use to destroy gravel paths. Here in Germany, good-looking and light gravel paths get converted into mud hell and rough terrain with lots of potholes and puddles after trucks and trailers get past it to cut trees. Sadly happens here a lot
I think the real winner here was those gravel tires.
What i learned from this video is that i dont need to buy a land rover, apparently it cant make it up hills 😂
Can I volunteer to be Hanks stunt double? Looks like great fun!!
lower "jeep" tire pressure to ~10 psi. Too much pressure in truck tires (yes from USA) we dont say rover, ;-), that said i would take the bike!
Hank is amazing. I would have died of hypothermia. Go Hank!
Good job Hank. Simon you are a great rider and I have enjoyed watching content you have hosted on this channel for years but I find your "weirdy beardy" comments to be negative and out of touch with the gravel riders, at least the ones I ride with. I think as recompense you should forgo shaving for 6 months. After 6 months folks can either laugh at or congratulate you on your ability or lack thereof to grow a weird beard. 😏
To turn it geeky… What size tyres/wheels are those?
Maybe try it against a Jeep Wrangler here in the US. We got a lot of real 4×4 over here lmao😂
3-2? There was only four rounds. I have 2-2 as a final score. Quite entertaining!!!
16:40 – don't confuse "worth" with "cost".
Wow 😅. Well done to GCN's very own "Crash Test Dummy". Stellar effort Hank.
The only thing that would have made this better is COWS!
I think you missed the final challenge: Cleaning you vehicle back to pristine condition. Si would have to clean the Land Rover, I guess…
cars on cycle track is like semitrucks on normal roads: responsible for 90% of the wear
im amazed at how incapable the land rover is
Hank's a beast. Pedaling up that climb, through that river, through the swamp, that requires a lot of strength and handling (and thats coming from a MTB'er 😅)