This gravel bike has a dropper post and suspension fork

This gravel bike has a dropper post and suspension fork

We take a look at the Saracen Levarg to see if it blurs the boundaries between gravel and XC

MTB or gravel bike? We're not so sure

Alex Evans

Published: January 8, 2019 at 9:10 am

Is the Levarg just a gravel bike or can it do more?

In September 2018 we first saw the Saracen Levarg — which is ‘gravel’ backwards, for those wondering — and thought it looked fairly tasty.

Featuring a Fox 32 AX Step Cast fork with 40mm of travel, a 120mm dropper seatpost, and suspiciously MTB-like geometry, we’ve asked the question: “how close is it to a mountain bike?”

Alex Evans

Senior technical editor

Alex Evans is BikeRadar and MBUK’s senior mountain bike technical editor, as well as a regular on our podcast and YouTube channels. Working for BikeRadar and MBUK for nearly 10 years, Alex has been living and breathing mountain bikes since he was nine years old. Competing in his first downhill race aged 11, he went on to race in DH world cups and other international events across Europe – and even represented Great Britain at the downhill European Championships. Before moving back to the UK when he landed a job as MBUK’s features editor, Alex lived in the French Alpine mountain biking hotspot of Morzine for eight years. There, he clocked up an enormous amount of riding – and broke more bikes than he cares to remember. Alex now calls Scotland’s famously gnarly and gruelling trails of the Tweed Valley home, which is where he tests kit and bikes. While once a gravity racer, Alex now rides to the tops of his descents and feels most at home on an enduro bike or eMTB. He’s no stranger to flat-out efforts, however, and isn’t shy about donning Lycra to ride cross-country, or even competing in the occasional road hill climb event. Although he’s retired from official competition, he loves a challenge, especially when it comes to trying to top his local Strava leaderboards – just for fun, of course.

  • Height: 178cm
  • Bike size: Large/480mm reach
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