Poland’s Antidote is the latest brand to bring suspension, both front and full, to gravel bikes in the shape of the new Pathseeker.
Gravel suspension is a trend we are seeing more and more of in 2025, along with increased tyre clearance and the wholesale adoption of Universal Derailleur Hanger dropouts.
The new Pathseeker can be had as a hardtail or full-suspension bike and brings a new fully adjustable suspension system front and rear. The system doesn’t use air or hydraulics in its damping or anti-squat adjustment.
Full bike prices start from €6,299, with hardtail framesets available from €3,799.
Not just another carbon bike
The Pathseeker’s construction uses a composite Antidote developed. It comprises a combination of carbon fibre, flax fibre, basalt fibre and a bio-based resin.
The brand claims this new composite is not only better ecologically than traditional carbon fibre, it also helps to significantly reduce vibrations in ways that standard carbon fibre cannot.
The frame also uses Vectran, a synthetic fibre that is five times stronger than steel and 10 times stronger than aluminium.
The Vectran is used in high-impact areas, making the most of the material's high abrasion resistance and flex fatigue resistance.
Suspension without shocks
Antidote's designers have created a proprietary suspension system called NanoFlex, used both at the front and rear of the Pathseeker. It is designed to offer 20mm of travel at each end.
The rear design is based on four pivot points, found more commonly in mountain bikes.
On the Pathseeker, the two usual pivots on the chainstays have been replaced by a flexible section in the chainstays. The remaining pivots are replaced by an eccentric mechanism in the front triangle, to which the rear triangle anchors.
Antitode says the eccentric mechanism mimics the action of a cam pushing on a shock absorber. The mechanism is stabilised by an elastomer, adding control to the suspension travel and vibration damping.
The elastomer can be replaced and switched, allowing for a full range of stiffness adjustments.
At the front, a carbon fork is combined with an integrated system that is actuated by either a spring or an interchangeable elastomer.
The steerer cap doubles up as a lockout. It’s a system very reminiscent of Cannondale’s original HeadShok or, more recently, BMC’s fork on the front and rear suspension-equipped URS LT.
Antidote claims the suspension works over small bumps and larger impacts, and isn’t influenced at all by pedalling or braking.
Bike details
The Pathseeker frame comes in two guises, the full-suspension eccentric pivot frame and a standard rigid back end. Both designs feature a low-slung sloping top tube, dropped stays and flattened tube profiles.
The geometry pairs a 72-degree head angle with a 72.5-degree seat angle on the size large.
That makes the Pathseeker's geometry somewhat less extreme than new suspension-equipped gravel bikes such as Lee Cougan’s Innova Super Gravel or Ridley’s new Ignite GTX.
The new bike's geometry is more in line with Cannondale’s similarly flex-tailed Topstone or BMC’s URS LT One. That would suggest the Pathseeker is intended more as an all-rounder/race gravel bike than a rowdy adventurer.
Antidote’s claimed weights for the framesets, including the fork, would suggest the same, at 1,590g for the full-suspension option and 1,350g for the hardtail, both in a large size. That could make for some impressively light builds for a suspension-equipped gravel bike.
The Pathseeker offers 50mm of tyre clearance, and has a T47 bottom bracket and UDH-compatible rear dropouts.
Antidote Pathseeker range and pricing details
The Antidote Pathseeker range comes with two full-suspension options and three hardtails. There are frameset options in both full-suspension and hardtail, too.
Bikes
- Pathseeker FS SRAM FORCE/RED / I9 1/1 Ultralite Carbon / RS REVERB AXS: €12,299
- Pathseeker FS SRAM FORCE/X0 / I9 1/1 Ultralite Carbon / RS REVERB AXS: €10,099
- Pathseeker HT SRAM FORCE/X0 / I9 ROAD GRCX / RS REVERB AXS: €8,699
- Pathseeker HT SRAM RIVAL/GX / I9 ROAD GRCX: €6,999
- Pathseeker HT SRAM APEX AXS / I9 ROAD GRCX: €6,299
Framesets
- Pathseeker full-suspension frame & suspension fork & stem + headset: €4,099
- Pathseeker hardtail frame & suspension fork: €3,799
