Spanish bike brand Mondraker has launched an aluminium version of its gravel bike, the Arid. The Arid Carbon was launched late last year and was the brand's first non-electrically assisted gravel bike. 

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The new aluminium version comes in two models and adds a more wallet-friendly price point to its gravel lineup. Prices start at £2,299 for the Arid S, and both models share the same frame design and philosophy as the Arid Carbon. 

Aimed at those wanting to "dive into gravel culture", the Arid isn't an out-and-out race machine, but more of a mountain biker's gravel bike. If you're familiar with Mondraker as a brand, you'll know about their pioneering Forward Geometry, which helped shape the slacker and longer mountain bikes we see today. 

Mondraker has taken that development and applied it to the Arid, which offers a longer wheelbase, slack head angle and shorter stems than many other gravel bikes.

This, in theory, offers a slightly more aggressive riding position, but Mondraker says the Arid strikes the balance between "performance, comfort and price." So expect it to come alive on more technical gravel rather than tarmac surfing.

There are two new models: the Arid S and Arid R. Both frames are manufactured from Stealth Evo 6061 Aluminium and share the same geometry as the Mondraker Arid Carbon. The alloy frames use Mondraker's smooth welding technology, which the brand claims "ensures a smooth ride by efficiently absorbing vibrations."

It also takes inspiration from the distinctive design of the Arid Carbon with the same seat stay construction, the same carbon forks and several mounting points for all your bikepacking needs. 

Both models use the same Mavic Allroad tubeless-ready wheelset, 45mm Maxxis Reaver tyres and a 400mm long ONOFF 27.2mm seatpost - although it should be noted the claimed tyre clearance is 700 x 50mm, so you can fit some wider rubber on there. 

It's not the lightest of frames, with the medium weighing in at a claimed 1,992g, but if you're running an alloy bike, that may not be of as much concern as the ride quality.

The Arid R is priced at £2,699. It comes in a golden silver and nimbus grey colourway, and uses SRAM's Apex electronic drivetrain with a 40t chainring and 11-44 cassette.

The Arid S costs £2,299 and comes in a bronze and black paint job. This model comes with Shimano's GRX RX-610 drivetrain, a 40t chainring and 10-45 cassette.

Both models offer 5 sizes from S to XL, including a new ML size. Each size gets its own handlebar width and stem length, with S&M getting 44cm bars, and ML+ using 46cm bars. 

Although the sizes do seem more inclusive than previously, Mondraker's smallest size still comes with a 520mm effective top tube (we are talking about Mondraker's Forward Geometry, though) and crankset lengths of 170mm, so this could potentially be too big for shorter riders. 

• mondraker.com

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