How the Search Term “Gravel Bike” Increased by +42% in Q2 2023

This report aims to identify the key questions from the Gravel Cycling community on Search and Reddit, highlighting common themes for content opportunities.

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Key Takeaways

Since November 2022, "gravel bike" has been increasing. Interest notably peaked in Q2 2023 with a +42% jump, from Dec. 20th -Jan. 8th and during the UNBOUND Gravel race in June. 

• Recommendations
  (i) Begin promotions during warmer months, targeting spring bikers from late February.
  (ii) Center holiday marketing on last-minute buyers and Boxing Day bargains.
  (iii) Leverage race partnerships such as UNBOUND Gravel.

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The search interest for "gravel bike" was highest in Germany (100), Austria (93), and Switzerland (91), with the top sub-regions in Germany including Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony.

• Recommendations
  Focus on Central and Western Europe markets, prioritizing regions characterized by mountainous geography.

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Gravel biking searches mainly belong to these categories: Comparisons (29%), Info & Advice (22%), Mods & Parts (20%), Purchasing (11%), Usage & Functionality (8%), Recommendations & Reviews (7%) and Community (3%).

• Recommendations
  Develop engaging content comparing bike types, create beginner guides, provide customization options, enhance shopping with function-based filters, partner with affiliates for visibility, and foster a community.

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Community engagement and user-generated content (UGC) play a significant role in the gravel biking community.

• Recommendations
  Launch a social media campaign promoting ‘New Bike Day’ or 'Bag Setups' to encourage customers to share their experiences. Repost and engage with UGC while offering contributors exclusive promo codes or special rewards.

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Community posts in the gravel biking sphere revolve around races, discussions, tips, advice, and relatable content such as memes.

• Recommendations
  Build a supportive community by celebrating achievements, including race wins and accomplishments. Encourage interactive discussions where members share ideas, seek advice, and engage with one another. 

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Riders actively share content from their rides with the community, featuring scenic views and trip highlights.

• Recommendations
  Share blog posts that walk readers through bike trips, pointing out key moments and stops. Add a packing list and share the GPS route so others can follow the same path.

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Warmer weather = increased interest. Focus on reaching customers during these peak months.

Interest in "gravel bike" has been on the rise since November 2022, with a notable QoQ increase of +42% in Q2 2023.

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Target last-minute shoppers and post-holiday bargain hunters.

Interest dropped from November to December 20th, then rose sharply over the holiday season, peaking on January 8th.

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Utilize race partnerships such as UNBOUND Gravel.

The spike in interest for “gravel bike” in June 2023 coincided with the UNBOUND Gravel race.

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Time launches in late February to attract spring season riders.

In the US, interest in gravel biking showed an increase in late February, possibly due to the transition from winter to spring. 

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Focus on Central and Western Europe markets.

Search interest for "gravel bike" was highest in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

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Prioritize regions characterized by their mountainous geography.

Top sub-regions in Germany include the Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony.

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Applying Trends & Tactics

Comparisons: People seek to understand how gravel bikes differ from other types of bikes.

• ‍Share content that explains the key differences between gravel, road, hybrids, mountain, and hardtail bikes.

Info & Advice: People are seeking to understand the essence of gravel biking.

• Create beginner-friendly guides that offer context on the functions and versatility of gravel bikes.

Mods & Parts: Queries about mods, parts, and accessories, highlighting a demand for customization options.

• Offer custom modifications, parts, and accessories and optimize the website to filter by these options.

Purchasing: Queries span from buying benefits, purchase locations, to bike availability.

• Use blog insights to guide exploring customers and shopping ads to convert those ready to buy.

Usage & Functionality: Searches for gravel bikes that are based on their functionality or use cases.

• Enhance the shopping experience by allowing users to sort bikes based on their specific use cases or functionalities.

Recommendations & Reviews: Queries seeking advice or reviews on the top-rated gravel bikes.

• Collaborate with affiliates such as BikeRadar to ensure visibility on popular buying guides.

Community: Queries reflect interest in the social and local aspects of gravel biking, such as clubs, races, and trails.

• Foster a community through local activities, such as organizing clubs, races, and trail events.

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Refine content to address searchers' queries across these key categories:

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People want to know how gravel bikes differ from other bikes.

These queries compare gravel bikes with other bike types, examining differences in performance, usage, and terrain suitability.

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Share blog content that clearly explain the differences between gravel bikes, road bikes, hybrids, mountain bikes, and hardtails.

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Start with the basics — give a beginner-friendly guide to the sport.

People want to know what gravel biking is all about.

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Offer context to beginners on gravel bike functions and capabilities.

People are curious about the capabilities of gravel bikes and their versatility, such as the conditions and ways they can be ridden.

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Offer custom modifications, parts and accessories that are unique for gravel riders.

Optimize the website for customers to sort by these customizations and add-ons.

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Share blog posts answering customer inquiries in the exploring phase. For bottom of funnel queries, use shopping ads to convert.

These searches involve customers in different purchase funnel stages: top (benefits of buying), middle (where to buy), and bottom (ready to buy).

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Enhance the shopping experience by enabling users to sort bikes by their various use cases and functionalities.

People are searching for gravel bikes based on their functionality (ie. for beginners) or use cases (ie. for touring). 

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Work with affiliates such as BikeRadar (1) to ensure visibility on popular bike buying guides. 

In the past 12 month*, BikeRadar’s Best Gravel Bike Guide (1) has generated an average of 17K desktop visits per month.

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Build a community through local efforts.

These searches are about social aspects and local activities related to gravel biking, such as clubs, races, and trails.

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The most popular questions being asked on Reddit about gravel bikes are related to hardware, riding, and community.

*Based on the top engaged posts from /r/gravelcycling and /r/bikepacking from November 2022 to July 2023. 

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Hardware

Topics and threads discussing different bikes and the specific hardware accompanying them.

• ‍NBD: New Bike Day
  Community members share photos of their new bikes.
• ‍Bag Setup
  ‍Community members share photos of their bike setups before heading out on a ride.
• Initiate a social media campaign focusing on NBD or 'Bag Setups', inspiring customers to post their NBD experiences or pre-ride arrangements. Repost this UGC, while maintaining active engagement with these posts. Reward contributors with exclusive promo codes or offers.

New Bike Day (NBD)

Bag Setup

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Riding

Riders sharing images and footage from their epic gravel bike adventures with the community.

• ‍Ride View
  These posts display a photo of their bike with an amazing background.
• ‍Trip Highlights
  ‍Community members post a carousel of pictures from their bike journey, typically featuring a snapshot of their map route.
• ‍It’s about the journey: Share blog posts that walk readers through bike trips, pointing out key moments and stops. Add a packing list and share the GPS route so others can follow the same path.

Ride View

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Trip Highlights

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Community

These posts explore the social side of biking, including races, discussions, tips, advice, and relatable bike content like memes.

• ‍Race Recaps
  These posts display photos from various gravel bike races, with community members celebrating race wins and accomplishments. 
• ‍Discussions 
  ‍Posts where members interact with the gravel biking community, inquire, share ideas, and look for tips and advice.
• Create a supportive community that celebrates and encourages others by highlighting achievements, big or small, with engaging content to foster camaraderie and motivation.

Race Recaps

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Discussions 

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*A value of 100 is the peak popularity for the term. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular. A score of 0 means there was not enough data for this term. 

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References:

1. The best gravel bikes in 2023 | Top-rated carbon, aluminum, titanium and steel gravel bikes reviewed