Predicting 2026 Gravel & Road Trends & How Prepared Are You for a Mid-Ride Disaster?

Tech editor Alvin Holbrook fires up Velo's crystal ball to make some predictions about what the road and gravel world might look like in 2026. He makes his case for peak tire width combined with improved casings, more integrated pressure-monitoring systems (and more batteries), Chinese gravel bikes shaking up the market, and the continued slow demise of 2X drivetrains. But is he channelling Edgar Cayce, or are his divinations more in line with Miss Cleo? Josh, Alvin, and Levy also discuss how prepared they are (or aren't) for a mid-ride disaster, and the crew describes their own go-to repair kit that they each bring on every single ride. Also, when is it best to just call someone to come pick you up? Want to join Josh on his Zwift group ride? See the info here. See more episodes of the Velo Podcast here. Further reading: Hookless Is Out, AI Shades Are In: 7 Road Bike Trends We Expect to See in 2026 Garmin Teamed Up With Oakley and Meta to Make Smart Glasses We Actually Want to Wear MTB Tires Are Out, Suspension Is In: 5 Gravel Bike Trends We Expect in 2026 Forget $300 Fans, Our 3 Favorite Cooling Hacks for Indoor Training Are Basically Free 0:00 Intro1:20 Josh’s inflammatory no-tube comments3:11 Gravel predictions32:30 Interlude: Josh used the new Oakley x Meta Vanguard glasses39:45 Road predictions51:30 How prepared are you? What we carry for our rides59:00 Josh, Alvin, and Levy’s toolkits