Sussex-based Cairn (part of the Rider Firm, which also owns Hunt Wheels and Privateer Bikes) are renowned for their electric gravel bikes. In fact, that’s all they make – first we tried the E-Adventure, their drop bar electric gravel bike, and now the BRAVe which is in its second edition.
The Cairn BRAVe 2.0 is more of a flat bar gravel meets rigid mountain bike meets commuter meets bikepacking rig. In essence, it’s whatever you want it to be – and in my opinion, it covers all of those areas really, really well.
At £2,359 it’s already decent value for the drive system alone, which is the new Shimano Steps EP6. It’s pretty powerful, with 85Nm maximum torque – and I felt it was seriously impressive on- and off-road.
The frame has plenty of mounting points to make it adaptable, whether you want to use it as a luggage-laden commuter or for bikepacking. I used it mainly as a gravel/leisure/utility bike, taking it on some of Calderdale’s finest (read: toughest) bridleways and North Yorkshire’s potholiest roads.
Ride quality
I took the bike for its maiden voyage on the Mills n Moors ride from Hebden Bridge. I rode with a friend who used a non-electric gravel bike, and what I lacked in technical skill on the descents was made up for by the overall geometry and capability of the bike.
The flat bars and 2.35in wide tyres encroach massively into mountain bike territory and make things that I’d not feel particularly confident tackling on a gravel bike into something absolutely ‘doable’.
Alongside West Yorkshire’s finest bridleways and tracks, I also used it as a bit of a runaround. I might have had other more practical bikes to choose from for running to appointments and the like, but I kept reaching for this and I think it’s just because it’s so much fun to ride. It doesn’t take itself seriously, but it’s seriously good.
Motor and battery
A big upgrade from the Cairn BRAVe 1.0, which our sister site off-road.cc reviewed back in 2021, is the drive system. Still sticking with Shimano, Cairn has used the latest EP6 motor, which offers 25Nm more torque than the E7000 motor used with the older model. It has however retained the externally mounted battery, which while not the most aesthetically pleasing choice, does make for easier removal when you leave the bike locked up in public or when it needs charging.
Additionally, I found the drive system to be pretty faultless. I ran it in Eco mode for most of the 20-mile, 3,000ft ride, and still only used between 10-20% of the 630Wh battery. In one charge I managed 60 miles but could certainly have done more if I’d not climbed quite so much or used the higher assistance modes.
The assistance is incredibly smooth. It’s not quiet by any stretch of the imagination, but I suppose the benefit to that is when you’re approaching slower riders on a climb they hear you coming so you don’t have to ring a bell or shout out.
The display is pretty small, but it does the job and it’s easy to scroll through different screens depending on what metrics you want to view.
Components and spec level
At just under £2.5k I’d expect some compromises to be made somewhere. The bike is evidently more industrial in design, although I am a big fan of the colour. But that’s what it is – the BRAVe 2.0 is a functional e-bike.
The only thing I can think of is the groupset. It runs a Microshift Advent X 10-speed drivetrain, but it does work well, so no complaints to be made there. If I was to buy the bike myself (which has crossed my mind several times), I’d probably upgrade the shifters but that’s entirely personal opinion. I’d also put in a dropper post.
Equally, there are no complaints to be made with the brakes. They’ve been put through some pretty long descents and I didn’t feel like they took ages to warm up and work well, nor did they become squealy or need any maintenance.
Conclusion and comparison
The Cairn BRAVe 2.0 is a breath of fresh air in the cycling industry at the minute in that it comes in sizes from S to XL (I tried the small and it fit perfectly), so fits a wide range of rider heights. It does what it says on the tin and more, and it’s just incredibly fun. I don’t know how many times over the last few months I’ve said to whoever would listen, “Have you seen this bike I’ve got at the minute? It’s awesome.”
It’s incredibly capable off-road, bordering on mountain bike capability, but you can equally make it easier to ride on the road by swapping tyres and sticking some slicks on. I don’t think I have a complaint about this bike, just maybe there could be an option to include a dropper post if you are really serious about taking it off-road.
Other bikes on the market aiming at this market include the BRAVe’s drop-bar sibling, the E-Adventure. But this costs considerably more and uses a Fazua drive system. There’s also the Yamaha Wabash RT at £3,100, which leans more towards an all-road style of riding if you want something that’s again, drop bar, but catered more towards speed than pootling along or bikepacking.
If money is no object, then Richard really enjoyed his time with the Advanced Offroad Pro Gravel Apex AXS. Again, it’s another drop bar option, but this one utilises the Bosch SX lightweight motor.
Overall, the Cairn BRAVe 2.0 might not be to everyone’s tastes, but I think it’s hard to beat for the value and genuine enjoyment it can bring on- or off-road.
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