Festka One Gravel Review

A weight of 7.8 kg, 28 mm tires, and a classic frame without any damping elements or comfort-lending carbon parts. Except for the “gravel” in the name there is no indication of the Festka’s off-road ambitions. The key data makes it look just about like an endurance-bike. So how much gravel is there exactly in the Festka One Gravel?

Here you’ll find our current group test on the best gravel bike.

Get on and ride off! The Festka One Gravel loves hard pedal strokes and wastes nothing, giving everything it can in return. The very stiff frame sprints forward on tarmac and cuts turns with precision – responding to every steering impulse with an agile and playful character. Once you leave the road behind the same character is preserved: stiff, hard, and eager for speed. More experienced riders will be having fun, the less experienced ones on the other hand will ask what this is all about. On gravel the bike actually feels more like a traditional race bike than an endurance or gravel rig. The aluminium seat post and cockpit from 3T don’t seem to be adding any comfort, and the 420 mm handlebars feel rather narrow for gravel use.

The 28 mm Tufo Comtura Duo tires have hardly any profile and quickly reach their limitations on gravel, even though their actual width leans more towards 30 mm. The only thing that really cries out gravel is the colour-matched SRAM Force 1×11 drivetrain with a 11–42 t cassette. To sum it up the Festka weighs more than the Open U.P. and has worse off-road characteristics. Fitted with cross tires like Schwalbe’s G-Ones the bike feels much safer and offers far more grip, becoming a lively gravel racer in dry conditions. Yet the restricted tire clearance remains a strong argument against trips in the mud.

So is it all bad? Not at all! If you’re looking for an individual and above all, customisable racer which won’t stop you from taking gravel paths, the Festka is a great choice.

Thanks to the optional front derailleur clamp, a custom geometry, and the possibility of adding more durable BSA bottom bracket bearings to the package, this Czech carbon frame with titanium dropouts is an excellent option. Unfortunately all this doesn’t change the fact that the Festka One Gravel was treated as something of an obsolete beauty among our test field. The max tire clearance of 32 mm, the 135 mm dropouts and a very compact geometry for a gravel bike all feel a little outdated.

The Festka One Gravel in detail

Drivetrain SRAM Force 1
Wheelset Tune TSR 22 Disc
Brakes SRAM Force HRD
Tires TUFO Comtura 28
Weight 7.80 kg
Price € 4,490 (frameset)

Geometry of the Festka One Gravel

Conclusion

Lots of cash – € 4,490 for the frameset to be precise – for very little gravel-feel. The key data becomes evident in practice; the spec and technical features, tire clearance especially, aren’t recommended for serious off-road use. And even less so for gravel adventures. Despite its name, the Festka One Gravel remains a road bike. But if you are looking for a lively racer with an exclusive touch and want to keep riding when the tarmac runs out, you can have a closer look at the Gravel One.

Tops

– Playful and aggressive handling
– Light, super stiff, and precise

Flops

– Lacking gravel attitude
– Old-school features
– Slick tires not suitable for off-road use

More info at: www.festka.com