1,141 of You Told Us Who You Are - The Big Hungarian Gravel Survey

In 2024 we asked everyone who has ever climbed onto a gravel or bikepacking bike in Hungary. And you answered — honestly, in detail, sometimes going into truly impressive depth about your own chain-lubing habits. 🙏

We put together what you told us: who's in the saddle, on what, how much, and what drives them. Grab a coffee — it's long, but we think it's worth it.

Who's in the saddle?

The core of the Hungarian gravel community is a hard-working, middle-aged crowd, mostly from Pest and the Budapest area. 71% of you are aged 35–54, and more than half of you come from Pest County or the capital. If you're in that bracket, you're in good company — but more and more twenty- and thirty-somethings and riders from the countryside are turning up, and that's the best news for the future.

The residence chart shows only the 8 most frequent counties — the rest is split among the other counties and those living abroad.

91% of you are men, 9% women — we have room to grow, and we know exactly how much. 💚

Not a trend. A way of life.

55% of you have been in the saddle for ten years or more — this isn't a crowd that picked up a hobby last year but a passion that has been maturing for a long time. It's no surprise that it comes with a price tag: 64% of you own a bike worth over HUF 500,000, and 43% spend HUF 100,000–500,000 a year on parts alone. That's serious commitment — in time and in forints.

Annual spend on parts — HUF 0–100k: 50% · HUF 100–500k: 43% · HUF 500k–1M: 6% · over HUF 1M: 1%

The two charts show the most frequent brackets: those riding for less than a year (2%) and bikes worth under HUF 100,000 (2%) are not shown, so the total stays under 100%.

What kind of rider are you?

A few little things you'll nod along to.

What are you riding?

72% of you classify your main bike as gravel — but many of you own more than one: 26% have an MTB, 23% a road bike, and 10% each a touring or a cyclocross bike. On frame material, the “carbon-only” myth falls: aluminium (62%) comfortably beats carbon (42%). And although 194 different brands turned up in the answers, none dominates the field — it's a very fragmented, brand-agnostic market.

You could tick more than one category, so the total is over 100%.

Frame material — aluminium: 62% · carbon: 42% · steel: 15% · titanium: 1% (you could tick more than one for mixed-material frames)

Wheel size — 29" / 700C: 78% · 27.5" / 650B: 18% · 26": 8% (multiple answers possible)

Wheel material — aluminium: 89% · carbon: 20% (multiple answers possible)

Tyres, drivetrain, chain — the details

We know that for some of you this will be the favourite section. 🔧

In many places you could tick more than one answer (e.g. mixed drivetrains or several bikes) — so some shares add up to more than 100%.

On tubeless you're still split right down the middle — 43% of you say yes, 50% say no, and the rest are still getting to know the concept. 🛞

What do you navigate with?

Two separate questions: what you carry on the bike, and what you plan the route with at home. Among devices, Garmin GPS leads (37%), but the plain smartphone (24%) is a substantial camp too. At home, Strava is the de facto standard (41%), closely followed by Komoot (28%) and Garmin Connect (24%).

The navigation device chart shows only the 5 most frequent answers — the rest is split between Hammerhead GPS and “I don't use navigation”.

Racing, or just enjoying it?

46% of you don't enter races or events at all — but almost as many do, typically for the community experience rather than the result. 46% of you have already heard of KLND Club membership, yet only 23% have ever been to a KLND Gravel Series stop, and 23% to the Hungarian Divide or the Balaton Bike Derby. That's the crowd we'd love to get to know in person.

What holds you back?

When we asked what held you back from an event, the answer was rarely “too expensive” or “too far” — much more often it was “haven't tried it yet, I'm not sure” and worry about fitness. So it's not money or distance that stops you — it's confidence that's missing, and that's exactly where we can help.

The average of the barriers for HD/BBD and the KLND Gravel Series, calculated separately for the two event types. You could name more than one reason, so the total is over 100%.

The bikepacking dream

63% of you have already done a multi-day trip. Sleeping outdoors (tent or bivvy) is still more of a wish than a routine — but the enthusiasm is there.

Thank you for telling us your stories

Working with this many people and this many honest answers is a huge gift. 1,141 riders told us how, on what and why they ride their own routes — together that makes up the picture we've just walked through.

This isn't data collection for its own sake. When we talk to forestry services, authorities or other organisations, it matters how many cyclists we speak for. Numbers are arguments too, and your answers show us what matters to you and what's worth protecting or developing together.

KLND will never be an elite club — but it needs you.

KLND Club members can contribute data to the annual survey, volunteer as route setters and maintainers, and organise group rides in their own area. It's not only about discounts: belonging to a community and sharing experience is what truly counts.

Methodology. 1,141 responses were received for the KLND Great Gravel/Bikepacking Survey 2024. The percentages in this article are based on the de-duplicated analysis sample of 1,133 respondents, rounded to the nearest whole percent. In several places (e.g. bike brand, category, frame material, drivetrain, route-planning software) multiple answers were allowed, so the shares add up to more than 100%; elsewhere (e.g. place of residence, navigation device) only the most frequent answers are shown, so the total stays under 100%.