Gravel & Adventure Bike Expo makes its debut at Adventure Travel Show

The inaugural Gravel & Adventure Bike Expo, which joined the Adventure Travel Show in London for the first time, took place on January 10–11, 2026. Held at the Business Design Centre in Islington, North London, the UK event reported a successful start to the year for both visitors and exhibitors.

Organised by the team behind the Adventure Travel Show, the weekend drew an attendance of over 5,000 visitors. The event featured more than 120 exhibitors and speakers from around the world.

Integrating into the weekend for the first time, the Gravel & Adventure Bike Expo focused on the freedom that a bike provides for exploration. It featured a range of brands exhibiting bikes and equipment, such as tyres and bikepacking gear, alongside adventure travel operators.

Chris Holman, Event Director, said “We introduced the Gravel & Adventure Bike Expo after feedback from last year’s event and interest from brands from the cycling industry looking to connect with new audiences.

“The show had a great buzz and a very engaged audience over the two days. A mixture of people who already knew the brands, and another demographic whose interest in different types of slow travel meant adventure cycling ticks a box for them too.”

Exhibitors at the expo included international and UK-based brands such as Surly, Schwalbe, Teravail, Old Man Mountain, Fidlock, Kinesis, Seasucker, Farr, Vielo, Guava, Brooks, Mason Cycles and Reilly.

Cycle travel specialists were also represented, including Italy Bike Hotels, Red Dirt Uganda, TransAtlanticWay, GravelUp, Sondor, Sloways and BicycleWanders.

Clive Andrews, who works in marketing and communications at Mason, said “We came to the show as we were keen to meet people planning the kinds of adventures our bikes are designed for – maybe a slightly different crowd than at a usual cycle trade show.

“We enjoyed hearing from a wide range of riders, from those new to adventure riding through to experienced explorers. The ‘campfire chats’ were a bonus, and certainly prompted some conversations with travellers who felt inspired by the interviews with MASON riders Josh Ibbett and Angus Young.”

Josh Ibbett and Angus Young were part of a line-up of adventure and endurance cyclists in attendance. Other guest speakers included Molly Weaver, Angèle Paty, Markus Stitz, Duncan Covey and Mark Beaumont. Mark Beaumont also recorded episodes for his Endurance Podcast live during the event.

Many of these speakers joined Liam Mercer of OffRoad.cc and journalist Emma Cole for ‘Round the Campfire’ discussions throughout the weekend.

Markus Stitz, a route designer and filmmaker, said “I loved the Adventure & Gravel Bike Expo, which was not only a great platform to speak on stage about adventures, but also to get directly in touch with people and exchange ideas. The range of exhibitors was really good and it was great to see familiar faces from the industry as well. As a show I’d highly recommend it.”

Clare Dewey, Founder of Epic Road Rides, said “Exhibiting at the Gravel & Adventure Bike Expo went very well for us. We had a steady stream of engaged and well-informed visitors actively looking for gravel, bikepacking and adventure-riding trips.”

www.adventureshow.com