Father-and-son cycle manufacturer Vielo has scooped an international award for the best overall gravel and adventure bike after investing almost £750,000 in the brand development.
The Gateshead-based business, founded by Ian and Trevor Hughes in 2017, received the accolade from leading cycling publication, Road CC – which described the Vielo V+1 Race Edition as “an incredibly capable gravel bike that performs beautifully whether you’re on or off the beaten path.”.
Designed in the town, it was delivered by a global team of specialists including German engineers and Taiwanese Carbon Fibre experts. Aimed at dedicated adventure cyclists, prices start from £4,500.
Ian Hughes with the Vielo V+1 Race Edition has been named best overall Gravel & Adventure Bike of the Year 2024/25
Since committing nearly three-quarters of a million pounds investment, Vielo has secured additional funding to expand its operations and export its high-performance bikes across the globe.
Gravel biking is increasingly popular, offering an exciting blend of road and mountain biking. Gravel bikes typically feature a more relaxed geometry compared to road bikes, providing stability and comfort over long distances and varied terrain.
Vielo Managing Director Ian Hughes said: “The Vielo V+1 Race Edition was competing against major international brands, so for a small company from Gateshead to win the overall Gravel & Adventure Bike of the Year award is incredible. It’s a huge achievement and a proud moment for the whole team.
“In designing this lightweight bike, our goal was to create something truly unique – tailored to real-world riding conditions, built for versatility, designed around the user, and engineered to the very highest standards.
“The future for Vielo is incredibly exciting. We’ve navigated the highs and lows, investing in developing this bike and the business. We’re looking forward to a long-term sustainable future for the brand, allowing us to expand globally and push forward with an ambitious programme of design and development for new products in the years ahead.”
Talking about the award winning bike, Trevor Hughes added: “We chose to design the bike from carbon fibre because it’s a material we have a lot of experience with. It’s also a material that allows us to shape and form the frame into tubes and profiles that give it the ride characteristics we desire. Oval down tubes and flat curved seat stays for comfort but retaining stiffness where you need it most. It’s also known for being incredibly strong and lightweight.
“The Vielo V+1 goes where you want to go – road, gravel, mud tracks, wherever. ISO 4210 certification means it is tough and up for the job.”
In its award citation, Road CC said: “Gravel Bike of the Year 2024/25 is the Vielo V+1 Race Edition, an incredibly capable gravel bike that performs beautifully whether you’re on or off the beaten path. Straight out of the box, it’ll impress you with its agile and responsive feel, providing a fun ride whether you’re on dry trails or tackling muddy, challenging conditions. It has all the capabilities of an adventure bike, but with the performance, low weight and characteristics of a gravel racer.”