While it might have seemed like yet another gimmicky product, Gravaa’s pressure-adjusting hubs were raced to high-profile victories that demonstrated their usefulness in the right situations. In fact, Marianne Vos won the 2024 Gravel World Championships and her 14th World Championship Rainbow Jersey while using the system. Last year, Team Visma Lease-a-Bike raced the Gravaa hubs to another victory at Paris-Roubaix under Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.
We first reported on Gravaa’s innovative pressure-adjusting hubs back in 2021. The system, which became known as KAPS (Kinetic Air Pressure System), promised onboard, on-the-fly tire pressure adjustments via a unique hub design and handlebar-mounted controls, and seemed very promising. After all, we can think of plenty of times when it would be advantageous to adjust tire pressures without getting off the bike or even slowing down. The perceived performance benefits were backed up by those race-winning performances on the cobbled streets of Paris-Roubaix and the highly variable road surfaces of Gravel World Champs.
So, we were a bit surprised to hear that Gravaa recently filed for bankruptcy. Unfortunately, it seems that just because something is a good idea and performs as intended doesn’t mean it’s destined for commercial success. While the Gravaa system has enjoyed publicity from its partnership with Team Visma Lease-a-Bike, the aforementioned victories, and has been on the market and available to consumers, it sounds like sales volume wasn’t quite high enough to keep the brand afloat.
In a statement from Gravaa’s Commercial Director, John Zopfi, he said, “To truly scale, two critical elements remained: a full tubeless setup and a lower price point. The tubeless setup was planned for launch in Q1. The lower price could only be achieved through volume. To reach volume, we needed to scale up. To scale up, we needed capital and firm commitments from potential volume customers.”
That statement highlights one of the shortcomings of the Gravaa system: the lack of a commercially available tubeless-compatible system. We were told that one of the biggest issues with tubeless compatibility was keeping sealant from getting into the hub. Apparently, the membrane used to keep sealant out of the valve/hub worked but required regular cleaning for the system to function properly. While that might be tolerable for pros with team mechanics, that would not be ideal for everyday consumers. It sounds like Gravaa finally had the issue solved, but unfortunately, not quite soon enough to improve the brand’s financial situation.
And despite the fact that anyone running tubes or tubulars has been able to purchase complete wheelsets with Gravaa hubs, the price has been another barrier to entry. Complete road and gravel wheelsets with Reserve carbon rims cost €3.900 and rise to €4.400 with DT Swiss GRC500 rims. Even the most budget-friendly option, a limited-edition build with Handgespaakt rims, was going for €2.995. But as mentioned above, Gravaa was stuck in somewhat of a Catch-22 type of situation: they needed to scale to lower prices, but lowering prices was dependent on increasing volume, which required scaling, and so on…
So, is that the end of the Gravaa system? Maybe, but maybe not. “What happens next is still uncertain. A curator has been appointed and will assess whether parts of the company, technology, or brand may continue under new ownership,” said John Zopfi. “At this stage, I simply don’t know what that will look like or who will be involved.”
Given the performance benefits of Gravaa’s pressure adjustment system, we doubt it’s the last we’ll see of it, or at least something quite similar. We’ll keep you posted if we hear of any new developments.
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