Phantom electric gravel bike tows a 17-foot canoe

A 17-foot canoe is an odd thing to tow behind a gravel bike. So when Velo, one of the biggest names in cycling media, pitched us a three-day trip with our Phantom X e-gravel bike doing the towing, we said yes before anyone could talk us out of it. 

We left the planning to Logan Nelson and Andrew Ford, who rode out of Bellingham, Washington, climbed gravel toward a lake, then packed the bikes into the canoe and paddled downriver.

The Phantom X is our electric gravel bike, built around an Avinox M2 drive (120Nm continuous, 125Nm on boost) and a 600Wh battery. The frame has mounting points for racks, mudguards, bottles and bikepacking bags, which is what made a load like this realistic.

Logan built the trailer himself from a child’s bike trailer and a few salvaged parts. Of the Phantom X he says, “It carries its extra weight well. It doesn’t feel cumbersome and is impressively stable at speed.”

If you want a gravel bike that does the daily ride and the odd silly idea, the Phantom X is where we’d start. The full story, with the build, the lake and the river, is on our global site.

Find out more about the Phantom e-gravel range or find you local velduro dealer here.