Nakamura Allroad 250 Review: Is this gravel bike a budget-friendly find?

Let's review together the Nakamura Allroad 250. The crunch of grit under your tires, the peaceful natural environments far away from motorized traffic, the invigorating challenge of piloting your bike through tricky terrain… these are the reasons we love gravel riding. But gravel, despite its appeals, is not always accessible. If you come from a road cycling background, you will need a whole new bike to start exploring the backroads and forest tracks – either that or an extremely adaptable ‘allroad’ bike like the Trek Domane AL 2 that can be modified to contend with the additional technical challenges.

If you have been waiting to try out gravel riding but haven not yet found the right bike to start with, the Allroad 250 by Nakamura could be the one for you. Read on to discover more about this amazing value gravel bike. 

What kind of bike is the Nakamura Allroad 250?

Nakamura Allroad 250: Gravel bike or allroad misnomer?

The Allroad 250 is a slightly strange choice of name, because it looks and rides like a gravel bike, rather than an allroad bike. This latter term is typically used to indicate a road bike that is capable of a little bit of use on gentle, easy off-road surfaces – things like canal paths or very well-maintained hard-pack gravel. In reality, the Nakamura Allroad 250 is capable of much more than this. 

The predecessor of the Allroad 250 was called the Nakamura Century and it was a very popular bike among budget-conscious gravel cyclists. 

Is the Nakamura Allroad 250 worth its €1,200 price tag?

The bike costs €1,200 new, and is built around an aluminum frame, with a geometry that leans towards comfortable endurance riding, rather than anything too racy. If you are planning to race gravel, you are probably going to be looking at bikes in a higher price range than the Nakamura, anyway. If you do want to spend a little bit more, Nakamura is also in the process of launching a carbon fiber gravel bike called the Allroad Team, which benefits from SRAM Apex eTap AXS and should hit stores priced around €2,000. 

The designers of the Allroad 250 clearly had utility in mind, with multiple features that boost the bike’s versatility – so you could easily use it as a regular commuter bike, a bikepacking adventure wagon, or even a decent road bike.

What makes the Nakamura Allroad 250 a great bike?

There is a lot to like about this bike, which is sold through the European chain of sporting goods stores, Intersport. 

Impressive groupset

For a bike of this price, the fact that the Nakamura Allroad 250 comes equipped with Shimano GRX 400 is a huge mark in the ‘positive’ column. The groupset shifts crisply and with precision, operating a 2 x 10 range of gearing. In our experience, you might want to switch out the cassette for something with a few more teeth at the top end if you are doing a lot of steep climbing on loose gravel surfaces, but for rolling fast and on more steady ascents, it is more than capable enough. 

Slick, Mavic wheels

One of the big weaknesses that a lot of reviewers identified in the Allroad 250’s predecessor, the Century 250, was its wheels. Clearly, the folks at Nakamura were paying attention and have decided to level things up considerably with the addition of some really nice Mavic Ksyrium hoops. They roll fast, but are also durable enough to take a few dings along the trail 

Ready for adventure

We always like to see a gravel bike with a few mounting points for things like bags, pannier racks, extra water bottles and even a tool bottle – and the Nakamura Allroad 250 doesn’t disappoint. 

Downsides of the Nakamura Allroad 250 – things to consider before you buy

Make no mistake, the Allroad 250 is a cheap gravel bike, and with a very competitive price come a few caveats. 

Poor tires

The Chaoyang tires that come on the Allroad 250 are pretty basic. They should do fine on smaller, more manageable gravel in the summer, but when it gets rainier in the shoulder seasons they lose a lot of grip. You’ll also struggle with steep climbing on looser gravel surfaces, because again, they lack the all-action traction of a better-known tire brand. 

Aesthetics

The Nakamura Allroad 250 is only offered in one colourway, so if you don’t like green, you are out of luck. We also noticed that some of the welds on the frames are a little bit ugly. Really refined looking aluminum welding is an art form – for which you usually have to pay a bit extra. We have no reason to doubt the structural soundness of the frame or the overall safety of the bike.

Cockpit

In an ideal world, this bike would come with fully integrated cable routing from the stem backwards. Instead, the cables only enter the frame on the down tube. We’d also like to see a bigger flare on the handlebars – the stock bar only gives a tiny deviation from the straight bars you’d expect to see on a road bike. It feels more like a nod to gravel trends than an actual attempt to make the bike handle better.

Is the Nakamura Allroad 250 a good bike?

If you are looking to start exploring the fun world of gravel cycling, the Nakamura Allroad 250 can definitely support you on that adventure. For the price its marketed at, it is hard to look past – particularly given the high-quality components it has been spec’d with. 

When they tested it, TransitionVelo.com said: “While the tires will undoubtedly need to be changed, there is something good on the agenda at this price level, starting with a Shimano GRX 400 groupset.”

While the team at gravelpassion.fr said: “Already extremely well placed with the previous generation, Nakamura strikes even harder by transforming a weak point into a strong point (the wheels). In addition to the GRX transmission, it is therefore an unbeatable package currently on the market. And don’t let the name “Allroad” fool you, this bike is definitely a gravel bike!”

Going on to summarize it thus: 

“Ideal if you are starting the discipline on a “tight” budget, this bike could also be suitable if you want to equip yourself with a mule or a second bike for the winter.”

Is Nakamura a good bike brand?

Nakamura is in fact an in-house brand owned by the international sporting goods retail chain, Intersport. Intersport is a globally renowned company that has sponsored multiple editions of the Olympic Games in its 50+ year history. There can be a tendency among enthusiastic expert consumers to assume that all in-house brands are low-quality, and not serious competitors to the major specialists in their chosen sport. However, in the case of Nakamura, we have been quietly impressed with both their current entry-level gravel bike, the Allroad 250, and its predecessor, the Century. If Nakamura keeps producing good bikes at unbeatable price points, their international reputation will continue to climb. 

What is the best way to buy a gravel bike?

Low-cost, entry-level gravel bikes like the Nakamura Allroad 250 give riders a great way into the discipline without making a huge investment. Choosing a secondhand gravel bike can be another way of mitigating the cost of taking up off-road riding. You can read our guide on how to choose a gravel bike. At buycycle we believe in getting you the best bike for your money, with the most hassle free purchasing process and reliable, trustworthy processes that guarantee the bike you buy is the one you receive.