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All good advice from vets. I will throw in one idea. For me, the biggest advancement in mtb is the 1x drive train. Makes more difference on a single track than almost anything. If you feel like spending some cash, I would convert to either Shimano or SRAM drivetrain. Many will may say it’s too much money to put in an inexpensive bike (which is probably true) but you can transfer this drivetrain to most bikes in the future (and there will be more). The performance change will rock your world and you’ll drop some weight.
just sayin’
Ok, here’s my 2 cents (or pence?): If you start to enjoy biking like most of us, your inexpensive bike will soon be inadequate and you will spend every dollar on more parts as most of us do. I now have $15,000 worth of bikes in my garage and just ordered some more parts today. It’s like an addiction. I would recommend you get a used bike online and then start saving for the real deal when you know what it is.
I will make you a great offer though. If you wish to come to the states I will sell you my almost new 2019 Giant Trance 2 for $1000, just to be a good neighbor. Depending on ticket prices, you may get close to your budget (except, uh, shipping costs). On second thought, I will ship it to you if you like.
Not a scam, BTW.
When I was a kid every bike was a gravel bike.
There is nothing more comfy than a XC bike with smooth tires for a gravel bike. However, the guys that race the 100 milers ride the dedicated gravel bikes. I assume they know what they’re doing. As Vapidoscar said above, pretty much everything I ever said “doesn’t matter” turned out to make a difference the more experience I got. The gravel bike puts the rider in a more aero position. Most accommodate luggage better than XC bikes. Probably starts to matter about mile 40. For me, I’ll still go with full suspension ride and two sets of tires, cuz nothing beats comfort.
The description above is pretty much off the ICAN website. There are some things worth mentioning about the frame. I am currently building up the frame using the components from my Salsa Beargrease; if you buy the whole bike this stuff may not be as important.
1. The frame is very heavy for carbon. I though it was aluminum when I first picked it up. The advertised weight seems low but I don’t have a scale.
2. The bottom bracket (tube) is 120 mm, Fat5. The wider cranks from SRAM will reach but you have to play with the spacers and the crank will be close to the chainstay. If you use spacers (on the BB) you will not get full purchase on the crank bolt. This also makes it tricky to set the chainline. You may need to get a different offset chainring. There are some cranks with longer spindles I’m sure but I’m trying to keep the Eagle NX (long version).
3. The frame I ordered from Amazon was advertised for 27.5 X 4.0 tires. With my 45N 27.5 X 4 the ice studs are rubbing. Barely fits this tire.
4. The factory puts lines through the frame to make it easy to thread cables. This actually works pretty well.
5. Overall I am pleased with the product but my bike building skills will be tested.
Hope this helps you out. Ride well.
Interesting set of questions indeed, as per above post. I take a lot of surveys in my field and I find that some are trying to tell me something rather than ask my opinion. Just sayin’.
I recently rebuilt my ’11 Specialized Stumpy 29. My favorite upgrade of all was definitely going from 3 x 9 to 1 x 10 gearing. I tried for a 1x 11 but the gear ratio was too wide. With an rear derailleur extension I was able to get 10 of them. If you buy a matched set the compatibility is better. Learn from my mistakes. Having only one chain ring up front changes the whole game on technical trails. Never look down again.
Z
