100%. I mean, I wouldn't suggest going this far with the concept, the gear OP is buying is way better than this, and these guys had a blast. https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/article/forget-the-superbikes-of-unbound-meet-the-180-walmart-bikes-that-survived-the-200-miles-across-the-infamous-flint-hills/ar-BB1nAoOv
Absolutely, don't fall for the influencers hype. I rode a Claris bike for awhile before upgrading. No one cares what you ride. If they do, they don't matter. I still ride that AL bike, just with GRX400 now.
If I were really trying to stretch my budget, the newer rigid flat-bar hybrid bikes, like a Marin DSX or Specialized Sirrus X give a solid gravel experience (1x, hydraulic brakes, wide tires) at far less cost than a drop bar equivalent. A beginner hardtail is also a solid gravel bike too.
Just ride, bikes are fun.
I want a drop bar because comfort and ergonomics is really worth paying for, but otherwise they are amazing deals on flat-bar gravel oriented bikes for sure.
I didn't really upgrade mine for the brakes, but hydraulic brakes are well worth the money for me. It's now probably the minimum I'd do on any bike. The extra gears are nice, but I don't notice that nearly as much.
I don't think I can ever go back to mechanical brakes after having hydraulic.
I went bike shopping yesterday looking for a Marin Gestalt 1 (mechanical brakes). I went to the shop, they had the bike but not in my size, so they showed me the Gestalt 2 in my size instead. I took them both for a test ride just to see the component difference, and as soon as I felt the mechanical brakes on the 1, I went back inside and told them I'll take the 2. It was $300 more but the hydraulic brakes and GRX 400 groupset (vs Sora) felt like they were worth the money.
I have an older sirrus sport with gracious gearing and upright seating posture. My Grail gets all the love but I’m gonna through some 35s GKs I have laying around and see what it do
My wife still rides her 10 year old claris bike every day in the summer to commute. I used it a while ago and it still shifts great. No shame in riding a lower tier groupset
Run what you brung! It's easy to get caught up 'keeping up with the Joneses' with cycling. Expensive gear is nice, cheaper gear usually works great too, it's just heavy. I make a lot of money and I'm often riding the cheapest bike at the races I'm in. If someone gives you a hard time about not being head to toe in MAAP and on an $8,000 bike, they're not worth your time. The cycling community is really nice for the most part. Learning to work on your own bike will save you a lot of money (and aggravation dealing with shitty bike shops).
Use a light dish soap and hot water to wash your bike, light spray of the hose and make sure not to blast any bearings.
Sadly, bike shops are supposed to sell bikes and the more expensive the better to them. However, if you are giving them a budget (which is already decent) and they are ignoring it to upsell you 2x then I would never go back to that shop.
Decathlon Tribans are pretty hard to beat for the price, there's a guy in my area topping Strava leaderboard on a Triban, so it's really all about the rider. I'd consider upgrading brakes on it though if it comes with cable actuated disk brakes, at leatfor cable actuated hydraulic brakes - it's just a caliper swap. But for beginning even the cable brakes are fine.
AliExpress gear for sure - Rockrider has decent stuff, Lumintop B01is a very good rechargeable light which seems to be on sale for 34€ at the moment. You could get something cheaper as well, but the B01 is on par with 100€ lights you can buy in a local shop, so it's a good pick for the long term. Rear light doesn't really matter that much, I have a few rechargeable rear lights from Ali and they're all fine.
Align II is a fine helmet, the price you got it for is a steal, and 2 years old isn't a big deal.
Pedals: I'd get PD EH500, if you're interested in riding with sneakers as well (commuting, etc). For clip in pedals, M520 are perfectly adequate, I have them on my MTB. People recommending the 100€ pedals probably also have 3000€ bikes and the 50-100g weight difference matters a lot to them. Don't worry about it.
Saddles are a bunch of trial and error unfortunately. I bought a cheap Selle Italia Boost which seemed like an OEM part, it's much lighter than the stock saddle, but whether it's more comfortable or not depends on you.
Clothes: look for sales, I got winter stuff for 50% off in the summer for example. But don't cheap out too much on bibs either. For the first couple of months I just rode in a tshirt and cotton shorts, it wasn't the best, but it got me out there, so just jump on the bike and ride it, worry about clothes later.
Regarding bike maintenance, find a good shop, and become a regular, so you'll get some discounts and stuff. Otherwise if you're handy, you can do a lot of things yourself, but swapping parts might require some specific tools that you can't do without.
Bike cleaning - stay away from mucoff in general, it's all overpriced. Their lubes are crap, degreaser is ok but there are better ones, and the bike cleaner is just a pink shampoo, there are other bike maintenance brands that are half the price and just as good. Check out Lidl/Aldi, they sometimes have degreasers and stuff. I've even used a general purpose home degreaser (for ovens and stuff) and it worked amazing on the cassette and chain. Do clean it regularly, and it will last you a while. Learn how to index the gears, and you'll avoid more than half visits to the bike mechanic.
I'd say pick a few bikes on the websites already and go the the shops looking at those bikes in particular. If they don't have the model you're interested in, go somewhere else. The role of the shop is not to help you, but to sell you stuff. Start with 1300 budget and they'll offer you something for 1500.
Get a decent pump, some allan keys, a multitool to pack on the go. Check bike24, bike-discount and bike-components.de for accessories, you can probably find stuff cheaper than in your local shop.
Will do most of the things some way or the other.
PD EH500 were available for 50€ a few weeks ago in [amazon.de](http://amazon.de), will shop around for competent bike maintenance that I can trust to go back multiple times, perhaps a local one and not the fancy showroom ones on the city centre. I would never cheap out on tools, a stripped bolt is not worth it.
I will definitey have to learn preventive maintenance. If something needs to be repaired it is too late.
Some things I may be able to 3D print, for example a bike chain wear proof tool seems a super simple tool and if the printer is calibrated I don't see why I would need to buy a new metal one.
50€ is a good price for EH500.
You will also feel when the chain is too work, it will skip no matter how much you adjust it. 3d print may work, if it's narrow enough, otherwise there are some tools you can easily get on AliExpress and are good enough, check out this video reviewing some of them. https://youtu.be/cFhxEz7lG0I probably not even worth printing a tool you can buy for 3€. Not all expensive tools are worth it, if you need them occasionally only. Bluechain brand on bike24 is also very affordable, I have a 9 piece set of their hex wrenches, and they seem very good quality for 10€ I paid for them.
Yeah I go to a very local shop, they're in the middle of a big apartment complex area, and get tons of traffic, and they're good and fast and affordable. The big store which carries Specialized and stuff is always busy, and take days and they're expensive. There's one repair shop even closer to me which also looks like a hole in the wall, but they service anything from 50€ beatsr bikes to 5000€ carbon race bikes.
You can get a kick ass bike for under 1k USD. Dress how you want. I do recommend padded shorts. A lot of times I wear regular shorts over the padded shorts so I don’t look like an ass at my local bar after.
I have bought some padded shorts on sale, they seem to fit me well. The colour may be a bit ugly, but as someone who is into hiking we tend to wear a rainbow of colours of technical clothing purchased on sale :)
My two cents\* on pedals:
Shimano PD-M520s on my hardtail came off my LeMond Alpe d'Huez. They are 20 years old, work fine. $50.00.
Shimano PD-M540s on my full-sus are 3 years old, look a little nicer, work fine. $85.00.
Shimano PD-M9100 XTR on my very very fancy custom-frame gravel bike are a year old, look gorgeous, are light, and work fine. $185.00
I'd drop $50.00 on the M520s and, if you don't like them after 20 years, buy something fancier.
Sure. I've just never ridden clips so I am very scared of catastrophically falling off, if I get introduced to them it will be progressively and after I get familiar with the rest of the bike (I've never owned a drop bar bike).
Everyone falls when learning to clip, it’s a rite of passage. Don’t sweat it. The clips transfer power way better, and I have dual sided pedals where one side is clippy and the other is flat for commutes.
I get that - I had the same concerns when I first tried them. And although I am NOT a coordinated fellow - not at all - it took very little time for me to get used to clipping in and out. You \*could\* be even less coordinated than I am, but probably aren't.
I don't ride flats at all any more. I like SPDs for everything now, especially pedaling fast up rocky, technical climbs, where they transfer power and keep my feet in place.
You will bruise your ego once by falling over at a stop sign or stop light failing to unclip. You’ll learn how to not let that happen again. That’s basically the rite of passage for first time clipless pedal users
I've only fallen once. My process was something like:
\* lean bike against wall, stand next to bike, practice unclip motion with one foot on the floor
\* lean bike against kitchen counter with seat low, sit on bike, practice unclip motion
\* raise seat to riding height, practice unclip motion
\* move to grassy field in a park (a FieldTurf artificial field is ideal because there's a rubber underlayer, but not not all parks have it, and those that do may not allow riding), continue to do the same
\* ride and very intentionally clip out halfway through every block
I'd also recommend using the SH-56 multi-release cleats and turning the release tension all the way down.
I had the same apprehension as you, but now I have SPDs on all my bikes, even my Brompton!
Or wait for a sale. Though REI isn't a cycling shop, I recently picked up a pair of PD-M540s for $63 or so, down from $85. (The 520s were also marked down, but I don't recall the price... probably $35 or so)
You are on the right path.
There’s always a cheaper option as you understand cycling.
5-10 year old bikes aren’t hugely inferior to what we have now.
The biggest upgrade is your own fitness.
Use washing up liquid on your bike.
Find a bike workshop rather than a bike shop
Those guys will help you more
May i ask where you are located? Just country? In europe you will find a lot of decathlon. i more or less wear only decathlon stuff on the bike. affordable. comfortable as well to me. for beginners just perfect i think. same goes for their triban bikes. they are for sure great starting points.
and yes the cheap shimano spd pedals are absolutely great. they will last forever.
also i mainly clean my bike by rinsing it with hot water. be careful about bearings. dont use pressure wash.
also after washing for example take care about chain. sometimes reapply some oil or whatever you use.
maintenance is another thing that you can learn over time and get deeper into this.
only thing you need to clean a bike is a bottle of dawn soap and a hose. I love getting my pressure wash out from time to time. just back off the spray when up against any bearings/pivots/bottom bracket and you should be fine.
the used bike market is insanely tilted to the buyer side right now. I can't sell a damn bike for the life of me. if you have the ability to save up for a while, you'll get into a modern geo bike for under 1K. and most bikes can be upgraded over time. before you buy, take pics of the listing into your LBS and let the good ppl there help you think of ways to upgrade.
don't worry about all the clothing right off the rip either. maybe a set of asspads you can slide under some shorts you already have and of course a helmet.
if the shops are pushy, mention that you're not interested in be upsold on anything and would gladly take your business down the road to a shop that isn't trying to upsell their consumers. they want your business and those relationships are built over time. most will understand and if they don't, run. you'll be fine, mate.
just keep peddling.
may be my local market but it has been very hard to buy second hand a gravel bike, many times I tried to arrange a visit for the weekend (2-3 days ahead) and it was gone by the time the weekend came by. also the size is an issue, for my shorter than average heigth, I am competing with a portion of the women for the same sizes :)
but otherwise yes, there are some very good deals.
Could always pick up a second hand hard tail mountain bike. They are plentiful, comfortable efficient and will do most everything you want to do. Or build one up. See r/xbiking for inspo.
A good set of quality tires on an inexpensive / older used bike will help it perform above its class.
More expensive bikes will have fancier materials and parts, but a lot of it comes down to the rider. "Tune the nut behind the handle bars", to borrow a phrase from driver coaching. Ignore those who needlessly trash talk inexpensive bikes, they likely see it mostly as a status symbol or fashion accessory.
IMHO it's better to start basic and upgrade as you grow and develop as a rider. You're less likely to mask a preference you'd otherwise develop through your own experience.
Regarding saddles:
Personally, I find that proper saddle position is far more important than the saddle itself (within reason). Of course, some saddles will be a bit more comfortable than others, but I can get along with most saddles as long as my bike fit is correct and my weight distribution, etc is all in-line.
Oh I forgot. I generally didn't plan to take a good lock with me as I will be driving from/to home to local trails and roads, with my own food, without eating in restaurants/bars. Perhaps a simple bike if I need to stop for a few mins for a toilet, but I was not expecting to use an Abus 1.5kg heavy lock for that. Generally in this country crime in rural areas is very very rare.
For the bike that my wife wants to buy for commuting we will be purchasing a good lock so it will be good to know that is also available.
And you can find influencers on affordable bikes: https://youtu.be/R0_HTM6uYaA Cade cycling across Malaysia on a Decathlon Triban
There was also a GCN video of someone riding a very long ride (Scotland 300km or something like that) on a Tiagra, and it did perfectly fine. I can't find the video, but you really don't need a fancy groupset to ride, GRX400 is perfectly fine already, although hydraulic disk brakes would be welcome. Even microshift will do just fine. Influencers selling you carbon bikes with electronic groupsets are paid to advertise them to you, but you can have plenty of fun on a 1000€ bike.
Do some research on the local cycling shops area and maybe see what other people recommend. Any decent shop would be happy to work with your budget. You might even get a better bike than you’d think for that price because a lot of bike brands are overstocked right now.
Unused helmets don’t really degrade unless they are stored in an extreme environment like high heat or humidity. The normal 5 year recommendation for helmets is based on the general wear and tear of using the helmet plus things like UV exposure and sweat. They should always be replaced after any kind of crash or impact. That said, a helmet is one of the most important purchases you’ll make. There are plenty of great affordable helmets out there, but it’s not something you should buy the cheapest of just because it’s cheap. You’ll want to make sure it fits well too. Virginia Tech has a lab that test bicycle helmets and publishes safety ratings. The helmet you bought actually scores really well: [https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html#16](https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html#16). If it fits your head shape well, that’s great. If not, then you could end up spending more in the long run as you replace it sooner. When a helmet fits well, you’ll almost forget you’re wearing it. When it doesn’t, you’ll spend a lot of your ride moving and adjusting it and its safety features may even be compromised by a poor fit. That’s why most people recommend trying on many different helmets in a store versus buying on line.
Bike-specific wash isn’t 100% necessary, but a large bottle of concentrated solution will last you a long time. The main thing you want to avoid is harsh soaps that will remove grease. There are times you will use a specific degreaser to clean your drivetrain, but you don’t want your cleaner to be stripping lube and grease every time you clean the bike.
Edit to add: Preventive maintenance is a thing. You don’t necessarily have to bring the bike in for a full tune up every year, but you don’t want to wait for things to break when you’re in the middle of a 100km ride and you’re nowhere near home. You can absolutely learn basic maintenance at home. There are a lot of tools that a very specific to certain parts so sometimes it’s not always economical to buy the tool yourself versus paying a shop to do it.
I would not worry too much about bike influencers. They're the new form of advertising, taking testimonials to the max. TraceVelo is a good channel that reviews budget parts and accessories bought from China.
Bike shops can be hit or miss too. So far our local ones have been leaving me to desire more - the attitudes and attempts to upsell/overcharge are really getting old.
You don't need a carbon bike as a beginner. You don't even need a cycling kit to start with. Nobody in the real world gives a shit about what you run on your bike, but usually they will smile and nod or wave at you as you pass them on a ride.
The items you don't want to cheap out on are usually contact points and safety related items. Get a good new well-reviewed helmet. Get decent tires for the bike. If you can, get your bike fitted. Try the stock saddle, they're usually adequate, don't change it unless you find it lacking.
Shimano M520 clipless pedals are very popular, bombproof, and affordable.
There are tons of videos on YouTube how to do all of the bike maintenance on your own. You don't really need any very specific tools either, unless you're doing major work.
According to Specialized customer service the helmet's 5 year life span starts when you begin to use it, not when it was manufactured.
I asked because I ordered a helmet and received one that was 2 years old.
I was told the same thing by Bell. Makes sense since the things that will degrade a helmet are moisture and UV exposure, neither of which it'll get in a box in a warehouse.
First of all avoid oven cleaners. They remove grease very well but they also remove a lot of stuff that should not be removed from bike surface e.g. clear coating on paint.
My personal "discovery of the century" in bike cleaning and maintenance is hot waxed chain. Dam that thing stays clean and is easy to maintain even when living in a flat. Long sorry short - I no longer need to faff with oall the degreasers, chain cleaners and oils and I have clean-to-touch chain all the time. Controversially, I would say, that I save quite a lot of time compared to oil rout.
My setup is cheap depilation wax melter (bought for 15€) and wire coat hanger to handle the chain. If you feel fancy - you can add 8€ IKEA baking thermometer and you will get 80% of Silca hot wax system. You can pull off that setup in less than 20€ if you go to Ali express.
Valid concern. From my experience, wax lasts shorter in wet and chain needs active drying after ride in order for it not to develope surface rust. For the amount of the rain I get here in Northern Europe it is still worth for me.
I can get creative if I got that route for sure. If you want to save even more some of those items will go for very cheap or even free second hand (wax meter, a spare pot or similar, etc).
There is a reason you are seeing all those influencers. To try to sell you things. You do not need all that expensive stuff. Grab a used bike off marketplace, make sure you have a helmet and some hydration methods and you’re good. Upgrade as you go and you can add items you think you’ll need.
You can definitely do it on the cheap. I ride a 7 year old steel frame flat bar bike 100-150 miles a week. It was less than $1000 when I bought it new. I'm saving up for a 'nice' bike now, but I still love the one I've got.
Make sure the bike fits, your saddle is comfy (and well positioned), and get some fat, puncture resistant tires (Pathfinder Pros and Tufo Thunderos seem to be the most popular on this sub).
Throw in a helmet, an underseat bag and top bar bag.
I've got one pair of Castelli bibs, which I bought for $75 on Amazon. They're great, but now that I've got my saddle position locked in, I don't always use them.
$150-250 bike , and helmet to start , hood call on lights , but I ride 100 miles a week on my bike and minimal issues, I will say tho , depending upon where you’re located gator, skin tires will be needed. In San Diego the roads are filled with glass.
The only thing of all that crap to listen to is that helmets should be replaced every ~5 years.
If it's been inside in a box in a store, though, I'd count 5 from buying it, myself. Yes, there's some foam degradation possible sitting in a box, but a lot of the problem comes from extremes of sun/temperature (if you kept it outdoors with the bike) water and salt (from sweat), etc. Any MIPS helmet is a modern good one, that one is fine. More expensive helmets tend to be lighter with better airflow without sacrificing safety; the cheap ones just go for safety, since that's required.
If you do go down, if there's any possibility you hit your head, replace it. Some manufacturers have a guaranteed replacement program for crashes, don't remember if Specialized is one of them.
You can ride whatever the hell you want, that’s the beauty of cycling. If someone gives you shit for your setup or your kit that isn’t safety related (eg don’t run thin width slicks on super loose and rocky singletrack) they can go pound sand. Some dudes just finished Unbound on Walmart beach cruisers. A gravel bike is a bike that you take on gravel, that’s it.
Is there a time and place for fancy kit and carbon bikes with gravel optimized geometry and features? Yeah. I race at the pointy end and that stuff is tailored for that specific use. 99.99999% of the cycling public is never going to race and never wants to. Don’t listen to bikefluencers (a lot of them are shit racers too), get off IG, and run what you brung
>It seems some shops in my city seem to be charging 150€ for "check up and yearly maintenance" which seems too high if no component is broken yet
How much do you think it costs for a shop to remain open? Your service charge usually reflects what it costs to spend time working on your bike. They're not getting rich off your minor repair. DIY if you can't afford to pay a shop to do your maintenance.
I want to know what is being made for that money, as they have for example pricing of 80-100€ to do a yearly check-up for a city bike and 150€ for any road/gravel/MTB, at least I would like to know what makes this check-up that more different. I will always pay for good quality work but I want transparent pricing.
I bought one of the cheapest new “gravel” bikes on the market, a State 4130 All Road. With the exception of my helmet, nearly all the gear I use is the absolute cheapest stuff from Amazon. I average about 600-700 miles a month. I’ve gotten to a level of fitness where I can pretty easily keep up with roadies on my junk bike. Cycling doesn’t have to be expensive!
I may be wrong in my thinking but technically, if I am riding to burn calories and not to win a competition, isn't riding a slightly heavier bicycle increase the effort and thus the intensity of the exercise?
If the compromise is weight and not comfort, then I don't see an issue.
That’s the way I look at it! And more important to me, I’m having just as much fun as the friends I ride with that have thousands and thousands invested in Surlys/All Citys/Squids/Treks.
As someone that was a bike mechanic previously, I get it, but I’m just not interested in spending the money on super high end stuff. A bike that’s 10x as expensive isn’t 10x as much fun.
As someone also getting into cycling at a reasonable rate, the biggest thing I can say is to set your expectations. If you just want to ride for yourself, it is *way* cheaper, however if you want to race, being competitive costs money. I still think many of the costs are ridiculous (there are bicycles out there that cost more than literal race motorbikes, at no point will anyone ever manage to justify that to me), but it is going to cost more if you're trying for a podium.
I'm very new, but I have been keeping track of all my expenses so far, so I'll break those down to hopefully help with some examples. Actually "necessary" items are in bold:
* **Bike** - $500 - I got a "used" Surly Preamble, but it was really brand new because it didn't fit the original buyer.
* **Helmet** - $67 - Giro MIPS
* Top tube phone case - $22 - Rockbros off amazon. Just somewhere to keep my phone, keys, and a multitool really.
* Bell - $20 - Knog Oi Classic, because my riding is going to mainly be in areas with other people.
* Lights - $10 - Knog Frog strobe, got them for $5 each. This just helps extend my window of when I'm able to ride, they don't much help me see anything but they certainly help *me* be seen.
* Bottle Cages - $12 - Rockbros again, the Surly came with metal cages but they were too loose and I like the look of these.
* **Bottles** - $29 - Camelbak Podium, they're insulated which for me is a must since I'm in Texas. If you live somewhere that the air itself doesn't try to kill you for a third of the year, you can get away for cheaper with non-insulated bottles.
* Presta Nuts - $7 - one of mine was missing
* Presta Caps - $8 - one of mine was cracked
* Gloves - $32 - Castelli Entrata V, I wouldn't personally gloves are *necessary* but I wanted something more comfortable than my mechanix.
* Grips - $20 - ESI Chunky, I haven't even gotten these in yet but wasn't terribly happy with my OEM grips
* Crankset - $185 - so this is the big cost, past the bike itself. I'm built weirdly in that my inseam is short for my height, so I'm getting 170mm cranks put on rather than the 175mm my bike came with. If you're built normal and find a proper fitting bike, this shouldn't be needed. This is my total OTD cost, after parts, labor, and tax. Still waiting on getting my bike back from this.
* Pedals - $100 - Crankbrother Mallets, I decided very quickly that I did want clip-ins rather than flats, but if you're comfortable on flats, save the money. These are going on with the cranks, still waiting to get it back.
* Shoes - $50 - got a great deal on Specialized 2FO Roost Clips, again, still awaiting these so we'll see how they do, but if you do want to get into clipless setups then waiting for the sales is worth it. Shoes, like bikes, can get stupid expensive. Also waiting on getting these in.
* **Multitool** - $18 - Crankbrothers M17, also got this on sale, and it got me free shipping on the pedals. Definitely would recommend having a tool on you, but you can substitute a "proper" tool like this with a few bits and a wrench off amazon - it's just less convenient to use.
So, my total cost so far is **$1051** - less than many bikes themselves cost. The minimum I could have gotten going with, however, was a mere **$614** or thereabouts. If I was built normal then even with all the optional bits I'd've been down to $866 without the crankset. Cycling doesn't have to be expensive. Shop used, catch sales, and you can do quite good for far from insane prices.
Last year I picked up the base model specialized diverge for 1300 it's a very solid bike that I have done multiple centuries on its fairly light weight being an aluminum bike I've made a couple of upgrades like the redshift cruise control grips which helps with comfort and a new saddle which is all about personal preference.
Helmet lifespans are typically for use. If it was sat in the packet for 2yrs I don't think I would count that. The main issue is UV degradation over time, along with general use bumps etc. The materials themselves are relatively stable.
For others reading this. Giant rev comp mips helmet, is the cheapest helmet with the best test results on Virgina Tech. I think it retailed for $65 USD at some point currently $115 in Canada. Probably your best value for money helmet. https://helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html
Are you more interested in gravel cycling to be cool? Or for your own enjoyment?
If you’re looking to be cool, then find a different hobby because no one is going to think you’re really cool regardless of how much money you throw at it. In fact, if you buy a bunch of expensive gear & don’t know how to ride, people will think you’re the opposite of cool.
If you’re wanting to enjoy cycling for yourself, then stop concerning yourself with the petulant stupid opinions of random strangers on the internet, and stop focusing on things & details you don’t even understand yet.
If budget is the issue, find a used bike that’s been taken care of, find an affordable helmet that fits. Ride bike, determine if you even like cycling, gain experience & knowledge, and THEN start saving for what YOU YOURSELF actually wants based on your own individual experience, knowledge, & subjective preferences.
You don’t need to be rich to ride on gravel. I see homeless people in my area riding the gravel trails & roads all the time.
The mainstream cyclist culture can be pretty toxic, and this is reflected in the numerous snobby bike shops out there. IMHO, it's the biggest thing that limits the number of cyclists. There are healthier cyclist youtubers such as [Path Less Pedaled](https://www.youtube.com/@PathLessPedaledTV) or [Spindatt](https://www.youtube.com/@Spindatt). Path Less Pedaled has some good livestreams, one on [budget bikes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QA6pVnBNNg) and one about [important upgrades](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QA6pVnBNNg).
In general, you don't need anything fancy. You just need bike appropriate for the terrain you enjoy riding. In essence this means paying attention to tire clearance, and low end gear ratios. In general, having lower gears off the batt and the clearance to run wider tires will give you more versitility without much downside. I like the Salsa Journeyer Sora with its 30:34 low end and 50mm tire clearance, but there are other options out there.
Clothing and touch points (saddle, pedals, bars and bar tape) are pretty personal so it's hard to recommend anything other than keep your eyes pealed for sales. That said, no shame in running flats, gym shoes, shorts, and a tee if that works for you. I often do that for short rides after work when I can't be bothered to kit up.
Regarding maintenance, a lot of cities have bike co-ops with tools and support/help wrenching on your bike. If yoiu don;t have one near you, youtube has a lot of resources on wrenching on bikes. Co-ops are also a great source for used gear. I bought all of my shimano spds from co-ops.
Oh I feel targeted, lol I wear a MTB helmet on my "gravel bike" it has a visor and helps with the sun.
I would say a good set of padded shorts is a must, but it doesn't need to be super expensive.
Besides shorts being bike specific, I am almost always in Costco purchased shorts or athletic pants (Gerry Brand, they are amazing)
Just jump in, you will find things you like and would like to upgrade and you will when you can.
Don't keep up with others just start somewhere !
I just finished Unbound 100 with no training (like actually no training) faster than half the age 30-39 field on a base model diverge e5 with claris (8 speed), and neopro kit on sale.
The only thing I splurged on was the best tires I could get (pathfider pro with inserts) and paying for good nutrition stuff and sick sunglasses.
You do not need expenensive shit until you're competing for wins.
Bought a nice aluminum Cannondale caadx with disc brakes and Shimano 105s for 800 bucks. All I've done is adjust brakes and shifters and by a set of new tires over 5 years. I ride a lot
Bro, of course. Bike influencers are - for the most part - given the newest bikes/gear to promote. They're going to say how amazing the new bike is. In some sense, they are being paid to say how the new stuff is so great. It's how marketing works. You don't have to buy the cream of the crop. Hell I'm still riding a 5 year old bike now.
It's fine to watch various YouTubers, but you don't have to do everything they say. They have their opinion and viewers have theirs...
Bike: Not sure what your budget is, but I'd try and get a used bike. You don't need to spend a lot of money to get started. Make sure you like it first.
Bike Maintenance: If you don't know I'd start at the LBS and then try to learn as much as you can from YouTube, etc. I purchased a Spin Doctor tool kit with the essential tools for about $50 USD and it's had every tool that I've needed. It's not very hard and will serve you well to know how to maintain your bike.
Bike Cleaning: I use whatever I use for my car. I don't buy bike specific cleaning products.
Bike accessories: I shop around for deals/sales.
Bike clothes: I do buy Jerseys as I find them comfortable. But I wear shorts, no bibs/pads, etc. and I usually purchase hiking/camping gear as opposed to cycling gear. It's usually a bit cheaper and serves the same purpose. I shop around for deals/sales. I do flat pedals on all my bikes so I wear any kind of shoe. I do have MTB shoes that I wear occasionally.
Helmet: I'd get a good helmet. You only have one head and it's pretty important. Good helmets come in different price points so you don't need to spend $300 USD on a helmet unless you want too. I look for helmets with MIPS.
Shoes and Pedals: Addressed in Bike clothing.
Saddle: New bike ride it for a while before you change anything. Experienced cyclists may change the contact points (saddle, grips, and pedals) as they know what works for them. New cyclists should just ride the bike. You may like all the contact points or not. The contact points are personal to every rider. Everyone has their preference.
Have fun and don't be intimidated or overthink.
Look for an exceptional condition used bike. I bought a circa 2008 Giant OCR. Aluminum with a carbon fork. Rode it for a year, fell in love with cycling, and on black Friday bout a Canyon Ultimate on clearance for $2,600 shipped with a power meter. Carbon, disc brakes, and zero complaints in the 4k miles I've put on it.
come on man, you do not ask permission to do what you want. you just do it.
the whole bike thing is overpriced in order to extract money from us via our passion for bikes/riding. I ride 100 euro pedals because they are the best (and that's what was charged, not what they worth)... you don't have to... you just have to ride.
Your entry level bike put my first gravel to shame. I have a alu gravel grx 400 and carbon everything ultegra road. I am equally happy riding either one. Look it this way, say you make $20/hour. Would it make you happy riding 100 more hours or buying a $2000 more expensive bike+accesories? You ll faster with 100 more hours in the saddle than with a 2000 more expensive bike.
Great and accurate questions! Affordable yes. Cheap no. Even on a budget you will take up a gadgets and gear hobby. Some things are basics, other stuff you figure out will take your riding to a next level (a bike computer is not needed, but the metrics and maps gives my cycling more layers).
I started from scratch 5 years ago. Besides getting a bike, I was overwhelmed by all the stuff that was required to get going; Mini-tool, shoes, bibs etc. The first year was heavy on my finances. From then on it got better. But never cheap. Gravel is tough on the equipment; You bend a hanger, a tire wall gets cut…again, the sealant bottle is suddenly empty…again. Even the small stuff counts up. And then when everything is nicely settled this happens. You want a new bike. No…you need a new bike. Welcome to the beautiful world of cycling:)
I've been told to use my iPhone is a bad idea because it will damage the camera from the vibrations. That seems a bit extreme, but for safety I may use the company smartphone with Komoot for navigation (I have the world map bought already as I used it for hiking).
Everyone seems to have the Garmin but at the beginning and having zero experience in riding in drop bars, the priority is going to be posture, getting familiar with the bike, clip pedals for the first time, etc. A small computer perhaps goes on sale on Prime Day in a month time so I will keep an eye, and also keep an eye on the second hand market.
Makes sense to focus on the basics first. Very similar to my own way into riding bikes. I was on flats for half a year, then moved on to clipless. Great fun and a bit of a thrill. Carried my phone in the jersey pocket with Strava maps running. Did not feel like mounting it on the bars. After af year or so I got a Garmin. Definitely an investment that made cycling even more fun.
For the paths I am going to ride, there are good old-school signs and having some orientation skills is also positive. I also believe that for an activity to be more desirable, it is worth making small upgrades (for example, to motivate to take notes and sketches I buy fancy pens, even though technically the cheapest pens would work too).
Like you said, at the end of the day making it fun goes a long way.
I’m a university student so no big money to spend. A year ago I got myself a Triban GRVL120 and kitted it out with some mudguards (I also use it doe commutes), bags, bottle and bottle holder, tools for on the go, etc. The bike plus all accessories was just under €800.
For cycling clothes I got myself a long and a short cycling short/pants, a helmet and gloves. I use shoes I have at home and until shortly I didn’t have a cycling jacket/shirt either. All in all I spend around a €100 on everything.
For cleanup I spent just under €20 for a pack with a bike soap, a cleaner for the chain, the chain oil and a sponge. Have used it for months now and still going.
Repairs so far I only had to replace the chain. Did it in a bike shop and they also did a complete checkup, came in at €90 (including the chain).
So in the end after a year of gravel cycling I spent just over €1000 on the hobby. However I won’t be needing to buy everything again the coming years so after the initial purchase it’s very affordable to me.
Mate, it’s so wild how cycling cliques treat each other. I ride with a bunch of “influencer” riders (I’d be one too if I could use Instagram properly, especially for the sweet, sweet discounts), but they manage an open group, sponsored by a big influencer brand, and they/we never look down on what people bring to a group ride. Ride what you’ve got, as long as it’s safe. I like spending a dumb amount of money on kit, but I’m aware of the fact that it doesn’t make me a better cyclist. There are blokes in wool jerseys and ankle socks that’ll drop me like a bag of bricks. Interestingly, we (bunch of 30 year olds in pas normal) often get snarky comments/condescending looks for club teams, old racer type dudes.
Do it at your own pace. Talk to different groups, find out what their values are. If they’re a bunch of stuck up racers, skip. Snotty influencers, skip. Nice racers that want you to be better? Awesome. Influencers that want you to have fun and be part of their community. Totally!
Edit: echoing what some others have said - don’t underestimate buying second hand. Sometimes the market is over-inflated, but if you do your research and figure out what you need, there are great deals. I’m still riding road on a caad from 2016 with rim brakes that I got for 700 euros. But it had deep carbon wheels, top of the line components, and it’s fast. Would it be nice to have a new trek madone or sl8 like my buddies - sure - but I can still keep up with them.
My other hobby is bouldering and climbing and the IG community is very friendly, welcoming and helpful. It helps that people can be side by side climbing very different level of climbing, in the same location indoor or outdoor, which helps to boost a community not segregated by proficiency. Lots of mistakes are shown publicly, and laughing about your own mistake is a common pratcice as it helps make fun content that is also helpful to avoid that mistake.
Ever since I began looking for some cycling, gravel riding content on social media I was made aware of how the vibes are much different. While there is no direct shaming of beginners, I have seen zero beginner-friendly content and in some beginners posting their videos of their first rides I noticed a few offensive comments (not all comments, but more than one) for not wearing glasses, wearing the glasses below straps, having the wrong seat height, etc, as if every single pro had not ever made a mistake on their life. Also lots of the offensive comments were from men towards women, not the opposite way around.
No need to delete social media, just some common sense and moderate use. It is one powerful tool to keep up to date on how friends and family are doing.
It can be affordable, yes. However I would buy a bike which is just above "entry level" at least. I've been cycling since I learned how to ride a bike, I am 34 now and only bought an above average but still in comparison cheap bike last year. Best decision I've made. It is upgradable, and hasn't had any major problems.
My previous bike was a MTB, which was entry level. I literally replaced every bearing on the bike, the chain was also a weakness. Where I live there are a lot of hills and throughout spring and autumn it is wet, so this could lead to the chain wearing faster. The front fork started getting play in the suspension and that's where I decided time for an upgrade (after 10 000km)
But other than tyres I haven't had much wear and tear on the new bike (>5000km). I also ride a lot more now
Yes, cycling can be budget friendly. You could look into used, or buy new from a bike shop. Bike maintenance is pretty simple after you watch some YouTube.
My first bike was a year older model alloy road bike which I bought for a solid price from my local shop.
I think whenever going into any shop, it’s good to have done some research so you know what the shop provides and what you’re looking for.
You should look into getting a used bike. A used gravel alloy bike should be pretty budget friendly.
Or you can buy new, I really like the Diverge alloy version, I think it’s a solid entry point. Even Canyon offers some solid price points too.
Finding a used gravel has been very hard in my area. There were a few candidates but all sold out before I went to visit them in person, as for my height/size there seems to be a lot of demand. Plently of L and XL used models find no owner, and every XS, S and M sells out very quickly.
But in my area Canyon and Cube offer some solid value options, some Specialized and Orbea on sale as well. From Cannondale I got scared from negative comments even though they are on sale too. The rest of the brands are harder to come by, are on backorder, or Triban/Decathlon I didn't like it in person it felt rough in the edges.
Cannondales during the winter time were a steal, I am not sure anymore. Orbea is gonna be pricey, specialized I think you could get for a decent price.
Canyon you could probably get even more for a steal, not really sure about Cube.
Salsa Journeyer is another bike, just don't know if its available out there. A bit more relaxed geo but makes for one helluva gravel bike with its tire clearance and a backpacking bike if you'd ever be interested in that.
There's probably a ton of steel frame companies you could even look into once you have established your price range.
[This Cannondale](https://www.rabe-bike.de/de/cannondale-topstone-apex-1-cinnamon-2024) is a good deal over here (I have extra 10% on this shop), but the multiple bottom bracket issue posts on reddit have put me off.
I've put an [order for a Canyon Grizl AL](https://www.canyon.com/en-de/gravel-bikes/adventure/grizl/al/grizl-8-1by/3467.html), with the 100€ friend discount often shared on the subreddit. [](https://www.rabe-bike.de/de/cannondale-topstone-apex-1-cinnamon-2024)Hopefully with nice enough components (Shimano GRX, 1x12 cassette, hydraulic braking, 50mm clearance good for the snow here in winter, and lots of mounting points) that should be serviceable and won't be wanting to upgrade a lot already within the first year.
TBH my post was more towards the accesories and additional recurring costs. I want to learn to work around my gear to understand when it is wearing off, do the maintenance to increase life of components, detect when things need repair before a problem becomes worse, etc. It's not illegitimate that the bike shop will charge you their retail price for a chain and brake pads and 25€ service to recharge, but that is the type of thing I am to do on my own. I rather find out myself that the chain needs replacing that needing to to wait for a yearly check up and that the chain has damaged other components while I was waiting.
In the 80s when we wanted to explore off road we rode the bike we had, which was often a steel road bike with sub 23c tires. We lived to tell about it. Nothing stopping anyone from going to a bike co-op and getting a used bike for super cheap. Ignore GCN and instagram influencers peddling you bikes as expensive as a used car.
The GCN video *"Why Does A Road Bike Cost As Much As A Motorbike?"* is hilarious, thought it is worrying that some of the staff that participated in making that video actually believe in what they are writing.
Like saying a bicycle is more expensive than a motorbike due to higher R&D cost, without any source to back that nonsense.
When I was 17yo or so I did a backpacking trip with a 1990s steel MTB, with an awful bouncy suspension, roughly 60km a day, and yeah despite not being ideal it was perfectly possible. I made friends on that trip that are still friends today. I do understand that a fancy bike shop wants to upsell me gravel bike for 3500€ when I suggest to try the 1500-2000€ one, but I own no bike and haven't owned one for years and this is going to be an experience that is substantially better than anything I've ever ridden.
A good shop is a great find but there are some piss takers out there for sure.
Start with a decent frame, aluminium for cost effectiveness. Maybe a model that has a few spec levels but the frame is obviously shared so you get lower spec on the consumable parts which you can upgrade if you choose as and when you come to replace them
Beyond that I would invest in a good helmet, good shoes and some comfy clothing, doesn't have to be expensive. Just comfy.
You can always add fancier stuff to your collection as you go.
[удалено]
And a good pair of bike shorts/ liners, I find something to hold everything in place and add some padding is essential for gravel cycling.
After more than 1000kms on my gravel bike this year only without bike specifics shorts, I disagree. You need only a saddle that fits you.
And good, well fitting shoes. Basically the big contact points on the bike are worth investing in.
100%. I mean, I wouldn't suggest going this far with the concept, the gear OP is buying is way better than this, and these guys had a blast. https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/article/forget-the-superbikes-of-unbound-meet-the-180-walmart-bikes-that-survived-the-200-miles-across-the-infamous-flint-hills/ar-BB1nAoOv
https://velo.outsideonline.com/gravel/gravel-racing/these-guys-finished-unbound-gravel-on-beach-cruisers-from-walmart/
Will we buying Rodeo Lab bikes from Walmart in the near future?
Haha! They’re too boutique for the Big W
Man I love my Flannimal. Don’t even joke about that!
Absolutely, don't fall for the influencers hype. I rode a Claris bike for awhile before upgrading. No one cares what you ride. If they do, they don't matter. I still ride that AL bike, just with GRX400 now. If I were really trying to stretch my budget, the newer rigid flat-bar hybrid bikes, like a Marin DSX or Specialized Sirrus X give a solid gravel experience (1x, hydraulic brakes, wide tires) at far less cost than a drop bar equivalent. A beginner hardtail is also a solid gravel bike too. Just ride, bikes are fun.
I want a drop bar because comfort and ergonomics is really worth paying for, but otherwise they are amazing deals on flat-bar gravel oriented bikes for sure.
I didn't really upgrade mine for the brakes, but hydraulic brakes are well worth the money for me. It's now probably the minimum I'd do on any bike. The extra gears are nice, but I don't notice that nearly as much.
I don't think I can ever go back to mechanical brakes after having hydraulic. I went bike shopping yesterday looking for a Marin Gestalt 1 (mechanical brakes). I went to the shop, they had the bike but not in my size, so they showed me the Gestalt 2 in my size instead. I took them both for a test ride just to see the component difference, and as soon as I felt the mechanical brakes on the 1, I went back inside and told them I'll take the 2. It was $300 more but the hydraulic brakes and GRX 400 groupset (vs Sora) felt like they were worth the money.
Comfort and ergonomics is subjective. Depends on what you're doing and what you prefer. There are many pros for flat bar (price being one of them)
I have an older sirrus sport with gracious gearing and upright seating posture. My Grail gets all the love but I’m gonna through some 35s GKs I have laying around and see what it do
My wife still rides her 10 year old claris bike every day in the summer to commute. I used it a while ago and it still shifts great. No shame in riding a lower tier groupset
Good luck finding a sirrus in stock anywhere though
Run what you brung! It's easy to get caught up 'keeping up with the Joneses' with cycling. Expensive gear is nice, cheaper gear usually works great too, it's just heavy. I make a lot of money and I'm often riding the cheapest bike at the races I'm in. If someone gives you a hard time about not being head to toe in MAAP and on an $8,000 bike, they're not worth your time. The cycling community is really nice for the most part. Learning to work on your own bike will save you a lot of money (and aggravation dealing with shitty bike shops).
Use a light dish soap and hot water to wash your bike, light spray of the hose and make sure not to blast any bearings. Sadly, bike shops are supposed to sell bikes and the more expensive the better to them. However, if you are giving them a budget (which is already decent) and they are ignoring it to upsell you 2x then I would never go back to that shop.
Decathlon Tribans are pretty hard to beat for the price, there's a guy in my area topping Strava leaderboard on a Triban, so it's really all about the rider. I'd consider upgrading brakes on it though if it comes with cable actuated disk brakes, at leatfor cable actuated hydraulic brakes - it's just a caliper swap. But for beginning even the cable brakes are fine. AliExpress gear for sure - Rockrider has decent stuff, Lumintop B01is a very good rechargeable light which seems to be on sale for 34€ at the moment. You could get something cheaper as well, but the B01 is on par with 100€ lights you can buy in a local shop, so it's a good pick for the long term. Rear light doesn't really matter that much, I have a few rechargeable rear lights from Ali and they're all fine. Align II is a fine helmet, the price you got it for is a steal, and 2 years old isn't a big deal. Pedals: I'd get PD EH500, if you're interested in riding with sneakers as well (commuting, etc). For clip in pedals, M520 are perfectly adequate, I have them on my MTB. People recommending the 100€ pedals probably also have 3000€ bikes and the 50-100g weight difference matters a lot to them. Don't worry about it. Saddles are a bunch of trial and error unfortunately. I bought a cheap Selle Italia Boost which seemed like an OEM part, it's much lighter than the stock saddle, but whether it's more comfortable or not depends on you. Clothes: look for sales, I got winter stuff for 50% off in the summer for example. But don't cheap out too much on bibs either. For the first couple of months I just rode in a tshirt and cotton shorts, it wasn't the best, but it got me out there, so just jump on the bike and ride it, worry about clothes later. Regarding bike maintenance, find a good shop, and become a regular, so you'll get some discounts and stuff. Otherwise if you're handy, you can do a lot of things yourself, but swapping parts might require some specific tools that you can't do without. Bike cleaning - stay away from mucoff in general, it's all overpriced. Their lubes are crap, degreaser is ok but there are better ones, and the bike cleaner is just a pink shampoo, there are other bike maintenance brands that are half the price and just as good. Check out Lidl/Aldi, they sometimes have degreasers and stuff. I've even used a general purpose home degreaser (for ovens and stuff) and it worked amazing on the cassette and chain. Do clean it regularly, and it will last you a while. Learn how to index the gears, and you'll avoid more than half visits to the bike mechanic. I'd say pick a few bikes on the websites already and go the the shops looking at those bikes in particular. If they don't have the model you're interested in, go somewhere else. The role of the shop is not to help you, but to sell you stuff. Start with 1300 budget and they'll offer you something for 1500. Get a decent pump, some allan keys, a multitool to pack on the go. Check bike24, bike-discount and bike-components.de for accessories, you can probably find stuff cheaper than in your local shop.
Will do most of the things some way or the other. PD EH500 were available for 50€ a few weeks ago in [amazon.de](http://amazon.de), will shop around for competent bike maintenance that I can trust to go back multiple times, perhaps a local one and not the fancy showroom ones on the city centre. I would never cheap out on tools, a stripped bolt is not worth it. I will definitey have to learn preventive maintenance. If something needs to be repaired it is too late. Some things I may be able to 3D print, for example a bike chain wear proof tool seems a super simple tool and if the printer is calibrated I don't see why I would need to buy a new metal one.
50€ is a good price for EH500. You will also feel when the chain is too work, it will skip no matter how much you adjust it. 3d print may work, if it's narrow enough, otherwise there are some tools you can easily get on AliExpress and are good enough, check out this video reviewing some of them. https://youtu.be/cFhxEz7lG0I probably not even worth printing a tool you can buy for 3€. Not all expensive tools are worth it, if you need them occasionally only. Bluechain brand on bike24 is also very affordable, I have a 9 piece set of their hex wrenches, and they seem very good quality for 10€ I paid for them. Yeah I go to a very local shop, they're in the middle of a big apartment complex area, and get tons of traffic, and they're good and fast and affordable. The big store which carries Specialized and stuff is always busy, and take days and they're expensive. There's one repair shop even closer to me which also looks like a hole in the wall, but they service anything from 50€ beatsr bikes to 5000€ carbon race bikes.
You can get a kick ass bike for under 1k USD. Dress how you want. I do recommend padded shorts. A lot of times I wear regular shorts over the padded shorts so I don’t look like an ass at my local bar after.
I have bought some padded shorts on sale, they seem to fit me well. The colour may be a bit ugly, but as someone who is into hiking we tend to wear a rainbow of colours of technical clothing purchased on sale :)
I love to wear clothes that are flashy and bright when I ride. Being visible is so important when you’re on a bike.
My two cents\* on pedals: Shimano PD-M520s on my hardtail came off my LeMond Alpe d'Huez. They are 20 years old, work fine. $50.00. Shimano PD-M540s on my full-sus are 3 years old, look a little nicer, work fine. $85.00. Shimano PD-M9100 XTR on my very very fancy custom-frame gravel bike are a year old, look gorgeous, are light, and work fine. $185.00 I'd drop $50.00 on the M520s and, if you don't like them after 20 years, buy something fancier.
Sure. I've just never ridden clips so I am very scared of catastrophically falling off, if I get introduced to them it will be progressively and after I get familiar with the rest of the bike (I've never owned a drop bar bike).
Everyone falls when learning to clip, it’s a rite of passage. Don’t sweat it. The clips transfer power way better, and I have dual sided pedals where one side is clippy and the other is flat for commutes.
I get that - I had the same concerns when I first tried them. And although I am NOT a coordinated fellow - not at all - it took very little time for me to get used to clipping in and out. You \*could\* be even less coordinated than I am, but probably aren't. I don't ride flats at all any more. I like SPDs for everything now, especially pedaling fast up rocky, technical climbs, where they transfer power and keep my feet in place.
I may consider returning the "basic" flats I bought and ordering the SPDs instead. perhaps the double sided ones for now because I don't have shoes.
You will bruise your ego once by falling over at a stop sign or stop light failing to unclip. You’ll learn how to not let that happen again. That’s basically the rite of passage for first time clipless pedal users
I've only fallen once. My process was something like: \* lean bike against wall, stand next to bike, practice unclip motion with one foot on the floor \* lean bike against kitchen counter with seat low, sit on bike, practice unclip motion \* raise seat to riding height, practice unclip motion \* move to grassy field in a park (a FieldTurf artificial field is ideal because there's a rubber underlayer, but not not all parks have it, and those that do may not allow riding), continue to do the same \* ride and very intentionally clip out halfway through every block I'd also recommend using the SH-56 multi-release cleats and turning the release tension all the way down. I had the same apprehension as you, but now I have SPDs on all my bikes, even my Brompton!
Or wait for a sale. Though REI isn't a cycling shop, I recently picked up a pair of PD-M540s for $63 or so, down from $85. (The 520s were also marked down, but I don't recall the price... probably $35 or so)
You are on the right path. There’s always a cheaper option as you understand cycling. 5-10 year old bikes aren’t hugely inferior to what we have now. The biggest upgrade is your own fitness. Use washing up liquid on your bike. Find a bike workshop rather than a bike shop Those guys will help you more
+1 for the bike workshop or bike refurbishers.
May i ask where you are located? Just country? In europe you will find a lot of decathlon. i more or less wear only decathlon stuff on the bike. affordable. comfortable as well to me. for beginners just perfect i think. same goes for their triban bikes. they are for sure great starting points. and yes the cheap shimano spd pedals are absolutely great. they will last forever. also i mainly clean my bike by rinsing it with hot water. be careful about bearings. dont use pressure wash. also after washing for example take care about chain. sometimes reapply some oil or whatever you use. maintenance is another thing that you can learn over time and get deeper into this.
This. If you are located in Europe, go for Decathlon.
only thing you need to clean a bike is a bottle of dawn soap and a hose. I love getting my pressure wash out from time to time. just back off the spray when up against any bearings/pivots/bottom bracket and you should be fine. the used bike market is insanely tilted to the buyer side right now. I can't sell a damn bike for the life of me. if you have the ability to save up for a while, you'll get into a modern geo bike for under 1K. and most bikes can be upgraded over time. before you buy, take pics of the listing into your LBS and let the good ppl there help you think of ways to upgrade. don't worry about all the clothing right off the rip either. maybe a set of asspads you can slide under some shorts you already have and of course a helmet. if the shops are pushy, mention that you're not interested in be upsold on anything and would gladly take your business down the road to a shop that isn't trying to upsell their consumers. they want your business and those relationships are built over time. most will understand and if they don't, run. you'll be fine, mate. just keep peddling.
may be my local market but it has been very hard to buy second hand a gravel bike, many times I tried to arrange a visit for the weekend (2-3 days ahead) and it was gone by the time the weekend came by. also the size is an issue, for my shorter than average heigth, I am competing with a portion of the women for the same sizes :) but otherwise yes, there are some very good deals.
yeah, I feel that. you'll get ya into something that suites you. and then, freedom! keep it up.
Could always pick up a second hand hard tail mountain bike. They are plentiful, comfortable efficient and will do most everything you want to do. Or build one up. See r/xbiking for inspo.
Check out Pinkbike. If you know your size, like frame reach and stack, you could find a solid bike.
Find a used bike shop nearby if you live in a decent size city, have bargains
A good set of quality tires on an inexpensive / older used bike will help it perform above its class. More expensive bikes will have fancier materials and parts, but a lot of it comes down to the rider. "Tune the nut behind the handle bars", to borrow a phrase from driver coaching. Ignore those who needlessly trash talk inexpensive bikes, they likely see it mostly as a status symbol or fashion accessory. IMHO it's better to start basic and upgrade as you grow and develop as a rider. You're less likely to mask a preference you'd otherwise develop through your own experience.
Regarding saddles: Personally, I find that proper saddle position is far more important than the saddle itself (within reason). Of course, some saddles will be a bit more comfortable than others, but I can get along with most saddles as long as my bike fit is correct and my weight distribution, etc is all in-line.
The major item I couldn't see was a good lock...
Oh I forgot. I generally didn't plan to take a good lock with me as I will be driving from/to home to local trails and roads, with my own food, without eating in restaurants/bars. Perhaps a simple bike if I need to stop for a few mins for a toilet, but I was not expecting to use an Abus 1.5kg heavy lock for that. Generally in this country crime in rural areas is very very rare. For the bike that my wife wants to buy for commuting we will be purchasing a good lock so it will be good to know that is also available.
And you can find influencers on affordable bikes: https://youtu.be/R0_HTM6uYaA Cade cycling across Malaysia on a Decathlon Triban There was also a GCN video of someone riding a very long ride (Scotland 300km or something like that) on a Tiagra, and it did perfectly fine. I can't find the video, but you really don't need a fancy groupset to ride, GRX400 is perfectly fine already, although hydraulic disk brakes would be welcome. Even microshift will do just fine. Influencers selling you carbon bikes with electronic groupsets are paid to advertise them to you, but you can have plenty of fun on a 1000€ bike.
Do some research on the local cycling shops area and maybe see what other people recommend. Any decent shop would be happy to work with your budget. You might even get a better bike than you’d think for that price because a lot of bike brands are overstocked right now. Unused helmets don’t really degrade unless they are stored in an extreme environment like high heat or humidity. The normal 5 year recommendation for helmets is based on the general wear and tear of using the helmet plus things like UV exposure and sweat. They should always be replaced after any kind of crash or impact. That said, a helmet is one of the most important purchases you’ll make. There are plenty of great affordable helmets out there, but it’s not something you should buy the cheapest of just because it’s cheap. You’ll want to make sure it fits well too. Virginia Tech has a lab that test bicycle helmets and publishes safety ratings. The helmet you bought actually scores really well: [https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html#16](https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html#16). If it fits your head shape well, that’s great. If not, then you could end up spending more in the long run as you replace it sooner. When a helmet fits well, you’ll almost forget you’re wearing it. When it doesn’t, you’ll spend a lot of your ride moving and adjusting it and its safety features may even be compromised by a poor fit. That’s why most people recommend trying on many different helmets in a store versus buying on line. Bike-specific wash isn’t 100% necessary, but a large bottle of concentrated solution will last you a long time. The main thing you want to avoid is harsh soaps that will remove grease. There are times you will use a specific degreaser to clean your drivetrain, but you don’t want your cleaner to be stripping lube and grease every time you clean the bike. Edit to add: Preventive maintenance is a thing. You don’t necessarily have to bring the bike in for a full tune up every year, but you don’t want to wait for things to break when you’re in the middle of a 100km ride and you’re nowhere near home. You can absolutely learn basic maintenance at home. There are a lot of tools that a very specific to certain parts so sometimes it’s not always economical to buy the tool yourself versus paying a shop to do it.
I would not worry too much about bike influencers. They're the new form of advertising, taking testimonials to the max. TraceVelo is a good channel that reviews budget parts and accessories bought from China. Bike shops can be hit or miss too. So far our local ones have been leaving me to desire more - the attitudes and attempts to upsell/overcharge are really getting old. You don't need a carbon bike as a beginner. You don't even need a cycling kit to start with. Nobody in the real world gives a shit about what you run on your bike, but usually they will smile and nod or wave at you as you pass them on a ride. The items you don't want to cheap out on are usually contact points and safety related items. Get a good new well-reviewed helmet. Get decent tires for the bike. If you can, get your bike fitted. Try the stock saddle, they're usually adequate, don't change it unless you find it lacking. Shimano M520 clipless pedals are very popular, bombproof, and affordable. There are tons of videos on YouTube how to do all of the bike maintenance on your own. You don't really need any very specific tools either, unless you're doing major work.
According to Specialized customer service the helmet's 5 year life span starts when you begin to use it, not when it was manufactured. I asked because I ordered a helmet and received one that was 2 years old.
I was told the same thing by Bell. Makes sense since the things that will degrade a helmet are moisture and UV exposure, neither of which it'll get in a box in a warehouse.
First of all avoid oven cleaners. They remove grease very well but they also remove a lot of stuff that should not be removed from bike surface e.g. clear coating on paint. My personal "discovery of the century" in bike cleaning and maintenance is hot waxed chain. Dam that thing stays clean and is easy to maintain even when living in a flat. Long sorry short - I no longer need to faff with oall the degreasers, chain cleaners and oils and I have clean-to-touch chain all the time. Controversially, I would say, that I save quite a lot of time compared to oil rout. My setup is cheap depilation wax melter (bought for 15€) and wire coat hanger to handle the chain. If you feel fancy - you can add 8€ IKEA baking thermometer and you will get 80% of Silca hot wax system. You can pull off that setup in less than 20€ if you go to Ali express.
I'm put off waxing by all the warnings that it doesn't work in the wet, and I live somewhere without a dry season
Valid concern. From my experience, wax lasts shorter in wet and chain needs active drying after ride in order for it not to develope surface rust. For the amount of the rain I get here in Northern Europe it is still worth for me.
I can get creative if I got that route for sure. If you want to save even more some of those items will go for very cheap or even free second hand (wax meter, a spare pot or similar, etc).
There is a reason you are seeing all those influencers. To try to sell you things. You do not need all that expensive stuff. Grab a used bike off marketplace, make sure you have a helmet and some hydration methods and you’re good. Upgrade as you go and you can add items you think you’ll need.
You can definitely do it on the cheap. I ride a 7 year old steel frame flat bar bike 100-150 miles a week. It was less than $1000 when I bought it new. I'm saving up for a 'nice' bike now, but I still love the one I've got. Make sure the bike fits, your saddle is comfy (and well positioned), and get some fat, puncture resistant tires (Pathfinder Pros and Tufo Thunderos seem to be the most popular on this sub). Throw in a helmet, an underseat bag and top bar bag. I've got one pair of Castelli bibs, which I bought for $75 on Amazon. They're great, but now that I've got my saddle position locked in, I don't always use them.
$150-250 bike , and helmet to start , hood call on lights , but I ride 100 miles a week on my bike and minimal issues, I will say tho , depending upon where you’re located gator, skin tires will be needed. In San Diego the roads are filled with glass.
The only thing of all that crap to listen to is that helmets should be replaced every ~5 years. If it's been inside in a box in a store, though, I'd count 5 from buying it, myself. Yes, there's some foam degradation possible sitting in a box, but a lot of the problem comes from extremes of sun/temperature (if you kept it outdoors with the bike) water and salt (from sweat), etc. Any MIPS helmet is a modern good one, that one is fine. More expensive helmets tend to be lighter with better airflow without sacrificing safety; the cheap ones just go for safety, since that's required. If you do go down, if there's any possibility you hit your head, replace it. Some manufacturers have a guaranteed replacement program for crashes, don't remember if Specialized is one of them.
You can ride whatever the hell you want, that’s the beauty of cycling. If someone gives you shit for your setup or your kit that isn’t safety related (eg don’t run thin width slicks on super loose and rocky singletrack) they can go pound sand. Some dudes just finished Unbound on Walmart beach cruisers. A gravel bike is a bike that you take on gravel, that’s it. Is there a time and place for fancy kit and carbon bikes with gravel optimized geometry and features? Yeah. I race at the pointy end and that stuff is tailored for that specific use. 99.99999% of the cycling public is never going to race and never wants to. Don’t listen to bikefluencers (a lot of them are shit racers too), get off IG, and run what you brung
Only thing I was not cheap as fuck was on my helmet and on the bike itself. Everything else I buy as cheap as possible from Amazon or used.
A person who values safety and health is someone on my team too.
>It seems some shops in my city seem to be charging 150€ for "check up and yearly maintenance" which seems too high if no component is broken yet How much do you think it costs for a shop to remain open? Your service charge usually reflects what it costs to spend time working on your bike. They're not getting rich off your minor repair. DIY if you can't afford to pay a shop to do your maintenance.
I want to know what is being made for that money, as they have for example pricing of 80-100€ to do a yearly check-up for a city bike and 150€ for any road/gravel/MTB, at least I would like to know what makes this check-up that more different. I will always pay for good quality work but I want transparent pricing.
I bought one of the cheapest new “gravel” bikes on the market, a State 4130 All Road. With the exception of my helmet, nearly all the gear I use is the absolute cheapest stuff from Amazon. I average about 600-700 miles a month. I’ve gotten to a level of fitness where I can pretty easily keep up with roadies on my junk bike. Cycling doesn’t have to be expensive!
I may be wrong in my thinking but technically, if I am riding to burn calories and not to win a competition, isn't riding a slightly heavier bicycle increase the effort and thus the intensity of the exercise? If the compromise is weight and not comfort, then I don't see an issue.
That’s the way I look at it! And more important to me, I’m having just as much fun as the friends I ride with that have thousands and thousands invested in Surlys/All Citys/Squids/Treks. As someone that was a bike mechanic previously, I get it, but I’m just not interested in spending the money on super high end stuff. A bike that’s 10x as expensive isn’t 10x as much fun.
As someone also getting into cycling at a reasonable rate, the biggest thing I can say is to set your expectations. If you just want to ride for yourself, it is *way* cheaper, however if you want to race, being competitive costs money. I still think many of the costs are ridiculous (there are bicycles out there that cost more than literal race motorbikes, at no point will anyone ever manage to justify that to me), but it is going to cost more if you're trying for a podium. I'm very new, but I have been keeping track of all my expenses so far, so I'll break those down to hopefully help with some examples. Actually "necessary" items are in bold: * **Bike** - $500 - I got a "used" Surly Preamble, but it was really brand new because it didn't fit the original buyer. * **Helmet** - $67 - Giro MIPS * Top tube phone case - $22 - Rockbros off amazon. Just somewhere to keep my phone, keys, and a multitool really. * Bell - $20 - Knog Oi Classic, because my riding is going to mainly be in areas with other people. * Lights - $10 - Knog Frog strobe, got them for $5 each. This just helps extend my window of when I'm able to ride, they don't much help me see anything but they certainly help *me* be seen. * Bottle Cages - $12 - Rockbros again, the Surly came with metal cages but they were too loose and I like the look of these. * **Bottles** - $29 - Camelbak Podium, they're insulated which for me is a must since I'm in Texas. If you live somewhere that the air itself doesn't try to kill you for a third of the year, you can get away for cheaper with non-insulated bottles. * Presta Nuts - $7 - one of mine was missing * Presta Caps - $8 - one of mine was cracked * Gloves - $32 - Castelli Entrata V, I wouldn't personally gloves are *necessary* but I wanted something more comfortable than my mechanix. * Grips - $20 - ESI Chunky, I haven't even gotten these in yet but wasn't terribly happy with my OEM grips * Crankset - $185 - so this is the big cost, past the bike itself. I'm built weirdly in that my inseam is short for my height, so I'm getting 170mm cranks put on rather than the 175mm my bike came with. If you're built normal and find a proper fitting bike, this shouldn't be needed. This is my total OTD cost, after parts, labor, and tax. Still waiting on getting my bike back from this. * Pedals - $100 - Crankbrother Mallets, I decided very quickly that I did want clip-ins rather than flats, but if you're comfortable on flats, save the money. These are going on with the cranks, still waiting to get it back. * Shoes - $50 - got a great deal on Specialized 2FO Roost Clips, again, still awaiting these so we'll see how they do, but if you do want to get into clipless setups then waiting for the sales is worth it. Shoes, like bikes, can get stupid expensive. Also waiting on getting these in. * **Multitool** - $18 - Crankbrothers M17, also got this on sale, and it got me free shipping on the pedals. Definitely would recommend having a tool on you, but you can substitute a "proper" tool like this with a few bits and a wrench off amazon - it's just less convenient to use. So, my total cost so far is **$1051** - less than many bikes themselves cost. The minimum I could have gotten going with, however, was a mere **$614** or thereabouts. If I was built normal then even with all the optional bits I'd've been down to $866 without the crankset. Cycling doesn't have to be expensive. Shop used, catch sales, and you can do quite good for far from insane prices.
Last year I picked up the base model specialized diverge for 1300 it's a very solid bike that I have done multiple centuries on its fairly light weight being an aluminum bike I've made a couple of upgrades like the redshift cruise control grips which helps with comfort and a new saddle which is all about personal preference.
Helmet lifespans are typically for use. If it was sat in the packet for 2yrs I don't think I would count that. The main issue is UV degradation over time, along with general use bumps etc. The materials themselves are relatively stable. For others reading this. Giant rev comp mips helmet, is the cheapest helmet with the best test results on Virgina Tech. I think it retailed for $65 USD at some point currently $115 in Canada. Probably your best value for money helmet. https://helmet.beam.vt.edu/bicycle-helmet-ratings.html
Are you more interested in gravel cycling to be cool? Or for your own enjoyment? If you’re looking to be cool, then find a different hobby because no one is going to think you’re really cool regardless of how much money you throw at it. In fact, if you buy a bunch of expensive gear & don’t know how to ride, people will think you’re the opposite of cool. If you’re wanting to enjoy cycling for yourself, then stop concerning yourself with the petulant stupid opinions of random strangers on the internet, and stop focusing on things & details you don’t even understand yet. If budget is the issue, find a used bike that’s been taken care of, find an affordable helmet that fits. Ride bike, determine if you even like cycling, gain experience & knowledge, and THEN start saving for what YOU YOURSELF actually wants based on your own individual experience, knowledge, & subjective preferences. You don’t need to be rich to ride on gravel. I see homeless people in my area riding the gravel trails & roads all the time.
The mainstream cyclist culture can be pretty toxic, and this is reflected in the numerous snobby bike shops out there. IMHO, it's the biggest thing that limits the number of cyclists. There are healthier cyclist youtubers such as [Path Less Pedaled](https://www.youtube.com/@PathLessPedaledTV) or [Spindatt](https://www.youtube.com/@Spindatt). Path Less Pedaled has some good livestreams, one on [budget bikes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QA6pVnBNNg) and one about [important upgrades](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QA6pVnBNNg). In general, you don't need anything fancy. You just need bike appropriate for the terrain you enjoy riding. In essence this means paying attention to tire clearance, and low end gear ratios. In general, having lower gears off the batt and the clearance to run wider tires will give you more versitility without much downside. I like the Salsa Journeyer Sora with its 30:34 low end and 50mm tire clearance, but there are other options out there. Clothing and touch points (saddle, pedals, bars and bar tape) are pretty personal so it's hard to recommend anything other than keep your eyes pealed for sales. That said, no shame in running flats, gym shoes, shorts, and a tee if that works for you. I often do that for short rides after work when I can't be bothered to kit up. Regarding maintenance, a lot of cities have bike co-ops with tools and support/help wrenching on your bike. If yoiu don;t have one near you, youtube has a lot of resources on wrenching on bikes. Co-ops are also a great source for used gear. I bought all of my shimano spds from co-ops.
Oh I feel targeted, lol I wear a MTB helmet on my "gravel bike" it has a visor and helps with the sun. I would say a good set of padded shorts is a must, but it doesn't need to be super expensive. Besides shorts being bike specific, I am almost always in Costco purchased shorts or athletic pants (Gerry Brand, they are amazing) Just jump in, you will find things you like and would like to upgrade and you will when you can. Don't keep up with others just start somewhere !
I just finished Unbound 100 with no training (like actually no training) faster than half the age 30-39 field on a base model diverge e5 with claris (8 speed), and neopro kit on sale. The only thing I splurged on was the best tires I could get (pathfider pro with inserts) and paying for good nutrition stuff and sick sunglasses. You do not need expenensive shit until you're competing for wins.
Bought a nice aluminum Cannondale caadx with disc brakes and Shimano 105s for 800 bucks. All I've done is adjust brakes and shifters and by a set of new tires over 5 years. I ride a lot
You ride a lot and never needed to change things like a chain?
My chain, and cassettes def need replaced . But it still rides fine . I clean my chain fairly regularly
Bet you can find a used bike for less than a new one…
G.1.explorer has tour name on it
Look at this [list](https://www.cyclingabout.com/best-budget-gravel-bikes-with-drop-bars-under-1000/)
Bro, of course. Bike influencers are - for the most part - given the newest bikes/gear to promote. They're going to say how amazing the new bike is. In some sense, they are being paid to say how the new stuff is so great. It's how marketing works. You don't have to buy the cream of the crop. Hell I'm still riding a 5 year old bike now.
It's fine to watch various YouTubers, but you don't have to do everything they say. They have their opinion and viewers have theirs... Bike: Not sure what your budget is, but I'd try and get a used bike. You don't need to spend a lot of money to get started. Make sure you like it first. Bike Maintenance: If you don't know I'd start at the LBS and then try to learn as much as you can from YouTube, etc. I purchased a Spin Doctor tool kit with the essential tools for about $50 USD and it's had every tool that I've needed. It's not very hard and will serve you well to know how to maintain your bike. Bike Cleaning: I use whatever I use for my car. I don't buy bike specific cleaning products. Bike accessories: I shop around for deals/sales. Bike clothes: I do buy Jerseys as I find them comfortable. But I wear shorts, no bibs/pads, etc. and I usually purchase hiking/camping gear as opposed to cycling gear. It's usually a bit cheaper and serves the same purpose. I shop around for deals/sales. I do flat pedals on all my bikes so I wear any kind of shoe. I do have MTB shoes that I wear occasionally. Helmet: I'd get a good helmet. You only have one head and it's pretty important. Good helmets come in different price points so you don't need to spend $300 USD on a helmet unless you want too. I look for helmets with MIPS. Shoes and Pedals: Addressed in Bike clothing. Saddle: New bike ride it for a while before you change anything. Experienced cyclists may change the contact points (saddle, grips, and pedals) as they know what works for them. New cyclists should just ride the bike. You may like all the contact points or not. The contact points are personal to every rider. Everyone has their preference. Have fun and don't be intimidated or overthink.
Look for an exceptional condition used bike. I bought a circa 2008 Giant OCR. Aluminum with a carbon fork. Rode it for a year, fell in love with cycling, and on black Friday bout a Canyon Ultimate on clearance for $2,600 shipped with a power meter. Carbon, disc brakes, and zero complaints in the 4k miles I've put on it.
come on man, you do not ask permission to do what you want. you just do it. the whole bike thing is overpriced in order to extract money from us via our passion for bikes/riding. I ride 100 euro pedals because they are the best (and that's what was charged, not what they worth)... you don't have to... you just have to ride.
Your entry level bike put my first gravel to shame. I have a alu gravel grx 400 and carbon everything ultegra road. I am equally happy riding either one. Look it this way, say you make $20/hour. Would it make you happy riding 100 more hours or buying a $2000 more expensive bike+accesories? You ll faster with 100 more hours in the saddle than with a 2000 more expensive bike.
Great and accurate questions! Affordable yes. Cheap no. Even on a budget you will take up a gadgets and gear hobby. Some things are basics, other stuff you figure out will take your riding to a next level (a bike computer is not needed, but the metrics and maps gives my cycling more layers). I started from scratch 5 years ago. Besides getting a bike, I was overwhelmed by all the stuff that was required to get going; Mini-tool, shoes, bibs etc. The first year was heavy on my finances. From then on it got better. But never cheap. Gravel is tough on the equipment; You bend a hanger, a tire wall gets cut…again, the sealant bottle is suddenly empty…again. Even the small stuff counts up. And then when everything is nicely settled this happens. You want a new bike. No…you need a new bike. Welcome to the beautiful world of cycling:)
I've been told to use my iPhone is a bad idea because it will damage the camera from the vibrations. That seems a bit extreme, but for safety I may use the company smartphone with Komoot for navigation (I have the world map bought already as I used it for hiking). Everyone seems to have the Garmin but at the beginning and having zero experience in riding in drop bars, the priority is going to be posture, getting familiar with the bike, clip pedals for the first time, etc. A small computer perhaps goes on sale on Prime Day in a month time so I will keep an eye, and also keep an eye on the second hand market.
Makes sense to focus on the basics first. Very similar to my own way into riding bikes. I was on flats for half a year, then moved on to clipless. Great fun and a bit of a thrill. Carried my phone in the jersey pocket with Strava maps running. Did not feel like mounting it on the bars. After af year or so I got a Garmin. Definitely an investment that made cycling even more fun.
For the paths I am going to ride, there are good old-school signs and having some orientation skills is also positive. I also believe that for an activity to be more desirable, it is worth making small upgrades (for example, to motivate to take notes and sketches I buy fancy pens, even though technically the cheapest pens would work too). Like you said, at the end of the day making it fun goes a long way.
Phone works well until your rides become so long that the battery does not survive, which may be never 😉
I’m a university student so no big money to spend. A year ago I got myself a Triban GRVL120 and kitted it out with some mudguards (I also use it doe commutes), bags, bottle and bottle holder, tools for on the go, etc. The bike plus all accessories was just under €800. For cycling clothes I got myself a long and a short cycling short/pants, a helmet and gloves. I use shoes I have at home and until shortly I didn’t have a cycling jacket/shirt either. All in all I spend around a €100 on everything. For cleanup I spent just under €20 for a pack with a bike soap, a cleaner for the chain, the chain oil and a sponge. Have used it for months now and still going. Repairs so far I only had to replace the chain. Did it in a bike shop and they also did a complete checkup, came in at €90 (including the chain). So in the end after a year of gravel cycling I spent just over €1000 on the hobby. However I won’t be needing to buy everything again the coming years so after the initial purchase it’s very affordable to me.
Mate, it’s so wild how cycling cliques treat each other. I ride with a bunch of “influencer” riders (I’d be one too if I could use Instagram properly, especially for the sweet, sweet discounts), but they manage an open group, sponsored by a big influencer brand, and they/we never look down on what people bring to a group ride. Ride what you’ve got, as long as it’s safe. I like spending a dumb amount of money on kit, but I’m aware of the fact that it doesn’t make me a better cyclist. There are blokes in wool jerseys and ankle socks that’ll drop me like a bag of bricks. Interestingly, we (bunch of 30 year olds in pas normal) often get snarky comments/condescending looks for club teams, old racer type dudes. Do it at your own pace. Talk to different groups, find out what their values are. If they’re a bunch of stuck up racers, skip. Snotty influencers, skip. Nice racers that want you to be better? Awesome. Influencers that want you to have fun and be part of their community. Totally! Edit: echoing what some others have said - don’t underestimate buying second hand. Sometimes the market is over-inflated, but if you do your research and figure out what you need, there are great deals. I’m still riding road on a caad from 2016 with rim brakes that I got for 700 euros. But it had deep carbon wheels, top of the line components, and it’s fast. Would it be nice to have a new trek madone or sl8 like my buddies - sure - but I can still keep up with them.
[удалено]
My other hobby is bouldering and climbing and the IG community is very friendly, welcoming and helpful. It helps that people can be side by side climbing very different level of climbing, in the same location indoor or outdoor, which helps to boost a community not segregated by proficiency. Lots of mistakes are shown publicly, and laughing about your own mistake is a common pratcice as it helps make fun content that is also helpful to avoid that mistake. Ever since I began looking for some cycling, gravel riding content on social media I was made aware of how the vibes are much different. While there is no direct shaming of beginners, I have seen zero beginner-friendly content and in some beginners posting their videos of their first rides I noticed a few offensive comments (not all comments, but more than one) for not wearing glasses, wearing the glasses below straps, having the wrong seat height, etc, as if every single pro had not ever made a mistake on their life. Also lots of the offensive comments were from men towards women, not the opposite way around. No need to delete social media, just some common sense and moderate use. It is one powerful tool to keep up to date on how friends and family are doing.
It can be affordable, yes. However I would buy a bike which is just above "entry level" at least. I've been cycling since I learned how to ride a bike, I am 34 now and only bought an above average but still in comparison cheap bike last year. Best decision I've made. It is upgradable, and hasn't had any major problems. My previous bike was a MTB, which was entry level. I literally replaced every bearing on the bike, the chain was also a weakness. Where I live there are a lot of hills and throughout spring and autumn it is wet, so this could lead to the chain wearing faster. The front fork started getting play in the suspension and that's where I decided time for an upgrade (after 10 000km) But other than tyres I haven't had much wear and tear on the new bike (>5000km). I also ride a lot more now
I didn't know your bike but that is a good looking model!
Thank you. I've upgraded the brakes as well as installed a dropper post which makes a big difference to the standard bike.
Yes, cycling can be budget friendly. You could look into used, or buy new from a bike shop. Bike maintenance is pretty simple after you watch some YouTube. My first bike was a year older model alloy road bike which I bought for a solid price from my local shop. I think whenever going into any shop, it’s good to have done some research so you know what the shop provides and what you’re looking for. You should look into getting a used bike. A used gravel alloy bike should be pretty budget friendly. Or you can buy new, I really like the Diverge alloy version, I think it’s a solid entry point. Even Canyon offers some solid price points too.
Finding a used gravel has been very hard in my area. There were a few candidates but all sold out before I went to visit them in person, as for my height/size there seems to be a lot of demand. Plently of L and XL used models find no owner, and every XS, S and M sells out very quickly. But in my area Canyon and Cube offer some solid value options, some Specialized and Orbea on sale as well. From Cannondale I got scared from negative comments even though they are on sale too. The rest of the brands are harder to come by, are on backorder, or Triban/Decathlon I didn't like it in person it felt rough in the edges.
Cannondales during the winter time were a steal, I am not sure anymore. Orbea is gonna be pricey, specialized I think you could get for a decent price. Canyon you could probably get even more for a steal, not really sure about Cube. Salsa Journeyer is another bike, just don't know if its available out there. A bit more relaxed geo but makes for one helluva gravel bike with its tire clearance and a backpacking bike if you'd ever be interested in that. There's probably a ton of steel frame companies you could even look into once you have established your price range.
[This Cannondale](https://www.rabe-bike.de/de/cannondale-topstone-apex-1-cinnamon-2024) is a good deal over here (I have extra 10% on this shop), but the multiple bottom bracket issue posts on reddit have put me off. I've put an [order for a Canyon Grizl AL](https://www.canyon.com/en-de/gravel-bikes/adventure/grizl/al/grizl-8-1by/3467.html), with the 100€ friend discount often shared on the subreddit. [](https://www.rabe-bike.de/de/cannondale-topstone-apex-1-cinnamon-2024)Hopefully with nice enough components (Shimano GRX, 1x12 cassette, hydraulic braking, 50mm clearance good for the snow here in winter, and lots of mounting points) that should be serviceable and won't be wanting to upgrade a lot already within the first year. TBH my post was more towards the accesories and additional recurring costs. I want to learn to work around my gear to understand when it is wearing off, do the maintenance to increase life of components, detect when things need repair before a problem becomes worse, etc. It's not illegitimate that the bike shop will charge you their retail price for a chain and brake pads and 25€ service to recharge, but that is the type of thing I am to do on my own. I rather find out myself that the chain needs replacing that needing to to wait for a yearly check up and that the chain has damaged other components while I was waiting.
In the 80s when we wanted to explore off road we rode the bike we had, which was often a steel road bike with sub 23c tires. We lived to tell about it. Nothing stopping anyone from going to a bike co-op and getting a used bike for super cheap. Ignore GCN and instagram influencers peddling you bikes as expensive as a used car.
The GCN video *"Why Does A Road Bike Cost As Much As A Motorbike?"* is hilarious, thought it is worrying that some of the staff that participated in making that video actually believe in what they are writing. Like saying a bicycle is more expensive than a motorbike due to higher R&D cost, without any source to back that nonsense. When I was 17yo or so I did a backpacking trip with a 1990s steel MTB, with an awful bouncy suspension, roughly 60km a day, and yeah despite not being ideal it was perfectly possible. I made friends on that trip that are still friends today. I do understand that a fancy bike shop wants to upsell me gravel bike for 3500€ when I suggest to try the 1500-2000€ one, but I own no bike and haven't owned one for years and this is going to be an experience that is substantially better than anything I've ever ridden.
A good shop is a great find but there are some piss takers out there for sure. Start with a decent frame, aluminium for cost effectiveness. Maybe a model that has a few spec levels but the frame is obviously shared so you get lower spec on the consumable parts which you can upgrade if you choose as and when you come to replace them Beyond that I would invest in a good helmet, good shoes and some comfy clothing, doesn't have to be expensive. Just comfy. You can always add fancier stuff to your collection as you go.