I'm starting this thread because I want to share my experience going over this bike. I just picked one up and while there is some info out there, there's really not enough to make good decisions.
Yes, it is cheap, but there are two inexcusable things that really bugged me. First, in their stock photo they show a nice looking crankset. What they give you is useable, but it is stamped steel garbage. The other thing, which was almost enough for me to return it, was the photo shows a water bottle mount on the seat tube--there is NOT one.
On to the next pretty big issue--gearing. Yes, it has a freewheel. I knew that going in. If you're going to ride rail trails or small hills, it's fine. I live in the mountains, I needed to do something. You can mess with a new crankset or freewheel. Neither are super cheap. For freewheels there is a 14-34 option for about $22, or a 14-40 option for about $60. I opted for the 14-40 and don't have it yet, but can comment later.
Brakes. First, you absolutely have to bed them in. Don't go down a big hill and expect to stop your first ride. After bedding them in, they have decent stopping power. The pads squeak something awful. I took some cheap 2 piston deore style pads, ground off about 1/32" on the left/right side, and they fit/worked perfectly. I also tried putting a 200 disc and adapter on, it worked fine, but was almost too much stopping power so i switched back to the 160 rotors. I knew the brakes were going to be an issue, so i ordered some 2 moving piston mechanicals from aliexpress for $20 and will report back. Overall, the stock brakes are okay, the pads are not.
The seatpost/clamp are fine, but its such a cheap upgrade i replaced both.
I checked just about everything on the bike:
In the headset and wheel bearings there was grease, but it was about as thin as water. I added slightly thicker and more grease.
There was no grease on threads used in assembly, you might want to take stuff (like the bottom bracket) apart and grease the threads so you can get it off in a few years when it goes bad.
The spoke tension on the wheels was good. They were slightly out of true, but acceptable.
The front fork is NOT tapered, so upgrading to a carbon one later might be annoying.
The stock gearing is 30/46 and i believe 14-28.
As for sizing, i'm 5'11" and got the medium. It felt a little big, so I swapped the 80 (?) stem out for a 45 and it feels about right. A 60 still felt too big. Sizing will be subjective.
I've only put a few miles on it and my thoughts as of now: As a rail trail bike, it gets a 9/10. A commuter, probably a 7/10. An actual gravel bike, in its stock form, a 5/10.
The changes i'm making to make it a better gravel bike: brakes ($20), seat/post ($20--had the seat), freewheel ($60). So, that puts the bike at $350, a carbon fork might add $150 and save 3 lbs (that might come later). Do i think the bike is a good value? Yes. Will it reliably work as a good gravel bike? Maybe.
Has anyone else had experiences with this bike or made upgrades?
Yes, it is cheap, but there are two inexcusable things that really bugged me. First, in their stock photo they show a nice looking crankset. What they give you is useable, but it is stamped steel garbage. The other thing, which was almost enough for me to return it, was the photo shows a water bottle mount on the seat tube--there is NOT one.
On to the next pretty big issue--gearing. Yes, it has a freewheel. I knew that going in. If you're going to ride rail trails or small hills, it's fine. I live in the mountains, I needed to do something. You can mess with a new crankset or freewheel. Neither are super cheap. For freewheels there is a 14-34 option for about $22, or a 14-40 option for about $60. I opted for the 14-40 and don't have it yet, but can comment later.
Brakes. First, you absolutely have to bed them in. Don't go down a big hill and expect to stop your first ride. After bedding them in, they have decent stopping power. The pads squeak something awful. I took some cheap 2 piston deore style pads, ground off about 1/32" on the left/right side, and they fit/worked perfectly. I also tried putting a 200 disc and adapter on, it worked fine, but was almost too much stopping power so i switched back to the 160 rotors. I knew the brakes were going to be an issue, so i ordered some 2 moving piston mechanicals from aliexpress for $20 and will report back. Overall, the stock brakes are okay, the pads are not.
The seatpost/clamp are fine, but its such a cheap upgrade i replaced both.
I checked just about everything on the bike:
In the headset and wheel bearings there was grease, but it was about as thin as water. I added slightly thicker and more grease.
There was no grease on threads used in assembly, you might want to take stuff (like the bottom bracket) apart and grease the threads so you can get it off in a few years when it goes bad.
The spoke tension on the wheels was good. They were slightly out of true, but acceptable.
The front fork is NOT tapered, so upgrading to a carbon one later might be annoying.
The stock gearing is 30/46 and i believe 14-28.
As for sizing, i'm 5'11" and got the medium. It felt a little big, so I swapped the 80 (?) stem out for a 45 and it feels about right. A 60 still felt too big. Sizing will be subjective.
I've only put a few miles on it and my thoughts as of now: As a rail trail bike, it gets a 9/10. A commuter, probably a 7/10. An actual gravel bike, in its stock form, a 5/10.
The changes i'm making to make it a better gravel bike: brakes ($20), seat/post ($20--had the seat), freewheel ($60). So, that puts the bike at $350, a carbon fork might add $150 and save 3 lbs (that might come later). Do i think the bike is a good value? Yes. Will it reliably work as a good gravel bike? Maybe.
Has anyone else had experiences with this bike or made upgrades?
