I upgraded my Ozark Trail G.1 over the winter. Made some budget-conscious decisions (2×9 vs 1x, $15 rear derailleur, use stock front derailleur and rear brake and bars, sub $300 650b wheels, parts bin seatpost, saddle, bottom/crank, budget carbon fork, etc…) and some splurge decisions (RedShift stem mainly, but man those reflective hexagons better last!) and ended up putting ~$1100 on a $250 bike. Those little bits (stem cap, spacers, colored cable housing, etc…) add up!
I didn’t weight-weenie my part choices (because that usually costs more) and ended up with a 25# gravel bike that I had a fun time building (and learning a lot too). Recently did an 85 mile gravel ride (including some single track), and the bike did great. I am second guessing my choice of 650b; while I like the volume of the 47mm tires (and I have room for 50mm+), I had more pedal strikes on the single track due to the lower bb. I may experiment with shorter cranks (currently 170mm) but that will have to wait for winter. It’s time to ride.
Could I have bought a comparable or better bike with the same money? Yes, especially if I looked at the used market. But did I have fun on this project and end up with a bike that I like? Also yes.
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