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@@mikeburgh3956 It tastes pretty good actually, not the best but after a few drinks you definitely get used to it. I love it and love the way it makes me feel!
Unsafe bike was Huffy having a Dynasty Dynamo second generation 1997/1998--2004, I had one and bikes if you had receipt or somebody had bought bike for you , you were initialed to a refund of up to $120 or if you had medical issues, bike was so poorly made tubing gaps were covered up when I stopped riding the gaps were exposed. However I did not have bikes receipt becuse bikes were bought in 2001 and a single move by my parents caused bike receipt to be lost not to mention reading a receipt that old would have been impossible given it was from an older small ACE Hardwear on cheap pape where bike may not have been sold originally being a clearance bike from Walmart or K-Mart but was new when sold to me.
This is the reason why big bike brands are struggling. They forget to supply the good affordable entry level bike. There are not enough people willing to pay 5000usd and up for a bike, make it 500-1000 and people are buying bikes again. Nobody will start with the uber expensive bikes, and if you are told you need such a bike to ride, you just choose another sport. Which is a real shame, as a fit young guy can easily keep up with the 50+ age groupers, while on a heavier worse equipped bike.
Bike companies make entry level bikes. It’s just I doubt they and bike stores make much money off them compared to $5000+ bikes so bike stores don’t care much about that market.
I bought an Ozark Trail Ridge. I would never gotten back into riding if it wasn’t for it. The bike had given me so much joy and it makes me excited to get out and explore. I feel like a kid again and that’s priceless.
Hell yeah! I did the same thing back in 2007 or so with a road bike purchased on eBay. It was just the bike in a box. Mostly dissambled. I brought it to a bike shop to have it set up and it was AWESOME. It got me totally into road biking and I must have put at least 2k miles on that bike inside the first two years before it was stolen. The whole bike cost me $300 and that was back then! Like this guy above me said - you can't put price on happiness. All the bike gear in the world still can't make you actually enjoy it. You have to have it happen organically.
A true bike person. No matter the price or specs, so as long as it makes you happy and excited, then it is a bike that is worth it. The fact that one gets excited about talking a bike shows how good it is.
Tom and Steuart Walton, grandsons of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, are hardcore cyclists. I believe The Ozark Line is their effort to get affordable entry-level bikes into the hands of the public. And I say bravo! If this gets a few more folks off the couch and outdoors, then fantastic! (Trek, Specialized, and Giant should take note).
A decent budget bicycle is nothing to turn your nose up at. I rode a Walmart $250 to the train station every day in Philly because I didn't want to lock up one of my good bikes. I loved that bike. It was a little heavy but I was riding for exercise too so I sucked up. Nobody is too good to ride a budget bicycle. My son just bought this and we are going to pick it up and check it out.
This looks like an amazing deal for a regular person like me who is looking for their first all-rounder bike on a budget. Hopefully it keeps going like this where we actually get budget prices, not starting out at $1,000 for "budget".
I owned a crapbike Motobecane way back in 1990 that proved to be my gateway drug to cycling and I don't regret it for a bit. I fondly look back on doing my very first half century with that bike. I barely kept up with the old folks but I was very proud of myself. So long as this is put together soundly. I can see this being a good first bike for someone who is just getting started. There's also nothing wrong with those of us who have n +1 bikes to have one of these in our stable for biking around town and locking up in dodgy places. Great review. Thank you for this.
I bought a Ozark Trail Ridge last year and made upgrades to it, and it's a fantastic bike. The biggest upgrades I made was to put Shimano mt200 hydraulic brakes, switching to a narrow-wide chain-ring, hollow-tube bottom-bracket and a Microshift AdventX drive-train.
@@trevor50ifyYou’re better off checking forums. The ozark trial ridge upgrade path is a pretty common one and someone has probably asked the same question
Curious about how much that cost you? I'm not criticizing your choices but I wonder if you've put enough into it that you could have gotten a similar setup from an entry level new bike.
I had watched a couple videos of this bike and typed up the comment below on another video, but I felt like it would fit perfectly with the tone of your video so forgive the copy and paste 😅 Bike mechanic and owner of 6 bikes here: This may become number 7. You know my first world problem? All my bikes are too expensive. I can’t reasonably ride my bike into the college town that I live in and meet my friends at the bars and leave my cheapest bike, $2000, locked up outside and not feel a biting stress at the back of my mind that it’s going to be gone by the time I come back. I literally have entertained a lock more expensive than this bike to address this issue. What’s crazier still, you know what I have NOT considered to address this issue? A cheap bike. You know the problem with cheap bikes? They’re cheap. Quill stems, no-name derailleurs, cheap rim v-brakes, terrible external routing with cables wayyy to long or wayyy too short, an incorrectly installed riser bar with bad grips and a grip shifter. There is none of that here.. this bike blows my mind at its price. I don’t think I, as an industry insider with access to pro deals and discounts that ANYONE would be jealous of, can make $248 go this far. Honest to goodness, the cheapest gravel bike I can sell someone at my store is $850. It is better than this bike in every way.. but in most ways only just barely and certainly NOT $600 better for the bigger improvements, like the drivetrain. The next poor college kid who want’s to buy a bike and has $300 to his name, I’m basically morally obligated to tell him to buy this bike and spend the $50 on a helmet.
I still ride my 1996 Specialized Rockhopper MTB. I upgraded it over the years. I added the wider carbon bar to cure the twitchiness, XTR gear. It still has the 26" rims. I just changed to a tarmac tires for all around riding. It weight less than 24# and 99% of the riding is dependent on the rider and never the bike.
I think everyone in this comment section suggesting upgrades is crazy. Keep it as it is, ride it and replace wear parts. It's a great around town/commuting (and maybe sometimes take the fun dirt path home) bike that you don't need to worry about too much. There is joy in that and it that joy can disappear quickly once you invest time and money into too much upgrading.
I'm curious about the frame and if it's worth upgrading. If you really get into cycling you'll probably want something lighter and are you throwing good money after bad?
@@TheMarcopix For a beginner, a few select upgrades may make sense if the bike fits them well, upgrading some of the touchpoints for example. I was more thinking about the guy making the video, a cheap fun one is a great addition.
All my joints hurt after watching this video, 40 years ago I rode trails on my 1967 Schwinn Stingray…now I ride those trail in comfort on my Fuel EX…but…I always recommend a very inexpensive bike to anyone looking to get into the sport, there’s no sense in spending big money and taking the depreciation hit if riding isn’t for you or you bought the completely wrong bike.
Haha, back in the late 90s me and a few friends rode a 70 ish mile long bike path from start to finish and back. They was on brand new BMX bikes, I was on a Schwinn Stingray.
We used to ride huffy 10 speeds on the dirt trails, those poor bikes took a severe beating. It was all we had for bike transportation. The dirt trails were the quickest and easiest ways to get around town.
@MichaelSmith-th4ko oneup dropper is the go too. I got a e13 vario dropper on clearance too that's been pretty good as well still got the 5 year warranty buying it on clearance too
I ordered a Huffy mountain bike after seeing so many people trash them online. I grew up riding Huffy bikes and we abused our bikes far more than middle aged people could ever do. I've also seen tons of vids of bike wrecks and bikes breaking.. Frames snapping with light use.. Not a single one of those vids featured a Huffy. They looked like $1000 bikes snapping in half and putting people in the hospital.
regarding the squeaky brakes: brand new disc brakes always need to be bedded in to match the pad to the surface. ride with the brakes slightly pulled (or just brake normally going down hills for half an hour) and that might solve it.
I've seen a few of these on the local rail trails. They seem to do just fine on the hard pack limestone. I'm sure the brakes are just fine for 0% grade hardpack. If nothing else, it shows that an entry level bike doesn't need to start at $1,000.
Most stuff at Walmart may not be the best, however, most of the stuff works. Why should bicycles be an exception? They sell a lot of stuff there that is more complex than the bicycle. Maybe bike shops just don't want you to know that Big Box store bikes can be "good enough.'
Well, I ride a road bike with 28mm slicks on hard pack limestone, not exactly a challenge for any bike. This $250 is crazy good value if the frame is decent. Frames are damn expensive, and cheap bike with good frame would be an excellent base for upgrades.
I actually found one! My local walmart here in Louisville got two in this week. Well now they only have one. Project Ozark Trail G1 Explorer XLT edition is upcoming. Not a bad looking ride. I took it apart and greased everything and popped it back together. Working like a champ. The handlebars were even installed in the correct orientation. Shwinggggg.....To help my gear ratio, I'm an older rider, I think I will put a single smaller chainring up front and I have a 34T freewheel somewhere in the parts bin. Otherwise gold.
Kentucky? Man... we never get the good bikes here. I remember I wanted that Klunker that Sam Pilgrim tested a few years ago, never saw it. You're lucky.
Maybe you've corrected the brake noise by now but if not, here's what I did on my Niner gravel with disc. After around 50 miles or so it started having that slight noise. It wasn't until around 200 or so that I noticed it had gotten quite worse. While on a ride I pulled over for a break and was off the bike and slightly moving it back and forth. I thought about it then looked at the mounting screws holding the caliper to the front fork. I merely loosened up the screws a bit and then picked up the the front of the bike and spun the tire forward and backward. I did this a few times and then while rotating it I applied the front brake slightly until it stopped, tightened the screws alternately and wa-la, brake noise gone. I had to figure when they put the bike together they didn't allow the caliper to center with the rotating wheel. Front wheel only. Was thinking along the same lines someone else had suggested about replacing the pads but, when all applied applications of ingenuity have failed, then add money.
hey matty, i have some really nice bikes. i have been doing this a while. I went out and bought me a poseidon redwood adventure bike.I was suppose to make a bus/ touring bike packing bike out of it, but once i got it, i realized that this was way to nice of a bike to throw on bus for a trip. Greyhound bus lines has lost one of my bikes before. After watching your video on the G-1 gravel bike, i went out and checked it out. I got it off the shelf and tested the fir out. It was perfect. i am 5;9 210lbs, and i could not believe how solid this bike was. the fit was perfect. after a week of mulling over this bike, i decided to buy this bike and use it as a adventure/ touring / bus bike. Yes that's right, a BUS BIKE. THE bike was junk because of the assembly. i started doing work to it right in the store. had to adjust the head set. Once out of the store, the back brakes were awesome. the front brakes needed all kinds of work and adjusting. The gearing was good. The saddle is horrible. After correctly assembleing the bike correctly, the bike is way awesome. I took it to the local trek bike shop, and the did some final adjusting, and this bike will get the job done. Everybody complains about the brakes, well mine is good after adjusting them. they stop on a dime. with a 2x drive train and solid 60-61 aluminum frame and kenda tires, and all the mounting points, this is the bike i have been looking for. everybody laughed at me in the bike shop and laughed at my ozark trail g-1 gravel bike, but the laugh is on them. yes i have the trek bikes and others that are considered top tier bikes that they don't know i have, I told them this was a BUS bike. The bike comes set up as a long distance touring bike. I am going to upgrade the saddle and install an adjustable stem on it. then i am going to install front and rear racks for touring. THE LAUGH IS ON THOSE WHO DON"T KNOW ABOUT THIS BIKE. thank you matty for sharing this video!!
i litterally saw this bike at walmart.. took it down checked it out for a while and really liked it.. but didn't have the cash to buy it at that time. funny to see you found this one.
I'm an older gal (53) and wouldn't be doing extreme trail riding like that. It seems that for regular pavement riding, this bike would do the trick. I'm 5'10 @ 220 and still losing weight, especially if I can use this for fitness and clearing of the mind. Thank you for the video and your channel.
@Monica93304 Do your thing, girl! I was 230, and dropped to 170. I can help you with diet ideas, and tell you how I lost weight. with zero exercise, and 100% lifestyle change. I don't know you, but I believe in you.
Thank you Matty! I managed to find this bike at my local Walmart after watching your first video. It wasn’t in my plans as I’m currently shopping around for a full suspension but I just couldn’t pass up the deal. Plus, it seems to been out of stock everywhere so had to pull the trigger before the price increases. It’s not just a beautiful looking bike but it rides and handles well. Great vids, great content!
I only weekend ride on the local bike paths and the occasional road, so i didn't need a multi thousand dollar bicycle. Im not shredding the trails, or competitive riding. the bike paths and roads aren't in the best shape and my lower back can't tolerate a hard tail bicycle. I ended up buying a Gravity FSX 1.0, i replaced the small bear trap pedals, put a larger seat on it, and slapped a pair of schwalbe big apple tires on it and pretty much made a comfort bicycle out of it. It does what i need it to do.
I have bought only two 500 dollar bikes in the past 12 years. A Giant roam and a trek dual sport 7. I ride 12-40 miles a day, until it snows too much. No problems. Clean and lube, if it's making a sound fix it.
@@chipskylark8869 I don't ride nearly that much yet. I do hope to one day. But coming back to riding after around 20 years of not riding I got to work myself back up to doing that much riding. You might not forget on how to ride, but your body sure reminds you of how long it's been.
I salute your courage to tell the truth. Entry level bikes are not junk like 40 years ago. Fact is, our asian friends make almost no unusable bicycle 'junk'. Of course jewelry grade bikes are great, as are prestigious component parts. Just not a requirement for a good new bike if you shop a bit.
That price is so good considering the rest of the market. When something breaks buy another one and now you have spare parts for everything except the first one which broke.
I just bought one of these yesterday. I am totally impressed with it for the price. I do with there was a way to shift to smaller gears from the drops though. For the price, it is amazing.
Great channel. I like that you're directed more towards guys starting off as opposed to everyone else that's more about the expert level which is fine but it's nice to see some perspective for what's probably the majority of bike riders. Especially watching your progression from the beginning. I try to tell beginners, look, at first you are honestly going to find it more like work but just stick with it and you will soon be rewarded as you start conquering hills and technical sections. Then you're hooked.
Very nicely done video. If that were my bike I would do two things right off the bat: measure the bolt circle and get a narrow wide chainring (J G Bike has some decent reasonably priced rings) and get a dropper. (I know you would be close to doubling the price of the bike but if it that capable it might be worth it) After that the possibilities are endless. Upgrade to TRP Spires or better yet TRD HY/RD’s. (Either would work with your current brake levers and cables) and you could go with a carbon fork). And on and on…
Just a bit of warning: I’ve burned through two alloy narrow-wide chain rings in two years. Aluminum cogs are lightweight but the teeth will wear out quick. I found this out when I had to replace a chain. Now I have a SRAM steel chain ring on order but have had to wait weeks.
I purchased this bike a couple of days ago. I've been riding all over. The only issues I've noticed so far it the breaks are terrible. I'm not sure if they need to be broken in, but they squeal so bad. The other is the gears can be iffy when you drop to the lowest gear. Other than that, it rides nice and smoothly. You can hear your speed increase from the tires. I changed out the seat for a seat that lights up and has a better cushion. All my accessories fit great. What I also like that I had trouble with my other bike is you can ride without hands and not be all wobbly. The gear setup is neat. I love the shifters in the handles, but these are a little different. I like the handle bar with a little bit of an out swing. I plan to change out the pedals for better ones. I think for the price, we're getting a good deal.
The pads will get seated to the disk over time, apply light breaks when going down hill for a couple days and you will notice a big difference as they get "broke in" 👍✌️
cant find the large frame and wound up getting a Kent with even cheaper components but this was the one I wanted. But even walmart doesnt ever seem to carry it in bigger than Medium sizes.
@@aethervagrant244 if I'm not mistaken, this only comes in Small and Medium, at least for now. There is no Large frame. Though if it's popular enough maybe they'll do what Kent did and add a Large later on.
I had the Ozark Trail Ridge hardtail for a minute, but returned after getting a Grand Canyon 5 on sale. That said, was impressed overall, would 100% go for one of these.
I know the cool kids will tell you to take off the reflectors and kickstand, but this is more of a road bike and frankly reflectors and a kickstand are a good idea in that case. I'd lose the wheel reflectors, but leave at least the rear red reflector on as you'll be riding this on the street. You can put some velcro wrap around the kickstand if you're considering downhilling the thing (I wouldn't). This is capable of offroading, but really why would you with the bikes you have? This is a good on and light off road bike but not really designed for mountain biking. If folks use it the way it's meant to be used it's a great bike!
Bought a mid tier Salsa Cutthroat last July and love it, but I am slowly replacing the Shimano GRX-810 parts for Microshift, wheelset for Cutthroat and Timberjack interchangability, mechanical disc levers and calipers, and a dropper. Again, love it, but I regret not just buying frame and fork and doing it myself. Sometimes just buying a decently affordable bike and parting it will do just fine, like this fine man is doing and explaining.
As kids we had to work on old bikes ourselfes because we had no money to afford great stuff and it was a Catalysator of freedom for us. It is alwas possible to work on a bike and improve things and the price of this one is so extremely low. A complete bike for the tenth of the price of a frameset with a brand on it... I am pretty sure some parts of this bike wear out pretty fast, and maybe the paint is not extraordinary but everybody who is able to repair something will be able to upgrade and have a bike for many years of fun without the biggest danger to become victim of bike theft. Liebe Grüße und danke 🤗
Bought the Ozark Trail 29'er while on a conus deployment. Loved it. My normal is a YT Capra. Did some upgrades and shipped it home to give to my oldest son. Bought a new one in box for my youngest. They're about $200 cheaper than a similar equipped bike shop bike.
I'm so glad we all have access to budget options in our cycling hobby! I started off with a GT when I was much younger and now have a Specialized and 2 Giants (racer + MTB). I'm no professional or competitive cyclist so I don't see a big difference between a name brand and a mainstream bike. The more expensive Specialized may have a better carbon-fiber frame with better rigidity/geometry etc but the components (Shimano 105) are not as good as those on my 2 Giants (Shimano Ultegra/SLX). I find 'budget' bikes offer more value for money in this regard. But even more budget bikes like those from Mongoose/GT/Shwinn and the one reviewed here are more than good enough for commutes from A to B or the weekly family rides at the park/beach. We don't have Walmart or Dick's Sports Store where I am but their bikes are really good value for money options.
I showcase big box bikes to motivate new riders to get into cycling or get back if they left. Why? Because a few years ago that was me getting back into riding and I didn’t want to spend a lot in case it didn’t work out and I’m glad I did. Keep up the great videos
I have a walmart BSO 29er MTB. Changed pedals, riser and forks. Ride nearly every day again after 30 years off bikes. Perfect for me and how I ride. And far less enrty cost than even a Marlin. It also got me to dust off and restore the 50 year old Palmer I rode just out of school. (But I did have to replace the Palmer frame with a Lemond Reno as the old frame had a catastrophic structural failure.)
My Marlin 6 is available for pick up on Monday. Been thinking about riding bikes and after watching all your videos, gave me a craving for some trail riding.
I've had $500 Walmart bikes that do just a well as a high-end bike..as long as you know how to work on it and have the right tools any bike can be great
Awesome video man. I have expensive bikes, but there is always room for a commuter/travel bike like this. Something you can throw under the plane or on the bike rack in urban areas....
It's great to see low end bikes being recommended, I've been cycling since the 90's and the most expensive bike I've ever bought was for £650, £300 for me is the normal amount these days, well done ❤
I used to ride bikes like this in my youth, 35 years ago, on dirt trails all the time. They did not last, components broke, and it usually resulted in a trip to the bike shop, where the bike mechanic would rip me a new one for riding it off road. LOL.
I laughed when I saw all the bikes! Awesome! I've got a fair number, but we gor thw fam stuff here. Atm I've got 2 for myself, but I'd love to that gravel bike!
As I was typing it, you said it. Lose the reflectors and kickstand. To solve chain slap ... cut rubber from an old tube, wrap chainstay with it using zip strips.
I'm willing to bet the chain's too long as well, that'd be one of the first things I'd check. My Trouvaille came with a chain that was not trimmed down at all (as I found out when I went and bought a replacement chain, laid them both out to use the old one as a size guide, and they were already the same)
Love this budget gravel content! I just bought one of these yesterday in the medium size, and wow it looks weirdly great in person. I have a 140mil trail bike for my all mountain bike, but wanted something to train long mile days on that wasn't my trail bike. It made no sense to spend thousands on an expensive gravel bike, just to help with training and some commuting, but absolutely I can justify $248! I don't expect it to be perfect, and sure enough the brakes are pretty terrible. Everything else has been well above acceptable for the price point though, and I look forward to doing some upgrades as I am sure Matty will also do!
It’s funny I keep watching videos about this bike like I’m gonna buy one but once you’ve owned a Priority Bicycle it’s hard to go back to the Walmart bikes lol
A budget bike may not be the best bike, but it doesn’t necessarily equate to junk. A budget bike means that you can go enjoy riding with friends, or on your own instead of watching someone else do it on RUclips. Budget bike makes it possible to own more than one. “I don’t have a bike” is no longer an excuse for a buddy not to ride with you, he will actually have to be honest that he doesn’t like you. I have a few budget bikes. The same trail on a different bike is a new adventure. 👍😎
Man. I love your videos. Nothing but good times and riding bikes. I am just now getting into riding and it's awesome that there's a lot of good content to watch for the times I'm not able to get out there and ride.
I just leave my wheel reflectors on until they fall off themselves. I even have my commuter bike with four reflectors on each wheel plus lights that go around the rims. I work nights
I thought about buying gravel wheelset and drop handlebar and convert my hard tail to gravel bike but buying this gravel bike is cheaper than conversion. Only if I could find one of these in stock......
Best bike I ever owned is the Ozark Trail gravel bike!! Why??? Because the difference between my breaks amd your breaks is the low cost replacement parts! Also if something breaks I can upgrade that part until it doesn't break anymore.
That's basically what I did with the Ozark Trail Ridge I bought last summer. My bike has new brakes (mt200s), a new drive-train (Microshift AdventX), a new crankset/bottom-bracket, grips and new tires. The only things stock left on it are the wheels, the fork, the seat/seat-post and handlebars.
I'd do that with a used bike, but on new bikes that will rarely come out as a good investment. OEMs typically pay less for the components than we as end customers do.
That looks a capable machine, maybe drop the small front ring for a smaller one to tame those hills, but it fly's down hill. I'd buy one if I could get one in the UK.
Good video Matty, thanks for reviewing this one. Curious what you think about the longevity / durability of those walmart 700c wheels out on the trail. Think they'll stay true? Would it be worth it to take it to a local shop right out the box to get them tuned and tensioned properly before starting out?
I just bought my son and I a pair of GT Transeo Comp bikes. $550 each. They are great for gravel biking out on county roads. You do NOT need to spend $1,000 on a bike.
Yeah, this is a really good bike for the money. I'm currently trying to spec out a Trekking bike to Gravelbike conversion and even with cheap or used parts I'm having a hard time staying under that budget even though I own most of the parts already.
cheaping out on your first bike is absolutely the move - as things break, you can learn how to fix them! (plus you probably wont buy the best style for your needs the first time lol)
Just as I said in the earlier video - I'm eager to find out how this thing would turn out after a flat bar conversion - and a pair of hydraulic brakes thrown in for good measure!
My first bike was purchased at Walmart with Tourney rear der and drive train. It's the low end Shimano groupset and good for starters who just got into cycling. It's decent for occasional riding but not for daily work commuting which is what I do.
Go to drinkag1.com/mattyactive to get your FREE welcome kit that includes the canister, shaker, a year supply of vitamin d3k2, and 5 extra travel packs of AG1! Thanks to AG1 for sponsoring today’s video!
Sup Matty! Just wondering what the green stuff tastes like? lol
@@mikeburgh3956 It tastes pretty good actually, not the best but after a few drinks you definitely get used to it. I love it and love the way it makes me feel!
@@MattyActive Thanks brother I'll have to sign up to try!!
Unsafe bike was Huffy having a Dynasty Dynamo second generation 1997/1998--2004, I had one and bikes if you had receipt or somebody had bought bike for you , you were initialed to a refund of up to $120 or if you had medical issues, bike was so poorly made tubing gaps were covered up when I stopped riding the gaps were exposed. However I did not have bikes receipt becuse bikes were bought in 2001 and a single move by my parents caused bike receipt to be lost not to mention reading a receipt that old would have been impossible given it was from an older small ACE Hardwear on cheap pape where bike may not have been sold originally being a clearance bike from Walmart or K-Mart but was new when sold to me.
This is the reason why big bike brands are struggling. They forget to supply the good affordable entry level bike. There are not enough people willing to pay 5000usd and up for a bike, make it 500-1000 and people are buying bikes again. Nobody will start with the uber expensive bikes, and if you are told you need such a bike to ride, you just choose another sport. Which is a real shame, as a fit young guy can easily keep up with the 50+ age groupers, while on a heavier worse equipped bike.
Bike companies make entry level bikes. It’s just I doubt they and bike stores make much money off them compared to $5000+ bikes so bike stores don’t care much about that market.
I bought an Ozark Trail Ridge. I would never gotten back into riding if it wasn’t for it. The bike had given me so much joy and it makes me excited to get out and explore. I feel like a kid again and that’s priceless.
Great bike. People make fun of mine but it’s my money and my bike so be it. That ridge is a great machine.
Hell yeah! I did the same thing back in 2007 or so with a road bike purchased on eBay. It was just the bike in a box. Mostly dissambled. I brought it to a bike shop to have it set up and it was AWESOME. It got me totally into road biking and I must have put at least 2k miles on that bike inside the first two years before it was stolen. The whole bike cost me $300 and that was back then!
Like this guy above me said - you can't put price on happiness. All the bike gear in the world still can't make you actually enjoy it. You have to have it happen organically.
same brother the ridge is such a versatile platform u can make it as good as any 1500 or 2000 bike with the right components
A true bike person. No matter the price or specs, so as long as it makes you happy and excited, then it is a bike that is worth it.
The fact that one gets excited about talking a bike shows how good it is.
Tom and Steuart Walton, grandsons of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, are hardcore cyclists. I believe The Ozark Line is their effort to get affordable entry-level bikes into the hands of the public. And I say bravo! If this gets a few more folks off the couch and outdoors, then fantastic! (Trek, Specialized, and Giant should take note).
A decent budget bicycle is nothing to turn your nose up at. I rode a Walmart $250 to the train station every day in Philly because I didn't want to lock up one of my good bikes. I loved that bike. It was a little heavy but I was riding for exercise too so I sucked up. Nobody is too good to ride a budget bicycle. My son just bought this and we are going to pick it up and check it out.
This looks like an amazing deal for a regular person like me who is looking for their first all-rounder bike on a budget. Hopefully it keeps going like this where we actually get budget prices, not starting out at $1,000 for "budget".
I owned a crapbike Motobecane way back in 1990 that proved to be my gateway drug to cycling and I don't regret it for a bit. I fondly look back on doing my very first half century with that bike. I barely kept up with the old folks but I was very proud of myself.
So long as this is put together soundly. I can see this being a good first bike for someone who is just getting started.
There's also nothing wrong with those of us who have n +1 bikes to have one of these in our stable for biking around town and locking up in dodgy places.
Great review. Thank you for this.
I bought a Ozark Trail Ridge last year and made upgrades to it, and it's a fantastic bike. The biggest upgrades I made was to put Shimano mt200 hydraulic brakes, switching to a narrow-wide chain-ring, hollow-tube bottom-bracket and a Microshift AdventX drive-train.
Can you only put a 7 speed cassette on the back?
hey brother i am looking to upgrade my crankset.. would you know the largest crankset i would be able to put on the mine?
@@trevor50ifyYou’re better off checking forums. The ozark trial ridge upgrade path is a pretty common one and someone has probably asked the same question
@@tiffmercer4306 I saw a comment that you could but the person making the comment thought it might be difficult.
Curious about how much that cost you? I'm not criticizing your choices but I wonder if you've put enough into it that you could have gotten a similar setup from an entry level new bike.
I had watched a couple videos of this bike and typed up the comment below on another video, but I felt like it would fit perfectly with the tone of your video so forgive the copy and paste 😅
Bike mechanic and owner of 6 bikes here: This may become number 7. You know my first world problem? All my bikes are too expensive. I can’t reasonably ride my bike into the college town that I live in and meet my friends at the bars and leave my cheapest bike, $2000, locked up outside and not feel a biting stress at the back of my mind that it’s going to be gone by the time I come back. I literally have entertained a lock more expensive than this bike to address this issue. What’s crazier still, you know what I have NOT considered to address this issue? A cheap bike. You know the problem with cheap bikes? They’re cheap. Quill stems, no-name derailleurs, cheap rim v-brakes, terrible external routing with cables wayyy to long or wayyy too short, an incorrectly installed riser bar with bad grips and a grip shifter. There is none of that here.. this bike blows my mind at its price. I don’t think I, as an industry insider with access to pro deals and discounts that ANYONE would be jealous of, can make $248 go this far. Honest to goodness, the cheapest gravel bike I can sell someone at my store is $850. It is better than this bike in every way.. but in most ways only just barely and certainly NOT $600 better for the bigger improvements, like the drivetrain. The next poor college kid who want’s to buy a bike and has $300 to his name, I’m basically morally obligated to tell him to buy this bike and spend the $50 on a helmet.
Well said!🎉
I still ride my 1996 Specialized Rockhopper MTB. I upgraded it over the years. I added the wider carbon bar to cure the twitchiness, XTR gear. It still has the 26" rims. I just changed to a tarmac tires for all around riding. It weight less than 24# and 99% of the riding is dependent on the rider and never the bike.
I think everyone in this comment section suggesting upgrades is crazy. Keep it as it is, ride it and replace wear parts. It's a great around town/commuting (and maybe sometimes take the fun dirt path home) bike that you don't need to worry about too much. There is joy in that and it that joy can disappear quickly once you invest time and money into too much upgrading.
Yes, yes, yes…
I'm curious about the frame and if it's worth upgrading. If you really get into cycling you'll probably want something lighter and are you throwing good money after bad?
@@TheMarcopix For a beginner, a few select upgrades may make sense if the bike fits them well, upgrading some of the touchpoints for example.
I was more thinking about the guy making the video, a cheap fun one is a great addition.
All my joints hurt after watching this video, 40 years ago I rode trails on my 1967 Schwinn Stingray…now I ride those trail in comfort on my Fuel EX…but…I always recommend a very inexpensive bike to anyone looking to get into the sport, there’s no sense in spending big money and taking the depreciation hit if riding isn’t for you or you bought the completely wrong bike.
Haha, back in the late 90s me and a few friends rode a 70 ish mile long bike path from start to finish and back. They was on brand new BMX bikes, I was on a Schwinn Stingray.
I@@madmax2069
We used to ride huffy 10 speeds on the dirt trails, those poor bikes took a severe beating. It was all we had for bike transportation. The dirt trails were the quickest and easiest ways to get around town.
I bought a Marlin 6 because of this man.
Just bought one last week too 😂😂😂
I have a marlin 6 as well ... Was wondering if any of y'all could point me in the right direction for a dropper post.. thank you in advance!
Yep. Matty is literally an influential influencer
Crank Brothers has some really good dropper post, i own one myself is a solid product. @MichaelSmith-th4ko
@MichaelSmith-th4ko oneup dropper is the go too. I got a e13 vario dropper on clearance too that's been pretty good as well still got the 5 year warranty buying it on clearance too
Just bought one and agree with you; great value. Light touring and gravel is where I'm headed with it.
I ordered a Huffy mountain bike after seeing so many people trash them online. I grew up riding Huffy bikes and we abused our bikes far more than middle aged people could ever do.
I've also seen tons of vids of bike wrecks and bikes breaking.. Frames snapping with light use.. Not a single one of those vids featured a Huffy. They looked like $1000 bikes snapping in half and putting people in the hospital.
Bro, this was a fantastic video. Thank you for making biking videos that are relatable to the average Joe. Expensive isn't always necessary.
regarding the squeaky brakes: brand new disc brakes always need to be bedded in to match the pad to the surface. ride with the brakes slightly pulled (or just brake normally going down hills for half an hour) and that might solve it.
OMG the contraption which lowered the bike is INGENIOUS!!!
I've seen a few of these on the local rail trails. They seem to do just fine on the hard pack limestone. I'm sure the brakes are just fine for 0% grade hardpack. If nothing else, it shows that an entry level bike doesn't need to start at $1,000.
Most stuff at Walmart may not be the best, however, most of the stuff works. Why should bicycles be an exception? They sell a lot of stuff there that is more complex than the bicycle. Maybe bike shops just don't want you to know that Big Box store bikes can be "good enough.'
Well, I ride a road bike with 28mm slicks on hard pack limestone, not exactly a challenge for any bike.
This $250 is crazy good value if the frame is decent. Frames are damn expensive, and cheap bike with good frame would be an excellent base for upgrades.
I actually found one! My local walmart here in Louisville got two in this week. Well now they only have one. Project Ozark Trail G1 Explorer XLT edition is upcoming. Not a bad looking ride. I took it apart and greased everything and popped it back together. Working like a champ. The handlebars were even installed in the correct orientation. Shwinggggg.....To help my gear ratio, I'm an older rider, I think I will put a single smaller chainring up front and I have a 34T freewheel somewhere in the parts bin. Otherwise gold.
Kentucky? Man... we never get the good bikes here. I remember I wanted that Klunker that Sam Pilgrim tested a few years ago, never saw it. You're lucky.
Maybe you've corrected the brake noise by now but if not, here's what I did on my Niner gravel with disc. After around 50 miles or so it started having that slight noise. It wasn't until around 200 or so that I noticed it had gotten quite worse. While on a ride I pulled over for a break and was off the bike and slightly moving it back and forth. I thought about it then looked at the mounting screws holding the caliper to the front fork. I merely loosened up the screws a bit and then picked up the the front of the bike and spun the tire forward and backward. I did this a few times and then while rotating it I applied the front brake slightly until it stopped, tightened the screws alternately and wa-la, brake noise gone. I had to figure when they put the bike together they didn't allow the caliper to center with the rotating wheel. Front wheel only. Was thinking along the same lines someone else had suggested about replacing the pads but, when all applied applications of ingenuity have failed, then add money.
hey matty, i have some really nice bikes. i have been doing this a while. I went out and bought me a poseidon redwood adventure bike.I was suppose to make a bus/ touring bike packing bike out of it, but once i got it, i realized that this was way to nice of a bike to throw on bus for a trip. Greyhound bus lines has lost one of my bikes before. After watching your video on the G-1 gravel bike, i went out and checked it out. I got it off the shelf and tested the fir out. It was perfect. i am 5;9 210lbs, and i could not believe how solid this bike was. the fit was perfect. after a week of mulling over this bike, i decided to buy this bike and use it as a adventure/ touring / bus bike. Yes that's right, a BUS BIKE. THE bike was junk because of the assembly. i started doing work to it right in the store. had to adjust the head set. Once out of the store, the back brakes were awesome. the front brakes needed all kinds of work and adjusting. The gearing was good. The saddle is horrible. After correctly assembleing the bike correctly, the bike is way awesome. I took it to the local trek bike shop, and the did some final adjusting, and this bike will get the job done. Everybody complains about the brakes, well mine is good after adjusting them. they stop on a dime. with a 2x drive train and solid 60-61 aluminum frame and kenda tires, and all the mounting points, this is the bike i have been looking for. everybody laughed at me in the bike shop and laughed at my ozark trail g-1 gravel bike, but the laugh is on them. yes i have the trek bikes and others that are considered top tier bikes that they don't know i have, I told them this was a BUS bike. The bike comes set up as a long distance touring bike. I am going to upgrade the saddle and install an adjustable stem on it. then i am going to install front and rear racks for touring. THE LAUGH IS ON THOSE WHO DON"T KNOW ABOUT THIS BIKE. thank you matty for sharing this video!!
i litterally saw this bike at walmart.. took it down checked it out for a while and really liked it.. but didn't have the cash to buy it at that time. funny to see you found this one.
I'm an older gal (53) and wouldn't be doing extreme trail riding like that. It seems that for regular pavement riding, this bike would do the trick. I'm 5'10 @ 220 and still losing weight, especially if I can use this for fitness and clearing of the mind.
Thank you for the video and your channel.
This bike is definitely perfect for that! I really appreciate you watching the channel
@Monica93304
Do your thing, girl! I was 230, and dropped to 170. I can help you with diet ideas, and tell you how I lost weight.
with zero exercise, and 100% lifestyle change.
I don't know you, but I believe in you.
Thank you Matty! I managed to find this bike at my local Walmart after watching your first video. It wasn’t in my plans as I’m currently shopping around for a full suspension but I just couldn’t pass up the deal. Plus, it seems to been out of stock everywhere so had to pull the trigger before the price increases. It’s not just a beautiful looking bike but it rides and handles well. Great vids, great content!
I can’t find it anywhere ,online , nothing…..I want one for the days that all the trails are muddy lol
I only weekend ride on the local bike paths and the occasional road, so i didn't need a multi thousand dollar bicycle. Im not shredding the trails, or competitive riding.
the bike paths and roads aren't in the best shape and my lower back can't tolerate a hard tail bicycle.
I ended up buying a Gravity FSX 1.0, i replaced the small bear trap pedals, put a larger seat on it, and slapped a pair of schwalbe big apple tires on it and pretty much made a comfort bicycle out of it.
It does what i need it to do.
I have bought only two 500 dollar bikes in the past 12 years. A Giant roam and a trek dual sport 7. I ride 12-40 miles a day, until it snows too much. No problems. Clean and lube, if it's making a sound fix it.
I do change tires eventually but never took a chain or cassette off to clean.
@@chipskylark8869 I don't ride nearly that much yet. I do hope to one day. But coming back to riding after around 20 years of not riding I got to work myself back up to doing that much riding. You might not forget on how to ride, but your body sure reminds you of how long it's been.
I salute your courage to tell the truth. Entry level bikes are not junk like 40 years ago. Fact is, our asian friends make almost no unusable bicycle 'junk'. Of course jewelry grade bikes are great, as are prestigious component parts. Just not a requirement for a good new bike if you shop a bit.
But this one is also made by our Asian friends though
That price is so good considering the rest of the market. When something breaks buy another one and now you have spare parts for everything except the first one which broke.
I've been through few of your videos today and I had to subscribe. Thanks for keeping it simple and real for us newbies.
I just bought one of these yesterday. I am totally impressed with it for the price. I do with there was a way to shift to smaller gears from the drops though. For the price, it is amazing.
Great channel.
I like that you're directed more towards guys starting off as opposed to everyone else that's more about the expert level which is fine but it's nice to see some perspective for what's probably the majority of bike riders.
Especially watching your progression from the beginning.
I try to tell beginners, look, at first you are honestly going to find it more like work but just stick with it and you will soon be rewarded as you start conquering hills and technical sections. Then you're hooked.
Looks as good as my 800 $ poseidon and same color too. Probably only needs a sealed bottom bracket (if that is lacking)
Very nicely done video. If that were my bike I would do two things right off the bat: measure the bolt circle and get a narrow wide chainring (J G Bike has some decent reasonably priced rings) and get a dropper. (I know you would be close to doubling the price of the bike but if it that capable it might be worth it)
After that the possibilities are endless. Upgrade to TRP Spires or better yet TRD HY/RD’s. (Either would work with your current brake levers and cables) and you could go with a carbon fork). And on and on…
Just a bit of warning: I’ve burned through two alloy narrow-wide chain rings in two years. Aluminum cogs are lightweight but the teeth will wear out quick. I found this out when I had to replace a chain. Now I have a SRAM steel chain ring on order but have had to wait weeks.
you should do a quick specs run down video of the bike and what you would change to make it a little better. Like a plus version that's $325.
I purchased this bike a couple of days ago. I've been riding all over. The only issues I've noticed so far it the breaks are terrible. I'm not sure if they need to be broken in, but they squeal so bad. The other is the gears can be iffy when you drop to the lowest gear. Other than that, it rides nice and smoothly. You can hear your speed increase from the tires. I changed out the seat for a seat that lights up and has a better cushion. All my accessories fit great. What I also like that I had trouble with my other bike is you can ride without hands and not be all wobbly. The gear setup is neat. I love the shifters in the handles, but these are a little different. I like the handle bar with a little bit of an out swing. I plan to change out the pedals for better ones. I think for the price, we're getting a good deal.
The pads will get seated to the disk over time, apply light breaks when going down hill for a couple days and you will notice a big difference as they get "broke in" 👍✌️
They finally hit that fine line with technology and quality. For sure. Walmart finally woke up with their bikes. 🎉🎉🎉
The prices of some of these bikes is crazy. I got a whole mini excavator with 5 attachments for less than 6k. Holy cow
So few of these bikes are available that there aren’t many reviews. Looks like a solid bike. Thanks for sharing!
cant find the large frame and wound up getting a Kent with even cheaper components but this was the one I wanted. But even walmart doesnt ever seem to carry it in bigger than Medium sizes.
@@aethervagrant244 if I'm not mistaken, this only comes in Small and Medium, at least for now. There is no Large frame. Though if it's popular enough maybe they'll do what Kent did and add a Large later on.
I had the Ozark Trail Ridge hardtail for a minute, but returned after getting a Grand Canyon 5 on sale. That said, was impressed overall, would 100% go for one of these.
Good stuff man. I'm curious how the parts hold up over time.
I know the cool kids will tell you to take off the reflectors and kickstand, but this is more of a road bike and frankly reflectors and a kickstand are a good idea in that case. I'd lose the wheel reflectors, but leave at least the rear red reflector on as you'll be riding this on the street. You can put some velcro wrap around the kickstand if you're considering downhilling the thing (I wouldn't). This is capable of offroading, but really why would you with the bikes you have? This is a good on and light off road bike but not really designed for mountain biking. If folks use it the way it's meant to be used it's a great bike!
Bought a mid tier Salsa Cutthroat last July and love it, but I am slowly replacing the Shimano GRX-810 parts for Microshift, wheelset for Cutthroat and Timberjack interchangability, mechanical disc levers and calipers, and a dropper. Again, love it, but I regret not just buying frame and fork and doing it myself. Sometimes just buying a decently affordable bike and parting it will do just fine, like this fine man is doing and explaining.
Man, your videos are very informative. I'm thinking about getting into this sport I just like my collar bone.
Thank you I really appreciate it! You can definitely get into without huge risk. It’s only as dangerous as you make it (for the most part)
Bangers are bangers no matter how high or low the budget!
Holy crap... I was thinking when you said you had a few bikes of seeing maybe 4.... WOW what a collection!
Ozark already pulled of amazing stuff with their Hardtail. Seth was amazed by that thing
As kids we had to work on old bikes ourselfes because we had no money to afford great stuff and it was a Catalysator of freedom for us. It is alwas possible to work on a bike and improve things and the price of this one is so extremely low. A complete bike for the tenth of the price of a frameset with a brand on it... I am pretty sure some parts of this bike wear out pretty fast, and maybe the paint is not extraordinary but everybody who is able to repair something will be able to upgrade and have a bike for many years of fun without the biggest danger to become victim of bike theft. Liebe Grüße und danke 🤗
Nice! Been wanting to get a gravel bike as this would be my first one.
Bought the Ozark Trail 29'er while on a conus deployment. Loved it. My normal is a YT Capra. Did some upgrades and shipped it home to give to my oldest son. Bought a new one in box for my youngest. They're about $200 cheaper than a similar equipped bike shop bike.
Not a bad bike. Congrats on 26k!
I'm so glad we all have access to budget options in our cycling hobby! I started off with a GT when I was much younger and now have a Specialized and 2 Giants (racer + MTB). I'm no professional or competitive cyclist so I don't see a big difference between a name brand and a mainstream bike. The more expensive Specialized may have a better carbon-fiber frame with better rigidity/geometry etc but the components (Shimano 105) are not as good as those on my 2 Giants (Shimano Ultegra/SLX). I find 'budget' bikes offer more value for money in this regard. But even more budget bikes like those from Mongoose/GT/Shwinn and the one reviewed here are more than good enough for commutes from A to B or the weekly family rides at the park/beach. We don't have Walmart or Dick's Sports Store where I am but their bikes are really good value for money options.
Amazing job showcasing this bike! Can’t wait to see more of your content.
Heck yeah, sick. Ride whatever! Very much looking forward to the 1000 mile, 2k mile, and 5k mile reports on this bike farther down the road. Bring it!
Could you do a maintenance/service video? Like what you personally do?
I showcase big box bikes to motivate new riders to get into cycling or get back if they left. Why? Because a few years ago that was me getting back into riding and I didn’t want to spend a lot in case it didn’t work out and I’m glad I did. Keep up the great videos
They need to make larger sizes. Big and tall people are begging for a budget bike like this.
I have a walmart BSO 29er MTB. Changed pedals, riser and forks. Ride nearly every day again after 30 years off bikes. Perfect for me and how I ride. And far less enrty cost than even a Marlin.
It also got me to dust off and restore the 50 year old Palmer I rode just out of school. (But I did have to replace the Palmer frame with a Lemond Reno as the old frame had a catastrophic structural failure.)
My Marlin 6 is available for pick up on Monday. Been thinking about riding bikes and after watching all your videos, gave me a craving for some trail riding.
I've had $500 Walmart bikes that do just a well as a high-end bike..as long as you know how to work on it and have the right tools any bike can be great
Awesome video man. I have expensive bikes, but there is always room for a commuter/travel bike like this. Something you can throw under the plane or on the bike rack in urban areas....
I'm going to talk my buddy into one and buy it off of him in about a year and rebuild it for bike camping 😜
It's great to see low end bikes being recommended, I've been cycling since the 90's and the most expensive bike I've ever bought was for £650, £300 for me is the normal amount these days, well done ❤
I used to ride bikes like this in my youth, 35 years ago, on dirt trails all the time. They did not last, components broke, and it usually resulted in a trip to the bike shop, where the bike mechanic would rip me a new one for riding it off road. LOL.
1:00-1:17.....absolute truth! It's all about the ride.
You're right about the tire thing. It's half the battle!
Just picked up a roscoe 7 thanks to your videos. Love it so far
Nice!
Subbed instantly, I love the effort level and consideration.
And a great overview ride! I think I'm looking at my next bike here.
I laughed when I saw all the bikes! Awesome! I've got a fair number, but we gor thw fam stuff here. Atm I've got 2 for myself, but I'd love to that gravel bike!
As I was typing it, you said it. Lose the reflectors and kickstand. To solve chain slap ... cut rubber from an old tube, wrap chainstay with it using zip strips.
If you don't have tubes a roll of gator grip tape will do.
@@LaurentiusTriarius Good idea. A few layers of Gorilla Tape would work as well as rubber.
I use bartape on the chainstay.
@@PRH123 Nice.
I'm willing to bet the chain's too long as well, that'd be one of the first things I'd check. My Trouvaille came with a chain that was not trimmed down at all (as I found out when I went and bought a replacement chain, laid them both out to use the old one as a size guide, and they were already the same)
Love this budget gravel content! I just bought one of these yesterday in the medium size, and wow it looks weirdly great in person. I have a 140mil trail bike for my all mountain bike, but wanted something to train long mile days on that wasn't my trail bike. It made no sense to spend thousands on an expensive gravel bike, just to help with training and some commuting, but absolutely I can justify $248! I don't expect it to be perfect, and sure enough the brakes are pretty terrible. Everything else has been well above acceptable for the price point though, and I look forward to doing some upgrades as I am sure Matty will also do!
Your shredding looked pretty fast!
It’s funny I keep watching videos about this bike like I’m gonna buy one but once you’ve owned a Priority Bicycle it’s hard to go back to the Walmart bikes lol
It’s definitely worth having as a backup at least!
A budget bike may not be the best bike, but it doesn’t necessarily equate to junk.
A budget bike means that you can go enjoy riding with friends, or on your own instead of watching someone else do it on RUclips.
Budget bike makes it possible to own more than one.
“I don’t have a bike” is no longer an excuse for a buddy not to ride with you, he will actually have to be honest that he doesn’t like you.
I have a few budget bikes.
The same trail on a different bike is a new adventure.
👍😎
Man. I love your videos. Nothing but good times and riding bikes. I am just now getting into riding and it's awesome that there's a lot of good content to watch for the times I'm not able to get out there and ride.
Had a ozark tent for a night, was epic lol left in mounta
Now you make me want a gravel bike. Specifically that one!😮
I just leave my wheel reflectors on until they fall off themselves. I even have my commuter bike with four reflectors on each wheel plus lights that go around the rims. I work nights
Awesome channel! Can you do a vid on the Rockhopper sport 29er?
I thought about buying gravel wheelset and drop handlebar and convert my hard tail to gravel bike but buying this gravel bike is cheaper than conversion. Only if I could find one of these in stock......
Keep riding it keep us posted. Thanks
I'm new to bikes and plan on picking this Gravel bike up today after work. If i'm 5'8, what size would you recommend? Thanks, and love the channel.
Best bike I ever owned is the Ozark Trail gravel bike!! Why??? Because the difference between my breaks amd your breaks is the low cost replacement parts! Also if something breaks I can upgrade that part until it doesn't break anymore.
That would make for a good project bike. Scrap some of the crap components and build up the way you want
That's basically what I did with the Ozark Trail Ridge I bought last summer.
My bike has new brakes (mt200s), a new drive-train (Microshift AdventX), a new crankset/bottom-bracket, grips and new tires.
The only things stock left on it are the wheels, the fork, the seat/seat-post and handlebars.
I'd do that with a used bike, but on new bikes that will rarely come out as a good investment. OEMs typically pay less for the components than we as end customers do.
Well, it's good for $250 but would it last? in long term on gravel...
That looks a capable machine, maybe drop the small front ring for a smaller one to tame those hills, but it fly's down hill. I'd buy one if I could get one in the UK.
if it's using the good bcd then yeah it's worth the upgrade.
Good video Matty, thanks for reviewing this one. Curious what you think about the longevity / durability of those walmart 700c wheels out on the trail. Think they'll stay true? Would it be worth it to take it to a local shop right out the box to get them tuned and tensioned properly before starting out?
I just bought my son and I a pair of GT Transeo Comp bikes. $550 each. They are great for gravel biking out on county roads. You do NOT need to spend $1,000 on a bike.
Would be an awesome series to see a “High-Low” budget trip, solo or with a friend, where ya swap bikes back and forth and observe. Cheers :)
Yeah, this is a really good bike for the money. I'm currently trying to spec out a Trekking bike to Gravelbike conversion and even with cheap or used parts I'm having a hard time staying under that budget even though I own most of the parts already.
Looks like a bargain. Even if you were to change everything including the fork this still seems like a good base for upgrades.
It will be interesting to see how it holds up,headset bearings, bottom bracket, wheel bearings.
will have to see how long it lasts...
cheaping out on your first bike is absolutely the move - as things break, you can learn how to fix them! (plus you probably wont buy the best style for your needs the first time lol)
Love the video Matty!
Just as I said in the earlier video - I'm eager to find out how this thing would turn out after a flat bar conversion - and a pair of hydraulic brakes thrown in for good measure!
My only gripe about it, is that keep using Tourney instead of Claris, Sora, or even Tiagra.
I wished there were such sort of gravel bikes at these price in India too
That was definitely more than just gravel… it had a lot of slightly rocky trails ..
Tourney is a reasonably reliable drivetrain, rhe L-Two shifters are pretty sweet campy pattern.
My first bike was purchased at Walmart with Tourney rear der and drive train. It's the low end Shimano groupset and good for starters who just got into cycling. It's decent for occasional riding but not for daily work commuting which is what I do.