I see alot of this type of bike for sale in my area. Lots of them tick a lot of boxes for me for a commuter/ gravel build:
– steel frame for belt drive frame mods
– IGH type frame
– relatively new -> sturdy
– 28”
Is the geometry something that would suit such a build?
Im wondering if the frame is actually high enough as in so that i wouldnt have to be too bent over with the bent handlebars.
by mummonmarjamehu
2 Comments
It’ll work, but there are limitations. I don’t see any rear brake mounts (I assume it’s a coaster brake in the IGH). You’d also have to check the rear spacing, it might be narrower than common 135mm QR so it’d be difficult to find wheels. I’d guess there’s no derailleur mount either. IGH probably doesn’t have a ton of range, so if your gravel is hilly you might need to lower the gearing.
But, for a causal ride it’d work as-is and be fun. If you want to go further, swap out the quill stem for a threadless adapter and put some alt or touring bars on it, swap out the tires for something more gravel-ish and better pedals and it’d be even more fun. But that’s probably as far as I’d go with that frame. I think you’d run into roadblocks upgrading things much further.
As someone who is still looking into buying a “gravel” bike but has ridden thousands of road, MTB, and cyclocross miles, any bike can be a gravel bike. What it all comes down to is, in my opinion, what level of performance and comfort do you want.