Hi there – I want to get into gravel bikes but don’t want to make too big of an investment out the gate. Can anyone tell me if this is a good deal? Seems like a good bike but I’m having trouble finding information on the SRAM Rival part (most trying to figure out the type of breaks). I am 5’4”.
by annaabou
3 Comments
No, absolutely not. This is an ok deal for a *road* bike. But if you’re looking for a gravel bike this is not what you want.
This is a very old design with rim brakes (looks like cantilever brakes) which are far from ideal for gravel riding (if they get wet or dirty your braking suffers). More importantly, this bike likely won’t fit more than a 35mm tire, which is what most modern road bikes run, and unless you live somewhere with flat smooth gravel roads, is woefully inadequate.
Looks for a bike with disk brakes. Now, buying used, and especially older, to save money will limit your selection of wide tire clearance bikes, but if you can get a frame with 40+mm tire clearance that should be a good place to start (more is always better, modern gravel bikes fit 50+mm) tires.
As for size, I am 5’5″ and 52 is kinda hit or miss for me, I would recommend you look for size 50 ish bikes (but brands are inconsistent so 52 may fit you too). Just try the a bike out and see how the size feels before you buy.
First, it’s not a gravel bike, it’s a cyclocross bike no matter what the person selling it says. It has limited tire clearance so you won’t even be able to get a 40 mm in there. That doesn’t mean you can’t ride it on gravel, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. The other thing about cyclocross bikes is they typically have a high bottom bracket to clear obstacles where gravel bikes have a lower bottom bracket height, which lowers the centre of gravity. Personally, I like disc brakes and not cantilevers. The bike looks like it’s in beautiful condition though and if you are into cyclocross bikes, it’s a good deal. True gravel bikes are designed differently and everyone selling a cyclocross bike now calls it a gravel bike because no one‘s buying cyclocross bikes anymore. Personally, if you want a true gravel bike I would pass on this one.
Also, that bike may be a little large for you. A 49 cm frame might be a better fit, but it all depends on the person. The SRAM rival stuff is great stuff, I wouldn’t worry about that.