I got Orbea MX50 on Ebay for twohundred bucks.
Since I always wanted some kind of Offroad-Gravel-Bikepacking-Bike that I could also use for just riding through my city, I looked on Reddit and YouTube but couldn’t find any example of anyone doing something similar (with parts that wouldn’t cost a few hundred dollars)
So I thought I’ll share my journey on transforming my mountain bike into a budget gravel bike!
As you can see, I changed my tires but since the cheap ones often have really bad ratings and expensive ones are expensive. I also looked on eBay and found this used pair for free.
(Pirelli Cinturato gravel) 0$ (+5$ shipping)
As my second upgrade, I changed my stem. The one I received with the bike was a 90 mm stem but I wanted something shorter for a more upright riding position so I got a cheap stem from Amazon for around $15 which is 40 mm.
(Amazon stem 40mm) 15$
My last upgrade for today is Jack the bike rack. I was looking for some light luggage carrier. (is this what you call it in English?)
And this is the best option I found. It doesn’t need any screws to be mounted, but it gets attached next to the stem on the handlebar. it’s really robust sadly it was a bit more expensive, but I thought I might be able to afford it since I saved so much on the tires and the stem.
(Jack the bike rack) 80$
Total: 200$ (bike) + 100$ (upgrades)
Next time I’ll be adding a cheaper copy of the “surly corner bar” and some grip tape. if you have any ideas on what would be a good idea to upgrade as well just leave a comment!
I’d be happy to hear your feedback!
PS: I’m really new to all this bike stuff and everything I know is just from YouTube and ChatGPT so don’t judge me for possible mistake mistakes 🙂
by daz5o
3 Comments
The best gravel bike is a short-travel hard-tail with 2” tires.
Are we using the same eBay? That bike for $200 and a set of tires for free?! Score
You are a great price finder! Good deal, and quality bike for the price.