Built My First Ever Bike: A Gravel Build from AliExpress

Hello r/gravelcycling!

I wanted to share my first ever bike build — a gravel bike made entirely from AliExpress parts.

I was inspired by another post here (not linking directly to avoid the auto-mod): r/gravelcycling/comments/1lg1c18/my_aliexpress_gravel_build/

I’ve attached a breakdown of all the parts and prices in the second picture.

When I first started, I was pretty worried about part compatibility, but after spending some time reading up and checking product descriptions, it turned out to be totally manageable.

The total cost came to €835.07, and the bike weighs about 9.45 kg — surprisingly light considering I didn’t pay any attention to weight, just price 😅.

I’ve ridden around 100 km on it so far and haven’t had a single issue. Really happy with how it turned out!

The waiting time for the frame and wheelset was about 4 weeks, which matched what the sellers promised. The rest of the smaller components arrived within 1–2 weeks.

Finally, I just want to encourage anyone who’s thinking about trying something similar — go for it! There are plenty of YouTube channels that walk you through each step of the build, and even some focused specifically on Chinese brands that offer great insights.