Hi everyone,
Total beginner here. I know basically nothing about bikes, so I’d really appreciate some honest advice.
’m thinking about buying a gravel bike because I like the idea of:
- riding in the forest / light trails
- having something versatile
- commuting to work with it
- maybe getting a second wheelset later so I can ride road with friends
A friend of a friend is selling his Basso Palta (2021/2022) for 1400 euros and sent me the following info:
- Frame / fork: carbon
- Groupset: SRAM Rival mechanical
- Brakes: disc
- Transmission: 1×11 with what he thinks is a 10–42 cassette
- Wheels: aluminium (brand unknown but apparently decent)
- Maintenance: new cassette, new chain, new tires
He told me it’s a gravel bike with a fairly performance-oriented geometry.
He also said it was his first real bike and he took good care of it, but he mostly rides his road bike or e-bike now so it doesn’t get used much.
One honest thing: I’m not a huge fan of the look (especially the colors), but that’s secondary if the bike itself is a good opportunity.
I’ll be able to try it this weekend, but before that I wanted to ask people who actually know bikes:
- Is a Basso Palta with Rival generally considered a good gravel bike?
- Is 1×11 with 10–42 reasonable for mixed use / beginner gravel?
- Would this work for commuting + gravel + occasional road rides with another wheelset?
- Is there anything specific I should check when I test ride it?
- Most importantly: If the price is good, is this something I should jump on, or is it easy to find similar/better deals?
Thanks a lot for any advice. I’m starting from zero knowledge so feel free to explain things like I’m five high on sugar.
by nclbrl
3 Comments
It is quite a good bike.
But as a beginner i would recommend a bike with standart components, round seatpost, an no special stem and bar setup. Because when you wanna adjust something it will be much cheaper.
Considering that a new [Canyon Grizle](https://www.canyon.com/de-de/gravel-bikes/adventure/grizl/og/grizl-cf-6/4141.html?dwvar_4141_pv_rahmenfarbe=R126_P02&dwvar_4141_pv_rahmengroesse=XL&utm_adgroup=&utm_keyword=&utm_matchtype=&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20414032475&gclid=CjwKCAjwjtTNBhB0EiwAuswYhuCZ9RjA2DVFwFNlN8cDYaJdUOsqjYtJWGy1YKnyZJTchjp19IOAmRoCr9UQAvD_BwE&utm_device=m&utm_adgroupid=185440413983&utm_id=20414032475&utm_campaign=DEU+Gravel+-+Shopping+NB&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google) with a 12 speed SRAM Apex is 1800€ right now I find 1400 for a used 4 year old bike pretty expensive. I get where the seller is coming from: During corona bike prices exploded so he probably bought it for over 4000€ or something but they don’t cost as much anymore. New Paltas are still over 3000€ and they include some cool things like carbon handlebars but for you that’s terrible news: You are paying for carbon handlebars that you should probably replace because they are not your size.
If you test ride that bike: That handle bar setup looks really weird. The shifters are pointing downwards. Most brands will install them level and most people will change that to pointing slightly upwards. I ride very aggressive geometries on road bikes but that setup would be very uncomfortable to me. Bike fit is very individual so I would rarely say this but in my opinion that cockpit is just setup wrong. It’s an easy fix though just expect your test ride to feeil pretty shitty. Might also be the reason they are selling the bike…
Feels expensive to me- it’s a 21/22 bike, I’d wonder how big a tyre I can fit on it. How wide is what there now? You’d want 40mm minimum.
It’s an ok brand and good basic groupset- it will work for what you‘ve specified well enough.
Check the gears work and don’t skip under hard pedalling (cassette could be worn) and the check the frame carefully for any deep scratches or gouges. Off-road bikes have a hard life and rocks and whatnot ping off the frame all the time.
Lastly, if you do buy it- that lever position is absolutely WILDLY incorrect. The bars look in roughly the right position, side on, but the levers need to rotate back a lot on them, more so for an off-road bike than on. A good 20mm back or more. You’ll probably need to re-do the bar tape afterwards.