I recently got into gravel biking with the purchase of a Specialized Sequoia Elite. I'd like to buy my fiancee a gravel bike so she can join me on rides but I don't have a lot of cash to buy her a high-end bike so I'm seeking advice on good gravel bike choices under $1000. Are there any in that range retail that would be a good choice or is the best bet to look for something a little older on craiglist? Thanks in advance
Rather depends what you want/need. There are lots of old mountain bikes and hybrids that make decent girlfriend friendly gravel bikes. I know for mine, big beefy tread makes her feel comfortable on gravel.
Does she want/need drop bars? Most people are not really riding in the drops and are happy with flat bars.
chas wrote:Rather depends what you want/need. There are lots of old mountain bikes and hybrids that make decent girlfriend friendly gravel bikes. I know for mine, big beefy tread makes her feel comfortable on gravel.
Does she want/need drop bars? Most people are not really riding in the drops and are happy with flat bars.
She wants drop bars for sure. She has a trek mountain bike now with flat bars and poor geometry for the road/light gravel so she doesn't have fun with longer rides. I'm looking for something similar to my Seqouia Elite in terms of geometry that's comfortable for long rides, but also capable of handling gravel. My LBS recommended the Specialized Diverge E5 Sport. I also was thinking maybe the Salsa Journeyman would be a good pick but unfortunately we don't have any dealers in my area to try one of those out.
You haven't said how tall your GF is and that will be a deciding factor. I know that the Raleigh Tamland 1 or the Willard would be good bikes in that price range but they start out at I think 52 cm which is for somebody 5" 4" tall I think.
Zurichman wrote:You haven't said how tall your GF is and that will be a deciding factor. I know that the Raleigh Tamland 1 or the Willard would be good bikes in that price range but they start out at I think 52 cm which is for somebody 5" 4" tall I think.
Zman
She is 5'10 so no worries there. I'll look into those options
She is 5'10 so no worries there. I'll look into those options
Well if that is the case you can call RaleighUSA and set up a Corporate account and they ship the bike direct to you. My Tamland 1 I bought for $749 + $49 and the LBS wanted to sell it to me for $1300. Not sure what the price is on the Willard. I think that both bikes are a little bit higher now. Just for reference everybody fits different but I am 6 ft. have a long arm reach with a sleeve length of 34-35." I ride 57 cm Lemond road bikes and the 56 cm Raleigh in the Tamland 1 and the Roker Comp fit me fine. Everybody fits different on a bike though.
A few weeks ago I was seeing the 2017 Raleigh Roker Sport for around $1200. That is a wonderful bike at half price. I would snatch one up if they are still around. Check ebay, google, amazon...
chas wrote:A few weeks ago I was seeing the 2017 Raleigh Roker Sport for around $1200. That is a wonderful bike at half price. I would snatch one up if they are still around. Check ebay, google, amazon...
Yup, if you can find a Roker for $1,200 that's an amazing deal. At 5'10" she'll probably fit a 56 or 58.
