Thank you kindly, John.

I'm going to do an overnight bikepacking trip with the G.1, so I set the bike up with bags that I already have and took it for a shakedown spin:



Someone commented that the bags are worth more than the bike. And after doing the math (and not even including the contents of the bags), they're right!

The G.1 handled the shakedown ride no problem, now all that's left to do is hit the road. I'm packing ultra light this trip because the route has some sharp hills and I have some old knees. The lowest gear on this bike (30 x 28) is about 30 inches, which is about 10 inches higher than I'd like it to be. So we'll see how it goes. Back in the corncob 80s and 90s, a rear freewheel with a 28 bailout gear was positively luxurious. These days, it's not low enough.

Breakdown of the bags and their cost is in the video.

can you replace the cassette (?) … freewheel (?) … with larger sprocket(s) ?

It is a freewheel, not a cassette. There are some but not many 7 speed freewheels still out there. The biggest I've seen is 34 teeth. So the options to change the gearing is limited unless you're willing to replace the rear wheel with a new rear cassette, new rear derailleur, and new brifter.

maybe Sunrace 13-34 freewheel (or similar) would work ?

https://www.thebikesmiths.com/produc...31611553382464

.

I've had that in my shopping cart for two weeks. The Sunrace goes 28-34 vs the Shimano Megarange that goes 24-34. I'm not upgrading any components just yet - I want to see if I can bikepack with the existing gearing. I'll look at upgrades over the winter.

I wish we had Walmart in Japan...

often stop in Walmart to get water softener salt and motor oil

but cringing at the thought of next stop - because if I see a G.1 Explorer I will be tempted to bring it home

I am glad that I am not married(yet), because I was online and bought the medium version of this bike. It will arrive Friday for me, so I will see if this is truly the medium version(Medium-Large) or they just shipped me the small version(small-medium).

This will become my practice work bike in my shop, so I will not mess up my girlfriends bike when I(and if ) I upgrade hers.

Well, after 5 or 6 rides, I returned the bike to WalMart. There were several issues. First, the saddle was the most uncomfortable thing I ever sat on. I expected to replace it, so I knew that going in - but there were too many other things wrong. The brakes were extremely weak, even after bedding in. The gearing was too high for the hills around here - and because it's a freewheel rather than a freehub/cassette, the available upgrade options are slim. And that 70's style seatpost with the cheap, 5-piece seat clamp. Only one set of bottle cage bosses on the frame. Brifters felt flimsy (the plastic levers were flexy - just waiting to snap). On the plus side, the tires were pretty good, and the handlebar tape was nicely wrapped.

I was swayed by all the Youtube reviews for this "cheap gravel bike" - and cheap it is. I should have trusted my instincts instead.

Other than the braking, everything you dislike about the bike was in plain sight on the display bikes.

As I said, I allowed Youtube reviews to sway my decision rather than inspect the bike(s) closely myself. Also, I deliberately asked for one in the box (not a display model) so that I could assemble it correctly myself at home. I never bothered to look too closely at the ones on the rack (this is WalMart, not a bike shop - too many shopping carts and impatient people around). Counting gear teeth and doing a close inspection seems out of place given the environment.

But yeah, your point is essentially correct. It's on me for trusting bike Youtubers too much rather than doing the research myself. Live and learn.

My Walmart doesn't have these in stock but they do have White Lightning wax chain lube!

Where do you think the YouTubers misled you on the strengths and weaknesses of the bike?

Aren't freewheels very weak because of the cantilever design, causing the axel to break? Last freewheel I had did that.
Sounds like a deal breaker to me. Screw that, unless you weigh like 80 pounds.

That's a difficult question to answer in a forum post of reasonable length. I will generalize and say that most of them were very enthusiastic and gave "glowing" reviews for this bike, of the kind I would expect from a paid shill - though I assume (at least some of) these bike channels are more trustworthy than that. Besides, I don't believe WalMart is in the business of promoting their products that way. They have a different business model. The impression given was that this bike was a rare gem among the thorns, and that WalMart was selling something good (relatively speaking) almost by accident.

A couple of the reviewers mentioned various upgrades that were possible, but they didn't tout them as necessary, only as typical bike geekery twiddling. And no one (that I saw) mentioned the lousy disc brakes or flimsy shifters. I suppose these could be accounted for by made-in-china variability.

I won't mention any names because frankly, to be fair, I'd have to go back and rewatch the two dozen or so videos I saw to remember exactly who said what about what. But the overall vibe is unmistakeable.

^^^ I wonder what portion of the "glowing" reviews were from actual cyclists who have significant experience on legit gravel bikes.

I recently considered getting one of these to keep at my in-laws' place, since shipping my CX bike is pricey and flying with it is also impractical since we don't have a vehicle there that can bring the three of us and my bike and luggage. it was sold out prior to my getting there so I didn't get it, although it did become available locally but only toward the tail end of my trip, at which point I had already been going to a local gym to workout on Stages spin bikes. Anyhow, this bike certainly has limitations on paper but I wouldn't have many reservations buying it, and I'd probably use it as a platform to upgrade.

I will note that there seem to be a small number of youtubers who for whatever reason are making constant content about this bike and being pretty clickbaity, fortunately they end up on my hidden list. I think some people go overboard in trying to become influencers

What I find interesting is that several people can ride the same bike and have very different experiences with it. You hated the saddle; many people have hated the saddle and replaced it; I've gone on several multi-hour rides with it and haven't had a problem. You think the brakes are lousy; others have replaced the brakes with a set of brakes that I have on another bike and claim that they are significantly better. After bedding in the stock brakes and adjusting them a bit, they feel pretty close to the brakes that others say are better and are able to lock up the rear and haul down the front on gravel on command. The brifters are kind of finicky but I blame the 2x7 drivetrain as much as the brifters themselves. They aren't works of art but they work.

Many of these different opinions are likely due to our different experiences and expectations. I did a survey of G.1 owners and many of them are very new to biking. Those coming from a cheap, full-suspension mountain bike are amazed at how much more agile and quicker the G.1 feels. Those who are riding a drop bar bike for the first time are a little put off by the reach to the bars. Most of the YouTubers that I've seen are newer riders so you're picking up some of that new enthusiasm. You are likely coming from a place of more experience and more exposure to more expensive bikes. I'm probably somewhere in between those two and I still think that the G.1, despite some flaws, is a lot of bike for the money and probably the best sub $500 bike that I've ridden. Maybe I've lucked out with a good sample, but I did the 330 mile GAP/C&O trails in May on another bike and would not hesitate to do that ride again on the G.1. My only concern would be reliability because I don't have enough miles to comment on that. But as far as capability is concerned, no problem. Is it as good as a $1000+ Specialized or Salsa? No. Is it 25% of those bikes? Also no.

For the record, I have no relationship with Walmart other than buying their bike. They don't know me from Adam. I suspect that the other YouTubers are the same and are creating content for the bike because they are seeing a lot of views for it.

I never heard that before - maybe you got a defective product. Prior to cassettes, freewheels were used everywhere, from the Tour de France to BikeCentennial in 1976. I haven't heard any chatter about broken axles from the G.1 group that I participate in. And I've ridden some pretty nasty washboard and had no issue.

actually - the braking was in plain sight also

mech disc brakes have their advantages - but for the most part and with just a few exceptions they are considered inferior to most hydraulic disc brakes

the disc brakes on the G.1.Explorer gravel bike might be similar quality to the mech disc brakes Cannondale equips their lower end $1K Topstone gravel bikes

I’m not too familiar with freewheels - but they were used for a long time (at one point ?) and I believe this included BMX racers (and might still include ?)

there is the availability issue - wider gearing might not be available (?) - and weight might also be an issue for some (?)

Freewheels are an inherently weaker design when it comes to the axle. A freewheel has bearings on the NDS are basically under the dropout, but DS bearings are well inside the right dropout. This creates a cantilever effect for the axle on the DS side, and a lot of suspended stress.


I would post a picture that quickly illustrates the difference, but I don't know who originally made the image and don't feel like reading another rant from you about stealing images.

I'm aware of the differences, but plenty of people competed in the Tour de France and other long distance and endurance events long before the cassette was invented, and I'm not aware of any sudden improvement in durability when the cassette was introduced.

In other words, a well designed freewheel seems to have good durability in the field.

All true. But, of course, the vast majority of derailleur-equipped bikes used freewheels from the 1930's until the mid-1980's, and lower-end bikes have continued to use them. Despite that, anyone who has worked in a bike shop can tell you that the incidence of significantly bent or broken axles of freewheel hubs has always been pretty low.

That said, a 7-speed freewheel hub wouldn't be my first choice for a gravel bike that might be ridden by a fairly heavy guy on roughish terrain. On the other hand, a purchaser of the bike might quickly become an enthusiast, to the point of thinking nothing of upgrading the wheels, as so many posters on Bike Forums encourage each other to do.