a curated list for friends who keep asking me what to buy
These are all bikes I'd actually put a friend on: comfortable, low-fuss, and
repairable at any shop. It is a growing list. Summary table below (click a column heading to sort,
or filter by what you'll ride); full write-ups follow.
showing all 4. tip: click a heading to sort (KIND groups complete bikes vs framesets).
† frameset price. a full build costs more than the number shown.
01
PRIMOS DAME $949
Gravel / all-road · steel · entry-level adventure
FRAME
Steel (chromoly), tapered thru-axle fork
DRIVETRAIN
microSHIFT mechanical (simple, cheap to service)
BRAKES
Mechanical disc
WHEELS
650b, Continental Terra Hardpack tires (room for wider)
SIZES
S–XL (fits ~5′2″–6′3″)
The cheap, tough steel bike I'd start almost anyone on for gravel.
This is what I point people to when they say “I want to try gravel and maybe
an overnight bikepacking trip, but I don't want to spend a fortune.” It's steel, so it takes
the sting out of washboard fire roads and shrugs off getting loaded down and dropped on its side at
camp, and any shop, anywhere, can work on it. The mechanical shifting and mechanical disc
brakes aren't flashy, and that's exactly why I like them here: simple to adjust yourself and cheap
to fix in a small town three days into a trip. The 650b wheels and grippy Terra Hardpack tires dig
into loose Oregon fire-road gravel, with room to go wider when you want more float. At $949 it's
about the most capable bike you'll find at the price.
SKIP IT IF: you already know gravel's your thing and the budget's there. The Journeyer below is worth the step up.
700c, Teravail Washburn 42mm (fits up to 50mm; 650b-ready)
MOUNTS
Racks, fenders, up to 3 bottles, dropper routing
SIZES
49–60 cm
The step up: more bike for when you know you're hooked.
If the Dame is the “try it without spending much” bike, the Journeyer is
what you buy once you already know gravel is your thing. The carbon fork takes the buzz out of long
days and drops weight up front, and the Shimano CUES drivetrain and hydraulic disc brakes are a real
jump in shifting feel and stopping power. Confident, one-finger braking on a loaded descent.
It's got mounts absolutely everywhere (racks, fenders, extra bottles, even internal routing for a
dropper post), so it grows with you from day rides into fully loaded bikepacking. Salsa has been
building adventure bikes forever and it shows. It ships on wide 42mm tires with room for 50mm. At
$1,699 it's the sweet spot a lot of people should just start at, if the budget's there.
SKIP IT IF: you just want to dip a toe in. The Dame does 80% of this
for nearly half the price.
Big. It's a drop-bar mountain bike, so there's room for fat off-road rubber.
HANDLING
Long chainstays, low bottom bracket, stable when loaded
PRICE
$995 frameset (on sale from $1,195)
For the tinkerer: start with a frame and build exactly the bike you want.
This one's a different path. Instead of buying a complete bike, you buy the frame and
build it up with the parts you choose. It's a rite of passage, and honestly one of the most satisfying ways to end up with a bike you love. The La Cabra is a drop-bar mountain
bike: heat-treated steel, built around big 29-inch (or 27.5-inch) tires, with long chainstays and a
low bottom bracket that keep it stable and confident when a loaded bikepacking rig is pointed down
something rowdy. Black Mountain is a tiny outfit with a devoted following, and this frame earns it.
Right now it's on sale at $995 for the frameset (normally $1,195).
SKIP IT IF: you want to ride it home from the shop this weekend. A build
takes time, money, and a few parts-picking rabbit holes, and the finished bike lands north of the
Journeyer.
The cult frame: build the bike the cool kids are riding.
If the La Cabra is the sensible build-your-own, the Evasion is the one with a fan club.
Crust's original frame is a big-tire, bag-hauling, party-pace adventure machine. They
literally call it “the Satanic Rando,” which tells you most of what you need to know about
the vibe. Heat-treated steel, clearance for genuinely absurd rubber (26 by 3.0-inch near-moto tires
if you want them), and braze-ons everywhere for racks, bags, and bottles. It's the frame you build with
tan-wall tires and a giant saddlebag so it looks exactly right at the coffee stop, and it
rips when loaded on rough dirt. $1,175 for the frameset.
SKIP IT IF: you want a straightforward, does-what-it-says bike. This is a
whole aesthetic, and it wants a thoughtful (read: not cheap) parts build. The La Cabra is the quieter
version of the same idea.