Budget is obviously an issue, I would like as affordable as possible. Not super worried about weight, mostly durability. The bike will be used 100% on dirt trails and gravel roads.

Hi,

New to the forum, I stumbled across it while researching AliExpress frames. I have been a active cyclist for the past 25 years, I used to race road and mountain bike, built up many bikes, but in the last ten years I have been riding a recumbent on the highway by my house and occasionally riding a 1993 Rockhopper that I modified to a 1x10sp drivetrain.

The highway gets busier each year and after several close calls I have parked my recumbent and have been racking up kms on my mountain bike. It is a medium (17") and too small, plus the 26" rims really don't seem to roll well on gravel. I have done some 60km rides on it, but not comfortable. I got looking on AliExpress and found the Cwinds G30U frameset. Geometry looks very close to a Salsa Cutthroat which is a dream of mine. I ordered a large frame and it should be here this fall sometime. I plan to build it up so I can take it out in May next year when the snow melts and start gravel riding. The G30U frame appealed to me due to the carbon fiber and very model standards. I really want to build up a modern gravel bike. I will be for sure asking questions in here, I am behind the times with some of these new standards. Hoping to use Chinese or used conventional parts to finish the build. My main purpose is longer distance slowish gravel rides on a comfortable and reliable bike. Of course weight is always an issue, so as lightweight as budget and reliability allow. Anyone built one of these before? Any tips? Thanks in advance.