So I ordered a GR048 from Tantan, let's hope my paint scheme doesn't turn out to be complete crap

I'm currently in the process of sourcing all the others parts for the build.

For the BB I went with this one, I hope it's compatible and of good quality... https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005005859085280.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.41.21ef5e5bAddqXH&gatewayAdapt=glo2fra

For the crankset, I'd like to buy a 2nd hand GRX but it seems hard to find. Do you have any recommendation for some chinese crankset of decent quality ? Looking for gravel 1x 40T. Thanks

Thanks everybody for your answers, I think I'll go for a 2nd hand GRX, I've looked on the french 2nd hand app and I think I can put one together for 250€ (only the right shifter seems difficult to find) so that will save me a lot of trouble (coming from Ultegra Di2 I suck at indexing  ). I have to decide between 1x11 or 2x11 now... 

As for the frame choice, I've seen on other posts pics of GR048 builds which seems more upright and would probably fit more my "MTB-lite" vision. Geometry here https://bikeinsights.com/compare?geometries=644f94235e3f37001b6d6b2c,653c32bf2f8b78001ad09921,

@Serge_K : a bit too "wavy" for me, but thanks for sharing 

Any inputs regarding the frameset ? That's the first thing I need to order. I see it's made by Tantan, Seraph, SP cycle, any recommendations for the manufacturer ?

Thanks
Alex

Hello all,

I'd like to build a gravel bike ; I'm coming from road cycling so I'd like your inputs to hopefully make some good choices.

Some info : my height is 177cm and inseam 81cm. Given I already have a road bike (Rose X-Lite 6 2020 size 55cm) I'd like a gravel bike more oriented towards XC, singletrack, not afraid to tackle some steep downhills...
Typical envisioned sortie would be 20% paved road/ 80% dirt (or rather mud, I live in Brittany France...) paths.

- The Frameset :
I've looked at some threads and reviews and some brands seem to be trustworthy and with decent pricing (I don't want to spend too much on this build, aiming for 1300/1400€ max w/o wheels if that's reasonable) : lightcarbon, carbonda, sp cycle... A lot of options.

The Lightcarbon LCG071D seems to have good reviews (Hambini video, this forum...), good tire clearance, with paintjob options (some manufacturers only sell in black I believe ; my road bike is already all black I want some color ) so I think this might be a good option.

Here it is compared with my road bike frame : https://bikeinsights.com/compare?geometries=644f94235e3f37001b6d6b2c,643afde9b86a18001a9a03ee,

As you can see the geometry is fairly similar ; +8mm in stack and -8mm in reach, I'm wondering if it's even too similar. I don't want a replica of my road bike with fat tires, but something closer to a XC bike with dropbars if that makes sense ? I don't have gravel experience so I don't know if this is an actual concern. I'm open to other frames suggestions.

- The groupset :

The L-TWOO GRT 1x12 speed set seems a good option to keep the price down. I'm currently using Shimano so I wonder how the shifting works with the thumb lever ;  can you comfortably reach the lever frow the drops ? And from the hoods ? Would I be better off going for a Shimano GRX set from an ease of set-up/maintainance perspective ?

Thanks in advance for your insights.

Alex