budget gravel bikes..ozark explorer G1 at walmart or something from bikes direct

[flatusJoe86]

i'm currently saving for at least a budget bike like 200-300 something heres an overview where i live so you can have an idea of what paths i explore. i live in east bronson florida in andee road many dirt roads with unpredictable paths uneven sections thick sand here and there, hills that gradually incline some pot holes some roots forested dirt roads many small stones i regularly take walks and/or run on these type of roads country off road....i'm considering testing a gravel bike on these roads. i was originally put off by gravel bikes due to expensive pricing so i was thinking of settling for hardtail mountain bikes but then i saw that there exists a budget gravel bike called the ozark trail explorer g1 gravel bike which is surprisingly cheaper than the ozark trail ridge mtb so it makes me wanna consider giving gravel bikes a chance. should i get an ozark or am i better off using bikes direct for budget bikes? who on here has experienced an ozark g1 or a ozark trail ridge?
how rough can a g1 handle? the rides i aspire to do is for cardio and exploration and perhaps some commuting

 

[AndyRM]

Randomly a pal of mine was asking me about these the other week. I'm not entirely sure why because he's loaded and could buy any bike he wants, but like yourself is testing the water.

You're automatically going to get told "It's Walmart, avoid", or "For $X more you could have this" and "Have you considered second hand?" which are fair(ish) points, but if that's your budget and you're new then that's that really.

When I was looking at them for my pal, I think this is a pretty fair review of the G1, and the Trail Ridge seems to be well thought of too:

https://gearjunkie.com/biking/ozark-trail-g1-explorer-gravel-bike-review


View: https://youtu.be/vLPpTFLgEb4?si=DhmQSaqTDvNwYOwg


Personally I'd go for the G1.

 

[Jameshow]

Are these bikes available in the UK if not few if us will have much experience with them.

 

[fossyant]

Not knowing what the second hand market is like in the US, you might get better value buying second hand.

I picked up a 'used' 'Colnago' cyclocross bike for £330 (ten years old) - it was in excellent condition, but as a precaution I changed bar tape and cables (I also put additional tyres on a spare set of wheels). The bike retailed for £1,500 twelve years ago (I've had the bike two years and had zero issues with it).