Building a Bike on a Budget, Part 2: Shopping at The Pro’s Closet

Click here to shop for a new bike at The Pro's Closet!
https://pros-closet.sjv.io/EmggP

I’ve been getting dropped on dirt roads on my road bike for over 20 years - starting with the brutal Rouge Roubaix in like 1999 or 2000. And just about every ride in my new hometown of Temecula has a dirt climb, segment, or connector. So, the recent surge in mixed terrain riding has been music to my ears. On the flipside, I was a pretty decent mountain bike racer back in the day, but I actually havent updated MY mountain bike in 6 or 7 year so I’m always secretly looking for a good deal in that world, too.

When I was working on the budget bike piece, I have to admit I saw a LOT of listings on ebay from The Pro’s closet and ended up clicking through to their website and shopping for HOURS. And, full disclosure: when I started this channel they were on my radar as a company I wanted to work with in some way. So when I approached them with this idea they liked it, and were kind enough to give me a $2000 allowance to spend on a bike that I’ll be unboxing and then sending back. And again - my gut tells me that a lot of you are still riding mostly solo so you might be on the hunt for a gravel or adventure or mountain bike, so let’s see what they’ve got!

OK, so let’s head over to The..Pros...closet..dotcom...aaannnddd hey, look at that - they read my mind - there’s a section for gravel bikes so let’s go to there….nice selection...wow, really nice actually...if I was a foot taller and had another grand I’d snag this topstone! Wow….seriously good selection here…but I’ve only got two grand for everything including shipping and tax, so let’s filter the results - low to high...there we go….hmmm….nice ridley, but still too much, this bombtrack looks cool, but too small, so let’s scroll back up...and...BINGO. Right here - this TCX is perfect for a couple of reasons: I’ve been wanting to compare entry level aluminum to a carbon bike, and it has ULTEGRA 11….so let’s check out the photos (count to 10) a little scuff on the seat tube, but no biggie. Ooooooh, and the cranks are my size! 175’s! Ok.This is what I’m looking for. I wonder if I can sneak in a little wheel upgrade? Lets see.

Do a little sorting...these are cool, but too much money….these zipps would be rad, but still too much...keep looking...hang on! Woah...scroll back - are those? Well I’ll be - a set of PSIMets! Holy cow - these are probably the most well-built and underrated wheels on earth. How do I know that? Well, because when I lived in chicago I met the founder, Rob Curtis. He’s a FIXTURE on the Chicago Cyclocross circuit and his wheels are EVERYWHERE in those races. Hit this link to check them out - Rob’s a lifelong cyclist and a mechanical engineer, and if you EVER come across a set - buy them IMMEDIATELY. Which is what I’m gonna do right...now. And let’s put the giant in the cart, too.

Let’s see..how much? 1770? Boom! Shippng is free, and taxes will be around $130.

Allright, thanks for shopping with me - the bike’s ordered and on the way, and when it gets here we’ll have some fun unboxing and riding it. I’m also gonna throw my ENVEs and Zipps on it to see how it feels with a set of high zoot wheels.

I’ll try to get part 3 up in a week or two, so please like this video and hit the subscribe button to be notified when it’s done. Oh, and if there’s anything else you’d like to know about my Pros Closet experience, please ask in the comments. OK, see you next time!