Originally Posted by
thehammerdog
It is fun and easy to ride but when I go up against true 700 c bikes I get smoked the thing is heavy and wheels rim style brakes or difficult to find and not cheap. I do plan on using it in my 2019 gravel grinder events but almost feel out of place. Am I alone in the 26 inch world of graveling
1- of course its obsolete- it's a quarter century old 26" gravel bike in 2019. Obsolete means no longer produced or used and out of date. Besides you and a smattering of people who did drop bar conversions on old mtbs, gravel bikes arent 26".
2- if the gearing works for you, then you are getting smoked because those riders are stronger/faster than you. It isnt the bike tire size's fault.
3- 26" rim brake wheelsets are seemingly limitless still. Absolutely plentiful in all ranges of quality and price. If you cant find what you want, polish your search skills or accept that products cost more than you may want to spend(I would disagree that none are affordable). Also, how often are you needing a new wheelset for this to actually matter?
with all that said, it's a nice looking bike and if it fits you then ignore that its a different wheel size than most other bikes.
rim brakes can stop perfectly well(i use cantis) and are lighter than a disc setup. So smile knowing that you are saving grams compared to disc.