During the pandemic, many people took up cycling as a form of leisure and transportation. Gravel bikes, in particular, became popular since they were well-suited for the terrain of Metro Manila.

I started with a Marin Nicasio more than two years ago as my do-it-all ride. But I eventually wanted a dedicated bike that was light and sporty. My bike-fitter Bam Vega recommended the Seaboard GR02 because he liked its geometry.

Although I’ve encountered Seaboard bicycles before, I never really took notice as the brand didn’t have a lot of hype. That’s why I was surprised when Budolbuddy, a bike mechanic known for his posh builds, gave it his seal of approval.

Coincidentally, a friend was selling his frame. Not only was it in my size, but it was also in a similar color as my gravel bike. And at P12,000, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. Here’s how my build turned out.

Bike-building is one big juggling act. You have to set your priorities because you can’t have a bicycle that’s good at everything. In my case, I value comfort and practicality since most of my saddle time consists of urban commuting. But I also want something sporty for when I have the itch for a spirited ride.

The goal was to create the lightest gravel bike possible, without splurging on top-of-the-line components. The aluminum frame weighs 1.8kg, and the carbon-fiber fork is 600g. This makes it significantly lighter than my steel gravel bike, which has a 3kg frame and a 1.4kg fork.

Since my previous gravel bike was already heavily upgraded, I just had to transplant the components to the Seaboard’s frame: the wheels, the drivetrain, and the cockpit. The only new parts I actually needed were adapters to convert the hubs to thru-axle and flat-mount disc-brake calipers.

While 700c is the more popular wheel size for drop-bar bikes, I opted for 650b (also known as 27.5-inch). Based on my experience, the comfort of thicker tires outweighs any possible performance advantage of larger-diameter rims, at least within the city.

The maximum clearance of the GR02 is listed at 700c by 42mm. My bike was able to fit 650b-by-48mm Panaracer GravelKing SKs with DT Swiss XR331 rims. While the fork still has room for thicker tires, the rear barely has any space left. Take note that the thickness of a tire also depends on the rim it is attached to.

The choice of drivetrain boils down to whether you want 2x or 1x. A double chainring setup allows for more top speed, which is why it is common on road bikes. But a single chainring is simpler since there’s no front derailleur to mess around with.

The 11-speed drivetrain consists of a 38T chainring at the front and an 11-46T Shimano Deore XT cassette at the rear. This provides sufficient range for my use case. The bigger plates help when climbing around Kapitolyo, while the lower end of the cassette is just enough for sprinting on clear roads such as Ayala Avenue on Sunday mornings.

If you search for the meaning of “seaboard,” it refers to the coastline where the land and the sea converge. For my GR02, I wanted something “neo-retro” where modern meets classic.

I swapped out the Shimano 105 dual-control levers for a Rivendell bar-end friction shifter and a pair of Tektro RL340 brake levers. These give the bike a bit of a vintage look and an analog feel.

At 10.3kg, my Seaboard GR02 is much lighter than my Marin Nicasio, which was 12.6kg at its best. The weight-conscious would want carbon fiber for the wheels and the cockpit to further cut down the weight. But at that point, it’s just marginal gains for an exponential cost.

Since the fork is carbon, loading it with a rack and heavy cargo isn’t advisable. Also, this is no substitute for a mountain bike. A gravel bike will never be as fast or comfortable on technical trails as an MTB with a suspension fork.

Once my Seaboard GR02 was assembled, I was delighted with its handling. It feels light yet planted, instilling confidence when on the rough roads of Metro Manila. The wheels accelerate swiftly with each turn of the crank.

And thanks to the carbon fork, the steering is lively and responsive without being twitchy or unstable. Combine these with a comfortable riding position, and the result is a bike that invites me to push it for miles on end.

Brand-new, the Seaboard GR02 is only available as a frameset. The most notable dealer appears to be VP Cycling, where it has an affordable SRP of P16,000. The wide range of sizes combined with the relatively upright fit makes the bike accessible to riders of different heights.

In general, building a bike from the ground up won’t be as cheap as buying a built one. And once the expenses pile up, you’ll realize that the frame is just a fraction of the total cost.

But it is an experience that will teach you the different parts of a bicycle and how they work. If you know what you’re doing, it could be more cost-efficient, too.

Through a mix of components—new and secondhand, branded and generic, modern and classic—I was able to get a decently light gravel bike with the specs I wanted for roughly P60,000. Although that is not cheap, I’d have to spend far more to achieve similar results with other alternatives.