I agree with your sentiment that you should try a variety of bikes before purchasing When I got back into cycling 2013 I went to a bike store looking for a road bike or even considering a hardtail. After test riding road & mountain bikes. It just wasn't giving me the feeling I wated. I then discovered CX bikes & loved It! It gave me the ability to do group rides & ride gravel/fire roads I always tell people to try as many styles of bikes as they can & see which feels the best Cheers😊 .
Buying a bike is hard! So many choices!! So many things to know. Always a good start to “know thyself” before making a purchase. The buyer should definitely do some homework…to make it easier for all parties involved in the transaction.
I concur with your thoughts on the Hardtack. I do believe that it was really designed towards 650b/27.5 wheels, rather than 700c. There's a little bit of wheel flop with the 700c's, the axle to crown measurement is short for 700c, (so short that I only have 5mm of clearance between the fork crown and a 29x2.1 tire), and the chainstays are crimped further back to accommodate a wide 650b/27.5 tire. The high bottom bracket and standover also indicates that 650b/27.5 would be a better fit. I do wish it had Boost spacing, or at least a 15mm front axle, rather than the 12x100/142 gravel bike standard. Most off the shelf wheels with the 12x100/142 gravel bike standard have weight limits, have 24 or 28 spokes, and generally aren't suited for loaded adventuring, where there's a plethora of sturdy 32 spoke 110/148 Boost wheels available. I ended up having to build a custom set of wheels that met my sturdiness requirements. That said, it gives a nice, solid ride, with no shimmy, the bottle and rack mounts are in all the right places, it has a long front center, and is a (not much more money) step up from the Bridge Club if someone is looking for a perfect steel allrounder ATB.
Yeah, I dislike being a salesman at my shop. Have to remind myself that I don’t do it for the sale, I do it for the benefit of the fellow rider. I figure people know we gotta sell stuff to keep the dang door open, although I have had to inform some folks of that. Some people think everything should be free or cheap.
I agree with your sentiment that you should try a variety of bikes before purchasing
When I got back into cycling 2013
I went to a bike store looking for a road bike or even considering a hardtail. After test riding road & mountain bikes. It just wasn't giving me the feeling I wated. I then discovered CX bikes & loved It! It gave me the ability to do group rides & ride gravel/fire roads I always tell people to try as many styles of bikes as they can & see which feels the best
Cheers😊
.
Buying a bike is hard! So many choices!! So many things to know. Always a good start to “know thyself” before making a purchase. The buyer should definitely do some homework…to make it easier for all parties involved in the transaction.
in the grand scheme of things your always on point
I concur with your thoughts on the Hardtack. I do believe that it was really designed towards 650b/27.5 wheels, rather than 700c. There's a little bit of wheel flop with the 700c's, the axle to crown measurement is short for 700c, (so short that I only have 5mm of clearance between the fork crown and a 29x2.1 tire), and the chainstays are crimped further back to accommodate a wide 650b/27.5 tire. The high bottom bracket and standover also indicates that 650b/27.5 would be a better fit. I do wish it had Boost spacing, or at least a 15mm front axle, rather than the 12x100/142 gravel bike standard. Most off the shelf wheels with the 12x100/142 gravel bike standard have weight limits, have 24 or 28 spokes, and generally aren't suited for loaded adventuring, where there's a plethora of sturdy 32 spoke 110/148 Boost wheels available. I ended up having to build a custom set of wheels that met my sturdiness requirements. That said, it gives a nice, solid ride, with no shimmy, the bottle and rack mounts are in all the right places, it has a long front center, and is a (not much more money) step up from the Bridge Club if someone is looking for a perfect steel allrounder ATB.
Yeah, I dislike being a salesman at my shop. Have to remind myself that I don’t do it for the sale, I do it for the benefit of the fellow rider. I figure people know we gotta sell
stuff to keep the dang door open, although I have had to inform some folks of that. Some people think everything should be free or cheap.