Stiff when loaded. With Tubus racks the bike is rock solid even when heavily loaded. You barely notice the load. Smooth ride, yet still responsive and fun to ride without gear. The S&S Couplers make it easy to travel with the bike. Decent tire clearance.

Heavy fork. The fork is bulletproof, but seems almost too heavy for the bike. Toe clearance. I tweaked the geometry slightly to improve the stand over height and reach, but didn't realize there would be some toe overlap. The bike is super stable while still being responsive, but I would prefer more clearance.

I purchased the frame and built it up to work for touring, training, and endurance rides. I have a SRAM 2x10 setup that works really well. The top end is a little low, but I really like not having a triple.

I have only ridden the bike on a few loaded trips so far, but I have logged 15K miles touring on other bikes and this is the best I've ridden by far. Most bikes take a little getting used to when they are heavily loaded, but this bike is fun to ride with packs. I mounted a Tubus titanium rack on the back and it feels like it is part of the bike.

The tire clearance is good. I have been riding Schwalbe 700x38 tires when riding gravel and there definitely would not be enough clearance for fenders.

I've ridden the bike a lot more without packs, and it is really nice for long rides. The road bikes I replaced with this bike were lighter, but this one is more fun. It's not a race bike, but it definitely doesn't ride like a tank either.

Similar Products Used:

Jack Taylor, Cannondale.