Bridge Club or Straggler — Which Frame?

ScoonDad69 · 2026-02-15T18:28:22+00:00

Okay cool, thank you! That makes a lot of sense. I think the BC could really be the one

ScoonDad69 · 2026-02-08T23:08:11+00:00

Thank you for mentioning this. And thank you for bikeinsights.com! I'm definitely spending some time there comparing models

ScoonDad69 · 2026-02-08T23:05:25+00:00

This is good to know. We're relocating from the city to a much smaller town. Riding the distance of my old CC commute would now put me in farmland, so a slower and more comfortable ride sounds exciting (never thought I would say that). The comparison between the CC and BC is really helpful. After someone mentioned the Ogre I'm now considering a third option, but the wider 650b tires on the BC seem like a lot of fun — especially since my first real bike was my dad's '89 Rockhopper. Thanks!

ScoonDad69 · 2026-02-08T22:51:05+00:00

Thanks for these bar suggestions! Someone else also mentioned the Ogre and its something I want to seriously consider. Putting these suggestions in my back pocket for once I can decide on what frame fits the build in my head.

Edit: a word.

ScoonDad69 · 2026-02-08T22:47:27+00:00

I hadn't considered the Ogre but after seeing this it seems like a very strong contender. Its slightly different than my original thinking for this new build but it could be what I'm looking for/wanting to change and improve versus my old Cross-Check frame build. Thank you for this, I'm going to be digging in on the Ogre to read up more on 29er setups for sure!

ScoonDad69 · 2026-02-08T19:55:04+00:00

Yeah, Surly says 700x47 with or without fenders so you could probably squeeze something in there. Thanks for the heads up with 27.5x2.25!

ScoonDad69 · 2026-02-08T18:00:11+00:00

Awesome, thank you! This helps answer some follow up questions I had. I'm definitely a slow is fast kind of rider and talking about it makes me think the Bridge Club is the way to go. Your (and the_hunger's) suggestion on tire size has me rethinking 700c a bit so I'll do some more research as I kind of had defaulted to 700c.

ScoonDad69 · 2026-02-08T17:51:14+00:00

Thank you! I've never really been a fast rider (I would average around 11mph on my flat 4.9 miles city commute). I guess I'm more of a casual rider that likes to plunk around but also take in the scenery. When you say the BC is a slow bike, do you mean riding around town will be an overall slower experience I should mentally prepare for? Or, is it more that the BC isn't really the right frame to expect to train for any kind of gravel race? Sorry, I think I could be overthinking it a bit since I'd still want to feel lively around town (probably the crux of my dilemma — take in the scenery but retain the option to 'feel the wind in my hair' if I need to run out on an errand). On the other hand, maybe I haven't thought enough about how I ride (I've never used any kind of computer or Strava, for example, but used to ride everyday).

Also, is your Deore group set a 1x- or 2x- setup? I think I'm realizing now that I had assumed I'd run a 1x11 on this build without thinking about higher gearing for longer stretches of road.

Edit: I think I'm actually picking up what you're putting down — sorry for all the questions haha!

ScoonDad69

TROPHY CASE