Tall Tale - Steel Hardtail Mountain Bike

First ride on the Tall Tale (and why I’m laughing out loud)

Hi Adam and the Sklar Team, I've finally built the Tall Tale, and after the first serious ride I wanted to share a quick reflection on it and thank you again for being so incredibly helpful throughout the entire purchase process. To me, beauty at its best is never detached from functionality. An elegant, beautiful object cannot come at the cost of performance. When I ride the Tall Tale, I can truly feel its character; when I point it down, it does exactly what it's supposed to do with a style that makes the entire experience beautiful. Even its color is an elusive thing, constantly shifting with the hours and the lighting of the day, to the point where I’ve dropped the attempt to categorize it. Yet, for all that elegance, it never shies away. I come from a background of riding heavy, "eat-it-all" enduro bikes. I am probably not actually faster on the Tall Tale, but the sheer elegance and precision of it makes me laugh out loud. Technically speaking, it is unbelievable how well this frame swallows up small trail chatter. At the same time, it keeps you honest (beautiful things tend to demand that): if I resist the bike's natural flow and just harsh-out a drop, it reminds me of its limits. But when I get it right? The smooth reward is absolutely breathtaking and the trail is a quiet playground of speed and happiness. Next up, I’m planning to take it out into the wild for some multi-day bikepacking trips. I still need to fine-tune the components for this. In a way, the bike reminds me of a swan with a long reach. I'm currently hunting for the perfect handlebar to compensate for it, so I can shift my weight a bit further back and dial in the fit. Thank you for making such a phenomenal machine and for the stellar support along the way.

Yes, it's worth it.

I've been riding my new Tall Tale for a month now and must say that it feels excellent. It truly is a great all around bike. I'm very satisfied. My only minor gripe is that it took several days for my frame to be shipped after the order was processed. It may be a little bit of impatience on my part, but the wait was killing me. I understand that there can be things going on in the background to explain that, but if it's at all possible to ship parts out sooner, it will make a difference with customer satisfaction. Still though, 5 stars for a great product.

This frame is spectacular. The build and finish quality is fantastic. Adam was super fast to answer questions and once ordered it showed up in a few days. Taking my time building it up, but as of now it’s everything I was looking for and I can’t wait until it’s on dirt.