I ended up with the Stigmata as my entry into the SC world. I too tried to demo it but was told the same. Finally found one locally and took a quick spin on it. Super stiff and solid. Really like it a lot and now will serve as my backup road bike when Tarmac is in the shop. I just swap on a set of Enve 3.4's and it's good to go. Tried a lot of the other gravel bikes including the Diverge but all felt soft and floppy. The Stigmata just felt better to me.