>>1574263Finally, something I can help with!
> did you enjoy riding it on gravel, paths, dirt roads etc? The only reason you returned it is because it's not fast enough on paved/asphalt roads, but other than that it was a good bike? Comfy?Yes, the biggest reason I returned it was the gearing (every other XC bike is the same, I later found...).
I didn't get to ride it on trails as much as I'd hoped because of corona lockdown forbidding travel between towns, but on the patches I could ride, the bike felt EXCELLENT, especially when compared to what I was used to - an old, borrowed beat-up Rockrider ST 540 that wasn't even my size.
After using 29" wheels I don't think I can ever go back to 27.5", it's just better.
It's light, 11.8 kg with no add-ons. Comparing to the 16 kg I used to ride, it's great.
The wide handlebars mean solid handling, but you may want different grips.
My issue was gearing. See pic related, the chain stay has a weird bump, 36T is the highest chainwheel it'll fit.
Now, I don't know half of what some people know here, but if you're going bikepacking, I presume you'll be doing long days on the road.
The bike isn't full suspension, and there isn't a full suspension model available either. After 5 or 6 hours on a trail I imagine you'll get sore, so I suggest padding for the seat, *and* padded shorts/underwear. It won't spare you from some soreness, but you'll be much more comfy.
I also suggest modding the bike with a dropper seat post, which I plan to do with the XC 900 I'm getting. I don't know if it's possible for either the XC 500 or the XC 900, but I see no reason why it won't be.
The seat tube requires a 3 or 4mm hex wrench to screw/unscrew, and while bikepacking you'll probably be switching between road and trail often. Riding a hardtail with a high seat post in a trail will fuck you up, and going on road with a low seat post will cripple your pedaling. It'll get tiring having to dismount/mount to fix that.
(cont.)
