My Clydesdale Draft 2XL Gravel Bike is fantastic, awesome, amazing to use a few adjectives. It was
sized and fitted with custom component sizing for my 58 yr old, 6’8″ 168 lb. frame by Lenn Zinn himself at
his Boulder home/shop who used an assortment of clever measurement gadgets and a massive
spreadsheet that input measurements and computed bike/component specifically tuned for me. The
200 mm crank length selection was a bit of a concern since I’ve only ridden standard 175mm and
180mm length, but after 1 month and 350 miles I can attest that the larger pedal stroke feels great, does
not stress knees/legs and increases power output significantly. When combined with the low compact
2×11 standard Draft gearing, 50/34 x 11-36, I am doing climbs with ease that I struggled to do on my
Cannondale Road bike (~36/28 gearing with 180 mm crank length). The bike was beautiful aesthetically
and build-wise, the fit/setup by Lenn is almost flawless best as I can tell. Although riding in an upright
position, the longer frame reach does entail some additional hand pressure/numbness which I’ve worked
to minimize thru various handlebar (drop-bar) gripping techniques. Being “stretched out” on the big
frame with 140mm stem length is better anatomically for my spine and hips relative to my other 3 bikes
which have a bit less frame reach. Usage of the larger thigh/buttocks muscles with the longer cranks
(my theory) creates less leg fatigue for long rides. Wish I had discovered Lenn Zinn big bikes with long
cranks 30 years ago! The Shimano 105 shifter/disc brake set delivers easy and flawless shifting and
braking, per my “never had high end bike compnents” standards, at least. The buying experience, as I
am based locally to Boulder in Longmont, was also amazing and easy. The setups I asked for on the
bike (pedals, extra wheel set with 38mm gravel tires) were delivered without issues. Overall I would
highly recommend the Clydesdale line of bicycles to anyone looking for a large bike.
-Andy Rudeen
