A bike is only as good as the parts used to build it. Fortunately, one of the key features with the Stinner Carrizo Select is that you can swap them out at will. The bike is designed to give you flexibility — you can swap out the drivetrain, derailleur, and other components. Stinner uses external routing so hardly anything on the bike is proprietary or hard to access.
That’s a huge plus for a bike that is versatile in a lot of other ways. Fortunately, when I received the bike for testing, I was in the middle of a strangely warm season in my area of the Midwest, hitting temps as high as 50 when it should be more like 35 or lower. That meant I could take the Stinner Carrizo Select out on both paved and wet gravel roads.
For a bike that costs $3,895, the Stinner Carrizo Select is a product you want to be a little careful with when testing it, so I avoided too much gravel riding and stuck to a dirt path and paved trails. Here’s the thing. This bike can do both quite easily. The tires are wider and beefier than my normal paved trail bike, and I kept thinking I would buy it because it has two purposes. In some ways, even with the price, the fact that you can traverse on pavement or dirt is a win.
That’s especially true for me, because I will definitely go off-road when I get the chance. On one route, I took a shortcut through a cornfield with a thin trail between crumpled corn stalks, which is not something I would do with a trail bike. The tires hugged the trail perfectly and I never felt unstable. Then, it was right back on a paved trail all the way home.
Stinner lists a phrase on their website that proved true in these conditions: They say it is fast on the road and smooth on the dirt. I found the smooth part to be especially true, and I’ve tested many bikes that claimed to be all-road capable.
The bike is curiously light as well, with an all carbon fork and steel frame. The bike also has a lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects.
The Stinner Carrizo Select comes in mint green and desert brown; I prefer the more understated brown as a confirmed introvert. I’d rather blend in with the cornstalks. I could see someone liking the mint because it is unusual and stands out in a crowd, especially on a trail in a crowded park as opposed to where I typically ride, which is on lonely paths by my house.
The bike comes in multiple sizes from 50cm all the way up to 60cm. I’ll say this: In a recent electric bike review of mine, someone messaged me and just asked once — is it any good?
You know, that’s the purpose of a review, to relay the overall findings. The specs are all available online, but it comes down to three important factors: Do you ride on multiple terrains? Do you like the flexibility with parts? And do you appreciate high-end parts that make the bike ride and pedal more like a Cadillac than a Chevy? Those are critical factors, and in some ways there is a personal taste factor, but I really like being able to ride on any trail.
There’s another factor here, though. Stinner builds their bikes by hand, and they are attentive to customers and want to put the rider first. I like that. I am not as into a mass production bike made by someone in a large factory — the Stinner Carrizo Select is a personal favorite of mine and worked as a commuter bike and on dirt paths. It’s a great fit for me.