sixthreezero Women's Around the Block vs Explore your Range | Comparing Bike Models

Hey guys, Dustin here, CEO of sixthreezero. Today, I'm joined with Peter. Peter's the head of our QC and customer experience. Today, we're going to talk about the differences between the Around the Block and the ExploreyourRange. We get a lot of questions about differences in models. We're going to answer them today. So stick with us.

As I said, I'm here with Peter, head of our customer experience and quality control. Peter's been in the bike industry for over 20 years. He knows everything, every nuance. He's been bike mechanic to store manager, to a sales rep, to here with us now. He's going to help me explain the differences between the Around the Block and the ExploreyourRange, actually really fundamentally very different bikes, different riding positions, different use cases. Peter, I'm going to toss it to you and have you dive right in and go ahead and talk to us about some of the differences here.

Yeah, absolutely. I don't know if these bikes look much different to you, but to me, these are very different bikes. They have quite different functions. When you're considering these two bikes, you want to think about the type of riding that you're doing. With the Around the Block, this is the classic cruiser design. This design or style of bike has been around for almost a hundred years. It's lasted the test of time because it's a very comfortable bike. It's a casual bike. It has wide tires that make for a cushy, stable ride. The cruiser sweep handlebars here allow you to sit nice and upright, which takes the pressure off of the back. It's not the fastest bike or the highest performance bike, but that's not the point. The point is that it's a fun, comfortable, casual, easy ride. Great for taking out into the neighborhood, around the block, and down to the beach.

When you get into the Explore your Range, now this is a type of bike called a hybrid, and this one has narrower tires that are higher pressure that is more performance-oriented. You're going to go a lot faster on this bike. It's also, I think it's a very clean-looking bike. It has a regular solid fork. Right here, the handlebars are more of a mustache style. They're not the cruiser sweep. They're also not the straight mountain bike style, but they give you more control than you'll have with the cruiser sweep here. However, they still allow you to sit fairly upright. There's a balance between performance and comfort, and that's what we're going for here with the ExploreyourRange is to give you a bike that can go far. It can go fast, but it's still also a comfortable bike. Not one that's going to tax your back or your joints.

Yeah. I mean the ExploreyourRange, it's an interesting bike. It's definitely, it's a hybrid, and it's good because you can still sit in an upright position, but you're on a performance bike. That's really the key to this bike. As we tried to design it, we didn't want to go with the full cruiser handlebar sweep. We went with these mustache handlebars, and they come into your body, but they stop, I would say, right about here. The difference with the Cruiser is they're going to come all the way here. They sweep in a little bit more.

As Peter said, you're generally going to be upright on the ExploreyourRange depends on your arm length and how far you need to extend to reach the handlebars, but generally, most people are still going to be upright. That's the benefit of this bike is the performance with an upright ride. Whereas the Cruiser is going to be definitely an upright ride, but you're going to have the sweeping handlebars, different riding position. You're not going to be able to get the agility to turn at different speeds, things like higher speeds, things like that.

The other things looking at it. Did you mention the tires? The thickness in the tires?

Yeah, I mentioned the tire thickness that they're narrower and higher pressure. That'll make for a much faster ride. You won't feel as stable as you do on the cruiser-style bike, Around the Block, but you're going to get speed in exchange for that.

To sum it up then, actually a couple of little things. The Around the Block does not come with fenders, but you can add them. The ExploreyourRange, actually the newer versions do come with fenders. This one we have featured here does not have fenders, but they do. They do now come with fenders. If you're seeing this video at this point, most likely they do. The seats are an important piece to mention, too, as we have more of a performance saddle on the ExploreyourRange. It's a narrower-cut saddle, still comfortable, but it's not going to be as comfortable out of the box as an Around the Block. The width, really you can just sit on it and get comfortable. The ExploreyourRange is going to take a little bit of getting used to. The seat is geared more towards performance.

We're trying to find a blend on the ExploreyourRange of performance and comfort. We've designed for the riding position to be comfortable, but we're still sprinkling in these elements of performance like the thinner tire and the narrower-cut seat. Whereas the Cruiser, we're designing way more for comfort, ease of riding. The thicker tires are going to absorb the vibration when you're riding, so you're not going to feel it in your body. If you're choosing the Around the Block, you're choosing the thicker tires for your body and the less amount of vibration. You're choosing the ExploreyourRange because you want to ride faster, be more nimble, get some exercise, maybe go longer distances, things like that.

I would say to summarize, Pete, what would you say use case for the Around the Block, use case for the Explorer range?

One thing, too, to point out just real quick is step-over heights. Step-over heights of the frames are usually important. If you're shorter or you have balance issues, but, in this case, step-over heights are nearly identical. There's not much difference there. You can see the two frames are very similar so not going to be much difference in the step-over height there.

Summing it up, Pete, what do you say? Use case for the ATB, use case for the ExploreyourRange?

When you're checking out between these two bikes, some bikes you're looking at what bike looks cool or has a different look for me or sets a certain tone for whatever riding you're doing. These have fundamentally different functions. The cruiser bike for just casual, easygoing, riding, sitting upright, and enjoying the day but not needing to be anywhere at a certain time.

With the ExploreyourRange, you're out there getting more exercise, more performance, hitting different areas, different terrains, and you need more agility and performance.

Yeah. I think that sums it up. If you have any additional questions, please comment below. We're happy to answer them. You can always email us, theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us at (310) 982-2877.

Don't forget. Take the body fit quiz on our website. We've developed a proprietary algorithm to take answers about your lifestyle and your body and recommend the perfect bike for you The kicker, we have a 365-day return policy. At any point in 365 days, if you don't love your bike, you can send it back. No questions asked, no money out of your pocket. Don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.

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