Fit advice

[the jackel]

Hi All,

Long time roadie looking to get in to some bike packing, possibly with the idea of riding the Great Divide route in the next few years.

Just looking for advice on sizing. I currently ride a large Look 785 which has a stack and reach of 582/395. I find it comfortable for long rides. In terms of a gravel bike I am looking at something like either a Carbonda 696 or Mason Bokeh. Would I be right in thinking I'd be better aiming for something with similar reach but more stack eg the 696 in 58 is 608/393 or 60cm bokeh @ 607/399?

Appreciate bike fit over the internet is a difficult thing and there may be other factors to consider but am I in the right ballpark for a comfortable mutliday machine that doesn't need to be speed focussed?

Thanks
Mike

[Steve Curtis]

It's up to you. All my road, gravel, cx bikes are set up exactly the same and whenever I've raised the front end for whatever reason, they've been uncomfortable.

If the look works why go for something with a different fit ?

[the jackel]

Not being that savvy when it comes to bike packing etc I got the impression a more upright posture was desirable from both comfort and handling.

I sporadically ride the local MTB trails (on a full sus), which is obviously a very upright position, and figured a gravel bike would be somewhere between the two.

[viragevitesse]

For long multi multi day rides having a higher stack is definitely desirable as it takes stress off your upper body and lower back, core. It also allows you to ride the drops more as they won't be so low. Having a wider bar with a bit of flare is quite nice to ride in the drops for a longer period of time. Also if you want to run aero bars that clamp to your handlebar, they will need to be considerably higher than what you might be able to get away with on a shorter ride. This usually means using risers under the aerobar clamps. I like to get my aero bars at least a bit higher than the saddle height for them to be comfortable over any kind of long period.

[WorkonSunday]

also depends on what type of road surface you plan to ride. generally longer wheelbase helps stablised the bike. also unlike tarmac road, you want abit more leverage when you steer, so shorter stem with wider bars are the norm. general rule of thumb is 10-20mm shorter in stem compared to your road setup and 2-4cm wider for the bar width. also use spacers/longer head tube to get you upper body in more relaxed position, again about 20-30mm higher than you road setup is good starting point. if you go for something like 50+mm, you will find it being too difffernt to your road setup, you will end up hating it once you switch from one to another.

[TobinHatesYou]

Keep in mind that your saddle height might be about 1cm higher when you consider the stack differences between road and off-road pedals + shoes. This will also require a 1cm stack increase at your bars if you wish to retain the same relative position of your road fit.

[Aesch]

Keep in mind that your saddle height might be about 1cm higher when you consider the stack differences between road and off-road pedals + shoes. This will also require a 1cm stack increase at your bars if you wish to retain the same relative position of your road fit.

Thanks for clearing up a mystery for me! My gravel bike is 1cm higher in stack and 0.5cm shorter in reach and I kept my saddle hight identical to my road bike but it always felt a bit low.

Now I understand why!