Let's offroad / mountain bike / mtb / ride dirt

You are reading a single comment by @AdsH and its replies. Click here to read the full conversation.

•

who22

Currently looking at a Trek Superfly 7 for XC racing, a bit late in the year now, but more for after this years CX season and long days out in the woods.

Anybody have experience with one?

I'm 6ft 1" so could fit between a 19.5 and 21.5 frame, in general is it best to size down or up?

•

AdsH in reply to @who22

You have to look at the specific geo to make an informed decision or face an expensive mistake. The 2 most important measures are effective top tube and reach.

Not knowing knowing if you are a gibbon or leggy doesn't help but the effective top tube on the 21.5 is mahoosive and very unlikely to fit you with a normal 70mm - 80mm stem. I ride a 627mm ETT with an 80mm stem at 6' (and that's probably a bit longer than normal) so you are unlikely to want to go above the 19.5" which has an ETT of 639 and will probably allow you to run a normal stem and bars.

Reach looks long too at 443 for the the 19.5" so the 21.5 must be designed for giants

ps looks a nice bike

•

BareNecessities in reply to @AdsH

Reach looks long too at 443 for the the 19.5" so the 21.5 must be designed for giants

Who did they design the 23" for then ;-)

All good points, although...

I wouldn't necessarily agree that 70-80 was 'normal' for an XC stem length ( although the increasingly short stem/wide bar trend could arguably be as fashion-based as many other choices ). If somebody gets the fit they want with a 50-60mm length and no other fit considerations are compromised ( not enough standover, or too much stack, resulting in negative rise stems, etc ), then they might prefer the handling. I reckon the slack ( for XC ) 69.6 degree* HA, combined with the G2 geometry, 51mm offset fork would work well with a short stem/wide bar combo.

Still, we've both taken different approaches to custom geo on our bikes and are both happy with the results, so it's once again going to be down to personal preference/riding style/terrain etc :-)

*Similar to your Curtis, I believe?
•

who22 in reply to @AdsH

Thanks to you both @BareNecessities @AdsH, I've never had a proper bike fit so I'm very shaky with measurements as all my bikes are varying sizes. I'm most comfortable on my 57 (550 effective) CX bike with a 100mm stem, which I think is better suited to my longer legs and shorter torso.

I suppose I could always use the stem to stretch out on a smaller frame, if I found it too cramped. Does the more upright position mean being cramped up is less of an issue?

About

@AdsH started