You obviously have a different definition of comfort than I do. If I’m sitting with my back at a 90 degree angle there is a MASSIVE difference in comfort than if I am sitting with my back at a 45 degree angle. I don’t need a study to prove that and softer wider tires won’t change it either.
You guys are talking about 2 different comforts.
- Related to body position based upon frame geometry.
- Related to road conditions and bump absorption.
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If you have your bike set properly between two different seat angles, it is in the same position over the BB on both bikes., and you are in the same position (relative to the BB) The angle of the sea tube is therefore immaterial in terms of comfort.
I did product development in the bike industry for 10 years…tire choice and psi, especially with the tire volume of off-road bikes, will dictate comfort.
As I indicated on my last post, your position relative to the BB should not change because of seat angle. Your proper seat position is independent of seat angle and is only relative to the BB (your stem length, angle, etc would obviously change, however).
This is why the concept of Stack and Reach was developed…it eliminates the issue of angles from the equation and allows you to replicate your position between bikes based on the key central point on the bike - the BB.
Sure, but that goes on the assumption that you choose to have the identical rider position on both bikes. That may be true for some, but many choose a more upright position that is easier with most gravel setups than more race oriented CX ones.
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Why wouldn’t you have the same position, assuming the same purpose between two bikes? If you want to use a CX bike for gravel riding, you absolutely can achieve a more “upright” position if you want.
Right. That’s why I said I agree 99%, but that geo does also have an impact on comfort.
Some CX bikes are lower enough that getting up and back bar position may require sub-optimal stem choice for one. The stack is often lower and reach longer on the CX bike.
It’s all splitting hairs with generic statements, and the reality will vary with each person and the bikes they want to compare.
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OK, but now you aren’t discussing comfort, but handling and I clearly noted that handling can be impacted by geometry.
I do, but to clear the cassette still, when I manually push out the derailleur, it moves inward so much that I can’t get it on the small ring. I’ve never had this issue with other derailleurs, just this Ultegra RX one.
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Humm, maybe you can evaluate where and how you are pushing on the derailleur body to see if you can lessen the inward pressure?
When you say “manually push out” the RD, which way are you pushing it?
So I recently had a break in to my garage which relieved me of my winter disc road bike, cx bike and MTB. Fortunately (if there can be any fortune here?!) I was away with my best summer bike so they couldn’t take that.
My solution: the Canyon Grail with a spare set of road wheels. The result has been stunning. With my Roval CL50s on it flies on the road and it is also very quick off road and I’m looking forward to racing some summer CX next year.
Tyre clearance is 42mm FYI.
I cant reccomend it enough. My only watch out is that with Shimano CRX gears, Gravel bikes may not be as well geared to predominantly road riding. Luckily I got my Grail in an end of year sale with road specific 105.
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How do you like the Hover bars? I’d be tempted to get a Grail, but the stock stem length is WAY too short for me and Canyon doesn’t offer the option to change lengths.
So I really like them. Not much adjustability but I’m very happy with the fit.
Flex is not huge but with off road tyres the ride is comfortable.
The on road performance is great though, it is really fast and comfortable, and I can get low enough. And with the CL50 discs it is giving my summer bike stiff competition!
And as I said, I think it will be a capable CX machine, if not as nimble as a CX specific bike.
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Sounds like you need a mountain bike 
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I mean, in order to get the top jockey wheel to clear the cassette I need to push the derailleur forward so that it drops down enough to clear even the small cog. But in doing that, the derailleur moves inward as if changing to a larger cog. Because of this the disc is not aligned with the brake and I can’t get the wheel on the frame. So I’ve found that I need to move the derailleur up a few cogs in order to get it aligned enough to get the wheel aligned. I know, it’s weird. I’m very familiar with doing this on my rim brake bikes, and that works fine, but this Ultegra RX derailleur, unlike my SRAM Red and DuraAce derailleurs actually moves inward when you try to push in forward to clear the cog.
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Try moving the RD backwards, not forward when putting in the rear wheel. That is what I do with my TT bike w/ track dropouts.
Never used a GRX RD so can’t say I know how it functions, but give it a shot.
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Yeah,
- I place my thumb behind the upper pivot of the RD body.
- First and second fingers around the front part of the RD parallelogram links.
- Then pull/rotate the RD parallelogram links down and back, which gets the upper RD pulley wheel back enough to clear the cassette.
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Yup…that exactly!
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