Thanks! Take your time haha, won’t be ordering prior to December
I can see that angle, but was more saying that subtle geometry difference doesn’t mean a bike can’t be used for a given discipline. Wasn’t taking the pro part into consideration as he’s now getting going again at 37(?) and trying to save $$ with kids and life responsibilities.
I started road racing on a cx bike with knobbies, have raced mtb on the same cx bike. Just rode a 100mi gravel race on my Tarmac on 28s.
Maybe it’s my time riding singletrack on a rigid mtb with 1.9”s as a kid, but I think bikes are bikes and most of us amateurs could be pretty happy with one drop bar bike if push came to shove. Doubt it would have much impact on our results either.
All this said, I’m dreaming about a cx or gravel rig next year. The Tarmac hurt me on some really rocky technical sections that went on for miles and fat tires would have been waaaay faster
Based on your current road bike with the 351mm Reach and 354mm Top Tube Hor, I am reviewing the Medium sizes for the Road and Gravel bikes.
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Reach:
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Current: 351mm.
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Road: This at 390mm is 39mm longer than your current bike.
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Gravel: This at 386mm is 35mm longer than your current bike.
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Either of those may result in needing a shorter stem than your current bike. That assumes you aim to keep your position over the BB the same. But that may not be the case when you review the Seat Tube Angle below.
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Top Tube Horizontal:
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Current: 542mm.
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Road: This at 555mm is 13mm longer than your current bike.
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Gravel: This at 565 is 23mm longer than your current bike.
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Either of those may result in needing a shorter stem than your current bike. That assumes you aim to keep your position over the BB the same. But that may not be the case when you review the Seat Tube Angle below.
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Seat Tube Angle:
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Current: 71.7*.
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Road: This at 73.5* is 1.8* steeper than your current bike.
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Gravel: This at 73.0* is 1.3* steeper than your current bike.
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This may lead to a more forward position, assuming you don’t setup with body relative to the BB (like K.O.P.S. or some other method). This is highly preference based, but can be affected as well by seat post selection and with the offset dimension and where you want the saddle rails positioned. It is a variable that you need to consider.
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Stack:
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Current: 571mm.
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Road: This at 558mm is 13mm lower than your current bike.
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Gravel: This at 584mm is 13mm higher than your current bike.
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Assuming the same spacer count, stem length and angle… you would be higher on the one and lower on the. The Road would feel more aerodynamic and “racy”, while the Gravel is more upright. That said, you can likely hit the same handlebar height on any setup, with the right combination of spacers and stem angle.
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Head Tube Angle:
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Current: 73.0*.
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Road: This at 73.0* is the same as your current bike.
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Gravel: This at 71.5* is 1.5* slacker than your current bike.
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- Some guesses:
- With the first 3 fit dimensions, both of the new bikes are longer in reach and top tube. That may be more aggressive and forward position, but relies heavily on stem length position.
- The stack and head tube angle are the most different between the new Road and Gravel. These follow the typical range of size for the intended bike purpose. All else being equal, the Gravel is a more upright and possibly comfortable position. The Road is lower and longer for a race-like position intended.
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What I see new is missing from the info, are the Wheelbase, Chainstay Length, and Bottom Bracket Drop. These are helpful in looking at the handling.
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Based on the other numbers, I expect the front center of the Gravel to be longer (largely from the slacker head tube angle (even though the Reach is a tad shorter than the Road).
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The Chainstay Length is likely a bit longer, which combined with the Front Center above, would lead to a more stable bike, less willing to swap directions. Generally good for loose conditions, but may feel sluggish for some on the road.
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There is probably more to look at, but I am at the end of my break. See if this makes any sense and I can add or clarify later.
WOW thanks Chad! I hope it didn’t ruin your break
These weren’t included in the booklet had for geometry, maybe next time I am there I’ll ask for them.
Would a picture of the two frames help in any way?
Although I realize this might be hard to say, but when we are talking about less willing to swap directions.
Should I be thinking of (for the lack of better example) sedan car vs hot hatchback, or race car vs family car.
I have a lot to gain on my current bike in terms of cornering/handling, I am certainly not at my limit when I am going through corners.
The seat post that comes with the two frames is 272 MM for both I believe, not sure if this info helps.
On my current bike I have no problem with staying in the drops for a long period of time, I think I could even hold a more aggressive position, but on my current bike I don’t want to mess around too much with the fit as I had a bike fit on it and I am been able to ride without any issues (knee pain, hamstrings or back pain).
and again, I want to thank you for help on this.
Sure, if you get a pick of your current bike, that may help. I can try to put the existing geometry into a sketch or calculator to show you the differences between them all.
This is fun to do and I will see if I can get it done this morning. [quote=“GPx, post:65, topic:1636”]
Should I be thinking of (for the lack of better example) sedan car vs hot hatchback, or race car vs family car.
[/quote]
Yeah, that is along the right idea. A longer wheelbase and slacker head tube angle add stability, and conversely reduce cornering agility.
What would be good is for you to do a few short parking lot and close road rides with these different bikes. Compare them to your current bike and each other to see what you like best.
That helps since it is the most common size. You can find any post with 0mm up to 25mm offset (and more in rare cases), so you will have tons of fit options.
I’m more than happy to help. I love geometry review and helping people find the right bike (I do bike sales when I’m not doing fitting).
Its always a fun challenge to filter through the sea of bikes and find that one that meets the customer needs.
Awesome!
These two photo’s are the best I have of my current bike
If you would look at climbing, does the geometry have influence? In a scenario if the weight, rims and tires were the same?
I am going to have to see if that’s possible, he doesn’t always have complete build up bikes in his store. He did start selling an other brand, perhaps they have two similar frames which I can test out. He mentioned that can always ask the supplier for demo models if I wanted to test that brand out.
I have the geo sketches well under way.
What exact model and size bike do you have?
Looks like a Sensa Romagna, and the geo chart I found has some notable differences from your fit report above, depending on the size.
2018 Domane owner here - which tires are you using specifically? I currently have 32 mm Panaracer Gravel King SK which I swap with Conti GP 4 Seasons. Painful but necessary because I don’t have a second wheelset.
I think it’s a 2014 version:
I always thought it was a 56, I actually bought this second hand as my first bike when I started riding last year.
I was trying to find the ad back, but unfortunately I didn’t mention the size in my communication with the seller.
I tried finding the geometry of the 2014 online but haven’t had any luck sorry…
As mentioned above, I would highly recommend a Crux. Very road-ish geometry and its very proven CX wise. Its my do-it-all bike now. I tried a Checkpoint and sold it. The Crux is the best all around Ive found. Mine will fit 38 or 40mm tires, depending on the rim width. I also just put AXS on it, so a 48/35 chainring combo. I have cogs from 10/26 to 10/33, so whatever range I need.
Here is what I have for your current bike:
Something is wrong here. I had to guess on the Wheelbase, Chainstay Length, and BB Drop. Those lead to a really odd 89mm Fork offset, that is most likely wrong.
If I had to guess, I think there is an arror in the Reach value. 351mm is way shorter than the other bikes on your list, and well under what I would expect for a 54cm or 56cm bike.
- Typical values for Reach on these sizes is around 380-390mm.
- I may have an error in my sketch, so you can review it as well. But I think at least one horizontal dim from your bike is off by 20-30mm.
All three together, located from the Bottom Bracket as the common point.
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CURRENT = BLUE
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ROAD = RED
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GRAVEL = GREEN
Haha this is awesome! Thanks for this!
I checked the reach and most of the others but it seems to be correct in your sketch, I am not sure why it’s that short.
Once I make a decision and once the build is completed I’ll definitely let you know! Thanks again
Sure thing. Let me know if you have more questions. Happy shopping
Schwalbe 35mm g one in back. 37mm wtb riddler in front.
How did you manage to fit them with such tight clearances on the '18 Domane?
Just sharing my setup. I’ve been running the 35mm Bontrager GR1 on stock 2019 Domane Affinity wheels and have been great also. Very similar to the G-One’s.
Those are the max size tires I can fit.