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Home > Forum > Triathlon Forum > Buying a road bike - can I use the stack/reach measurements from my tri bike?

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Buying a road bike - can I use the stack/reach measurements from my tri bike?
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JonathanNYC
Apr 21, 19 10:29
Post #1 of 10 (2370 views)
Hey everyone,

I currently have a well-fitting tri bike, with the fit having been done with a well-recommended fitter her on ST. Following the wisdom of the n+1 rule, I'm looking to add a road bike to my collection. Ideally I'd go back to the fitter and have a new fitting done before purchasing a road bike, but I'm looking to save a little money right now. Is it possible to use the armpad stack/reach from a tri bike as a proxy or starting point for the handlebar stack/reach of a road bike? If anyone has any experience in doing this, I'd really appreciate the insight.

FWIW, my tri bike setup is below (armpad stack: 635; armpad reach: 455).

Also, since I'm here, if anyone has any recommendations for a road bike frame for someone with short legs / long torso, I'd love to hear them! With my tri bike, the best option for me turned out to be buying a PR3 and throwing a 120mm stem on it to compensate for my proportions. I suspect I may need to do the same for a road bike.

Thanks in advance for any help!


Last edited by: JonathanNYC: Apr 21, 19 11:15
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Re: Buying a road bike - can I use the stack/reach measurements from my tri bike? [JonathanNYC] [ In reply to ]
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jimatbeyond
Apr 21, 19 11:47
Post #2 of 10 (2349 views)
No.
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Re: Buying a road bike - can I use the stack/reach measurements from my tri bike? [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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JonathanNYC
Apr 21, 19 12:20
Post #3 of 10 (2333 views)
Damn, okay. I suspected as much, but wanted to be sure. Thanks for the info.
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Re: Buying a road bike - can I use the stack/reach measurements from my tri bike? [JonathanNYC] [ In reply to ]
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cyclenutnz
Apr 21, 19 14:20
Post #4 of 10 (2288 views)
As Jim said, no. But you probably won't have any trouble with road bikes as there are a lot of classic race geometry frames that work well for long torso riders. The long and low bikes have pretty much disappeared on the tri side, which is why you had to compensate with a long stem (and a long stem is more desirable on a road bike anyway).
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Re: Buying a road bike - can I use the stack/reach measurements from my tri bike? [cyclenutnz] [ In reply to ]
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JonathanNYC
Apr 21, 19 17:37
Post #5 of 10 (2241 views)
cyclenutnz wrote:
As Jim said, no. But you probably won't have any trouble with road bikes as there are a lot of classic race geometry frames that work well for long torso riders. The long and low bikes have pretty much disappeared on the tri side, which is why you had to compensate with a long stem (and a long stem is more desirable on a road bike anyway).
Hey thanks, I really appreciate the insight here!

I was originally hoping to get a CAAD12 (good value), but it seems like the geometry of that bike is better suited for lankier individuals. I took a look at a few bikes today and it does seem like I'll have to get something like a Tarmac, slam the stem and swap out the stock spacer for something longer to get a reasonable fit.

If anybody else here with a long torso / short legs would be willing to share their experiences (and maybe frames), I'd love the help!
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Re: Buying a road bike - can I use the stack/reach measurements from my tri bike? [JonathanNYC] [ In reply to ]
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KingMidas
Apr 21, 19 18:30
Post #6 of 10 (2202 views)
The bike shop should give you a fit session prior to purchase so you can order the right frame with right stem length.
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Re: Buying a road bike - can I use the stack/reach measurements from my tri bike? [JonathanNYC] [ In reply to ]
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fredly
Apr 21, 19 18:46
Post #7 of 10 (2184 views)
Quote:
I was originally hoping to get a CAAD12 (good value), but it seems like the geometry of that bike is better suited for lankier individuals. I took a look at a few bikes today and it does seem like I'll have to get something like a Tarmac, slam the stem and swap out the stock spacer for something longer to get a reasonable fit.

If the Tarmac works for you, it's difficult to see how you couldn't be fit well on a CAAD 12. Tarmac top, CAAD bottom -

375/514 380/527 384/544 395/565 402/591 408/612
362/514 369/516 375/526 381/536 387/551 393/567 399/584 405/603 411/626
Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/
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Re: Buying a road bike - can I use the stack/reach measurements from my tri bike? [fredly] [ In reply to ]
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JonathanNYC
Apr 21, 19 20:24
Post #8 of 10 (2140 views)
fredly wrote:
Quote:
I was originally hoping to get a CAAD12 (good value), but it seems like the geometry of that bike is better suited for lankier individuals. I took a look at a few bikes today and it does seem like I'll have to get something like a Tarmac, slam the stem and swap out the stock spacer for something longer to get a reasonable fit.


If the Tarmac works for you, it's difficult to see how you couldn't be fit well on a CAAD 12. Tarmac top, CAAD bottom -

375/514 380/527 384/544 395/565 402/591 408/612
362/514 369/516 375/526 381/536 387/551 393/567 399/584 405/603 411/626
Yeah, agreed. The way it was explained to me at the bike shop today was that although the stack/reach of the CAAD12 is similar to the Tarmac, I won't have very much seatpost showing on the CAAD12 due to the horizontal headtube (versus sloping headtube of the Tarmac / other road bikes). To be honest, I didn't totally understand why this is a big deal from a practical perspective (I don't really care about the looks), but could see it limiting my ability to stick a saddle bag on the back or clamp the seatpost when using a bike stand.

All in all, a little bit confused. I just plugged my body measurements into Canyon's Perfect Positioning System that they have on their website (5'7.5" height, 29.75" inseam) and it spat out a size 2XS! Pretty sure that's not right, ha ha...
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Re: Buying a road bike - can I use the stack/reach measurements from my tri bike? [JonathanNYC] [ In reply to ]
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mpquick
Apr 21, 19 22:20
Post #9 of 10 (2119 views)
Canyon is probably basing that on your inseam. If you take your inseam and use the 109% guideline with the 170mm crank on the Ultimate in size XS, you’re almost exactly at what they say is the minimum saddle height for the XS. I’ve heard varying things about whether the Canyon stated minimum is actually the minimum. In some cases it sounds like it depends on the seatpost, but I tend to think their seatpost design in concert with their sizing procedure could end up putting a lot of people in the size range like you (or me) on the wrong size frame. FWIW, I am almost exactly your size, and a stock size s inflite fits me. For road I’d probably look at the lower stack of the XS, but I don’t like the aesthetics of the canyon when you get below size S.
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Re: Buying a road bike - can I use the stack/reach measurements from my tri bike? [JonathanNYC] [ In reply to ]
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jimatbeyond
Apr 22, 19 7:23
Post #10 of 10 (2026 views)
I think you meant to say top tube instead of head tube.
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