So I’m just about to push a button on a new bike. I’ve looked at the geo (they are seriously long bikes) and the medium looks fine for me.
My only concern is around the stack height, which looks seriously low. I’m no geometry expert but this looks like it would make the bars potentially very low, but how would it translate on the trail?

It’s making me question the size and maybe try and track down a large.

Sounds like a test ride would be advisable.

Buy the medium and lift the bars if you don’t like the front end height? Having them low should help it corner like a beast, might not feel so great when things get steep though

Depends how you like your bikes to ride. I personally hated super low front ends and flat bars, so I used to use 50mm risers (I’ve got some spare if you want them?). I found low front ends were harder to bunnyhop/manual/jump etc. which was the main reason I rode! although I was used to a BMX with 9 inch rise bars, so that could be why.

You’re worried that the bars are too far from you, so you want a large, to make them even further away? 🙂

Personally, Id take the low front end, and raise it with bars/stem/spacers if needed.

It’s height, not distance george.

Stem spacers and riser bars if necessary

wrecker – Member
It’s height, not distance george.

Yeah, but the two are very closely related.

For me, lower gives you more flexibility, so would choose that every time – although a complete bike might not give you the steerer length to play with, so it’d have to be risers,

Yeah, but the two are very closely related.

Of course, but both result in different body positions.

Sounds like a test ride would be advisable.

I’ve had a shimmy around on a medium, and it felt fine. I’m right between sizes and turned off the large as it’s suitable for up to 6ft 4. I’m a knacker under 6ft. My instinct says that with the medium being a long bike anyway (444mm reach; longer than most large bikes), it’ll be more suitable but the stack is low.

50mm Sunline risers; I’ll stick em in the post for you if you like!

“Suitable for” is a load of bollocks. ride what feels best, not what literature says

Low stack height is almost always a good thing – it allows the rider so much more adjustment in terms of how the bike fits them, both by varying bar height through spacers, stem and rise and also by sizing up if a longer frame is desired (assuming the seat tube is suitably short too). With a tall stack height you have very limited adjustment to get the bars lower. It’s easier to weight the front wheel with lower bars (better for corners) but easier to lift the front wheel with higher bars (better for jumping).

Also bear in mind that reach and stack tend to be quoted with one A-C length of fork and the reality is often different – I’ve seen a lot of bikes having their geometry quoted with say a 150mm Pike and then most frames being sold with 160mm Pikes – that instantly increases stack by 10mm over what the chart says.

Cheers chief. Medium ordered. Thanks for the help/validation 😀

is stack bb to top of head tube? otherwise its just more biking bollox as its a total variable.

Yes, centre of BB to centre of top of head tube, vertically. Reach is the horizontal equivalent.