Modern xc geometry ...
 

Modern xc geometry help

 benw
Posts: 227
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I am in the market for a new bike and i would like something longer to run a short stem,When looking at frames i am usually an L but looking for the reach and stack i would like the frames are XL.Am i missing something or can i just buy a frame on those measurements and forget the manufacturers recomendation.Thanks


 
Posted : 10/01/2026 5:35 pm
Posts: 254
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Beware of the effective top tube getting too long. Also, I'm not convinced the epic 8 geometry chart was written by someone who has seen the bikes, if that was a bike you are interested in.


 
Posted : 10/01/2026 7:10 pm
Posts: 2211
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I recently got an Orbea Laufey frame (not sure it's XC but it feels like it) and the L was spot on for me at 6ft with a 40mm stem.


 
Posted : 10/01/2026 10:22 pm
Posts: 379
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If you know the numbers you want then buy that bike and don’t worry about the arbitrary letter the manufacturer puts on it


 
Posted : 10/01/2026 11:05 pm
 mboy
Posts: 12648
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You've got to take quite a few things into consideration, it's not always simple... However...

These two tools are revolutionising bike geometry checks IMO, certainly in lieu of actually being able to throw a leg over a bike beforehand...

https://geometrygeeks.bike/

https://bikeinsights.com/

The key is to making sure the information fed into them is accurate though, so double and triple check. But being able to do direct comparisons between two frames, and in particular being able to see the differences visually rather than trying to imagine them, is a massive bonus.

They helped me quite a lot when deciding my Large sized Canyon (Canyon say I'm firmly a medium) was in fact spot on for what I wanted, and I could get the contact points exactly where I wanted them compared to my other bike.


 
Posted : 11/01/2026 1:16 am
 benw
Posts: 227
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Topic starter
 

Thanks everyone,the geometry geeks and bike insights looks a good tool will compare a few frames on there.


 
Posted : 11/01/2026 6:37 am