A 2deg works angleset and offset bushings installed on a Scott Genius 2016 takes the ha down to around 66deg. But compared to modern geo bikes, the front wheel is still ‘not very out there in front’.

My Fox 34’s can be extended from 140 to 160 with a new air shaft. Should I go for that for a bit more gnar?

You could but your reach will shrink even more and seat tube slacken further. Neither will improve bike handling imo. Really slack HA need long reaches to balance the effects.

Shakleton +1, closely followed by a steep seat angle to push your weight forward and centralise your weight between the wheels. If all you do is push the front out, you get further away from the front wheel. This is compounded by the slacker stealing reach from the front of the cockpit too. It’s only about 8mm on a 2 degrees slacker, but it all adds up.

I tried this with my hardtail a few years back and reach and seat tube angle became the limiting factors, not head angle.

The reach can be dealt with by a longer lower stem. May not be fashionable, but that way you can get your hands back to the position they were in relative to your arse, or with an even longer stem relative to the front wheel.

^ no it can’t. Reach doesn’t include the stem and a slack HA often requires a shorter stem than you were previously using. A longer stem would quite probably screw things up even more.

Does the bike feel short as it is?

Are you a heavy rider? A fox 34 at 160mm may be getting flexy

@Shackleton the Reach (capital R) will get shorter with a taller fork bringing your hands nearer your feet (possibly not so much nearer your arse, depending on how high your handlebars are,hurried thinking on my part there). You can compensate for that with a longer stem to get your hands back to where they were. Obviously you are not affecting the Reach, but you are compensating for one of the effects of it (hand position).

How does the bike ride with your current modifications ? If your happy with it leave as is. As others said it’s nearly impossible to replicate modern geometry unless you actually have it. Go to far and the bike gets worse not better, even assuming your riding would benefit from long, low, slack ect.

Ditch the offset bushings, the angleset will increase the reach if the stem is slammed as they lower the front end but will increase the effect of spacers on reach. 20mm extra on the front is going to be pretty minimal in terms of reach in that case.

It will lift your bb though, which will be more noticeable. How about just trying an extra 10mm for now?band keep the offset bushes…

Its a med frame and I’m 170cm. According to the charts I’m at the bottom of height range. However that was 2016. Compared to modern geo, it would be a small now. Reach is 402, modern med has a reach of something like 440.

From what was said above, ‘slack HA need long reaches’ – I did wonder that. And it does feel a little small currently.

Handling was improved in every way going from 68 to 66. 160mm would drop it to 65ish I guess. I’ve still got spacers to take out so stack height will hopefully be ok.

I’m a 200lb rider – 160mm on a Fox34 might be too flexy huh?

Maybe the first step is to ditch those bushes – free test.

You can compensate for that with a longer stem to get your hands back to where they were

and ruin your handling whilst you’re at it

You can have a slack HA with a shorter reach, it worked quite well for many of us in the earlier part of this decade.

But if you’re getting hung up on the frame length then you may just need to bite the bullet and get a new bike/frame.