Trail bike frames with shortest Seat Tubes relative to Reach?

I’m ‘considering’ a new frame to replace both my Hightower and my Scandal (thus I’ll be able to build it up quite nicely with good kit and make it light-ish).

At 5Ft10 I generally sit on ‘large’ for most manufacturers reccomendations, however I’m 5ft 10 of long torso and short legs.

My current, large Hightower for instance, feels the right length at 470 Reach, 430 Seat Tube. I can only run a 125mm dropper, whereas OEM for this bike is a 170 – I’d not be able to get on it!

The Scandal is a Medium with 437 TT but has a 30mm shorter seat tube and thus fits my leg length much more, I run a 50mm stem on this bike.

I’m looking for a 120-150-ish 29er frame, to suit a lighter sort of build if its repalcing both the above.

Transition are excellent in this regard and would suit my short-leggedness, but I’m looking for something between a Spur and a Sentinel.

Orange stage Evo looks good but in medium it has a LONGER seat tube than my hightower, I’d only just squeeze a 125mm dropper in.

I’ve posted a lot about the new Scott Spark trail builds but again, their seat tubes are waaay too tall for the reach figures to suit me,

FYI, yes, I’m already on 165mm cranks!

Who does a really low seat tube relative to their lengths?

Circa 450mm Reach woth sub 40mm seat tube looks like the goal based on what I’ve had before.

Stanton switch9er FS can be had with custom geo, so shorter seat tube with longer reach.

Have you checked the Bird Aether9 numbers?

Carbon or Ali – you’re choice.

My 5’6” wife can ride my 7 large – though it is too long for her really. My 5’10” son pinched it for the Alps.

If you can get one, the Ibis Ripley 4 might be worth a look.
Large is 418mm seat tube and 475mm reach.

I’m 5’11” with a similar body composition and ride a large Ripmo mk1 with 170mm reverb.

You need a short seat tube and sufficient seat post insertion, so bikes where the inevitable kink in the seatpost is low down and there isn’t a pivot or shock getting in the way. A rare few bikes have straight but offset seat tubes. Ibis are very good for this. Knolly too.

Was going to say Bird. Also what dropper- the Oneup is one of the shorter options so you might get more drop that way..

An Aether 9 in ML size would be right there I reckon. Snappy under pedalling and goes down well too!

I’m 6’2″ with long torso and shortish 33″ inseam and I’ve got a 150mm Reverb AXS in my Large Aether 9 with quite a lot of post showing. Wish it was a 170mm to be honest and I still think I’d have some showing!

Might be worth checking transition to see both options, as the hightower would be close to the sentinel, so that might be an option, the sentinel can also be ridden more trail with the standard X2 or X shock and some lighter parts, hence why they’ve brought out the spire to be the full on enduro 29er.

From what i’ve read as well, the spur is more than capable of some heavier stuff as well, but it does depend on what you’re going to do.

Revel Rascal?
Rascal

Nicolai Saturn 14 in small has 447 reach and a 405 seat tube, and seat tube is straight and uninterrupted too for deep insertion: https://en.nicolai-bicycles.com/frames/saturn-14/

Another vote for Ibis. I’ve got a L Ripmo AF (475 reach) and I’m a shade over 5’10 with monkey arms. Run a 210mm OneUp just squeezed in. Riplev seems to share similar attributes.
They’re also bloody brilliant bikes 😀

How about a Sentinel with a trail style build, short shock and fork to make it 140mm rear 150mm front?

Ariel30 has a 410 seattube and a 480 reach, or a 360 seattube and 445 reach

Bird Aether 9 alloy or Aether 9 carbon are pretty short seat tubes vs reach. Although your current frame is pretty good already I’d say.

Medium Aether 9 is 455 reach / 395 seat tube.

Medium Long Aether 9 is 484 reach / 420 seat tube.

I’m on a medium Aether 7 at 5’9 and I’ve got a 210mm drop Oneup post spaced down to 200mm drop with it slammed in the frame. I’m about a 32” leg in terms of clothing. Running a 50mm stem – a lot of people at 5’10 would prefer the medium long I reckon as the seat tube is quite steep and you could feel cramped on the medium when sat down.

My medium Vitus Escarpe has 450mm reach with 410mm seatpost with 215mm seatpost insertion depth.

I also have a medium big dog with similar geo to the scandal and it fits really well.

I feel your pain! I ruled out many bikes on seat tube alone. Ibis and Transition were both (expensive) candidates, and I’m very happy with the 395mm tube of the medium Aether 9c I finally settled on (a lovely bike all round).

But they’re all around 455-460 reach in the medium sizes, and as joebristol says you might prefer an ML or large for reach. The seat tubes generally jump over 400mm in those sizes.

A Pole Stamina 140 Large has a 400mm seat tube for a 470mm reach, if that might work?

I also reckon OneUp have the lowest dropper stack heights as well as being shimable.

Aether9 in medium would definitely work.
I’m 1.5” taller with average proportions and got a ML frame this summer. 165 cranks 180 one up dropper. A good 45mm below the collar. Plenty of reach-35mm stem feels just right.

Thanks all, some good suggestions! Ibis and Revel look to have the right ideas with short, strsaight seat-tubes well suited to the short-legged relative to their height!

The Aether 9c is interesting, I’ve fired off an email. Never seen one in person, would be interested to have a look if anyone in Yorkshire has one!

Pipedream Full Moxie.

420mm seat tubes and either 470 or 510mm reach…

By fluke I spotted an Aether 9c ladt weekend in the wild and had a quick nosy – I thought it looked fine, quite simple but neat and tidy.

Don’t suppose anyone in Yorkshire-ish has a M or M/L I could come and sit on? Bird themselves cant really help at all currently unfortunatley and directed me back to the punters!

What’s your inside leg? Have you got a low stack saddle? Short crank? Thick pedals?

I’m 5’9″ (31″ leg) on a M/L AM9 and about to fit a Bird (Brand X) 170mm dropper.

Snotrag – check on the Bird Cycleworks Owners Facebook page if you have it (https://www.facebook.com/groups/birdmtb), helpful lot on there. Can’t help you myself I’m afraid (other than to recommend the Aether 9a) – am 6ft on a size large and have a 200m dropper in there with a few mm still to spare under the collar, so definitely a short seat tube relative to reach. They’re excellent bikes.

I dunno why Orange persist with the long seat tubes, but as you know I have a couple of the 18in seat tube ones.

I must have shorter legs than you and I can get a One-Up Dropper with 190mm drop on mine.

Let me know if you want more info, leg measurements etc.

last few bikes ive had
bird aeris 145 m/l
sonder transmitter and signal medium
ive been able to have more dropper than i could possibly need, i think both will work on a 180mm one up for me at 5ft 8
the seat drops so low i readily buzz my ass
i just assumed all new bikes run with super low standover/seat tubes nowadays

My last bike was a large Whyte T129 to get a nice long reach. I ran a low profile seat and trimmed the seat tube a tad to fit a 125mm Reverb so I know the OPs pain.

Second hand Ibis would definitely fit the criteria. I’m an inch taller than the OP but with short legs. V1 RipMo, V4 Ripley, Mojo 4 all ran with 210mm droppers. All size L. They are not super long but definitely fitted me. I also have a Rascal (L) which is very similar. Can’t quite get a 210mm in there because of bend in seat tube but still get 200mm no problem.

I’d say buy my 2nd hand Ibis, but it’s a 27.5 😉

Brand new medium Ripley AF on Ebay
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403055346999?hash=item5dd7f88537:g:UgcAAOSw9TRhTDtB

Didn’t a lot of the reviews for the new Saracen Ariels complain that the seat tube was too short when combined with the supplied dropper, or was I thinking of something else?

I think the latest Marin frames are pretty try small for the given reach, the XL is something like 440mm, ridiculous if you anything over 6ft,massive amounts of unsupported seat post.

Saracen or Commencal.