How stretched out are you set up

[trail_monkey]

How many of you run drop bar bikes instead of flatbar bikes and set your drops for more upright riding like flats with a short stem instead of leaning forward like traditional drop setup? I’ve tried two stems with my Fargo/cowchipper setup and both feel pretty good and I can’t decide between the two. One is 80 mm with a 17 degree rise and the other is a 60 mm with a standard 7 degree rise. The shorter reach seems to negate the extra rise but I can’t decide which feels better. weird huh? I’ve never had a bike that reacted this well with such radically different stems so this is weird to me. I wanna say go with the 60 and be more upright like a flat bar rig but then logic says don’t be cramped in the cockpit. Share some setups if you got them and tell me how they ride on longer dirt road travels.

[RonK]

I would go with the the higher rise, which effectively shortens the reach anyway, and will be a better base for an aerobar setup if you later choose to go that way.

Originally I used a setback seat post, but felt a little too stretched. I reverted to a straight post rather than a shorter stem, which tends to make the steering a little too direct.

Here’s my setup with a 90mm, 10 degree rise.

[trail_monkey]

I never thought about the aero bar setup. Good point. I switched back and forth between a straight seat post and an older race face turbine post which has around 2 cm setback. With the straight post I just can’t seem to get my CG set right to where I feel like I am balanced if I lift my hands regardless of stem length. With the setback post I can get that balanced feeling so the setback is a no brained to me. Position behind the bottom bracket seems to affect this more than a longer stem.

How high are your bars in relation to your seat? With the 60 mm stem my bars are at seat level or a touch above and with the 80 they are at least an inch above measuring from the flats that is.

[RonK]

The bar is higher - I would say that the top of the saddle is approximately level with the underside of the bar.

Also I should mention that I have 40mm of spacers under the stem.

[trail_monkey]

I have 40 mm of spacers as well. I bought my 2019 frame and fork and didn’t even have to shorten the steerer. Tonight I switched back to the 60. The 80 with 17 degree rise makes so much sense yet I was on the fence because as good as it felt riding, the 60 felt that much better. The 60 mm stem still has the bars higher than the saddle thanks to the Fargo’s high stack height and long head tube. Another thing about the 60 is due to the arc my hands travel downward to rest on the hoods going from one stem to the other, I can change the angle of the bar to accommodate without bothering wrist angles on the hoods AND have a better angle on the drops as well. But I haven’t been on a decent ride since I started playing around and the miles will be the tell all. Geometry is a funny thing.

[bmike-vt]

Riding single track? Then the higher position.
More gravel / double track and occasional single track? Lower position.

Salsa Fargo, bikepacking by Mike, on Flickr

fargo, getting ready to go camping again by Mike, on Flickr

fargo at GMNF gate by Mike, on Flickr

[bikeny]

I'm a big fan of drop bars set up this way! This is my 'Allroad' bike with BIG tire clearance, setup to be comfortable for long days in the saddle. Like you, I'm still working on the final setup, but I'm close. Most recent picture below. Bars are a bit above the saddle, but reach may be a bit short right now, so will be trying a setback post soon. Current stem is 70mm & 10 degree rise I think? Current tires are 27.5x2.35 Schwalbe Big Ones, super comfy and still fast on harder surfaces. I'm working on a second wheelset that will have Bontrager XR2 27.5x2.6 tires!

[bakerjw]

I run Jones H Bars so it's not all apples to apples. I am not too stretched down when I ride.

[trail_monkey]

Some pretty nice pics everyone. Jones bars are really cool. I’ve owned a set in the past.

[trail_monkey]

I'll show you what I bring to the party...... This is the bike in question running the 60 mm stem as it is currently set up.