{"id":41745,"date":"2022-09-22T13:00:43","date_gmt":"2022-09-22T11:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=664924"},"modified":"2022-09-22T13:38:15","modified_gmt":"2022-09-22T11:38:15","slug":"gravel-bike-geometry-and-sizing-everything-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/gravel-bike-geometry-and-sizing-everything-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Gravel bike geometry and sizing: everything you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Katherine Moore\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 22 September 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Gravel bikes can be designed to cover everything from all-out long-distance racing to gnarly shredding in your local woods. But what is it that sets a race-ready aero rig apart from rowdier, burlier models?<\/p>\n

Here, we dig down into the geometry details across the spectrum of gravel bikes, uncovering exactly why these off-road machines ride as they do. We also have some handy tips to help you choose the right sizing and the best type of gravel bike geometry for you and your riding.<\/p>\n

Why is gravel bike geometry important?<\/h2>\n

Snappy or sluggish, stable or unsteady, capable or sketchy: the way gravel bikes are designed can have a huge impact on how they ride.<\/p>\n

As the discipline has boomed in recent years, we\u2019ve seen more categorisation within gravel too, with more models designed specifically with the demands of gravel racing<\/a> or bikepacking<\/a> in mind.<\/p>\n

Ranging from aero gravel-racing machines such as the Pinarello Grevil F<\/a> \u2013 which sit near the road end of the spectrum \u2013 to the steel-built Cotic Cascade<\/a>, designed to take on rough, rooty and rocky trails, and wider-tyred, luggage-hauling bikepacking bikes such as the Salsa Fargo, geometry varies greatly.<\/p>\n

Many gravel bikes<\/a>, however, still sit comfortably in the middle of the category, designed to balance speed, comfort and capability over a wide variety of terrain \u2013 the Giant Revolt<\/a> and Canyon Grizl<\/a> are two good examples of all-round gravel bikes designed to take on most types of terrain competently.<\/p>\n

<\/colgroup>
Cotic Cascade<\/th>Giant Revolt 1<\/th>Pinarello Grevil F<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Size<\/td>M <\/td>M <\/td>500 (equivalent to medium)<\/td> <\/tr>
Reach<\/b><\/td>23mm longer<\/td>387<\/td>5mm shorter<\/td> <\/tr>
Stack<\/b><\/td>35mm higher<\/td>586<\/td>7.5mm higher<\/td> <\/tr>
Effective top tube<\/b><\/td>28mm longer<\/td>560<\/td>same<\/td> <\/tr>
Seat tube C-T<\/b><\/td>same<\/td>470<\/td>80mm longer<\/td> <\/tr>
Head angle<\/b><\/td>2.5\u00b0 slacker<\/td>71.5<\/td>0.25\u00b0 steeper<\/td> <\/tr>
Seat angle<\/b><\/td>0.5\u00b0 steeper<\/td>73.5<\/td>same<\/td> <\/tr>
Head tube<\/b><\/td>37mm shorter<\/td>150<\/td>15mm taller<\/td> <\/tr>
Chainstay<\/b><\/td>2mm shorter<\/td>440<\/td>15mm shorter<\/td> <\/tr>
BB drop<\/b><\/td>70<\/td>81<\/td>67<\/td> <\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>