Cross Bike/ Gravelbike setup Vs Your Road

[firerescuefin]

Trying to dial in the fit on my Gravelbike. Background, used to ride/race MTB, but have never ridden a cross/gravelbike in my life. I hope to take on some big Gravelbike rides in the future, including the DK 200. With this in mind, I imagined that I'd set up the gravelbike with a shorter stem/reach and a little more upright. Well after a few shakedown rides, I am pretty much hating the more upright/relaxed position, finding it really uncomfortable and inefficient. I am running same saddle height and saddle on the gravelbike. I'm ready to put my road setup on there and call it good for a bit, and incrementally work backward.

Not asking you to fix my fit, but interested in the differences between the setups on your two types of bikes.

TIA,

Geoff

[eBAUMANN]

i generally set up my road and cx bikes the same, letting the differences in frame geometry put me in the correct position on the bike.

during race season, ill lower my saddle height just a bit to make dismounts/remounts a little easier but thats about it.

so yea, set it up like you would your road bike and then adjust from there for the type of riding you are doing.

[brando]

^ +1

Identical bars and stem. Saddle might be 1cm lower max on the cross.

[EPIC! Stratton]

Mine is close, but not identical. I have slightly more rise on my CX/Gravel bike vs my road bike. Part of this being I prefer to have my back/head up a bit more on rougher terrain.

I also adjust saddle height for race season.

[sandyrs]

I have three road bikes, all of which fit me differently. My position on my CX bike is approximately the same as that of my most relaxed road bike (which is not especially relaxed, but is less aggressive than my race bike).

[sparky33]

My cx/gravel/dowhatever bike has the same reach and saddle height.

drop is a bit less, maybe 0.5cm.
handlebars are 2cm wider.
brake hoods are tilted slightly higher up on the hbars.

small but helpful differences.

Do whatever works. Conventional wisdom is over-rated.

[John H.]

Same saddle height and saddle setback as road.
Same reach saddle to bars.
5mm higher bars.

[Ken Robb]

If you have a similar setup on your road and gravel bikes you MIGHT have too much weight on your front wheel. In deeper gravel/sand I like to let the front wheel "float" near the top rather than plow down much below the surface which feels twitchy to me.

[bcgav]

Same saddle height and saddle setback as my road bike.
Same reach saddle to bars.
Same drop saddle to bars.
42cm bar width vs 44cm on my road bike.

Go as close to your road bike fitting as possible then go from there.

[montag]

Same saddle height and saddle setback as road.
Same reach saddle to bars.
5mm higher bars.

This is about what I aim for as well. Raising the bars a touch seems like just enough for a more upright position without feeling cramped in the cockpit due to a shortened reach.

[John H.]

I actually tried a shorter stem and did not like it.
1cm shorter stem made the tops feel too close.
Tops are actually a useful position for steep climbs on a gravel bike.

[pdmtong]

Same saddle height and saddle setback as road.
Same reach saddle to bars. 5mm higher bars.

^ this. my bars can vary from 5-15mm higher

also, same bar stem saddle as road

[firerescuefin]

Great input. Thanks!

[marciero]

slightly more saddle set-back and slightly higher bars on gravel bike. Not sure how much though.

[shovelhd]

My CX bike is 2cm smaller than my road bike. That was a mistake. I'd love to swap the frame out for my road bike size.

[wallymann]

i see no reason to change, as i ride it on some sort of road-like surface and need to ensure consistent position for power and handling.

for a cross-bike or MTB i can see changes, due to the potential acrobatics associated with the events...but unless you're riding in really deep/loose gravel or mud ATMO a gravel bike position just needs to be setup like your regular bike.

[buldogge]

Frame size identical.

Saddle height identical.

Saddle setback identical.

Reach 15mm shorter.

Stack 15mm greater.

I also use a Salsa Cowbells with the flared drops...I like it when descending rough stuff...but...the measurement at the hoods is the same as my road set-up.

-Mark in St. Louis

[Kirk007]

I run my contact points the same as on my road bike but the geometry on my Niner RLT is very different than my other road bikes so I have a much shorter stem. The set up in terms of geo and stem length etc on my Niner is very similar to my 29er hardtail. And with bigger tires I ride a bit "higher" but as I use this bike for commuting as well, it works well for me. I agree with the advice though to put your contact points where you like them starting with your road bike and adjust from there.

[beeatnik]

^This

You want more weight on your rear wheel for the tricky stuff.

[marciero]

On gravel/tour/rando bikes- saddle slightly further back, bars a tad higher. On bikes I use for shorter, faster rides, I get greater comfort and efficiency with more aggressive positioning. For all-day rides, touring, etc, with less pedal pressure, I get same pressure on my hands with saddle further back.

[marciero]

My CX bike is 2cm smaller than my road bike. That was a mistake. I'd love to swap the frame out for my road bike size.

I resisted the advice to do that-even return/exchanged a new frame before building up (and swallowed Gunnar's $125 re-stocking fee) after one look at the short head tube.
I should mention also that I dont race CX, and currently have a 90mm stem on that bike, which most here would consider short for a 56.5 effective TT

[sandyrs]

I resisted the advice to do that-even return/exchanged a new frame before building up (and swallowed Gunnar's $125 re-stocking fee) after one look at the short head tube.
I should mention also that I dont race CX, and currently have a 90mm stem on that bike, which most here would consider short for a 56.5 effective TT

In my experience racing CX only reinforces the fact that sizing down on a cross bike is a bad idea. Twisty courses with a ton of weight on the front wheel are really unpleasant. I experienced this for my first 2 CX seasons, racing on an undersized stock Focus, and now that I'm on a taller bike I feel like the massive improvement in handling is well worth the difference in fit from a road racing bike.

[Tandem Rider]

I don't race CX. That out of the way, I do probably 25-30% of my annual miles on gravel using a cx frame. I race gravel RR's when I have an opportunity.

I use exactly the same setup (to the mm) on my gravel bike as my road bike. Same bars, saddle, setback, drop, reach, crank length, etc.

I find that "body english" takes care of any weight distribution issues, because no frame/fork combo will ever fix bad technique.

Keep it all samesame and work on riding (lots if you want to race DK).

[ergott]

I'm ready to put my road setup on there and call it good for a bit, and incrementally work backward.


Geoff

I think this is the best plan. My "all rounder" is pretty close to my other road bikes.

[Lewis Moon]

The same as my road bike.

[shovelhd]

I resisted the advice to do that-even return/exchanged a new frame before building up (and swallowed Gunnar's $125 re-stocking fee) after one look at the short head tube.
I should mention also that I dont race CX, and currently have a 90mm stem on that bike, which most here would consider short for a 56.5 effective TT

I also don't race CX. The short HT is not an issue its the short TT. I have a 140mm -17* stem and it's not enough. Low priority for me right now.