Can anyone comment on ideal fit for a bikepacking/drop bar mtb rig?

[eBAUMANN]

The wheels are turning in my head for a drop bar MTB/bikepacking rig...I want to build the frame myself but having never ridden such a machine, I am a little uncertain of what the ideal numbers might be.

Anyone here have any experience with one of Salsa's offerings (fargo, cutthroat, deadwood) or something similar?

If I ride a 58 TT on my road/cx bikes, should I stick with that here or shorten things up a bit?

My primary concerns are:

1 - optimal stem length - i dont put anything other than 110 or 120mm stems on my road/cx bikes, as I have found that to yield the best handling characteristics for the frame size/angles that I tend to ride. Should I think about going shorter, maybe 100? on a rig like this?

2 - aero bars - seems like it would be nice to have as many hand/arm positions as possible for long days.

Any input from you guys is much appreciated, as I'm sure many of you have already figured this out.

Thanks!

[p nut]

Nothing significant to add, but my experience says it's sized between your MTB and road bikes.

I ride a Fargo size Large. Typical road frame size is 55cm (ETT) and mountain bike size is 60cm (ETT). Fargo is right in between at 58cm ETT. The stack height is much higher (664mm!!), as the primary riding position is in the drops.

One thing I don't like about the Fargo is the extreme sloping TT. I understand they were concerned about standover, but I would gladly give that up for triangle room. Cutthroat is better in this aspect.

[eBAUMANN]

Nothing significant to add, but my experience says it's sized between your MTB and road bikes.

I ride a Fargo size Large. Typical road frame size is 55cm (ETT) and mountain bike size is 60cm (ETT). Fargo is right in between at 58cm ETT. The stack height is much higher (664mm!!), as the primary riding position is in the drops.

One thing I don't like about the Fargo is the extreme sloping TT. I understand they were concerned about standover, but I would gladly give that up for triangle room. Cutthroat is better in this aspect.

Yep, the main triangle on the frame I build will be as large as I can possibly make it, thankfully I have a long enough inseam that standover wont be much of an issue.

I was looking at the size large (58tt) cutthroat as a starting point for my design but its all just guess-work at this point, and I doubt ill ever have a chance to actually ride one of those suckers.

Do you feel like the cockpit height/stack is about right for endurance gravel/trail riding? Ive done some very long days on my cx/road bikes but never more than 3 consecutive days of 100+ miles.
The stack on these bikes seems SO HIGH by comparison but I can only assume there is a reason for it, as the dudes behind the design have way more experience with this stuff than I do.

[mhespenheide]

No personal experience, but I'll echo that the positioning seems to take more inspiration from mountain bikes -- a little longer front center, a longer top tube, shorter stem, and higher stack. The assumption seems to be that you'll be using the drops more than most casual roadies do (perhaps because of flared drops giving more width?), so why not bring those higher up?

[mhespenheide]

I assume you know about these guys:
http://www.bikepacking.com/bikes/

Keep us informed! Sounds like a fun project, leading to more fun on the other side.

[guido]

I was at RSC last thursday night for a meeting. They had one of the new Honey drop/bikepacking rigs there. Nice looking bike with a lot of interesting details... Might be worth a visit.

Many of these rigs are set up with Syntace C3 aero bars to get the pads closer to keep a reasonable angle of the upper arm so the lats aren't firing all the time...

[cinema]

cross bike fit with longer trail if you can. longer top tube with shorter stem, maybe 100mm or 90. try to minimize load on bars in general.

[p nut]

Yep, the main triangle on the frame I build will be as large as I can possibly make it, thankfully I have a long enough inseam that standover wont be much of an issue.

I was looking at the size large (58tt) cutthroat as a starting point for my design but its all just guess-work at this point, and I doubt ill ever have a chance to actually ride one of those suckers.

Do you feel like the cockpit height/stack is about right for endurance gravel/trail riding? Ive done some very long days on my cx/road bikes but never more than 3 consecutive days of 100+ miles.
The stack on these bikes seems SO HIGH by comparison but I can only assume there is a reason for it, as the dudes behind the design have way more experience with this stuff than I do.

Caveat: I don't race. For my casual/spirited rides on gravel/dirt, I think the stack height is about perfect (remember that these bikes were meant to be ridden in the drops majority of the time). I am more upright which helps with quick weight transfer from my hands to feet in the chunky stuff. Tech sections, bunny hops, etc. are all easier with a taller stack height (for me). If I were to race competitively, I'd definitely lower the stack (and maybe scoot the TT back a touch) for more aero position. I believe this is one of the main differences between the Fargo and Cutthroat.

TT wise, if you're currently riding 58cm with 110-120mm stem, I think you may be too cramped with 58 and 100mm stem.

[dustyrider]

It seems the differences really matter when it comes to what you plan on riding the most.
If you're going to be on roads mainly, lean more towards road geo. if you're on trail more, it should be more mtbish.
Are you going to be running a suspension fork or fully rigid is most likely an important thing to consider in the geo. I really don't think there is going to be a bike that performs amazing on both. It seems almost any bike can perform well enough on both though.

When it comes to loading, I like to get behind my saddle on trails, so loading up the frame and handle bars are important. On the road I don't mind a huge bag coming off the back seat and tend to keep the bars empty.

I always look at TT bars and think that many hand positions has to be awesome! Then I realize the folks running these are ultra endurance athletes. If I don't want to ride today, I don't. It's all about fun when I'm touring.