I’ve been commuting and hauling a kid trailer on my ~15 year old Novara REI bike for years now and it’s served me well. But I recently got my first road bike (Canyon Endurace) and discovered that I really like drop bars. That plus the research going into the road bike purchase makes me want to replace the Novara with something newer.
After a lot of online reading there are two options that stand out: the Marin Four corners 2 (https://www.marinbikes.com/bikes/2024-four-corners-2) and the Canyon Grizl 7 (https://www.canyon.com/en-us/gravel-bikes/adventure/grizl/al/grizl-7/3715.html).
The thing I’m getting hung up on are the listed stack and reach. My road bike is 590mm and 380mm respectively and I definitely want a more upright relaxed position for the new bike. The Marin is taller (stack of 618mm) but more stretched out (reach of 403mm) and the canyon is even worse (580mm and 402mm). These numbers are for a Medium frame which is what bot websites recommend for me.
I thought gravel bikes were supposed to have a more relaxed geometry, but the numbers make it look like my road bike is more relaxed than most gravel bikes. Obviously, stem length and angle make a difference here but those aren’t always listed. Ideally I’d test ride one or both but none of the local Marin dealers have a Four Corners 2 in stock and Canyon is direct to consumer, so I can’t get on either before buying. Should I just buy one and plan on swapping stems to get the position I want if it’s not right? Am I missing something else here?
by OrkFace_McStompYou