Thanks, fellows. I am 6' 1" - and thinking that the L may be the size for me - but I'm a little concerned about the stack measurement. My road bike (Orbea Orca) stack is lower than even the T5G ML frame stack - but all the other measurements are closer to the T5G L:
Geometry
Orca B
T5G L
T5G ML
1 - Seat Tube (C-T)
520
535
515
2 - Top Tube (EFF)
570
570
560
3 - Head Tube
185
195
170
4 - Chainstay
408
430
430
5 - BB Height
267
6 - BB Drop
70
71
71
7 - Wheelbase
998
1033
1022
8 - Head Angle
73.2
72.5
72.5
9 - Seat Angle
73.2
72.5
72.5
10 - Standover
827
800
778
11 - Reach
391
387
380
12 - Stack
590
635
610
My LBS is as good as they get with fitting - and I know the owner will not sell me the wrong frame - just to move a bike - so "worried" is an obvious over statement.
Tim - would you mind sharing the E. TN dirt/gravel routes that your frequent? I live in Knoxville - and the only gravel riding that I see the local folks doing on a regular basis - is a very small tract in Oak Ridge.
Sundog, you are looking the wrong direction from Knoxville J Head east to the National Forest. I have yet to ride that far north, but my map research shows quite a few roads along the TN/NC border over by the Pigeon River / I-40 and then there are also lots down by the Tellico Plains. Check out the Motor Vehicle Use Maps at http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/cherokee/maps-pubs These maps aren’t ‘routable’ like Google maps etc, but they seem to be the most accurate for the gravel roads around here. I’ve been doing most of my TN riding down in the Ocoee district. I’ll try to get some more tracks uploaded to gravelmap.com, but so far, all the gravel roads on those MVUMaps are good. I’ve been riding around Reliance the last few months, but next will be around the Cherohala. The other resource to see if the roads are real is go to the Strava Heat map and that will show where everyone else is riding. I’ll be riding either Reliance or near Cherohala on the 30th (weather permitting), so let me know if you want to ride.
As far as your stack height concerns, mine does have a pretty tall head tube. The guys at Litespeed explained why to me, but I won’t pretend I know the nuances of frame geometry to try to repeat it, but it was done for a reason. For me, as you can see from the pics, my fitter went with a low angle stem and no spacers underneath it (and yes I have trimmed down the excess steerer tube since the pics were taken). I went with a little higher and wider cockpit on this bike than my road bike, but still not near as upright as on my MTB. At least for me it gives me the feeling of a little more control on the rough descents, and then I get in the drops when I want my weight a little lower. I won’t go so far as to say I have not touched my other bikes since I got this, but I have not ridden my 29er since. The bike (and where I’ve been riding it) is just that awesome.
SunDog, I've got a set of Hed Ardennes and a set of Stan's Grails. Been happy with both so far. I've got the Stan's set up tubeless with Vredestein Black Panther CX's (33) with Orange Seal and I run the Hed's with tubes. So far I've run Conti Cross Kings (32's), Vredestein Tricomps (23's) and right now I've got Clement MSO's on them (40's) So far I've probably been the happiest with the Black Panthers. For pedals, I have a set of Shimano SPD's that came on my 29er. Thinking of switching to Crank Brothers.
For chain lube, I've been using Finish Line 'Wet' and seem to have had good luck with it. I just got some White Lightning 'Epic Ride' and will see how it works out.
I ended up buying a Focus Mares CX 2.0 instead of the T5G. When all was said and done with the Litespeed, I had spec'd out the most expensive Rival bike on the planet - and I just could not justify the purchase.
I still may take you up on meeting for a ride through the CNF.
Funny, that tall stack measurement is the best thing about that geometry chart from my perspective. Fast gravel descents on rigid forks are best done in the drops where sudden jolts would force your hands into the curve of the bars instead of sending them flying over the horn of the hoods. A tall stack would encourage me to use the drops more often and not stay on the hoods all the time so I could see ahead clearly.
Sundog, I've got about 60 planned for Sunday, starting in Reliance and heading over to the Hiwassee Dam area, cutting north to near Coker Creek and back to Reliance. Let me know if you want to join or see the route.
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\nBluesdawg, you are exactly right on the stack. My drops are about half way between the hoods and the drops on my road bike, so it is easy to stay in them and the secure hand grip and the lower CG of having the arms bent and torso lower really improves the descending (plus the shock absorption of the loose bent arms).
trippertim wrote:Sundog, I've got about 60 planned for Sunday, starting in Reliance and heading over to the Hiwassee Dam area, cutting north to near Coker Creek and back to Reliance. Let me know if you want to join or see the route.
I'm not in riding shape right now (a-flutter since last saturday - conversion scheduled for 9/2) and the LBS just placed the Focus order yesterday. Probably a little into September before I can take you up on a generous offer like that.
Small world, SunDog. I found out on 8/10 that I had atrial flutter. I had a successful ablation on 8/14 and was back riding roads on 8/18 and gravel on 8/22. I'm feeling better than I have in months!
Good luck with the flutter. Let me know when you are up for riding. The wife is growing wary of me riding out of cell coverage alone for hours, so I'm always looking for people to ride with and the wife's work schedule is pushing her too hard for her to be joining in right now on the longer ones.
BluesDawg wrote:Small world, SunDog. I found out on 8/10 that I had atrial flutter. I had a successful ablation on 8/14 and was back riding roads on 8/18 and gravel on 8/22. I'm feeling better than I have in months!
Hope you'll have similar results.
An ablation 4 days after diagnosis????? That seems quick. Did you have some extreme case or circumstance?
I've been suffering from A-fib for several years now, trying to control with meds. Saturday I was in a-flutter from before we began our morning ride - but I just thought it was a-fib. went to the doc on Wed after my hr stayed a constant just below 150ish range for several days. Now I'm on a thinner and scheduled for conversion if my newly upped dose of propafanone does not do the trick.
BluesDawg wrote:Small world, SunDog. I found out on 8/10 that I had atrial flutter. I had a successful ablation on 8/14 and was back riding roads on 8/18 and gravel on 8/22. I'm feeling better than I have in months!
Hope you'll have similar results.
An ablation 4 days after diagnosis????? That seems quick. Did you have some extreme case or circumstance?
No. It was a simple case of the doctor telling me that the condition I had could be permanently fixed by a relatively simple procedure or I could have it temporarily corrected by shock and spend the rest of my life on blood thinners. After about 15 seconds of pondering, my only question was "how soon can we do this?".
Note: This was based on my particular diagnosis, which my cardiologist described as one of the most textbook examples of a classic typical Atrial Flutter he had ever seen. I am not normally prone to such rapid decisions on such important matters, but in this case, given the options and my particular health history, it was an easy choice. YMMV
Edit - Sorry for the thread hijack. Back to talking about gravel bikes. BD
BluesDawg wrote:Small world, SunDog. I found out on 8/10 that I had atrial flutter. I had a successful ablation on 8/14 and was back riding roads on 8/18 and gravel on 8/22. I'm feeling better than I have in months!
Hope you'll have similar results.
An ablation 4 days after diagnosis????? That seems quick. Did you have some extreme case or circumstance?
No. It was a simple case of the doctor telling me that the condition I had could be permanently fixed by a relatively simple procedure or I could have it temporarily corrected by shock and spend the rest of my life on blood thinners. After about 15 seconds of pondering, my only question was "how soon can we do this?".
Edit - Sorry for the thread hijack. Back to talking about gravel bikes. BD
Sorry to act surprised - I've just been dealing with electrical issues with my heart for so long now - that I've never thought that anyone could go that quickly from an initial bout to ablation that quickly. Of the three possible treatments for a-fib/flutter - none of them are perfect or without risk - and the choice of which path is obviously tailored to individual circumstances. For some people, a give cure turns out to be worse than the condition itself. In my case, the docs are telling me that i am probably on the lower end for the chance of success though ablation - so we are holding that option in reserve.
Glad it worked out for you - and I hope that it remains a long term solution for you.
On a cycling related note - if anyone else is suffering from EP issues in the heart - check out this Cycling EP Doc's blog. Great info there:
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