Originally Posted by
Issaquatch
I purchased a new bike for my first season racing cross. The reach feels a little short, especially when riding on the tops or out of the saddle. If this were a road bike, I would swap out the 100mm stem for a 120mm stem. But I'm concerned that might make really tight turns slower or more difficult. Thoughts? Do you run your cross bikes with a little less reach than your road bikes, or are they about the same?
Ride some trails and some cross races before going and changing things around. If your cross and road bikes had the same fit, at least one of those fits would be wrong. My own cross bike has ~22mm more stack than my road bike, and ~11mm less reach. Count the handlebar reach as well (which you should), and it actually has 17mm less reach. That feels good to me, and it's extremely typical. It feels different when out of the saddle or sprinting, sure, but you get used to that.