Originally Posted by
79pmooney
You missed my "... once you know how much extra you need beyond your fingers (or fingers beyond the handlebar if you need closer bars)." I need about 4" past my fingertips. But once you know that, you can very quickly judge bikes for at least ballpark reach. Obviously you also have to look at the handlebars.
Yeah, the elbow to the fingertips makes a pretty good measuring stick. Isn't that a cubit? It just doesnt directly correspond to any relevant measurement on the bike. My reach always went a few cm beyond my cubit, too, and my ape factor is well over 1.0. But if the sum of the virtual top tube plus the stem makes 69-70 cm, depending on the handlebar shape, saddle length, and seat tube angle, it will work for me.