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should the reach on a mtb be shorter than a touring bike.
just measured the end of my saddle to the center of my bars. same saddle and bars on both bikes. 90mm stem on tourer 60mm stem on mtb.
There's no golden rule on these things. For a start, it will depend on what position you like while touring. Some like drop bars, some straight, some more niche. Experienced riders should be able to work out what works best for them.
and as you know, I am not a experienced rider......just a bored one.
Generally I'd expect the MTB to be a bit longer, but it varies.
just measured the end of my saddle to the center of my bars. same saddle and bars on both bikes. 90mm stem on tourer 60mm stem on mtb.
Swap the stems and let us know how it feels
SS, FS, Hybrid, all about the same for me.
(I make an L with my arm, elbow up against saddle tip, my longest fingertip is about an inch short of the handlebar)
tried both stems on both bikes. the shorter stem on the mtb works the best.
richardthethird.....that is how I do it. it works out about same on both bikes.
I think my MTB's are significantly longer, but the tourer has drops which add about 3" to the reach.
My gut feeling is my MTB's end up optimized to give as much room to move about in as possible so end up being as big as I can get away with whilst remaining comfortable, whereas the tourer is intended to be comfortable in a relatively fixed position, which usually means as short as possible whilst still allowing an aero tuck on downhills.