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I'm a big fan of wasting my spare pennies on equipment I don't really need.. Always feel short changed riding bikes that aren't as good as they potentially should be..
Anyhow.. Sending my trance off for warranty and this may be the perfect opportunity to replace with something a bit more ' modern'. Thing is that it's actually quite a nice bike, but the Internet tells me that the reach, which is only 425 mmm*in medium is now far too short.
So I'm looking at a few options.. Potentially a bronson in large with a reach of 445, or go the whole hog with a bird at about 480. Thing is, while riding the trance ( and I've only used it about a dozen times) I've never once thought it too short.
Part of me thinks that that's because I've never ridden a proper long bike, and I don't know what I'm missing. But part of me thinks it's because I actually don't need massive reach given my arms aren't particularly long, I'm 5.9 with stumpy legs and arms.
The other thing I noticed is while 425 mm isn't long, it's actually the same as a new bronson in medium, or the much talked about capra.
And one other question.. Why if longer reach is so much better do down hill bikes not have much of it? My 2013 aurum is only 412, whilst the new v 10 is only 402.
Dh bikes can be shorter in reach as you tend to spend more time off the back on steeps or in the air where not being stretched out beforehand is a big help.
On a trail bike its normal to have a slightly longer top tube as you spend more of your time climbing where its more comfortable to be stretched slightly as it mean you can move your weight lower and forward.
Its all about trying to find that happy medium of descending confidence without ruining your preferred climbing ability(some peeps dont do much steep climbing so no issue with short reach and vice versa)
As someone who is also 5'9" but with 27" inside legs, I like my reach around 445mm but like a longer wheelbase and alightly slacker HA as I favour a more dh biased bike.
Because longer reach isn't better. It's simply different. It basically forces you to change your riding position. Only you can say whether you like the change.
5'11" here. perfectly normal proportioned and wouldn't ever want more than 425mm reach on any of my bikes. My Hardtails are actually a fair bit shorter as were all of my DH bikes and for good reason.
Try and pick up a front wheel at the end of a 200mm fork sat at 62 deg to initiate a manual with an extra inch of reach to the bars and you'll quickly see why most DH bikes are not so long in reach as is currently fashionable. This is only accentuated if pointing downhill.
No doubt some slow guy will be along soon to tell you the exact reach of Minnaaar's V10. or how I'm wrong without ever even trying out what I've just described.
Yeah. I find it hard enough to lift the front wheel of my trance with its 65 degree ha..
But then again I'm shit.
Just buy a smaller frame.
Plenty of frames with similar reach to the trance still available so no need to go smaller. Tbf the only driver for a new frame would be to try out longer geo.. I'd probably be best having a demo for an afternoon but I feel a bit bad given if I went with the bronson I'd be trying to get an Internet deal, and the bird demo day has been and gone near me