Reach and Stack of a Santa Cruz V-10

It's impossible to judge precise bike fit using measurements only. You'll never know how the bike fits until you get on it. This is especially true for downhill bikes. These bikes are intended to have a very small fit so you can let the bike react to the rough terrain while you float over the bike. Recently, a new measurement pair has come along that promises to help this problem - Reach and Stack.

In essence, these new measurements draw a right triangle using only the center of the bottom bracket and the center of the top of the head tube. The idea is a wonderfully simple one. Your feet are attached to the pedals and your hands are attached to the handlebars. Regardless of whether you are standing up bombing down a downhill run or seated grinding out gears in a cross country race, you're always attached to the handlebars and pedals.

2010 has seen a significant increase in the number of manufacturers publishing Reach and Stack data for their bikes. Santa Cruz is not one of them, though. I own a Large Santa Cruz V-10 and thought I'd measure and publish the Reach and Stack for my bike.

The bike is running 26" wheels front and rear, Maxxis Minion tires front and rear. The front fork is a Fox 40 with a Fox drop upper crown (because the head tube length + FSA PIG DH Pro headset stack height is too tall for the stock flat upper crown).



To start with, I used a four foot level to ensure that the tires' contact points on the ground were perfectly level.



Then I setup a self-leveling, cross-hair laser level aligned to the center of the bottom bracket and center of the upper head tube openning.

I measured the Reach to be a little under 16 inches and the Stack to be a little under 24 inches.

For a bike that touted to be one of the largest downhill bikes on the market, I was very surprised at how small the bike measured. It does confirm how cramped I feel on this bike. It also gives me a useful measurement with which to compare different bike frames.