Gravel Bike Frame for Long Torso and Short Legs (Aluminum)

[3di]

Hello everyone,

I am looking for a suitable frame for building a gravel bike that perfectly suits my body measurements. With a height of 183 cm (6'0") and an inseam of 84 cm (33"), I have a long torso and relatively short legs.

Therefore, I am looking for a frame that offers enough reach to accommodate my long torso while providing an upright riding position.

**Preferred Material:** Aluminum

**Intended Use:** Versatile riding on and off paved roads, fast!

**Budget:** Mid-range

**Additional Information:**

* I am an experienced rider and want a comfortable yet sporty gravel bike.
* I enjoy long rides and also want to be safe in technical terrain.
* The option to mount fenders and a rack would be desirable.

I have already researched online but have not yet been able to find a frame that exactly meets my requirements.

Therefore, I would be happy if you could help me here in the forum. Which frame models can you recommend to me?

Thank you very much for your support!

[Serge_K]

For aluminium, i'd actually ask a bike shop. This forum is 90+% carbon. Given shipping costs, your frame cost in alu would end up being half shipping...
Also gravel on aluminium sounds to me like a terrible idea, but you do you!

[Sakizashi]

I think most of the Chinese metal frame custom builders are Titanium not steel or aluminum.

For steel you could look at Marino in Peru and for aluminum (and steel) Borneotrack in Indonesia has some fancy stuff on Instagram though I have no idea what their pricelist looks like. Both use branded tubing from the likes of Reynolds and Dedaccai

[jannmayer]

You're probably already seen the Seaboard GR02. If not, it's worth taking a look at the geometry. I'm very happy with my XL frame. (I'm 6' 3")  It is more of an all-road / light gravel frame though.


I spent quite a bit of time searching for aluminum frames. There are a few other options, but not much in the larger sizes.

[3di]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply!

Yes I already saw the seaboard, an it's looking good.
But I'm not shure about the size, on bike stats page it looks nice but I'm not shure about the Standover height

Inner leg height is about 84 cm (33"),  how is yours and how much "air" is left until it hurts?

Thanks for your help!

What is this height

[jannmayer]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply!

Yes I already saw the seaboard, an it's looking good.
But I'm not shure about the size, on bike stats page it looks nice but I'm not shure about the Standover height

Inner leg height is about 84 cm (33"),  how is yours and how much "air" is left until it hurts?

Thanks for your help!

What is this height

I just measured my bike and came up with a standover height of 81.5 mm, measured directly above the bottom bracket. My inner leg is about 36" and I could lift the bike at least 2". I wasn't wearing shoes so in reality I have more than that.


I also have 700x44 tires, so that raises the bike a bit.

[3di]

I just measured my bike and came up with a standover height of 81.5 mm, measured directly above the bottom bracket. My inner leg is about 36" and I could lift the bike at least 2". I wasn't wearing shoes so in reality I have more than that.


I also have 700x44 tires, so that raises the bike a bit.

Thank you for the measurement!

My Inseam is 33" (84cm) with shoes, so if you have 2" to lift to your 36" there would be a stand over height of 34" on the bike. If I'm right, I guess there wouldn't be much room for me when jumping off in an emergency.

Google says: "The stand over height is the vertical distance from the center of the top tube to the ground in relation to the rider's crotch height" So I guess your "lift up measurement" was exactly this.

The L Frame is a little short,  what would you do?

[jannmayer]

Thank you for the measurement!

My Inseam is 33" (84cm) with shoes, so if you have 2" to lift to your 36" there would be a stand over height of 34" on the bike. If I'm right, I guess there wouldn't be much room for me when jumping off in an emergency.

Google says: "The stand over height is the vertical distance from the center of the top tube to the ground in relation to the rider's crotch height" So I guess your "lift up measurement" was exactly this.

The L Frame is a little short,  what would you do?

What sort of tires do you plan on using? I have 700x44 which are a bit over the listed maximum and that reduces the clearance a bit. As I said, I wasn't wearing shoes when I did the stand over test so that will give you a little bit more. There's a decent chance you'd be OK with an XL, but it is a risk. This frame is really the only decent cheap option I've found. You may be able to a find a carbon frame for a bit more and some of those are longer and lower.

[Noladutch]

I don't know were you are but niner aluminum gravel frames are dirt cheap and much higher quality. They are 600 bucks new and have mad tire room fits 50s and even has internal dynamo wiring in fork.

Nice for the money and certainly a well known brand. The only real problem is press fit but chopping a tube straight is way easy compared to carbon frames being off.

The other plus for you is more top tube slope so stand over not a real issue. Just look at them if I were in the aluminum market it is well worth the extra coin

[courdacier]

Hello everyone,

I am looking for a suitable frame for building a gravel bike that perfectly suits my body measurements. With a height of 183 cm (6'0") and an inseam of 84 cm (33"), I have a long torso and relatively short legs.

Therefore, I am looking for a frame that offers enough reach to accommodate my long torso while providing an upright riding position.

**Preferred Material:** Aluminum

**Intended Use:** Versatile riding on and off paved roads, fast!

**Budget:** Mid-range

**Additional Information:**

* I am an experienced rider and want a comfortable yet sporty gravel bike.
* I enjoy long rides and also want to be safe in technical terrain.
* The option to mount fenders and a rack would be desirable.

I have already researched online but have not yet been able to find a frame that exactly meets my requirements.

Therefore, I would be happy if you could help me here in the forum. Which frame models can you recommend to me?

Thank you very much for your support!

take a look at the Commencal FCB frame - it's a "gravel" bike with 50mm tire clearance and longer, MTB-like reach. They're not super-expensive, esp. if you catch one of their 20% sales. I have not seen anything similar on Aliexpress, sorry.
Most ppl will advise you to size down and run a 140mm stem.