gus6464

Welp now that the Ridley is going back I am looking for a new frame and came across a great deal on a Libre DL frame. The only thing is that sizing is pretty wacky. The numbers on the size 51 match my old Stigmata perfectly except the seat tube which is insanely short. It's so crazy short that I can run a 150mm dropper on it but I am not sure if that would throw my saddle to bar height out of wack. If the stack and reach number matches the Stig exactly then the super short seat tube wouldn't throw anything off right?

tangerineowl

Length of the seat tube doesn't mean anything in that regard.

If you think of the seatpost being in line with the seat tube, all you're doing is extending the seatpost upward until you set the saddle at the height you want.
What matters here (like any frame) is 1. seat tube angle 2. There's a good chance you may need to source a longer seatpost to fit the shorter seat tube length.

gus6464

Cool I ended up talking to the owner of the MTB shop I go to and I had forgotten he had a Libre. He said Kona's recommended sizing for this frame is way off because of the massive stack. We have the same sizing when it comes to MTBs and he told me to for sure get the 51 unless I want to ride around on an upright monster truck.

wheelsmcgee

I rode a Libre last fall...I’m 6’+ and normally if I know nothing about geometry of a bike, grab a size 58 to start. The 51 Libre I rode was only a smidge smaller than I wanted; I would have tried the next size up (54) had it been in stock, but it might have been too large.

unterhausen

I looked at Kona sizing because a friend said they don't make anything big enough for him, which I didn't believe. Their seat tube sizing is way off. Hopefully most bike shops stop people from buying a bike that is far too big for them. He takes a 64cm, I think the Kona 64cm is said to be 58 or something ridiculous.

gus6464

Yeah the 51 libre basically has the same stack and reach as a size 56/58 with other brands of gravel rigs. Reason is Kona sizes their stuff by seat tube length which really has no bearing on anything else. The size 55 libre is one truly massive bike which I can only see someone who's at least 6'3 riding.

I actually like the short seat tube on it because it means I can run a long dropper. Shop owner I talked to says he runs a 170mm dropper on his.