Is Stack or Reach More Important?

The debate over whether stack or reach is more important often depends on where you feel the most discomfort. However, in terms of bike handling and safety, Reach is arguably more critical. Reach determines your weight distribution between the front and rear wheels. If a bike’s reach is fundamentally too long, you will be overextended, putting excessive pressure on your hands and making the steering feel twitchy or unstable. While you can shorten a stem, going too short (under 80mm on a road bike) can negatively impact the bike’s handling characteristics.

Stack, on the other hand, is the primary driver of comfort and breathing capacity. If the stack is too low, you may find it difficult to produce power while in the drops. Fortunately, stack is easier to adjust upward using spacers or a “flipped” stem. Ultimately, both are intertwined; you cannot change one without considering the other. However, when buying a frame, you should prioritize a Reach that allows for a standard stem length (90-110mm), as this ensures the bike handles exactly as the engineers intended.