These links might be worth checking out so you can get a sense of how people are setting up their bikes for epic rides. I love reading through this stuff even though my longest ride is only 112mi on pavement!
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Okay I will check it out thanks. I will be interested to see if she runs a 2x… I’m a Specialized Fanboy Tarmac and Epic Evo… but due to this thread I’ve opened up so see other frames that are quite capable… I looked at the Diverge both STR and hard tail but everyone talks weight and all I keep thinking of my 2016 Stumpjumper where I used it for 3 MTB XCM Stage races per year. While it was okay and I thought it climbed well and it did relatively but compared to the Epic Evo the climbing and hike a bike sections of the race was and is night and day…While the Stumpy was okay but the Epic Evo is sooo much better… And that is my fear with the Diverge. But on this thread I see other bikes that are light…What all that taught me was that even though I’m not at the pointy end of the race a lighter bike is nice climbing and uphill tech terrain a little more dicey on the down hills With the Stumpy straight blast Epic Evo gotta pick better lines. I suspect that will be the same in this gravel madness. Thanks
Thank you Good stuff will get back to you… this is great I’m getting a good 101 intro from everyone 
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Could you explain the handling side effects of the very short stem? I’m thinking about a drop-bar conversion too. I guess there is less leverage to turn the wheel at low speeds?
Stem length has nothing to do with leverage, its all about weight distribution, and length of wheelbase. If you have a long wheelbase you have to shorten the stem to keep the reach the same and vice-versa.
Longer wheelbases are more stable at speed my drop bar MTB based gravel/endurance road bike has a wheelbase >10cm longer than a typical road bike. Its rock solid at 80km/h downhill, but at 30-40km/h trying to hold the wheel in the bunch it just doesn’t change direction fast enough, and on loose surfaces the front doesn’t have enough weight on it to prevent a spooky just about to wash out feeling.
A forward weight distribution like you get with a short wheelbase and long stem, increases grip on the front wheel and makes the steering more “lively”
Also remember that modern MTBs with long top tubes and short stems have very wide bars, which do increase leverage, bring the weight forward, I find that they are unwieldy when ridden sitting down, I have to get up out of the saddle and use my whole body to work the bike around tight corners.
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For a fast hard gravel frankenbike Dylan Johnson has built his factor XC hardtail into a dropbar thing. Pretty fast by all accounts.
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