Re: Fitting short legs

[Rick Onanian]

On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 14:36:43 GMT, Bret > wrote:
> newsgroup already, but I seem to be only able to fetch the last few days
> worth of news here, so I apologize in advance if this subject has been

groups.google.com will always get you all the news.

> talked about recently.... I am 5'10" with longer torso, shorter legs
> (30" inseam).

This isn't that extreme. I, too, am 5'10 with a 30" inseam, and
weigh 210 pounds.

> I'm wondering if there are some standard tips for adjusting my
> bike to fit me better. I currently have a Cannondale R600, 54 cm, and
> although my leg extension seems to be OK, I'm wondering about the
> adjustments that have to do with the length of my torso.

I'm not sure of the geometry of that bike, though I test
rode one when I was shopping for my road bike. I ended up
with a Giant TCR2, and just the other day got it to a point
where I feel I'm well fit to it. I had to get a very long,
very high stem. I think I probably should have gotten the
next size up on the frame, though I got this bike at a very
cheap price (it was a last-years-model, etc).

It's 130mm long, and rises sharply up. It looks silly from
an elitist cyclist's point of view, and Fabrizio would most
likely want to shoot me if he saw it. It's also much more
comfortable, and I'm very happy with it.

Even with that stem, the top of my bars is lower than
the bottom of my saddle.

Additionally, I rotate the handlebars back such that the
hoods are lower and the flat bottom of the drops is
angled a little bit down-forward (the bar plugs point up
at me a little bit).

> Also, on this particular bike, my seat is barely raised, maybe only two
> inches. I see the serious cyclists with these long seat posts exposed am
> wondering if this bike just doesn't fit me, or if it is the way this
> particular frame geometry is supposed to fit...? Thanks!

You can tell us if it fits by if anything hurts, and if
you feel properly efficient. The Peugeot I rescued has a
larger frame than my Giant, and the seatpost only shows
maybe 3 inches; my Giant's seatpost shows a good 8 inches,
and doesn't even go down lower if I wanted it to (I don't),
as it's an aero-style post. I measured yesterday, and from
the BB to the saddle is 27" on both (strange, I found the
Peugeot adjusted exactly this way, perfect for me).

If you feel comfortable, then the fit is good enough. If
you have any comfort issues, then by all means, ask away!

If you live in Rhode Island and would like to ride with
somebody your size, I'd be happy to ride with you. ;)

--
Rick Onanian

[Bret]

> groups.google.com will always get you all the news.

thanks, I quit the newsgroup habit about 5 years ago, but recently found
these cycling groups....

>I ended up with a Giant TCR2, and just the other day got it to a point
> where I feel I'm well fit to it. I had to get a very long,
> very high stem. I think I probably should have gotten the
> next size up on the frame, though I got this bike at a very
> cheap price (it was a last-years-model, etc).
>
> It's 130mm long, and rises sharply up. It looks silly from
> an elitist cyclist's point of view

Yeah, I've noticed the frame geometry on those -- seat post very exposed.
But they have the cool aero seat posts... (-; Did you change the stem
because you were feeling pain in the arms or shoulders?

> Even with that stem, the top of my bars is lower than
> the bottom of my saddle.

On the R600, there are a BUNCH of spacers on the
stem and that keeps the bars just below the level of
my seat. I am thinking of flipping the stem over so that the bars drop an
inch from where they are at. Of course I could just leave things be and be
a man and use the drops more...

> You can tell us if it fits by if anything hurts, and if
> you feel properly efficient.

I have about 1300 miles on this bike and I'm not hurting.
But I wonder about my efficiency. I don't have enough experience, or group
ride yet, to compare myself to others. I have this constant tinkering type
of mentality though and maybe it would be worth my while to go into the
local shop and pay a guy to fit me. Even if he just says everything is
fine, it might give me some piece of mind. Any thoughts?

> If you live in Rhode Island and would like to ride with
> somebody your size, I'd be happy to ride with you. ;)

I'm in FL, sweating my butt off. If I ride more than an hour I can't seem to
carry enough water!

[Bret]

"Boyd Speerschneider" wrote in message
>
> I am also a rider with a longer torso and shorter legs. I'm 5'8.75" and
> have a 31.25" inseam. Like another poster mentioned, go to
> www.wrenchscience.com and use their fit calculator. I did this and found
> that I needed a bike with a 52cm frame (seat tube center-to-center) and a
> 65 cm reach. This was tricky to pull of without a) using a crazy long
stem
> or b) getting a custom-made frame.
> However, shopping around I found that the Fuji team bike has a nice
> geometry for people shaped like me. Their 56cm fram is actually 52cm
> center to center with a 56 cm top tube. So I got the appropriate stem
> (which actually wasn't that long) and I was set.
> LeMond is also notorious for making frames with these sort of "relaxed"
> geometries (ie., a longer top tube to seat tube ratio).
>
> Hope this helps,
>
> - Boyd S.
>
> ps. Lose your stem spacers, slam that bad boy all the way down, level your
> drops with the ground, and learn how to ride with your back flat.
> Stretching helps with the flexablity required.

OK, take 1.25" off your inseam and add 2.5" to your
torso and you have my frame geometry! (-; Thanks for the link, I'm heading
over there. It sounds like increasing the stem length is going to be my
only chance of salvation at this point. The bike doesn't hurt me, but I
can't
get my back to flatten out. When you lose the stem spacers, what do you do
with the rest of the vertical tube that's left? Do people cut these off?
When my "friends" notice my stem with 4 spacers on it they yell "dork
alert!"

[Bret]

> My arms and shoulders were okay, but my hands hurt
> terribly, and I couldn't ride uphill. [SNIP]
> The pain in my hands was concentrated mostly in the
> fleshy part at the base of the thumb and up the thumb,
> and was a muscle overuse type of pain.

I used to get this when I first bought the bike, and was told to give the
bike a chance for a few weeks and see if things felt better then. It did.
I think that I have built up whatever muscle it was that was being
overworked.

> Hell, if you have easy-to-use drops, by all means...use 'em!
> Only since the new stem can I be worthwhile in the drops.
> Now, I can actually get some power into the pedals!

The drops aren't that comfortable, but I am trying to level my back. I just
can't seem to get it straight with the current bike set up. Perhaps I'll
try a longer stem. BTW, what is the proper weight ratio on the front vs
back wheel? Is there a rule of thumb? I feel very back-heavy.

> Our weather here is probably:
> --nearly as hot
> --more humid
> --more miserable

More miserable than FL in August? C'mon down and give it a try, haha. The
sun is strong down here and it really heats you up. I try to ride in the
morning when the temp is only about 80-82 and humidity 90-95. By noon-2pm
we have 92 degrees 70% humidity. I live in the Tampa area. It's actually a
lot worse up in the panhandle where I once lived. You can get 98 degrees
and 90% humidity up there. It's dangerous.

> Get a backpack hydration system like a Camelbak. You
> can't beat 'em...carry your tools and patches and
> tubes and power bars/gels and so on and so forth in
> them, too.

How does it feel center-of-gravity wise? Does it take any getting used to?

[Boyd Speerschneider]

Mark Hickey > wrote in
:

> Boyd Speerschneider > wrote:
>
>>I am also a rider with a longer torso and shorter legs. I'm 5'8.75" and
>>have a 31.25" inseam. Like another poster mentioned, go to
>>www.wrenchscience.com and use their fit calculator. I did this and found
>>that I needed a bike with a 52cm frame (seat tube center-to-center) and
>>a 65 cm reach. This was tricky to pull of without a) using a crazy long
>>stem or b) getting a custom-made frame.
>
> It doesn't seem all that unusual to me, nor do your dimensions. Most
> bikes in the 52cm c-c range will have top tubes between 54 and 55cm,
> requiring a 10-11cm stem to get the reach you need - nothing unusual
> or non-optimal about that.
>
>>However, shopping around I found that the Fuji team bike has a nice
>>geometry for people shaped like me. Their 56cm fram is actually 52cm
>>center to center with a 56 cm top tube. So I got the appropriate stem
>>(which actually wasn't that long) and I was set.
>
> I assume it's a compact frame, and that the "frame size" is kind of an
> equivalency thing...
>
>>ps. Lose your stem spacers, slam that bad boy all the way down, level
>>your drops with the ground, and learn how to ride with your back flat.
>>Stretching helps with the flexablity required.
>
> That would be nice - but only if it's possible. For a lot of people,
> it isn't. Also, if you're riding a compact "56", "slamming that stem
> all the way down" leaves it a LOT higher than if you were riding a
> conventional 52cm c-c frame. You might find out you couldn't take
> your own advice...
>
> Mark Hickey
> Habanero Cycles
> http://www.habcycles.com
> Home of the $695 ti frame

Nope, not a compact frame. Its a regular frame.. ie., the top tube is level
with the ground. There isn't a whole lot of seatpost showing either; ~4
inches.

[Boyd Speerschneider]

"Bret" > wrote in
:

> "Boyd Speerschneider" wrote in message
>>
>> I am also a rider with a longer torso and shorter legs. I'm 5'8.75" and
>> have a 31.25" inseam. Like another poster mentioned, go to
>> www.wrenchscience.com and use their fit calculator. I did this and
>> found that I needed a bike with a 52cm frame (seat tube
>> center-to-center) and a 65 cm reach. This was tricky to pull of
>> without a) using a crazy long
> stem
>> or b) getting a custom-made frame.
>> However, shopping around I found that the Fuji team bike has a nice
>> geometry for people shaped like me. Their 56cm fram is actually 52cm
>> center to center with a 56 cm top tube. So I got the appropriate stem
>> (which actually wasn't that long) and I was set.
>> LeMond is also notorious for making frames with these sort of "relaxed"
>> geometries (ie., a longer top tube to seat tube ratio).
>>
>> Hope this helps,
>>
>> - Boyd S.
>>
>> ps. Lose your stem spacers, slam that bad boy all the way down, level
>> your drops with the ground, and learn how to ride with your back flat.
>> Stretching helps with the flexablity required.
>
> OK, take 1.25" off your inseam and add 2.5" to your
> torso and you have my frame geometry! (-; Thanks for the link, I'm
> heading over there. It sounds like increasing the stem length is going
> to be my only chance of salvation at this point. The bike doesn't hurt
> me, but I can't
> get my back to flatten out. When you lose the stem spacers, what do
> you do with the rest of the vertical tube that's left? Do people cut
> these off? When my "friends" notice my stem with 4 spacers on it they
> yell "dork alert!"

You have 2 options:

1) Cut the extra tubing off; a pipe cutter works well.
2) Put the stem spacers on top of the stem.

The second option is probably the best if you ever plan on selling the bike
as it offers the most flexibility for fit.
The first option is optimal if you are trying to make your bike as light as
possible.