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Short reach road bikes, buyers guide.

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  • March 22, 2016 at 5:02 pm #25522
    Mikey-simmo

    I’m blessed with long legs, long compared to the rest of me but the overall package is still limited.   I’m looking for a new bike for this year and currently I’m on a 54, which was the size of the previous bike.  However while looking for my wife’s next bike Ive discovered I should be on something small due to a short torso. What are my options?  I ride sportives and weekly riding is in and around Yorkshire Dales. 

    Each shop I try usually does the folowing, 

    don’t have a 52cm so they ‘make’ the 54cm fit.  Offering shorter stems shoving the seat forward to the max.  Its like theyre trying to sell me a bike.

    What options should I be looking at?

    Looking for the trek Domane but numbers are limited (eg 1 in europe) 

    Cannondale 51 was as long as my 54 focus,  What else should I be trying to find?

    Thanks

    Mike

     

     

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  • April 4, 2016 at 8:54 am #868825
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    Tjuice
    matthewn5 wrote:
    On the surface, that sounds as if you have a frame that’s too long for you, i.e. the reach is too large?

     

    (Sorry, been away for a week).

    Yes, the frame is probably too long for me.  As are the vast majority of available frames.  Without going custom-build, or finding something fairly obscure (neither of which has been a realistic option for me in the past), the point I was trying to make was that I can achieve perfectly comfortable and acceptable results (for me) with a more normal frame and a few easy tweaks.

     

    March 27, 2016 at 8:36 am #868823
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    Mikey-simmo

    Thanks for all your advice.

    Thanks for all your advice.  Keeps the process going. 

    Yesterday we had a whole day dedicated to trying bikes. 

    The he bike that fitted the best was either a cube (German for boring I believe)

    or a cannondale synapse. Here’s where the fun begins  

    the synapse was a 47! The reach was about 1 cm too long but could be corrected with a shorter stem but the seat post was 1 cm beyond the maximum, this was on a turbo indoors so limited risk   

    Pone bike shop owner insisted ‘the way we do thing here’ is measure every single inch if you and the tell you what you can try .  Which although scientific didn’t really move the process forward  

    this morning I googled up this delight,

    ‘…Sorry for all these long legged people, but this is the worst case for achieving an optimum bike fit. The long legs will mean a high saddle, so the bars become relatively far away. Long legs imply a short torso, so the reach to the bars becomes excessive…’ 

    Which is is exactly were I’m coming from. 

    Sod the 52, it’s a 47 I need! I though shrinking happened beyond 75!

     

    March 23, 2016 at 4:17 pm #868821
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    matthewn5

    @Tjuice said:

    @Tjuice said:

    What works well for me is:

    * Shorter stem (typically stem length around 85-90mm)

    * Saddle fairly far forward (natural preference – would still do this even if I had a longer body – for the bikes where it’s possible, I buy a zero offset seat post to get to the most comfortable position for me)

    On the surface, that sounds as if you have a frame that’s too long for you, i.e. the reach is too large?

    March 23, 2016 at 3:52 pm #868819
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    Tjuice

    Think it’s going to be quite

    Think it’s going to be quite personal to you, so having a proper bike fit will help you work out what will work.

    I similarly have long legs and short torso (comparatively long arms too).  What works well for me is:

    * Shorter stem (typically stem length around 85-90mm)

    * Saddle fairly far forward (natural preference – would still do this even if I had a longer body – for the bikes where it’s possible, I buy a zero offset seat post to get to the most comfortable position for me)

    * Frame sizing tending towards smaller rather than larger (given leg length, although nonetheless appropriate for overall height) with a lot of seat post sticking out of the seat tube, and hence really quite a big saddle to bar drop (in excess of 5″), and I ride most of the time in the (traditional depth) drops.

     

    It’s a pretty aggressive position that I would expect few others to be comfortable with, but it works well for me!  And it does allow me to ride ‘normal’ geometry frames.  That said, I do look at geometry when I’m considering a new bike/frame and tend towards those with a proportionally shorter top-tube if all other things are equal.

    Good luck and hope you get something awesome!

    March 23, 2016 at 1:54 pm #868817
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    . .

    Mikey-simmo wrote:

    Mikey-simmo wrote:
    I had a view to test the Domane 4.1, only they sold them all. Seriously, all of them

    Have you tried Evans?  They are very good for no obligation test rides, and their website says they have Domane 4.1’s in stock at a remote warehouse – they will order in any bike for you for a £50 refundable deposit.  You won’t get test ride long enough to assess long term comfort though.

    March 23, 2016 at 1:21 pm #868815
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    huntswheelers

    I must agree with many

    I must agree with many comments…about fits.. problem in the UK I find…with some cyclists who come to me for services and upgrades…is they have purchased a bike on it’s brand name rather than fit….  Some riders are happier on a traditional frame and others like me at 5’10” and 29″ inside leg are happier on a compact frame

    I did have a customer… ask for advice recently and he has long legs but shorter torso but also suffered back issues during his time in the military. He wasn’t sure of sizing or even if a drop bar bike would work for him. He fancied one of the Taiwan brands or should I say a Taiwan made U.S Bike. After trying one at the LBS dealer he said he wasn’t comfy so I measured him up and decided to send him to take a look at the B’twin range in Decathlon purely for sizing purposes. If anyone has been in a store they have their line up out on display in all the sizes they do.

    He went with his sizes and using their Road Bike guide tried some bikes out for size….. he came away with a Triban 540 running 105 and a happy chappy.

    He has been cycling to work at 140 miles a week on a drop bar bike without any back issues as he expected or any other comfort problems. To me…… forget the Brand and focus on the Bike and what fits you.

    March 23, 2016 at 8:44 am #868813
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    Mikey-simmo

    I had a view to test the

    I had a view to test the Domane 4.1, only they sold them all. Seriously, all of the.  

    Orbea have something virtualy the same and I think this is as close as I will get.  Just have to see whoat the local dealers have to sit on. Looked at ladies bikes too, The Cannondale Supersix looked almost ientical to the Trek Emonda, but that flet long and lower than I really wanted.  

    The search continues, who’d have thunk, I’d missed the season by mid March?

     

    March 22, 2016 at 10:47 pm #868811
    0
    Kadenz

    I also have long legs and a

    I also have long legs and a short torso.

    i bought a Trek Domane 2.0 two years ago – and for the first time, have a bike that I feel comfortable riding.

     

    March 22, 2016 at 7:58 pm #868809
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    wycombewheeler

    Ladies specific bikes may
    Ladies specific bikes may help. As ladies generally have longer legs for the same overall height. This is why ladies should not just buy small size mens bikes.

    March 22, 2016 at 7:40 pm #868807
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    Fish_n_Chips

    Well road rides can be a long

    Well road rides can be a long slog in the saddle.

    The last thing anyone needs is pain from poor positioning.  Get it right, one less thing to worry about and more fun on the bike.

    Yes it could limit your bike choice but it will save you money in the long term.

    Every manufacture is slightly different.

    Some measure their bikes in different ways too.     I always  borrow my LBS’s tape measure when buying a bike. Get the shop to give you a discounted bike-fit; when buying a bike from them.

     

    March 22, 2016 at 6:35 pm #868805
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    Mikey-simmo

    Yes I’ve been offered this by

    Yes I’ve been offered this by a shop as a tool but until now never understood how usefull it could be.  The disappointment machine might begin to limit my choices further.

    thanks

     

    March 22, 2016 at 6:33 pm #868803
    0
    Fish_n_Chips

    What you need is a bike fit

    What you need is a bike fit on a jig.

    This will tell you what size is ideal for you.

    Then you go shopping for a bike by looking at geometry.

     

    57.5 +- 5cm TT CC is my sweet spot.  I went through trial and error.  Then a bike-fit confirmed it.

    If you’re spending that much on a bike, make sure it fits you and you’re comfy.  Otherwise you will not enjoy your riding/wasting money on bikes that are not your size.

    Are you sure you’re not a T-Rex? 

    yes

     

     

     

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