Frame size - Can I go smaller on Litespeed???
 

My last road bike was a 59cm litespeed which has a 57.5 top tube c-t-c and I had a 100/10 stem on the front with a setback seat post with plenty of room either way. I'm 6'1'' and my true inseem is 34.5 inches. So, I keep seeing alot of used 57cm bikes for sale but hardly any 59's. Is there any reason why I couldn't ride a 57cm, which means losing two cm on the seat tube height and 1 centimeter on the top tube?? Couldn't I just run a 11 stem and have a few more centimeters of seat post?? What am I missing here?? Doesn't seem to be a big deal but everyone tells me that I have to have the "right" frame size which apparently, for me is the 57.5 top tube. What's the big deal over a centimeter if you can adjust things fine with the stem and fore/aft saddle adjustment?? Thanks

I'd say it's possible but it really depends on the particular frame.

Lemonds traditionally have a slightly longer top tube - my 57 has a top tube of 57.8 and the 55 has a top tube of 56.5. My 58 Trek's is 57.2. All 3 are matched by utilizing different stems. I'm 6' with a 33.75" inseam.

I would think the 57 Lemond would be a good option.

55/Rad

You can obviously run a longer stem than a 100 and there would be nothing wrong with 120. Depending on your riding style and or how the steerer had been cut,you could have issues with getting the bars high enough, cuz your seat will be jacked up higher.Keep in mind all 57s aren't the same if you are looking at other brands,and seattube angle matters too. I have a 1cm longer inseam than you and ride 57 c'c with a 56.5 TT and 120 stems.You shouldn't be using saddle adjustment to get proper bar reach tho.

right sydney, so basically given that my inseam is a cm smaller than yours, a 57ish c-t-c seat tube with a 56.5 top tube, along with the proper stem size and appropriate fore/aft on the saddle, this would seem not at all unreasonable...thanks for confirming my suspicion.

carlyle, it's fine you can ride the smaller frame.
I coud ride either a 51cm or a 53cm since the rear geometry of the bikes are similar the front could be sorted by fitting the appropriate stem and fork rake