Originally Posted by
hsuBM
I’m glad you finally got a bike that fits your body well.
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I’m only 5’11” but my inseam is 36” regardless of any bodybuilding or lack thereof.
The journey through road and rigid mtb frames to find what works for me would take a lot of typing for one sitting.
I like 61-64cm antique/vintage steel road frames with their classic drop handles set such that the bottoms are level with level ground beneath the wheels and the stem set near max height. I’ll seldom be out of the drops on these bikes.
the contact points often are the same on those large bikes as the 55-58cm which I end up putting on a short stem and bullhorn bars (and sometimes a longer seatpost) slammed low to get feeling right. I suppose I could use drops plus a long and tall Technomic stem to get there... but then there’s another issue with the smaller frames: toe overlap.
I live somewhere where I have to have fenders mounted for 3/4 of the year. While the larger bikes do tend to have a steeper head angle (which I like, many don’t), they still have a larger distance from the BB to the back of the front tire/fender making it less likely to get stuck against one of my clipped in shoes.
My main summer bike is now an ‘85-ish Trek 770 57cm with Nitto RB-009 bars on a 70mm stem and my last winter bike frame was a ‘87 Bridgestone 300 61cm with stock handles. I’m keeping an eye out for another large frame with fender mounts to show up as right now my 3/4- year frame is a 70s Lejeune 58cm and the toe overlap is getting annoying.
36" inseam at 5'11" ? You must be very lanky!
I love the idea of having alternative grip positions when using drop bars, but during my brief time trying them out, I felt the flat bars give you a lot more precision when navigating more technical stuff.
When my handlebars are even slightly lower than my seatpost, I find it pretty uncomfortable. Its not unbearable, but I find that my balance becomes too affected to really have fun around corners. Im about 225lb which isn't extreme, but you can probably picture what its like to have all that weight hanging over the handlebars. I imagine that drop bars must work a lot better for somebody who is on the skinnier side.
I totally agree with you on the vintage road bikes. They are absolutely fantastic bikes. The quality of the steel being used and the lugged seamless tubing is superior to modern welded frames. I plan to stick with my Monterey as my primary bike for a long time.
Actually, I luckily don't have any issues with overlap on this bike, which is fantastic. Some fenders would be great though. I want to install some sort of bento box above the rear tire for transporting stuff.
In the future, im pretty eager to try some sort of drop bar setup and see how that goes. I like the idea of being able to hunker down in the drops for better power trasnfer as well as aerodynamics. Just not the entire time I'm riding. I'll probably use a short stem that you can raise up pretty high so that the hoods are above my saddle and angle them slightly upwards. I just don't understand these super bent over positions people go for on road bikes with the seat and bars angled downwards. I guess it makes sense when riding on pavement full of gentle turns, but I tend to ride in areas which have lots of lots of tight corners everywhere. The flat bars help navigating this type of terrain tremendously. My ideal riding position is fairly upright where I can hunker down a little bit whenever I must weight the front axle, such as going over bumps. This way, I feel like my weight is really biased toward the rear axle for super stable handling at the limit - although i can still easily balance myself front and rear depending on the terrain. This is an extremely important skill to master for.somebody 220lb or heavier.
You said you like to have your saddle slammed? Do you mean that you have it set lower than whatever would be your maximum height?
My previous experience with bikes involved newer design XC hardtails with long reaches. They are designed this way to weight your front axle for technical singletrack. Its uncomfortable and useless for the.majoirty of riding I tend to do. This is actually the reason why I felt so uncomfortable and bent over on a frame which I otherwise loved very much and didn't seem all that small for me. I just couldn't keep riding about with my ridiculous 60 degree stem attachment and massive stem riser. It totally neutered the handling.
Nonetheless, my GT Zaskar taught me almost everything I know about bikes and I had tons and tons of fun with that bike. After getting my seat height to the correct position on my norco, unfortunately I stopped riding it. I think I will have to sell it.