Hi folks,
I have always struggled with bikes both riding them and sizing them.
The problem is that I have the inseam or leg length of someone who is 6'4 = 6'5 but my torso and arms are more like those of a 5 foot 10 or 5 foot 11 person. I am 6 foot 2 .I have a 90cm inseam.
This translates into a problem as when I put my saddle at the correct height and correct fore aft then I end up very high and very far back on the bike so I feel very stretched out and the bars even with stems flipped seem very far below.
This wouldn't be a problem if I was into slammed stretched out racing positions but I am a more casual type of cyclist.
Its also awful to handle a bike when your perched that high . My center of gravity is so high I can not corner at anything other than a gentle angle.
I have tried things to bring handlebars up closer like riser stems/ nitto technomics etc . These are all well and good comfort wise and really help with the crazy saddle to bar drop but I find the handling and the sense of disconnect with the road when your bars are up that high really awful.
Custom frames are way too expensive for me ,
I have tried dropping the saddle height well below optimum and trying to just get used to that and let the muscles adjust but man there is nothing worse than hitting a steep hill and feeling like your saddle is too low to get proper power down.
The only riding that I have figured out is mountain biking . I have a dropper post and it means I only really need my ridiculously high optimum position for long climbs and for the rest I can pop it down and get my center of gravity nice and low.
I am now seriously considering a dropper for my road and touring bikes.
Another thing I am looking at is getting really long crank arms like 180 or 190 and very thin pedals with very thin soled shoes so I can get the saddle down 2 cm . Even that would help.
Surgery that removes some of my shin bone has also crossed my mind
.
Anyone else have this issue ? Any ideas?