Originally Posted by
Fivethumbs
The Centurion Iron Man is a bike with a steeper seat angle and short top tube. Perfect for guys with long legs and average torsos.
My friend has an Iron Man. It's a very similar bike to the 712.
Ya Baby, this is my thread.
I am literally half legs. I'm 5'8" and have a 33.5" cycling inseam. (I was for a long time a competitive distance runner) I also have a 6' plus wingspan and a deep chest (43"). My bar height is not limited by flexibility, but by the point where my knees are pounding my chest. This all makes bike fitting a real challenge. I ignore the "Lordy that's a long seat post" C&V dullards (idiots) with their short legs, fat stomachs and lack of flexibility. Besides, I don't like to bounce my balls on the TT. Here is what I have learned.
1) Basically, stating the obvious, you need a bike that has a ST longer than the TT.
2) A sharper ST angle, i.e., 74 degrees or greater, will move you forward and shorten the reach.
3) From a C&V perspective, you probably should look for a criterium specific bike. For example, I had a Team Fuji that fell within this category (57 ST, 55 TT). My 1989 Trek 660 is similar with 73.5/73.5 angles. My modern 2007 Schwinn Madison has 74.5/74.5 angles. Some of the earlier Team Miyatas have these same characteristics -- i.e., 58 ST, 56 TT.
4) Use a no setback seat post, such as the Thomson or the equal quality, but much cheaper, Origin 8.
5) The Lemond bikes are just the opposite -- short ST, long TT.
5) My best solution is non C&V. In the modern development of triathlon bikes, there was a period of "moderate" ST angles of 74.5 - 76.5. Contemporary Tri bikes have ST's more in the 80 degree range. I have a 2003 Ti Airborne Spectre with a 74.5 ST and a 2005 Ti Quintana Roo Santo with w 76.5 ST. Set up for the road, these bikes are great for those elite of us with enhanced legs. Really, I am taken by the difference ever time I ride them. And, if you look around, you can find the frames for $350-500.
Hope that helps.
Great advice, thanks. I'll look around for something with a ST angle of 74.5-76.5.
Originally Posted by
Sixty Fiver
The 712 is a very well made bike and even though it is about 2nd in the line up is still a far nicer bike than most.
Don't get me wrong; I love the 712, I'm just always on the hunt for something faster.
BTW, if I am not mistaken, Eddy M is a long legged, shorter torso guy who preferred fast forward frames. And as I think about it, my Look KG96 is a fast forward frame, but Look has always been ahead of the curve.
