trob

I have a 56cm Surly Steamroller, but the frame is a little bit too big (I'm 5'9''). The worst dimension is the top tube; with dropdown bars and my hands in the low position, the reach is too long (I can reach it, but I'm bent over at a ridiculous angle).

I got a good deal on the bike, so I'm gonna try to make some modifications to make it more comfortable for me. For starters, I'm gonna flip the dropdown bars and cut the dropdown part mostly off. I'm also going to take it to my local bike shop and try to get a smaller stem.

Do you guys have any other suggestions for making it fit a bit better? The height is fine, although the seat tube is kinda low) and I can stand over the top tube, it's just a little long (I guess I have short arms).

On another note, if anyone has a 53 cm frame that's a little too small and equivalent to the Surly frame, let me know.

disconnec

sounds like you're not happy with your bike.

just sell it and buy another one that fits. wouldn't you feel a lot better?

MIN 

What's your stem length? If you ran a zero-drop bullhorn and 80mm stem, I bet it would feel fine.

nexus6

sell it and get a smaller one. no matter what you do it will always be too large. nothing kills the cycling experience like an ill fitting bike.

Seven Sane

Seem I'm 6'6" and I ride a 63cm, which is almost perfect. if I could find something in the neighborhood of 64 or maybe even 65 I think I'd be happy. But I can't afford anything new and it's tough to find used stuff in that size.

BLIMP

I'd try the bullhorns or a set of risers with a shorter stem before you completely abandon it, unless ridiculously too big.

trob

I was just looking at the bike again and I could slide the seat back almost two inches along the rails on the bottom of the seat. After doing that it feels a LOT better... perfect when I'm upright and not too bad when I'm in a low hand position.

I'm still thinking of trying different handle bars or doing a flop and chop on the dropdowns. Some of you recommended bullhorns, but don't those just extend the reach distance?

Thanks!

MIN 

Bullhorns extend reach, but you can ride on the top comfortably. Try a shorter stem for sure. You will know it's the right length when the bike handles better with it on.

Nonsetback seatposts can help too. (Thompson)

trob

Sweet, thanks! I was actually thinking of putting the seatpost on backwards (making it a setforward seatpost, lol) and trying it like that, but the angle of the seat might be too awkward. I'll definitely try to test out bullhorns though.

alanbikehouston

I am less than 5'10", and the bikes that fit me best are in the size 57 to size 60 range. So, I doubt the problem is the size of your frame. More likely the problem is your bars are too low.

When someone says they feel "too stretched out", it usually means that their bars are too low. The highest portion of your bars should be about level with the top of the saddle. With a road bike, that puts the drops about level with the highest portion of th top tube, making it comfortable to ride in the drops for extended periods of time.

As you raise the bars, the distance between the saddle and the bars decreases, and you shift weight off of your hands, and back onto your rear. Try riding for a week with the highest portion of your bars level with the top of the saddle. Odds are, you will be well balanced between the saddle and bars, and will not feel stretched out.

MIN 

Yeah the 56cm is definitely not out of the ballpark. Don't give up just yet.

blickblocks

I've got a 58cm Panasonic that is slightly too large (I think I could fit on a 54 best), and I made a thread a while back asking for advice on how to make it more comfortable. I reversed the seatpost, which some people noted that I just got "lucky" with it working out so well (meaning, not an advised thing to try). I did a +20 mile ride today on my other bike and I can't stand how far back the saddle is! It's a 50cm compact road bike and yet the reach and the SOPS position seem too much. I might just break down and get a fitting...

Allanbinho

extend your seat forward.

get a shorter stem?

nateintokyo

all you need to do it turn the seatpost AND the stem around. totally compact and free

BLIMP

Riding with a reversed stem sounds terrifyingly twitchy. And this is from an extremely twitchy person.

soze

Depending on his torso length a 56cm Steamroller prolly is too big for him. Really, the top tube length on the Steamrollers is ****ing ridiculous. I'm 5'9" as well, with a shorter torso, and I feel that my 53cm Steamroller, while in my ballpark of reasonability, is longish for my needs. A Thomson zero setback seatpost and an 80mm stem have made my bullhorns quite comfy though.

I agree that there's a lot more to be played with first before declaring his frame too big to be rideable. Short stem and fiddling with the drops will indeed go a long way. Most people simply don't start with the musculature they need to ride in the drops comfortably.

trob

because he was totally serious

alanbikehouston

People assume that moving to a taller frame makes the "reach" from the saddle to the bars longer. Usually, the opposite is true. The taller frame permits having the bars higher, and as bars move higher, they also move closer to the saddle. That make "top tube" length worthless as a means of predicting "reach". Instead, a cyclist needs to rely on "stack" and "reach" measurements to figure out the distance from the bottom braket forward to the bars.

The 2008 Trek catalog recognizes this, and provides "stack" and "reach" measurements which show that the TALLER version of the Trek Madone has a shorter reach (the distance from the bottom bracket forward to the bars), even though it has the same top tube length as the lower "pro" version.

See Trek's diagrams of the "stack" and "reach" sizing concept in this thread:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=336054

trob

Any suggestions for decent short stems (preferably less than 80mm) and bullhorns? I'm looking at the Syntace zero bullhorns on ebay now. Not sure whether I should get the medium or small size bars though, as my shoulder bone structure is about 15 to 16 inches wide.

el twe

The risk with playing with fore-aft saddle position is that it screws with your pedal stroke, and thus knees.

trob

Yeah, I'm not gonna reverse the seat post. It feels fine with the seat shifted forward all the way though

Teamskene's

I purchased a used Trek 510 that was 64cm and had an issue with the top tube length as well. I ended up getting a Titec big al shorty and really like it

trob

Ok, I'm thinking of buying the following:

Bullhorns: https://cgi.ebay.com/Syntace-Stratos-...QQcmdZViewItem

60mm stem:
https://cgi.ebay.com/Ritchey-Comp-Stu...QQcmdZViewItem

unless people think that this stem is worth twice as much as the Ritchey comp one.

alanbikehouston

If your bars are lower than the top of your saddle, buying a stubby, short stem won't solve the problem. You need a stem that will bring your bars up level with the saddle. With a traditional stem, you could simply get a tall Nitto stem of an average length. With a "modern" stem, you need need a long stem with lots of rise.

Any good bike shop can look at your bike and figure out which stem you need in two minutes. Don't bother with "hit or miss" on E-Bay. Get a professional fit from the professionals at your bike shop.

Ritchey makes an adjustable height stem that sells for around $70. You can bring the bars up for riding in traffic, and lower them if you ever feel like pretending to race.

trob

Thanks, sounds like good advice. I'd like to be able to raise the bar that the stem clamps on to, but it has spacers between where the stem is clamped on and where it enters the frame. I don't think it's meant to be extended further. I'm assuming this is what you're referring to.