mihlbach

How do you people out there on townie/city/comfort bikes size your frame compared to what you would ride in a track or road type configuration?
I realize most of you probably just slapped your townies together with whatever was cheap or available, but by now some of you must have put some real thought into this.

I'm building up a town type bike with swept back bars and am struggling with deciding on frame size/stem height/bar size configuration. I haven't ridden anything "comfort oriented" in years. I'm ordering the parts and want to get this right because I'm aiming for a bike that is versatile, lasts me forever, and looks really nice. I am going to dump a fair amount of money into this and get it done right the first time. I ordered a pair of Soma Oxford bars to mess around with on one of my old fixies. https://www.somafab.com/archives/product/oxford-bar
That will help me make some decisions. Im the meantime what do you guys think about this....

I'm 6'1" and in road or track type configuration I would normally ride 57-59 cm frames with 57-59 cm top tubes with handlebar 3-5" below saddle, depending on the bike.

I am currently considering a BikeIsland Jury frame, either 59cm or 62cm, unless I find something better. https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_S...ls&ProdID=1184
Graphics and color are irrelevant because I am going to paint whatever I get. I am open to other suggestions for a frame. I'm using drum brake hubs so the mesed up rear brake bridge of the Jury frame isn't an issue.

Anyway, for a drop bar configuration I would go with the 59cm Jury, but for a comfort bike I am not so sure. While I am sure I could make a 59 work, I would end up having to use a handlebar with a lot of rise and run the stem pretty high. That would limit my options for raising the bar much higher than the saddle without making the bike look utterly stupid by running a super high-rise stem (a la Sheldon Brown).

I'm thinking the 62 cm might be better. That would allow me to run a level saddle and bars without having to raise the stem to the sky or use a high-rise bar. It would also give me more ability to raise the bar well above the saddle if I wanted to. It would also reduce the amount of exposed seatpost and minimize fender-toe overlap.

I'm also not sure which might look better: (1) a huge frame with lower, horizontal stem, less seatpost, and a low-rise bar (2) or a smaller frame running a higher positive rise stem and/or a higher rise bar with several cm more seatpost.

Aside from asthetics, my biggest concern with a larger frame is the longer tope tube, which could force me to stretch out into an uncomfortable position, but maybe with the swept back bars a few cm of extra top tube would be OK?

What do you guys think?

prooftheory

Monkey giving the hand pic vvvv

EDIT: Oh well. Jaytron let me down.

himespau 

I've wondered about how sizing converts as well. Been thinking about building up a townie for my wife so she'll have a bike that's worth riding on her occasional commutes (and maybe if she's got something nicer than her x-mart special that she's had forever and hates, she'll go riding with me occasionally). The question of how reach changes when you're sitting upright with bars that sweep back and are at/above saddle height (and how to achieve that), are things I've been thinking about. The fact that I'm trying to figure out how to do it on a step-through/mixte frame for my 6' tall wife is another complicating issue due to rareness of frames, but, as with you, I'd love to know how fit converts over.

mihlbach

Not having ridden a bike like this in many years, top tube length is what I'm having trouble wrapping my head around. Using the swept back bars considerably shortens the reach, which is a good thing if you want to be upright and comfortable. Eyeballing my road frames and imagining some comfort bars on there, the reach looks really short to me, which makes me think a longer top tube is in order, especially if you plan on ever having to stand to climb a hill. On the other hand, to much reach will force you to lean too far farward, undermining the "comfort" factor.

himespau 

Yeah, on the other hand, if you can find a way to get very tall bars, I'm wondering if there's a wider range of sizes that would work if you go small. Like maybe the fact that you're sitting back and upright moves your knees back and you'll want to have your pedals less far forward relative to your seat to still get on top of them. So maybe the trick is you want to go one size smaller and just raise the hell out of your seat/bars. Like you mention, that'd suck if you wanted to stand to climb, though. Maybe we'll get lucky and someone with actual experience will post and clear up some of my half-assed conjecture.

mihlbach

Well, I'm going to install a pair of Soma Oxfords (like these) on an old fixie of mine and maybe then I'll have a better understanding of this. Its a tall 62cm frame, but with a relatively short (57cm) top tube, w/ 110mm stem. So that will at least give me some frame of reference.

Build your own

I'd go with the 62. The longer TT will be less of a issue since the use of a bar like the oxford moves the hand back 6" or more compared to riding the hoods on a dropbar.As for asthetics,I think a short seat post fits the "vintage" look of a townie.The old rule for seatpost height used to be a handfull of post(~4-5") is the way to go.

himespau 

I'm assuming you go with a very short stem?

mihlbach

Probably best to start with a cheap stem and experiment a bit before committing to some sort of custom made masterpiece.

mihlbach

Guess nobody knows.

himespau 

I suppose with stem lengths and different types of bars you can do some experimenting. Thinking it through more fully, I'm going to take back what I said about the pedal to seat length needing to be different because of your sitting position. Seems like you'd want it about the same as it's not like your femurs change length just because you're not leaning forward. Still think that tall bike with a shorter top tube seems like a good first try. Post here what you find out, if you please.

himespau 

I was able to get 3 lengths of stem of a previous years model from Jenson a few years back for like $6 each so I could play around with lengthening my reach vs. increasing my drop. I have a threadless headset, but these and a $10-15 threaded to threadless converter let me play around a lot to find what I like for $30.

FKMTB07

I know that's not your bike, but the grips are on backwards. I can't see how that can possibly be comfortable, nor can I see how someone could possibly make that mistake. Ergon grips, when held in the correct way, fit your hands perfectly. I know it's a nice bike, and I know I'll get blasted for this, but I nominate that setup for the Jackass thread.



Back on topic, I'd size up one size from your normal road bike size for a townie of similar geometry (ie, townie setup on a road frame). That's to compensate for the shortened reach swept bars typically yield. However, also mind standover, because on a city bike you're more likely to be on and off the bike more often.

Build your own

FWIW I'm 6'1 and my ideal frame is 58/59 with a 565 TT(competitive cyclist eddy fit).My Porteur is built on a '85 schwinn le tour luxe with a 61(C-C) ST and 57 TT with a 100 stem. I'm running VO porteur bars on it and often find myself gripping the bars towards the bend rather than the end. I feel a slightly longer TT might have been better.Maybe i'll try a longer stem someday, but with the shellaced and wipped cotton over cork wrap it's not going to happen anytime soon. Good luck with your build!

jpaschall

I guess I'll chime in with an opinion. I've got some VO Milan bars on my "townie," which have a little bit of sweep back. I wish I had a stem that I could put up quite a bit higher (like a technomic), because the comfort the sweep provides is wasted if there is any drop. I know super tall stems look goofy as hell, but the upright riding position really makes it worthwhile as far as comfort for townie riding is concerned.

Edit: I'm 6'2 and my townie is 62 cm with a pretty long TT. What I've found is good about having a frame that is a little too big for me is that I can keep the saddle a little lower, which in turn allows me to reduce my saddle to bar drop even more while keeping my leg extension appropriate.

mihlbach

Sure will. I'm not in any hurry to complete the project. I'm going to mess around with bars and stems quite a bit before making a frame choice. Then I'll start thinking about saddles. I have a long way to go.

striknein

I've had the most success with a frame that's sized comparably to what I would ride in a drop bar configuration. For me, the key to comfort was to make sure the handlebars were at least level with the saddle. Stem rise and reach are going to be a lot more important with a townie than any other factor.



The stem I used was at least a good 2cm longer than what came with the bike. That same setup with a VO Porteur bar put a lot of pressure on my wrists, to the point of making the bike unrideable. Ignore the saddle angle, I was still fiddling with it.

mihlbach

Just out of curiosity, what are those bars.

striknein

They were takeoffs from an old Schwinn cruiser. I'd say they're most similar to these.

mihlbach

I would be so tempted to flip those bars. Comfort be damned. Must...resist...temptation....to build....scorcher...

striknein

I really like that style of handlebar. I find myself grabbing the bends at the front from time to time for another hand position, and stretching out feels good. I do wish they were a little beefier though.