Originally Posted by
Lombard
This one is 30D. If you need shorter than 80mm, you probably have a bike that's too big. Granted a longer stem increases reach, but on an upright stem like this, it also increases stack.
I'm a difficult fit for two reasons, 1) longer bottom to top ratio half ratio, and 2) car crash neck injuries. Also, I don't like much exposed seatpost.
When a bike fits in the reach department, the standover makes it feel like a child's bike. When the standover is perfect, I'm reaching for the bars with elbows locked.
My 1st "actual" road bike back in the 80s (aside from my Schwinn Manta Ray, and dad's Schwinn Varsity) was a Peugeot - 57cm (across the top tube, but is was still relatively equivalent in the seat tube). That bike fit me like a glove.
They made commercially available bikes in 1cm increments back then, as opposed to S, M, L, XL, to help the bottom-line. The reach and stack on all my bikes had to be tweaked since dealing with neck issues.
I'm comfortable on all my bikes now, even the drop bars!