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Old 06-29-20, 05:39 PM
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Andy_K 
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There are a few issues here that shouldn't be conflated: (1) Can you make it work? (2) Will it look good? (3) Will you be happy with it?

We can only advise you on the first one in any objective way and provide opinions about the second one. The third question is really the important one. Only you can answer that, but the input you get on the first two might help you figure out your answer.

(1) You can probably make it work. Everybody has different fit preferences. I'm 5'9" and that frame would be "a little bit" too small for me. For you, I would guess that it would be a lot too small, but you know your preferences. With a long enough seat post and the right stem, you can probably achieve a comfortable riding position. Depending on the stem, this could also have some adverse effects on the handling, but those would likely be relatively minor.

(2) I don't think so. I say this as someone who really doesn't mind tall stems. In many cases, looks just really aren't all that important. If you enjoy riding a bike, does it really matter how it looks? But with a "grail" bike it really does. You probably don't want to spend a lot of money for any "almost grail" bike, and if the bike requires an absurd stem or seat post, you probably won't be satisfied with it. How do I know?



This wasn't even a grail bike, but I liked it a lot. I liked the way it looked, and I liked the way it rode. Eventually, I decided to sell it to someone that it fit and put a replacement in my size on my wish list. FWIW, this is a 53-54 and most of my bikes are 57-58. Most people don't like their bars as high as I do. You'd probably end up with more seat post showing and lower bars.

(3) I'm guessing no. Look at the picture above. Ask yourself if you'd be satisfied that you'd found your grail bike if it had a stem and seatpost like that. Be honest with yourself, because you know the answer.
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