Campag4life

I've been messin' with my reach lately and been studying different pro race bike set ups. Man...racers run a long reach to the bars. Even average size Lance runs a 58cm top tube + 130 stem.

If you are six foot and taller, please post your top tube length and stem length.

My latest set up:
6'1" tall w/35" cycling inseam
57.5 cm top tube
130mm stem

aMull

I'm 6'1, 35.4 inseam, riding a 58cm frame, with 90mm stem. I can probably go with a longer stem, mine was actually 120mm but i changed it, i don't like reaching too far. Feels great now.

datlas 

OK I will bite: but I have unusually long legs and a short torso:

6 feet 1/2 inch tall w/ 37 inch cycling inseam (yes 37 inches, 93 cm not a typo)
56.5 cm top tube, 63 cm seat tube, 10 cm stem (custom built steel frame, not compact).

GP

6'1, 34" inseam, 61 cm frame with a 59 cm top tube and 120 mm stem.

waterrockets 

6'4", 36" inseam. 62cm frame, 60cm TT and 110mm stem on one bike. The other bike is 60cm frame with 58.5cm TT and 120mm stem.

tekhna

6'4" 60cm frame, 590cm TT, 130mm stem. My stem is a little too long though, and my head tube not tall enough. I need a bit bigger frame.

Kelrod

Here is my giant.

6'3" 36" inseam 61cm frame, 100mm stem.

Campag4life

You guys will get a sense of how far forward tall racers position their bars. Yes they run a fair amount of drop but they really have their bars out in front.
Here's Hincapie and about the same cockpit length at Boonen...they are close to the same size. Pretty astounding...back is almost 20 degrees over 45 deg on the hoods with almost locked elbows...he is obviously posing:

fly:yes/land:no

6'2" ish. longer legs. 57.5cm tt with 130mm stem on shallow drop bars. anatomic bars, i am more like 120-110mm

Campag4life

Post any top tall rider pics if you have them in profile.
I will mark up the Hincapie pic a bit later when I get some time with some thoughts.
The other element in the equation is drop. I may run a pretty good reach to my bars for a recreational cyclist but I don't run a lot of drop. Pros run both and reach is a function of both horizontal and vertical components. The tip of saddle to center of bars for the average 6'2" top racer is about 610mm which is a bunch.

531Aussie

6ft, 35.2", inseam

57cm, 73-degrees, 130mm stem
57.5cm, 73.5 degrees, 130mm
58cm, 73.5 degrees, 130mm
58cm, 73 degrees, 120mm
58cm, 72.5 degrees, 120mm

I could obviously get away with a 120mm stem on the first 58,

I also have a couple of crappy old 56cm commuters with 140mm stems, but I hardly ever ride them.

breck81

6ft. 1 in.
33in inseam.

56cm tt, 110mm stem

wall

I'm 6ft 3

I have a 62cm with a 110mm stem.

(I really should take a pic)

Plew

I'm 6 ft 3 in, and I ride a 60 cm, with a 120 mm stem.

~Plew

idcruiserman

6', and I mostly ride 56 due to short arms. It's aggravating, since the seat is high relative to the bars. I really need a 58 seat tube with 55 top tube with a reasonable stem (100 or 110). The bike that fits me best is my 56 cross bike with 55 top tube, riser stem and spacers.

jcbenten

6'2"
33" inseam

57 cm tt
110 mm stem

My height is in my neck and fat head so my torso is not all that long, nor are my arms. If they were "normal", I would be closer to 5'11" or 6'.

Campag4life

I've marked up the Hincapie riding position to make a couple of points to like minded scientific cats out there. Many know that the idea cockpit is a triangle. The key is the shape of the triangle. Triangles are strongest with a wide base. The lower the back angle the longer the reach should be or the base of the triangle is no longer steady. If you look at Hincapies' set up, there is beautiful symmetry to it that he no doubt has migrated to through exhaustive testing. His set up is the most solid for a reason. Many suggest that the ideal back angle on the hoods should be close to 45 degrees which effectively forms an isosceles right triangle with a right angle between upper arm and back. This produces a very solid platform for the arms to support the back. What one intuitively feels if their reach is too short is the arms are more in compression. This leads to a sense of feeling cramped on the hoods. Look at Hincapie. His arms are more in tension i.e. more like cables on a suspension bridge. His set up for his extreme race position looks perfect. If he were to shorten his cockpit, i.e. the red arm position, you can see how the symmetry of the triangle would be compromised and he would lose the base of his triangle and his arms would be more in compression.
The racers, though perhaps difficult to emulate to the nth degree, teach us alot about riding position. A further note is one of the reason they can tolerate such extreme saddle to bar drop is they accompany that drop with an equallly extreme reach which shallows out the angle of attack to the handlebars.

damocles1

6'1"
56.5 top tube
120 stem
Deda Newton deep bars...you have to account for drop and reach when figuring out fit...

NealH

6'2", 35.7" inseam: 60cm TT with 105 stem and 6.5cm of drop. The bike fits pretty near perfect.

wall

great post
thanks for doing that

vtje

I am 6ft, 33in inseam, riding 57cm top tube with 110cm stem. The frame size is 57cm (railegh competition) and seat to handlebars drop is around 3in. I test rode Felt 58cm but fell too stretched out, trying to figure what frame have reasonable seat-handlebars drop with smaller reach.

Campag4life

A suggestion to those that responded is you may want to experiment with a bit more reach as there is a clear trend or difference between recreational cyclists (shorter) and pros. Feeling too stretched out at the end of the day maybe an "acquired taste".
If you give it a bit of time you may appreciate it. The reason is manifold but a couple of reasons are...the more we ride typically the more flexible our backs become. Most of us have an ideal back angle on the hoods which unweights the arms a bit. If you try to ride too upright on the hoods without back flexion being part of the resistance...you may feel more pressure in your arms than you would if you stretch out a bit. The further benefit of learning to stretch out over and above being more aero is your weight is naturally a bit more forward for more pressure on the pedals. The biggest dividend is when out of the saddle however. Typically the farther forward the handlebars the more weight you can get onto the pedals for climbing and sprinting. This is why Peter White suggests adjusting your reach as far forward as you can tolerate.

halfspeed

6' 0" with 35" inseam, 59cm TT and 100mm stem. That leaves 3" saddle to bar drop with about 1.25" spacers.

justinb

6'0" with a 34" cycling inseam.

56cm tt with 120mm stem feels better than 58cm with 100mm.

Made_In_Warsaw

6'

56.5mm top tube, 130mm stem.