I'm 5'10", shorter than the OP, and I think I'm between sizes on the 
Hillborne....but not between 51 and 54.  I think I'm between 54 and 57 on 
the Hillborne.  

My Saddle Height is 75.5cm, so my PBH is probably in the 85-86 range.  I 
own an older 56cm Hillborne which is perfect, used to run a 56cm Bombadil 
which was perfect. 

When I went to buy an original run Leo Roadini, the Riv guys leaned towards 
a 54.  I was surprised because that felt like a significant downsize.  I 
disagreed with them and got a 57 and it was terrific, albeit with no 
standover clearance.  If I had to replace my 56 Hillborne with a current 
Hillborne I'd almost definitely get a 57.  

Does that make me ever more of a weird upsizer than the reputation Riv has 
with people like Johnny?  I'm not sure.  The idea of a 5'11" human on a 
51cm Hillborne doesn't seem right to me.  

Is your Salsa Vaya a perfect fit?  do you want to share a photo of your 
setup?

Bill Lindsay
El Cerrito, CA

On Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 9:38:33 AM UTC-7 [email protected] wrote:

> I agree with Johnny. Think about how you mostly want this bike set up and 
> size accordingly. You had mentioned wanting an Albatross bar setup, so if 
> it were me, I would go with the 54cm and longer top tube that will play 
> nicely with the swept-back bars and longer stem required for said bars. I 
> also have a PBH that's between 83-84, even though I'm a little shorter than 
> you. If I were buying a new Sam, I would purchase the 54cm size, and I 
> would probably also run some sort of swept-back cockpit. I already have a 
> drop bar Riv, and a fat-tired Riv, and those are the only two factors that 
> would make me want to size down to a 51cm.
>
> Brian
> Lex KY
>
> On Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 11:40:27 AM UTC-4 Johnny Alien wrote:
>
>> I am between sizes as well and my general rule is...if I want a more 
>> traditional setup/fit (maybe with drop bars) I size down. If I want to go 
>> laid back, more sweptback style I go up. With your PBH if you want drops go 
>> with the 51 otherwise the 54 might be best. If you want to size up but the 
>> standover gives you pause then consider a Platypus. I understand the advice 
>> to call Rivendell but (from my experience) they are almost always going to 
>> push you into a go larger direction and that has not historically always 
>> worked for me.
>>
>> On Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 11:20:35 AM UTC-4 DavidP wrote:
>>
>>> Oooh, a new Sam - exciting!
>>>
>>> 1) Send Riv an email and get their recommendation, they're great with 
>>> this stuff.
>>>
>>> 2) I'm a similar height but have an 87cm PBH. With your torso length I'm 
>>> guessing you'll want more reach, the concern is the standover on the 54cm 
>>> Sam if you max out the tires. Either way you'll probably want a long stem 
>>> on that Albatross. My 58cm top tube Albatross bike has a 120mm stem. The 
>>> drop tube bikes (Susie, Platypus, Clem) are great for getting a longer fit 
>>> without worrying about standover; I'm on a 60cm Platypus and the reach is 
>>> luxurious.
>>>
>>> -Dave
>>>
>>> On Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 10:43:16 AM UTC-4 Robert Calton wrote:
>>>
>>>> Haven't had luck pinning down a used bike this last week, so I'm 
>>>> thinking I might try and buy a new Sam in May/June with the refresh and I 
>>>> don't know if the 51 or 54 frame size is the right choice. Compared to my 
>>>> current bike, a 55cm Salsa Vaya's standover of 77.6cm and top tube of 
>>>> 55cm...
>>>>
>>>> 51 Sam standover: 78.6 (+1cm from Vaya)
>>>> 51 Sam top tube: 56.5 (+1.5cm from Vaya) 
>>>>
>>>> 54 Sam standover: 82.0 (+4.4cm from Vaya) 
>>>> 54 Sam top tube:  58 (+3cm from Vaya) 
>>>>
>>>> An 83.8 PBH was the highest measurement out of the 10 or so times I 
>>>> measured. Most of the time it was 81.2 - 82.5 range. I'm 5'11 with a 30" 
>>>> inseam. Riv says a 51 Sam is 79-83 and a 54 is 83-86. 
>>>>
>>>> I would like to run Albatross bars and be comfy about it. 
>>>>
>>>> Which frame size should I choose? 
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>

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