On Jan 17, 2013, at 10:54 AM, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <[email protected]> wrote:
> IMO, getting the frame size exactly right is a bit over-emphasized unless > you're really pushing the limits of stem and seatpost adjustment and > standover clearance. I know people want certainty before laying out big $$$ > for a frame, but after you get close enough, it's all trial and error and > adaptation and overcoming preconceived notions (the preconceived notions part > is the most important, and Riv is good at that). We have a joke at HC - every > time we build up a new bike of any size, we take a test ride and say "I could > ride this!". The truth is that "optimum" is always between two stock sizes, > so there's always a tiny compromise involved. For that matter, "optimum" > changes over time and space, maybe even during the course of a single ride. > And some people are simply more physically or mentally adaptable to the > variance than others are. Yep. My All-Rounder is 59.5 cm and is a very comfortable bike. The bike frame I designed and built is 63.5 cm and is a very comfortable bike. My Ritchey road bike is 60 cm and is a very comfortable bike. I am 6'4" tall with a 90 to 91 cm PBH. What's important is the saddle-pedal-handlebar triangle. I am able to get those close enough to the same on each of those bikes that each is very comfortable for long rides. Worrying about 5 to 10 mm here or there rapidly becomes princess-and-the-pea. Close enough is close enough. If you're within a cm of "perfect" you're probably fine barring some morphological challenge like compensating for scoliosis or bad discs or something like that. One of the worst things to ever happen to bike fit was the widespread discussion of formulas like the Guimard method (Lemond and Hinault's books, for example) and Eddy B's book (although later on he got much more practical and realistic). The problem is that bike fit is dynamic and the formulas depend on static measurements of things that are basically impossible to get right with a tape measure. I remember a guy pitching a major hissy fit on wreck.bikes because the top tube on his new custom (Riv content: the guy had sent the specs of a Riv road frame to a cheaper custom builder) was 1 mm too short. Yep, his bike was *ruined* and his money was wasted. It was tragic. Oh, the humanity! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
