Touring - touring bike for long legs-short torso

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I want a full touring bike within 1000 bucks range. I'm 5'71/2 with 34 inseam -22in. arms and short torso. Anyone have advice on what bike might fit. I'm too far away from lbs with inventory to test ride. I have been scouring the web for ideas, but most are folks with average porportions. I have especially been eying the surly long hauler, but mostly want a bike that fits. I ride a 57 eros bianchi with a riser short stem. Cockpit is rather squashed for my legs with this set-up. Thanks for any advice or words of wisdom.
MichaelW
01-30-08, 11:09 AM
With long legs, standover is not a problem (and the compact-style of frame is unneccesary). The critical dimension is length. If you ride a bike at the moment you should be able to figure out your ideal top tube length. You can vary it a bit by adjusting the stem to maintain total reach.
You need a longer seat post and a shorter stem on a smaller frame than some other people. But there's no formula -- you need to determine what actually feels comfortable to you on a real bicycle in the real world.
Experiment first on the bike you already have, or a $100 touring bike, or three or four $25 thrift store bikes. Don't buy an expensive new touring bike until you nail this down, or you'll be . . . uncomfortable with your decision.
Michael my road bike tt is fine with a short stem, but I feel it contributes to more squirrly steering and unstableness on descents and high crosswinds. I'm thinking a shorter stem on a touring bike won't be such a problem due to a longer wheel base.
Takara, it sounds like your telling me to be patient. Our south dakota winters aren't a good time to find older bikes and test ride.
Thanks for your comments.
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