robb.

i have a 56cm 1997 giant kronos GS that is a fairly decent taiwanese steel road frame with low grade mountain components on it. it is a little small for me, but it's all i have right now.

i raised the seat to its highest position based on information from a competetivecyclist.com fit calculator, and it feels a lot better than it used to, but i was thinking it would get better if i could adjust the handlebar position by getting a new headset and stem. the stock part is a 1" chin haur headset with an aluminum stem. it doesn't have spacers to adjust the height. it's just a fixed height stem.

is it hard to find a decent 1" headset these days? i'm not sure what effect a new headset will have on the stock fork. also, do i need a new headset or can i just get a new stem? what kind of stems will be available for a 1" headset? will i need to get new handlebars? what concerns should i have for this kind of project?

i would tear it all down myself, but i'm still riding it, so i don't have a lot of time for science projects. what do i need to know to source parts and make changes?

thanks.
robb.

Retro Grouch 

That's all you really need to know.

How old are you? That bike is as big as it's ever going to be right now. I'm thinking you might not be. You can change almost everything on a bike but the frame size.

robb.

i'm 33, so i think i'm done growing.

i almost bought an orbea ora a month ago, but family priorities do allow for a new bike this summer. i can swing $100 or so if it doesn't turn into a massive project. so i have raised the seat on this one, which made it a lot closer than i thought possible. if i can make it a little better (e.g. longer stem, maybe lower) it might get even closer to a reasonable fit. also, i'm slowly learning the details involved in bike parts, and i like the idea of a DIY update of an older, perfectly reasonable frame.

regarding the fit of the frame, it is exactly as described. it is a little small. this means i do not plan to ride a century on it. but it's still plenty usable for me. it's probably a reasonable size to convert to a tri bike, but it's not aero geometry, which is enough sacrifice to make me not want to spend the money getting a 105 group and aero bars. i may as well buy a used tri bike for that money. when i get a better bike, my plan is to convert this frame to a fixie for town (and mackinac island) use. it has shown itself very capable for that sort of use. and i might want a different stem length or height when that day comes, anyway. god forbid i want to change handle bars.

so does anyone have good advice about how the fork, stem, and headset all play together? do i need a new headset at all? will i need a new fork if i go with a more modern threadless headset (assuming the current headset is threaded)? what should i be aware of?

thanks!
robb.

robb.

i just learned about the quill stem adapter that will convert from 1" threaded to 1-1/8" threadless, allowing me to get a threadless stem without a bunch of muckity muck. yay!

robb.