MrCjolsen

I ordered an new Surly Crosscheck frame to replace the one I crashed.

I always felt a 60cm frame was a bit too large for me. My saddle was usually pushed all the way forward, standover was real close, and even with a 100mm stem, I always seemed to be wanting to set my hands back away from the brake hoods. The standover has come into play recently since I've actually done a few cross races recently and plan to do more.

So I ordered a 58.

What I didn't realize was that the head tube on the 58 was a good deal shorter than the 60. I like to have about 1" of drop. On the original fork, I only cut about 1" off the top. Cutting the same amount on the 58 means about 6 cm of spacers. If I don't cut it at all and use a -17 degree stem, I'll have about 9cm of spacers.

How many spacers is too many?

AndrewP

Use a 90 or +6 stem, whic h will have to be a bit longer. I dont like to see more than 3 cm of spacers, but leave room for a spacer on top.

JeffS

Flip the stem up and run fewer spacers. And stop adjusting reach by moving your saddle.

MrCjolsen

I don't adjust my reach by moving my saddle. But the 58 has a steeper top tube than the 60.

What I was hoping to do is start with my stem flipped down and have the option of flipping it up if I want. I really just don't want to cut it.