MissDaisy

I have a 56 cm Salsa Vaya 2, but think the 55 cm may be a better fit. A new frame is $750. I'm considering getting a 55 cm frame and having a lbs build it up with all of the components from my existing 56 cm. Any idea how much that would typically cost? I'll call around but thought I'd ask here first. Wondering if it is more cost effective to just get a new Vaya and sell the existing one (which is about 2 months old!).

mm718

That's an expensive frame! I assume you've tried stem adjustments and so forth to try to get the 56 to work?

My LBS said if you break your frame and want them to put the bike back together with a new frame that the labor is $150.

indyfabz

Depends on where you are. A componet transfer in NYC is probably going to cost you more than the same service would in other markets. With that said, I think the $150 figure mentioned is probably a good ballpark number.

I would explore ways to make the 56cm work before dropping that sort of coin over 1cm, especially since you don't seem sure that the 55cm would be a better fit.

antokelly

250 near enough.
why dont you build it up yourself utube is your friend piece of cake .

SparkyGA

$200 CAN is the going rate around my parts.

alan s 

Instead of paying someone, buy the tools you need and learn to do it yourself. This is a valuable opportunity that should not be passed up. When you are done, bring it to a shop and have them give it a once over if in doubt. You'll then have the knowledge and tools to do the work yourself, which is both satisfying and really useful if something breaks down underway or at home and the shop is closed. Get a good book and buy quality Park Tools, which, by the way, has lots of online video tutorials.

fietsbob

I could only speak of the cost of you bring it into the Shop <here> in this town , after asking Mgr.. ..

IDK what the overhead costs are to run a Shop where you live .. have you asked them?



you could just have them do the work you don't have tools for, then do everything else on your own ..

then bring it back to the shop for a safety check , to double check your work , and show you the fine tuning

to DIY to keep the clicks and shifting in Synch.. & brakes adjusted ..

sstorkel

Agreed. Bolting components onto a frame is really very easy. The Park Tool website or their Big Blue Book will teach you everything you need to know. Most components can be installed using a screwdriver or metric Allen wrenches. A few operations require special tools, which are often inexpensive (ex: cassette lock-ring tool and bottom bracket wrenches are usually less than $15/ea). You can pay a local shop to do the specific operations where it doesn't make sense to buy the tools (ex: my local Performance Bike will press headset cups into the frame or cut a fork to length for $20) for much less than they charge to assemble a bike ($100-200 depending on shop).

bradtx

From looking at the Salsa Vaya frame geometry chart I'd hate for anyone spend so much money for so little difference. What exactly is the fitment problem?

I have a four cm difference among my roadies and the touring bikes are in the middle. I just think that a 1 cm difference can be compensated for.

Brad

antokelly

give us a run down on what gear you intend to build the frame up with .we will guide you through it bit by bit.theres loads of great bike builders on this forum.

anto.

djb

I second this, putting on a much shorter handlebar stem with an increased angle that brings your bars closer to you but at the same height will essentially do the same as making such a small change in toptube length with a diff frame (seat to handlebar distance)

there are all kinds of stems out there, a good bike shop with honest, knowledgeable people will be able to help you here. Doesnt make sense to make a frame change for that little difference.

staehpj1

Was that maybe a typo? Changing frames for a 1 cm (about 0.4") difference makes no sense to me. Many bikes have have jumps of 6 or more cm between sizes. One cm is easily adjusted for with seat height, stem choice, and so on.

If the 56 cm is really too big you probably ought to be looking at something a good bit smaller than a 55 cm. If you need to change sizes you probably should be dropping to at least a 52 cm.

seeker333

To reiterate previous comments and add some precision, there's <1cm difference in stack and reach between a 55 and 56 Vaya:

Vaya 2 | Bikes | Salsa Cycles

This is normally compensated with a change of stem a/o spacers (not a whole new frameset). You can get it right down to the millimeter if you want:

Stem Comparison Tool | yojimg.net

You probably couldn't resell the slightly used frameset for more than 500, add in rebuild cost and you're out >400USD if you go the frame swap route.

3speed

I'm being completely serious here - A bike shop near me has a closeout sale going and has Vayas in 55cm for ~$700. I really think you should just change stems and get yours to fit, but if you really want the 55cm, pay shipping and some cash for my effort, gas, etc, and I'll send you a new Vaya in 55cm. I think you should be able to sell the old one for what the 55cm costs you. Basically I think that would allow you to swap your bike for a brand new one in the size you want for a couple hundred dollars. That would be a lot better than paying $750 for a frame-set and then more to have your old parts swapped onto it.

Tourist in MSN

I worked in a bike shop in the 1970s. At that time most bike models were available in maybe three or four sizes. You often had a jump of 2 or 2.5 inches (roughly 5 to 7 cm) from one size to the next. The quill stems at that time were major hassle to change since the tape and brake lever would have to be pulled off one side of the bars to change a stem, so virtually nobody changed stems for minor fit issues.

I am sure if your frame is really 1 cm different from what you would like best, that you could make the adjustments with maybe a different stem.

I have an adjustable stem that I use each time I buy a new bike until I know exactly which stem I want for that bike. I have loaned that stem to several friends for the same purpose.

MissDaisy

Ok, I'm taking all of these comments into consideration. Perhaps the 56 can work. I already swapped the 90 mm stock stem for an 80 mm one, but think I'm still having reach issues. Perhaps I need an angled stem to tilt the bars up and back. That may make using the brifters more comfortable, too, given my small hands. (My other bikes are WSD.) I am 5.975" and have about a 33.75" PB inseam. According to Salsa's size chart, this is at the top of the Vaya 55 cm range and bottom of the 56 cm range. Most of my height is in my legs (femur), so standover is not an issue. After about 5 or 6 miles on the 56 cm, my shoulders start to hurt and I find my hands naturally resting in front of the hoods, rather than in them. The bike also feels big, which may be b/c the stock handlebar is too wide. The wrong stem length and handlebar width made me think that maybe I should have gone with the 55 frame. :-/ While there is only 1 cm difference in ETT between the 55 and 56, the wheel base is slightly longer....so the bike handles differently. Though the handling may feel different when I replace the handlebar. Ok. So I'll try replacing the handlebar first, and get an angled stem...then see what effect that has, before spending more money on a smaller frame. Do you think a larger bike works well with a smaller handlebar and stem? I wish Salsa had WSD bikes!

mm718

With both my Trek hybrid and LHT I was right on the cusp of two different sizes. With the larger sized hybrid it just felt too big and no amount of tweaks would have helped. I hated the stand over height and I felt like I had borrowed someone else's bike. I rode the bike for about a week and brought it back and exchanged it for the next smaller size and was immediately happy. Even though I have a long upper body I also went with the smaller size with my LHT and feel I made the right choice.

What everyone is saying makes a lot of sense given that the geometry differences between the bikes are small but if the tweaks don't work maybe you do need a smaller bike. Who knows maybe even a 54?

djb

If I understood, you are 5 ft 9 inches, almost 5'10"? I am a male, am a bit over 5'10" and ride a 54cm Tricross, dont know how the toptube lengths compare from my bike to yours, but the 54 works very well for me, I imagine I could have gone with the next size up (56) but for my body the 54 and 90mm stem , as well as the bars that came with it (meaning, some bars have longer distances from the flats of the bars to the curves, ie, distance to the hoods)
Probably on paper a 56 is right for me, but I suspect that I would have changed to a shorter stem.

oh, and speaking of stems, my wifes bike which fits her rather well, had a stem change at purchase to the shortest stem they had, a 65mm one, and it doesnt cause any weird handling issues. I have ridden it when fiddling with derailleur adjustments or whatever and it is not overly twitchy at all in my opinion--this is to say that you could find a much shorter stem and one that angles up more, so you can get the bars closer to you while making sure they are at the height that you like. I mention this because some people claim short stems make a bike handle badly, I disagree from my experience with putting on short stems on a few bikes.

I strongly suggest making some careful measurements of
1- the height of the top of the bars from the front wheel axle (not floor as tires can be different sizes or have more or less air), and
2- the distance from a fixed seat area to the front of the bars. I hesitate to say from the tip of the seat because you or someone else could change your seat position fore/aft*
*Do not advance your seat forward too far to compensate for too much "reach", this is bad for your knees if the seat is too forward. Read up on where your knees should be in relation to your pedal spindle, if too far forward it is not good. (I have done this 25 years ago and had a knee problem)

these measurements will allow you to know exactly how much difference a diff stem will make in your handlebar position in relation for your "reach". A bike store can change out a stem in just a few minutes, so if you have a tape measure, you can have real numbers of the handlebar change, not just "oh, this looks closer" and the salesman telling you that "this looks good for you now".

ps, on my Tricross, butting a tape measure up to the front of the seat post just below the seat (therefore avoiding diff seat lengths, seat position+all that blah blah) to the front of my bars (vertical part of bars facing the seat) the distance is 59cm.

at least this is a reference for you. Being slightly shorter than me, and perhaps having a shorter torso than me because you are a woman, I would hazard a guess to say that you might want a distance less than on my bike. Everyone is different in terms of flexibility and all that, but at least this is a reference for you, and you could compare your bike as it is right now to mine.

good luck, getting your bike to fit you better is the most important thing. How fit you are, how much your ride, how much riding experience you have, how flexible and all that is another factor, but over the internet thats impossible to assess, only you can know how you feel and hopefully my info can give you a reference to go from.

3speed

I run a 70mm stem and shallow reach bars. I wouldn't worry too much about stem length affecting handling. If you're comfortable riding the bike and it handles fine with hands behind the brake hoods, that's where they'll be with a much shorter stem, so go for it.

sstorkel

FWIW, I'm 5'9" with slightly shorter legs (= slightly longer torso) and generally ride a 54cm frame. While I can ride most 56cm frames, the position and handling never feel right. I wouldn't be surprised if you felt more comfortable on a 54cm or 55cm frame. Keep in mind that no matter what you do with the stem, it won't change the overall feel and handling of the bike much. If the frame feels big now, it will likely continue to feel big even with a different stem and bars...

antokelly

that frame is to big for you 53or54cm will fit.

saddlesores

adjustable stem like this here:

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=14975351633

edthesped

How mechanically inclined are you? If you are moderately mechanically competent you can do most to all of the work yourself. I personally find it very rewarding to do my own work, I maintain multiple bikes for a family of four and it would be cost prohibitive to have all of our bikes shop maintained. Check around where you live and see if there are any coops you can go to.

arfer1

I sympathize with your desire to get a good fit. If I understand your post, you experience shoulder pain and don't feel comfortable in the drops, and swapping out a 90 mm stem for an 80 mm didn't help. I'm not a bike fit expert, but I have had similar issues to yours, and my problem was solved by getting a longer stem, not a shorter one. Maybe others can comment on this.

Sixty Fiver

We are pretty close to the same height and I have a 33 inch riding inseam... in general I would not expect a woman who was my height to be able to ride my bikes due to the difference in reach / torso length, although there are exceptions.

I ride a 55.5 road bike (custom) and my range of rideability is 54-57... friends my height usually can't match my reach and flexibility also plays a role here.

What is more important than your leg length is your reach and I can only suspect that the issues you have with the 56 cm frame is because it is too large and that the 55 would also cause issues... a good fitter should be able to determine this and you should find someone local to you who can perform this service.

I am probably too far away but they do tell me that I'm pretty good... it is one of those skills that is essential to my work.