Originally Posted by Dion

Harold,

That may pose a bike fit problem that can cause a number of physical pain if it's not correct for you. If not fitted correctly, you will experience foot, knee, neck and back pain

Here's a bit of advise: Before ordering any upgrade, ride the bike in stock form. You need to get the seat, stem height and seat fore/aft position in the right place to make sure it fits you. A bike is absolutely no good if it doesn't fit you properly, and stem length (the stock is 90mm) plays a huge part in that. That Origin 8 stem has a significant drop and the quill length is only 150mm. The stock quill length is 200mm for a good reason.

On the Nano, we are also looking at the stock handlebar, which has width, drop and reach variables that may or may not fit you. Also, you will need to adjust the bar "drops" position, which should be in a range that you can ride in the drops without feeling any pain in your neck or back. It should also be in a position where you're not knee'ing yourself in the chin when pedaling.

I see a lot of people, especially on fixies, with extremely ill-fitted bikes. I see people with drops that never ride in the drops, and I see frames that are too big with the seat slammed all the way to the seat tube - all bad. Again, if the bike does not fit you properly, you will run into physical pain that is very unpleasant and will make you want to get rid of your bike.

You often wonder how the Tour guys ride 100-150 miles a day, at race pace, for three weeks. Add in some insane time-trials. Aside from the fact that these people are world-class athletes, they have a team of professionals getting the bike fit perfect for them. Most of us don't have that, bit we do have the interwebz that has some great pointers on how to get it real close, if not spot on.

Back to the original post - a short crank arm is good for a fixed gear bike to avoid pedal strike. But on a geared, freewheel bike, you can up your crank arm length for a little more gain ratio (or "leverage").