Originally Posted by allgoo19
I don't think comparing those pictures is fair. What makes pic one doesn't look as sharp as the pic two is the position of the handle bar relative to the seat height. If it was adjusted to the same relative height as LeMond, it may not look as dorky as it does now.
I agree. I prefer the look and the design of compact frames. The handlebars are too high in the first photo. The second photo has negative rise stem which always looks wrong to me. Why not just have a shorter head tube (and lower top tube)? Unless you are very short, the frame is taller than it needs to be (more weight) and the stem has a tiny bit more metal than necessary. I like to see a stem that goes directly from the top of the headset to the handlebar. If a stem that is 90º from the head tube angle (slight rise), you have a stem that is as light as possible. It's not enough weight difference to really matter, but lighter LOOKS better to me (and that's why compact frames look better to me). A stem parallel to the ground or slightly more rise than 90º is fine, after all fit trumps looks anytime, but a stem that corrects for too long head tube looks like you made a mistake. Aesthetics are secondary, but that's my pet peeve. Couple a negative rise stem with riser bars on an MTB and you will see a little steam coming out of my ears when I see it, but hey, it doesn't really matter...
