Originally Posted by hamster

By the way, I've been watching Tour de France the last few days and it struck me that most competitors were riding bikes that looked much smaller (with respect to their physiques) than mine. Just look at the size of that seat post:

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/...o_2254972b.jpg

Or to take a guy whose height is closer to mine (5'7"):

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/phot...ur-stage/79290

Measuring his frame in the picture, I get a 49.5 cm top tube and a 40.5 cm seat tube. He has a small frame and he has to raise the seat way up to accommodate his legs. On my bike, there's barely enough room for a bag and a rear light between the saddle and the frame, I had to ditch the reflector because there was no room for it.