Originally Posted by
Sasquatch16
I don't quite agree with this. I am 6'4 with a 37" cycling inseam. I bought a 63" frame bike because it is the largest I could find and yes I can adjust seat post for pedals but drop to handlebars is unbearable. Granted I am 53 and probably not as flexible as I would like but ended up getting a 45 Deg x 120mm stem to get bars up. They are now about 2" lower than seat and bearable. Next bike I get I will definitely try and find larger frame. I may even have a frame built and buy a good component bike from Bikes Direct and move everything over. I want to get another year of seat time to see if I loosen up any before going this route.
Sasquatch, you hit the nail right on the head here. If you have are of a taller height, there will be an inherent problem with your handlebar height. This comes from almost all off the shelf bikes only having a steerer that is 300mm long. There are very few forks that come with anything longer, and those that do can cost more than a frame on its own. Even just buying one of the extra long steerer forks isn't a good fix as carbon steerers like what's on Zinn's current offerings should only be a certain amount extended from the head tube. A bigger frame with taller head tube is necessary in the end and the options are few and pricey (except for say the KHS if it fits). A lot of tall people tend to overlook or forget the steerer factor or seat to bar drop when looking for a new bike. I am flexible in my relative youth at 34 and have no problems with my current bike, although I'm looking for a longer top tube on my next ride to reign in the stem length a little. I currently have the stem (adjustable) at 0° and right at the top of a 300mm steerer. The sacrifice is having a lot of weight over the front instead of on the seat where it should be.