Originally Posted by
garysol1
We are talking about FIT in this thread and if he has to have the post at 1cm from the max AND has to use a 120 stem then I stand by my statement that it is the wrong size frame. Would a 56 work for this guy the obvious answer is yes it will work but it is not optimal. I also GUARANTEE that I or any other fitter could exactly duplicate the fit that he has now on his 56 on a 58 and be much closer to the bullseye. You are correct that a 120 is hardly out of the ballpark of norm but when you take that AND the fully extended post the evidence does not lie.
First...I agree with you as a 6'1" guy with long legs. I would never be on a 56. I am on a 58 with 130mm...so I can't understand how a guy my size could ride so cramped anyway. I could easily ride a 60cm bike and have comfortably.
The dynamic I see common on this forum is guys riding 1 frame size down emulating racers...ONLY...with short stem. Most top racers ride with a stem 130-140mm...there are exceptions but most size down frames sizes for more drop...top racers aren't like average road bike riders....BUT...they still need to satisfy reach and hence a long stem.
At the end of the day it doesn't matter. An average rider will never be transformed to a strong rider by changing a frame size. Also, most aren't willing to own a number of different frame sizes to learn what works best for them. The only way to know is to try every permutation of drop, reach, setback, bar shape, width etc. I have, like a few here I am sure as well. When you ask the question like the OP has...you are just starting out. You have to go there to know for sure and other's word on it isn't really good enough if you want to ride with the best geometry.