Originally Posted by
Notgrownup
I think all the suggestions can go either way, you have to get a bike you like and adjust...Unless you have a QUALIFIED fitter...i Didn't so i am working with wath i picked...i am adjusting my CAAD8 until i find the perfect scenario...Hell i did the same thing with my $20000.00 hARLEY so i think i can manage it with a $600 bike....On the next bike next year i will go see a fitter i found in Raleigh NC...NHe sellls KHS, Colnago and Pinnarello...I will then get something that fits perfectly...Probably a carbon frame..
Now it makes sense why you can live with a stem riser...because you are coming off a Harley.
Ducati owners would never opt for that arrangement on a road bike....Kidding.
If interested the CAAD8, which is a fine bike, has a racey geometry...a popular crit bike for example. Cannondale makes the Synapse which has a taller head tube and you would prefer it without a stem riser though you may still opt of riser stem. A comfort geometry bike has other compensations like longer chainstays and slacker head tube and more fork rake to compensate for a taller head tube and greater rider rear weight bias which preserves handling when raising the handlebar. A stem riser on a race bike makes handling twitchy because your weight is moved rearward. Many prefer a higher handlebar position and why a comfort or endurance geometry bike is so popular.