Originally Posted by
brons2
Well.
Stack heights? I'm a retro grouch. Most of my bikes have threaded stems. Only my Paul Taylor has threadless, and that bike stretches me out pretty far anyway, so I don't need any spacers or much of a stem. It has a 66cm seat tube and 66cm top tube. Not sure what the head tube is.
200mm cranks? Lately I have been riding 175 cranks because the 180s had been making my knees sore. Yes, I feel more efficient with the 180s but for whatever reason I'm getting more knee pain with them. I probably need to go back and control for q-factor, that might one one difference I am not taking into account. But to say that I would like 200s when I've already moved down from 180s, seems contrary to logic for me, speaking only of my own needs. I'm sure that when I was in my early 30s doing double centuries every other weekend that I would have appreciated much longer cranks. At 42, almost 43, I don't love the 180s anymore and I think I wouldn't love the 200s either.
Riding 175s does have one big distinct advantage anyway, you can find them anywhere, and for cheap! The TA Carmina crankset with 180 crank arms on my Riv cost over $500 if you include the cost of the TA bottom bracket. Whereas with 175s there are tons of cost-effective choices in cranksets.
I guess the other thing is that, I am not in the market to buy one of these KHS747 bikes anyway, or any other bike for that matter. I picked up my tandem recently and that's going to be it for a long time. I am glad KHS is doing this though, I think it's great for tall guys that need a bigger bike. I don't see the harm in speculating on whether it fits me or not. I guess with a stem that had a high degree of rise it would be to my preferences.
If I do happen to see a KHS 747 somewhere, I will stop and ask for a test ride. There is a KHS dealer about 4 miles from my house. I will ask them if they have any plans of carrying one in their store stock.
Anyway...carry on....glad you guys like your 747's, I love my bikes too.
Brons2,
Please don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you or anyone else "need" 200mm arms. I am suggesting that extremely tall riders, for whom they might work, not perpetuate the possibly false notion that they're unneccessary, harmful or won't work without having had any first had experience.
I too am 43 and have had my share of knee issues over the years. Crank length is far from the only thing that can cause knee issues. Saddle height, setback, cleat position, hip and saddle alignment can all contribute, as well as the Q-factore you mention and gear selection. If you're riding 2nd hand custom frames that were designed for another you may very well find that one or more of those issues could be addressed to rectify your knee soreness.
You don't have to have a threadless headset to have a stack dimension. All bikes can be measured in the X,Y plane. Or, the headtube measures would suffice. But, I believe you understood the point. The 747 has approximately 250mm of headtube. That gives you almost full use of a 350mm steering tube.
Anyhow. You've already labelled yourself an early Retrogrouch and your bicycle selection would suggest that you're correct in this regard. I would still love to see some photos of what sounds like a pretty cool collection.