Originally Posted by
HillRider
"Standardized fit dimensions" are, at best, a starting point for individuals. Some riders are quite tolerant of a variety of bike positions and others very particular. You may have to make adjustments.
BTW, Greg LeMond's fitting method was based largely on him and he had unusual proportions in that his femurs were longer than most people relative to his leg length and overall height. His frames had shallow seat tube angles that didn't work for most riders. So, be aware that a "standardized fitting method" may not be standardized for you.
Thanks. If that's true, then using LeMond's (and perhaps others') method would possibly result in a bike that doesn't fit Molly at all. Perhaps my method - duplicating a professionally fitted ergo setup for a similarly-sized rider - may actually be a better starting point. And I do love eggs Benedict.
I finished the initial setup (new shorter bars and stem, and seat moved forward slightly) 2 days ago. Jane, my beautiful assistant and test rider, loved the way it rode and felt. So I'm close. But Molly had asked for flat handlebars; I don't have any and had to order those. And the handlebar tape I bought looks cheesy - shiny plastic. So it's all back apart again, waiting on the new bars. Hopefully I'll get the bars in before Sunday. The original bars were 40cm, as are the new bars. Wishing now I'd ordered the bars in the narrower 38 cm size. Molly is smallish. But Jane never noticed the difference when I narrowed her bars from 40 to 38 cm. Hopefully Molly will also be fine with it.
These are fun projects. For around $100 and a few hours of labor, I think I can provide a good friend with a bike she'll be much happier with, and will therefore ride more. Thanks for the help, all of you. DB