I said:
Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
Try it. That is a good price. I should probably use a 60 but I have a 58 LHT.
...
And got this comment:
Originally Posted by
njkayaker
Would a 56 have worked for you?
He was recommeded a 58 or 60, which suggests that the 58 is marginally too small for him. Depending on the size of his feet, the overlap could be worse for him on the 56.
I could use a 56cm if I had a longer stem, assuming that the steerer was not cut.
You really should focus on top tube length when looking at bike fitting well. One 58cm bike might fit quite differently from another 58cm bike. That is why I suggested that he try it.
I worked in a bike shop in the 1970s. Back then most bikes came in about 3 sizes instead of about 10. We have gotten very picky about getting our bikes sized just right, but realistically a change of stem can often make up for quite a bit of sizing difference without any problems.
My niece uses a 58cm carbon road bike but she is several inches shorter than me and her previous hybrid was a very different size from her road bike. The difference was that her hybrid had a pretty long top tube, the road bike a short top tube. You really do not know how a bike will fit until you get on it and try it.