Originally Posted by
QtDL
Hey everyone - I'm looking to upgrade my bike within the next year, possibly to a CF bike. Road bikes have always been difficult to fit for me because of my odd body type - slender female about 5'8" with longer arms and legs, shorter torso. Basically any stock bike I buy I need to refit the front end with a new stem and bars - right now I have 36cm bars and a 70mm 35 deg rise stem on a 52/53ish cm top tube frame. I know it's a weird and kind of ugly setup but it's the only thing that alleviated my initial back pain when I first bought the bike (stock bars were 40 cm and the stem was 90/95ish mm with a 10 deg rise). All the literature I have read says that for my body type I will have a hard fit because I will generally need to bring the bars as close and as high as possible. I was wondering if someone could recommend a make/model/manufacturer that has frame geometry with shorter head tubes and slightly longer head tubes (I think this is what I would need to make the lease modifications in the long run). or if people with similar body types could chime in with any advice they may have. Price is not an issue at the moment as this is something I will be saving up for. Comfort is my main concern. Thanks in advance!
Here's a thought - for the cost of a bike with a carbon fiber frame, you could have a custom built steel frame with a CF fork. It would fit you perfectly, weight would be around 16-19lbs depending on what you add and you'd be very comfortable. There are a number of steel frames makers that are modestly priced -
Rodriquez Bikes and
Gunnar are two that come to mind. Lead time would be about 4 weeks or less this time of year with Gunnar.
We built some gravel bikes a couple of years ago and used Gunnar frames. Great ride, very comfortable and they fit perfectly. My wife, who is about your size, wound up with a Gunnar Crosshairs and it came in at around 17-18lbs using 105 components and a Gunnar steel fork (looks nice, but it's heavy). If you got a Sport - which would be a very comfortable frame - and a carbon fork, you'd probably be around 15.5-16lbs in a bike which is comparable to a CF frame. Today's steel is high tech stuff. These bikes would ride like butter and be a great ride.
Gunnar bikes are offered through local bike shops. Find a good one and they will help you dial the fit in perfectly.
J.