61cm, no doubt about it. I'm 6'3" with 36" inseam and comfortably ride a bike with a 62.5cm effective top tube. If you must, you can always adjust your reach with a stem swap. As others have already mentioned, the larger frame will have a higher stack height which is an important consideration with bike fit.

Depending on your riding background, a 58cm might feel comfortable on the sales floor but out on the road things are different. True, you can just as easily swap stems on a small frame as a large, but the steering feel and handling deteriorates considerably (IMO) with extra long stems. Slight discomforts which seem to be small and inconsequential in the showroom grow larger the longer you ride.

I've spent a lifetime trying to fit myself onto bikes that were too small. I've been hunched over too small frames with long stems, toes overlapping front ends and seats slid back on offset seatposts. Mostly because the correct size wasn't readily available. "We can make it fit," they'd say. And me, always impatient and unwilling to wait for an ordered bike, wanted to believe.

I strongly recommend you find and ride a 60-62cm bike -- even if it's nothing you'd want to buy. Try it out for size and feel. Obviously, it would be best if you could find something with similar geometry as the bike you really want but even if it's not exactly the same it'll give you a better idea about what a larger frame size feels like to ride. Take note of top tube lengths and stem lengths for an idea about what feels best for your reach. If you can't find bikes to ride in your size at your local shops, remember Craigslist. Then, go order the bike you want in the size you need. Good Luck!


-Kedosto