Originally Posted by
digibud
For future reference of others in the same situation I will add that when you are faced with two bikes that can both potentially fit you by changing a stem length your choice boils down to whether you want a smaller, more aero racy bike that will have you leaned down further (picture yourself on a tiny toy bike with a super long seat post where you are leaning way down to get to the handlebar) or a larger frame with higher handlebars that puts you in a slightly less aero, more upright position. My 58cm bike is "too big" for me now. I could easily ride a 56cm bike (I'm 6') and I knew it at the time I bought it but I was roughly 100lb bigger and could not comfortably ride the 56 when I got it so I have a very short stem on my 58cm and it's just fine. A lot of people can be comfortably fitted on two different sized bikes by swapping stems.
I agree with your post here. I want to sit more upright these days due to my neck not wanting to bend upward for several hours any more. Regarding the person in the original post it was unclear to me if both the 56 and 58 were available to try. My preference in the situation of "in between sizes" would be to go larger which is against the grain of the current conventional wisdom. However as I mentioned I want to be more upright these days.
My last venture into buying a new bike was difficult since every LBS I visited did not have an XL/62 frame in stock, I'm 6' 3". The answer at all the stores near me was "research the bike you think you would want (that we carry) on-line and come in and order the size you think you need" which IMHO totally flies in the face of the LBS mantra of "The most important aspect of choosing a bike is fit". At all of the stores the bike I would order based on my own online research the bike would be mine fitting or not. I would love to be able to go to a store and find 3 different brands of bikes all in the size recommended for me and pick the most optimal. This for the most part is not possible.