Originally Posted by
boozergut
I went to a Bianchi shop about ten years ago. I was carefully measured for a 55 cm Bianchi. I never got used to the long top tube combined with SORA shifters. I subsequently purchased an old school 54 cm Miyata with Shimano 600 down tube shifters. I fell in love. Nice soft ride. I got rid of the Bianchi shortly there after.
Top tube length is indeed one of the most important parameters when seeking a bicycle that fits you properly, although you can sometimes compensate for a long top tube with a short-reach handlebar stem, as I did with my Peugeot PKN-10. Fortunately, my 55cm C-T Bianchi and my 55cm C-T Capos are all very close to my ideal in top tube length, although the Bianchi uses 73 degree angles, instead of 72.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069