I've included this here but if there is a better location could a moderator please redirect?
This year I got a Dave Moulton Fuso Lux and it is an amazing bike and no I don't want to sell it. Having said that it's a bit small and any more than 5 miles and I'm cramping. I am 6'2" tall and it's a 59cm (23 inch) frame and I usually ride a 63cm (25 inch frame). I spoke to folks at the Co-op and they said I could change things so it would fit and that simply changing the stem and or seat post could solve the problem. They said that bikes now come in S, M, L, XL and XXL sizing to save manufacturing costs and cut down on the amount of frame sizes being made.
I had hoped that adding a longer seat post so I could raise the seat 1-2 inches would make it easier on my legs but I believe that the real issue is the stem and that I need not only to raise it an inch or two, I'd also like to move the bars forward another inch.
Rather than sort through the bins at the coop for a stem and/or a seat post that fits and end up with badly beat components, I'd like to buy new ones that match the bike.
My questions are
1) Can simply replacing these components make that much of a difference?
2) Is my plan realistic and if so can anyone recommend such a stem
Lastly, I had considered going for shorter cranks but this could be start of some seriously expensive expermenation.
That is a beautiful bike! Definitely achievable to get it fitted for you perfectly.
Could you do us a favor and give us a center to center measurement on your top tube & your stem? If I was going to guess, I’d say that your stem is a 12 or 13cm Cinelli, Nitto or 3T. At 6’2”, a 59 cm bike is more contemporary for fitting your size compared with a 25” frame. Basically, not knowing your specific build (normal torso? Average leg length for your height?) I would think the Fuso if it is “off the shelf” geometry and not some oddball custom, should be blissful for you.
If you do try to play around with the stem you could always try a 5 degree upward rise quill stem. Salsa, Ritchey & ITM all made super strong chromoly stems during the era of your bike. To my eye they can look really good for stretching out a bike for a good fit with 26.0 handlebars of your choice. To each his own but to me those super high Nitto Technomic stems look Freddish and dreadful, sorry.
Honestly though, that cockpit in the picture has good proportions to my eye. Next up I would say there is a fair amount of wiggle room you could gain by going with a longer seatpost, or one with a tad more setback. I would not hesitate to put a Chinese made, titanium seatpost with a graceful setback on there. These are on eBay for under $100 and appear to be the ticket for special builds. The fact that the ti material dampens vibration is another bonus, as is the low weight. You could even play around with a saddle with lots of fore/aft adjustability (Fizik Arione comes to mind here - I need the Antares myself but it is almost as good for this).
Not sure about your torso/arm length but I’ve found that by exploring a more stretched out position, you can actually LOWER the saddle slightly which engages slightly different muscles in your feet, hamstrings, etc... which improves power under certain conditions such as climbing. This is fitting more by the “Greg “Lemond method” and to me, it’s worth experimenting with.
Good luck!