Originally Posted by
MegMC
@Salamandrine off the top of your head can you think of any CV bike types that might have a more favorable seat to top tube length ratio for my shorter torso?
Not really. Maybe take a look at some of the top models of various bike shop lines, rather than race specific bikes like Colnago or whatever. I'm thinking Univega Specialissima, Fuji Opus, Centurion whatever -- that sort of thing. These were spec'd out like race bikes, but many times went a little shorter on top tubes to make them work for non racers. Unfortunately, they didn't tend to publish geometry specs then, and they varied widely from year to year.
How shirt or long of a stem can I reasonably do without it affecting handling negatively? I’m mainly concerned about twitchiness.
Hard to say and it depends. Yeah, longer stems generally are slightly more stable feeling. You'd need to try it really. I'd say offhand going to an 8cm is pretty safe most of the time. Try to avoid 74 degree+ head tubes.
For instance, I ran across some tempting options (non CV though) while perusing CL - two 2002 LeMond Zurich Reynolds bikes for steal prices around $300: one is a 53 with 545 mm top tube, 110 mm stem, with 116 mm head tube. the other is a women specific 49 with a 510 mm top tube, 90 mm stem and 100mm head tube.
I would probably more ideally fit to the 51 between them. Would it be a fools errand to try either? The women’s has a lot less wear, appearing almost new, and is priced cheaper but I don’t know the extent to which I could reasonably fiddle with the fit. The headtubes on the women’s are higher relative to the men’s sizes.
Thought it might be a cheap solution to get out on a reasonably fast steel bike and see what I like and don’t like before attempting advanced high end C&V build.
Could be. Not a bad strategy to get your fit dialed in. Perhaps you can test ride before buying? That really tells you more than anything. The women specific bike sound a little closer, though a little on the small side. You may need a longer seatpost. Main reason I said avoid small frames is because you don't want excessive drop to the bars. Since it has a taller head tube, that problem goes away.