Originally Posted by
btppberk
I'd like to buy a new bike but I'd like it to be a racier bike rather than an endurance. I know that it all depends on the body and the bike, and that a bike fit before purchasing is the way to go, but what's a rough rule of thumb for how flexible you need to be to comfortably fit a race geometry without a big stack of spacers?
What's the saddle to handlebar drop on the bikes you currently ride? Try bikes that give you something lower than those bike and come with a big stack of spacers new out of the box.
Then as you ride and get used to being at one level, take a spacer or two out and get used to that.
I typically find that as my beer gut gets bigger during the winter, I don't get as low and spend more time on the top of the hoods. By late spring, I can stay in the drops much longer. I've still got a spacer I'm toying with the idea of removing. But I think I'll need a shorter stem to do that comfortably.