Originally Posted by
trigger
Yes - I do indeed have long legs, and a short torso. My current commuter - Marin Hybrid - is on the large side, and while the stand-over is "perfect", I find the cockpit, even with a short stem, to be uncomfortable on long rides. I also favour a steep-ish saddle to bar drop, and the height of my cross bar is sometimes a little scary if I have to come off the pedals quickly.
From the feedback above it seems:
1) 57cm is ballpark OK
2) the bike might be a tad short, but this can be corrected with tweaking some parts
3) the fact that I like an "agressive" saddle to bar drop might correct / compensate if the bike is indeed a tad short ???
4) my short torso might like the 57cm
If the fit can't be tweaked enough for comfort on long rides (150 - 200 miles / week) I guess I can always convert it to a SS for around town use.
I like climbing on a smaller frame---however, I like riding on the flats with a bigger frame. In the end, I have settled on using a smaller frame 55cm (c-t-t) with a longish stem ---and I have more than a fist of seatpost showing.
Two important factors: everything else being equal, a smaller frame is lighter and stiffer. Oh, and I am 6 feet tall.