Howdy all,

I have recently resumed my long-neglected interest in cycling. For many years my only bike was a 1988 Schwinn Impact MTB with 23" Cro-Mo frame (measured from the center of the crank spindle to the top of the seat tube). It is a bit small, I suppose, but has served me well since it was new.

Wanting to get into road riding, in 2006 I bought a Schwinn Varsity 700c at WalMart (I know, I know...). It has an aluminum frame measuring 55.6cm (measured from the center of the crank spindle to the top of the seat tube, which I realize is not the current c-to-c way that road frames are measured). The top tube is about 56cm, c-to-c.

While at WalMart, I set the seat post all the way up to maximum safe height, and thought the bike felt like it would be OK. Note that I have never even sat astride a large road bike, so I don't know what I'm missing...

But after some miles on the road, I now realize that it's just WAY too small for me. Since my budget is quite small, I thought my best option would be to find a tall frame on eBay, and swap all my Schwinn's parts over to it. I have no problems working on bikes, so the labor doesn't bother me. I realize that the Schwinn's parts are not exactly great, but they'll do for now, until I can scrounge some better parts as needed and as affordable. I don't know if the aluminum frame and steel fork from the Schwinn will be worth anything on eBay, but I'll give it a shot.

My problem is deciding on what frame size to seek. I am just under 6'6" tall, and my inseam is about 37" with bare feet. I'll have to try the straddling a broomstick method while wearing shoes to nail down my maximum stand over height. It seems that I will need a 66cm frame, perhaps taller, to really fit me well. I don't mind having the top tube quite close to my nethers, if that large frame will make me more comfortable in the saddle. I especially want to keep the handlebar up at a good height without needing a stem riser or goofy tall stem- that has been the biggest "pain" in riding the wee Schwinn- having to lean over so far to reach the drops. I also prefer a fairly long top tube and wheelbase for potential use a long distance tourer. Steel (even mild steel) is just fine with me, as is aluminum. I'm not going to get too exited about a few pounds of frame weight one way or the other, as I weigh 185+.

But in my searches so far, it seems that 66cm and larger road frames are rare on the 'Bay. Any ideas on where else to search? I live in the boonies of upstate NY, so Craig's List is not likely to offer many bikes on high.

Darron
Brantingham, NY