Originally Posted by
zonatandem
Do you buy shoes that are too small?
Growing up I always had shoes a half size or more too big, on the theory I'd grow into 'em. Now that I buy my own shoes, and my feet aren't growing, I buy them a little on the small size, and they stretch to fit. So... yes, I do. But it's a bad analogy; bike frames don't stretch.
Originally Posted by
sirpoopalot
bikes are one-size-fits all deals. look at the bikes at walmart.
Yeah, yeah. In the last year I've put over 3000 miles on a folding bike with frame that measures about 31 cm c-t. It has a looooooong seat post, and it fits me fine.
I've been 6' tall since some time in the late 70's, and my first ten speed, a Raleigh Record, was a 25 1/2" frame. This was soon replaced by a Grand Prix, same size. But a couple years later, when I bought my Raleigh Pro in '80, and my Trek 720 in '83, the "correct" size for me was 24" or 24 1/2," and to my surprise they fit about the same; the seat post was just set a little higher. I later switched to a 23" Cannondale touring bike, and a few years ago, when looking at buying a new road bike, the shop sized me for a 56 cm frame; and that, too, fit just fine. Recently I've started riding my Trek again... and it's nice. I'm not saying they all fit the same; but they all fit within acceptable parameters.
Part of this equation is that before the Mountain Bike craze began in the mid 80's, seat posts were all quite short. There was no way I could ride a 22" frame back then; now, with a longer seatpost, I can.
Another part of this equation is that there's more than one way to measure frames. Ideally all measurements should be labeled, c-c for center to center, c-t for center to top, etc.
And then there's crank arm length. If you prefer shorter crank arms, you will want a larger frame, and vice-versa.
That said, Luke, I see no reason why you can't be perfectly happy on a 60 cm c-c frame if you find one you like. Put a few hundreds, or thousands, of miles on it; and if you still want a bigger frame, keep looking; sooner or later you'll find a good frame in the size you want at the price you want; I've seen quite a few 62 cm frames for sale on Craigs List in the last half year. Be sure to check NJ and Philadelphia.