Originally Posted by carpediemracing

+1

The exception being when you only want the parts and expensive things like the cranks are the right size.

For the OP: Competitive Cyclist has three different styles of fit. Which one did you use?

For handling while riding along I'd go with a longer stem if possible. It weights the front end more and stabilizes the bike. When I ride a short stemmed bike it feels very skittery.

Also, if the top tube and stem length are within range, the most significant factor in fit is the head tube length. This determines the ultimate range of how high/low the bars can be relative to whatever your seat height is. It's seems odd to me to buy a short head tube race frame when a "comfort" oriented bike actually fits better. Shorter and/or taller (the effect is the same) bikes fit long legged, short torso'ed riders better, and for some reason they are all marketed as "comfort" bikes. Okay, they have a longer chainstay, typically, and maybe a more relaxed front end, but fit-wise there's no reason why a race bike can't be shorter and taller if it fits the racer.

For example, my ideal bike would be something like a 50 cm equivalent seat tube with a 56-58 cm top tube (I give a range for tt because I've been fine on a 55.5 cm tt but felt I could go further, and I was using a 13 cm stem, likewise I can't imagine going past a 58 cm tt). Currently I use a 53.5 tt with a 13 stem, reason being is that any longer frame I can find has a head tube that is too tall. I think my 55.5 tt frame had a head tube 5 cm taller than my current one.

Since I have no spacers, the skinny top piece for the headset, and a 73 stem (parallel to ground), the 12 cm head tube length is the max I can use. I'd prefer perhaps a 10 or 11 cm but that doesn't seem possible to get a tt length of at least 53 cm.

I do NOT have some crazy drop to the bars. Au contraire. I do have very short legs so my seat is pretty low, but my long torso requires a long tt for me to fit properly.

Just yesterday I went on a ride where at some point we discussed fit. To obscure my hub would take about 5 cm more length in the tt/stem length, i.e. a 58 tt would fit. This is one of the many justifications I have for desiring a bike like Bennati's 52x58 Cannondale.

wishing for Bennati's bike,
cdr