Originally Posted by
Solomander
You may not find a bike that fits you exactly "off the rack" at a bike shop. What a good bike shop should do is measure you and then have a good idea of a particular type of bike that will work best with your body type. Fit can be fine tuned with stem length and height, seat setback, etc... The Cannondale that had you too stretched out, for example, might feel fine with a stem that is a couple of cm shorter and a bit higher. The most important thing is to find an LBS where the folks know what they are doing (sometimes easier said than done).
IMHO 100% correct. Finding a bike that fits you perfectly, off the rack, in todays market is rare. In the old days, bike frames increased by two or three cms. Today, 4cms or more is the norm. A good shop spends time adjusting the bike.
Beware of the shop that says, "You'll get used to it" or tries to tell you the bike is correct, you have to change. Unfortunatley, there are lots of shops that don't spend time making the bike correct.
BTW if you are looking for relaxed geometry, try Giant OCR.