I want to begin this post by first thanking all of the people that
have graciously taken their time and helped me think about all of the
necessary decisions I have to made regarding frame size and my chance
to buy a SURLY Long Haul Trucker.
As some of you might remember, I'm an Ex-Pat who lives in Taiwan and
have been riding a LHT demo for the past couple of weeks - graciously
given to me by my LBS - so as to help me make the decision about what
size I'll need.
Well, if you are a foreigner living in Taiwan, there are often weird
communication problems that come up from time to time. Especially if
your Chinese isn't that good.
Actually, often is a massive under-estimation. I'd say every day.
Well, as it turns out, there was a slight communication problem with
the LBS.
Apparently, the LHT that I've been riding for the last couple of weeks
isn't actually a 52CM frame at all but rather a 50CM bike.
I guess the boss of the LBS himself actually believed that the LHT
that he had ordered to use as a demo model for his shop was a 52CM but
I called the importer this past weekend and he told me - in no
uncertain terms - that it was actually a 50CM.
I suppose it doesn't help that there isn't a sticker on the bike with
the frame size on it.
Crazy. Bizarre. Welcome to Asia
Its also partially my fault I guess. All of the times I measured the
frame was from the middle of the seat tube bracket to the middle of
the bottom bracket which is actually around 52CM.
It never concurred to me to actually check the proper way SURLY
measures their frames.
Anyway, this actually answers a lot of questions with me always kind
of believing that a slightly larger frame was in order given my height
and inseam.
Height: 170CM
PBH: 79 - 80 CM.
This after hearing from lots of folks and checking out the very useful
spead-sheet for LHT owners.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?k...s0XLxM31WpvkCw
Today is the last possible day I can order the 52CM LHT from the
exporter as a shipment is being sent off to the USA next week and
he'll be able to -at the last minute- snag one of them for me to be
sold domestically here in Taiwan.
I just wanted to mention a couple more things and hopefully, to get
just a little more input about the sizing decision. Which is, now,
clearly between the 50CM and the 52CM LHT.
#1 I've ridden the 50CM LHT on 3 long 30-40KM rides through the
mountains. I initially had the stock stem on it which was too short
and caused me to feel cramped. That, plus the fact that the bar-end
shifters were hitting me in the knees. Since then, the LBS has given
me an adjustable stem that is plenty long and I've been able to find
the 'sweet-spot' for me with the bars just above the seat.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64532733@N00/3518586726/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64532733@N00/3518584378/
#2 I feel that with the new stem, I've got enough cock-pit room and I
don't feel cramped when I ride but as you might be able to see from
the picture, the seat is also almost as back on the rails as it can
go. In this sense, while I think the bike is almost perfectly dialed
in for me, its sort of at the absolute MAXIMUM of adjust-ability. As
it stands, the seat is where it should be. The stem as you see if
fairly long I think and as you can also see by the picture, there is
only about 1 CM left of room if I want to put the seat back on the
rails. Whereas, there is more than a full inch if I want to put it
forward.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64532733@N00/3518577960/
#3 I've been told by a bunch of folks, and read on the Rivendell site,
that a fist-full of seat post might be a good measure of the proper
standard for where it should be. On the 50CM that I've been testing,
it is about a fist full. I have small fists.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64532733@N00/3518579074/
I know, for sure, that I will have to drop the seat post at least a
couple of CM to compensate for the fact that the 52CM will be a little
higher. What do people think about that? Would that be a problem?
#4 Stand-over height. Well, its basically the same as its been except
for the fact that now I know for a fact that the 52CM LHT is the
absolute biggest I could go.
The question is, should I?
Presently, if I stand over the 50CM bike with a pair of NIKE shoes on,
I've got a good 2-2.5CM of clearance.
If I elevate the bike by putting 2CM of book under each tire, I've got
really no clearance when I stand over the bike. My sack is resting on
the top-tube *excuse me* and the top tube would be touching my crotch.
HOWEVER, it is not hitting my pubic bone. I could jump up and down all
day and not really damage the pubic bone.
Thats pretty much it.
I've got to decide in the next few hours or so which bike to get.
Keep the 50CM demo that I've been riding, comfortably but not really
ever being able to get out of my head that it 'feels' a little small and that its MAXED OUT in
terms of adjust ability.
OR
Do I order the 52CM blindly trusting that most of the people with my
dimensions on the spread sheet who use the 52CM bike and have had good
luck with them. Also, trusting in a few shop owners -with experience
in touring bikes- have told me that a little bigger is a little better
and the 52 is the bike to go for.
And of course, the knowledge that you fine folks on the forum have
imparted to me.
I'm hoping for one final set of comments to help me in my hour of
need.
What do you folks reckon I should do?
Thanks very much in advance.
Joe