Stem length question
 

I have just completed building up a Trek Pilot for my wife. It is a 52cm. Down from the 56cm Carbon ZX Trek she was riding which never fit her well. I have installed a 90mm stem on it and it still seems that the reach to the bars is a little long for her. She is long legged and short waisted. Her KOP is perfect so I am hesitant about installing a Zero setback seatpost to move her forward that way. I can get a 70 or 80mm stem but I am worried about the handling of the bike with such a short stem. Anyone have any experience with this? I have also considered the Ritchey 80mm Adjustible stem......

thaks::)

You can do that, but it seems like a 52 might be too large a frame for her.

When you give sizes of bikes are you refering to "seat tube length" (which alone has almost nothing to do with reach, or are you refering to "top tube length", or "effective top tube length"?, What is the difference in effective top tube length of each?

We went from a 56.5 TT length to a 53.1 in this pilot. The shortest is in a 50 which is 52cm tT length. I am buying the ritchey 80mm adjustible stem and I think I can make the bike fit her ok. I have a similar problem as I used to ride a Litespeed 61cm for years and ended up buying a 2008 Trek Madone in 60cm because fo the shorter top tube length. I still have a 100mm stem on that bike. They tried to put me on a 58 but could not get a seatmast long enough. I am riding the longest seatmast on the 60 that they had.
thanks for your input.

My Physical Terrorist (knee problems) had me fit by a pro (insurance even covers) and he has me with an 80 mm 17 degree stem (from 90mm 6) with KOP way forward of plumb. Riding faster now than ever.

Nothing magic about KOP, but if you move the saddle forward you may have to lower the bars a bit to maintain the upper body to leg relationship.

HI probably im a litle bit late but from a 56 to a 52 (techically speaking is more like a 53 going to 55) there is a bunch of difference. The ZX series from trek is more like a old steel bike geometry but in carbon, if it is the bike i'm thiking, probably I'm wrong.

Well to start with the Pilot angles are more agressive than the ZX and combined with the SUPER compact geometry u end up with a bike that is probably near in lenght to the ZX. Maybe tha'ts the reason she feels the bike like still too long you know. Going from regular geometry to compact is kind'a tricky because the compact frames are usually too weird in size and sometimes they simply do not fit well no matter that you do to compensate the position.

I got a similar issue when i moved from custom steel to compact geometry (colnago) years ago. I never got the bike right no matter what i did. Moved all the measuments from the old one to the new one and wasn't right at all, finally I figure it out the frame was too short, then the next size was too long. Had to sell her and go to another brand (sadly for me), so if your wife is in half sizes probalby the pilot won't fit that right ever, if is not one thing is the other, right? (personally I didnt like the geometry of the pilot, is too weird. Wonder if lance would like to ride a pilot himself as a personal choice)

My advice if you guys have the money and time to do the change is to go to another brand. Probably a Kuota Kharma will fit her better, size small or medium. It is a really good frame and warranteed for life. Nice components and the other thing is that probably nobody between your friends and known people have one. The blue one looks bling bling i must say.

Just my oppinion, good luck :)