short leged, long torso man looking for tour/cross bike
 

I am looking for a bike that will be comfortable over distance, and the ability to carry a load.

wish list:
Dropbars
bar ends (not too set on these)
rack and fender eyelets
700 wheels with atleast 32 spokes
relaxed geometry
under $1000

Now the hard part to figure out is sizing. I put my measurements into a fit calculator at wrench science and this is what it gave me.

Any body out there sized like me with recommendations

This latest fashion for compact geometry is a right pain, isn't it. It's only an excuse for the manufacturers to make less sizes. So some people can get a cheaper bike, but most end up with a really bad fit.

Suggest you look around for some older, second hand, steel bike, and either tidy it up yourself or get your LBS to do it for you.

There are some shops out there that seem to be making a specialism out of recycling older bikes, you could try them.

Sorry, the title of this thread reads like an intro for a personal ad in Bicycling :D

I am about your size, four inches taller and 10 lbs heavier. I have had great success by buying a mid-range mountain bike and modifying it for the road. Rigid fork, a more compact cassette, a triple crank with a higher count on all three rings, cowhorn bars, and slicks from time to time.

Raleigh Sojourn

Aaah! The never ending search for the perfect fitting bike. I am convinced that by adjusting the saddle height and fore/aft position, combined with a different stem you can get multiple frame sizes to fit you like a glove (just make sure that standover height is not too high).
I am 6'2" with short legs and a long torso. I ride an 56 cm LHT with the longest an steepest stem available (Salsa Motoace SUL). My arms and shoulders have not had any complaints about thsi configuration.
Go to a good LBS and ask whether he is willing to exchange the stem for you, or give you a discount on a new one. That to me was the easiest solution, instead of spending the entire weekend visiting multiple LBSs
Good Luck
Duppie

Oh, looking at your wishlist. Did you copy that one from the Surly website? :D

Lemonds are longer in the top tube.

I am a 54 but fit just fine on a 52 lemond road bike. You also might consider riding a size up in cross bikes (meaning your normal size instead of dropping a size like most folks do). I have a 54 Major Jake that really rides more like a 55 or 56. I LOVE the larger fit.

The taller top tube may create a problem, though. So I would start by trying out the lemonds since they have longer top tubes relative to the seat tube.

Wow, I thought I had short legs. I have a 29" inseam and am 1/2" shorter than you -also about 15 lbs less. I am riding a 54cm Crosscheck with a 110mm stem and it fits pretty well. If I were riding off-road more then the 52cm would be better but I ride roads 90% of the time and it is comfortable over long rides.

It kinda is:rolleyes:

my goal is actually to be about 15lbs less then I am now. I used to have a mnt bike that was a pia to ride around but got me from point A to point B, I never considered using it to lose weight as it just wasnt comfortable to ride on (full sus. wally mnt bike). My current bike is early 90s giant hybrid thats much better, but it opened my eyes to the wide world of "real" bikes and now I want a better one :p