Hi all,
So, I've recently come to realize that the bike I've been commuting on for the past 5 years is a bit too small for me. I only realized this when I started to do longer rides and learned a bit more about bicycles. When I bought the bike, I didn't know anything and just got whatever the people at the bicycle shop recommended.

My current ride is a 2008 58cm bianchi torino and I'm 6'5" with a 35.5" inseam. I can get the seat high enough, and it can go back to a point where my legs seem like they are positioned correctly, however the handlebars are very low. After a bit of research, I found that I have a few options:

1.) I could put a stem extender on the bike and replace all the cables.
2.) Buy a new frame, and transfer most of my old parts to the new one
3.) Fix a used bike, I found a 64cm raleigh from the 70's on craigslist for about $130

I've been searching around the forums for a couple of weeks now, but I was hoping to get an answer for my specific question. The whole stem extender thing seems like it would work just fine but after reading these forums, people say to buy a bike that fits, however, they never give a specific reason why.
Thanks in advance

To an extent, bikes are proportioned in length and seat tube height. It's not always true, and there's no fixed formula, but while seat height can be fixed with a longer post, overall length is harder to correct.

There's also the question, as in your case of handlebar height range. Modern bikes use more sloping top tubes so bar height vs saddle height is easier to fix, but on older horizontal top tube bikes you run into the issue you're having.

If the bike is long enough for you, then some sort of stem riser or adapter may solve your problem. Or you can look for a relatively modern frame similar enough to yours to switch over the components, preferably one with a sloping top tube. Frame replacement is the best bet if you can do it yourself or have a bike co-op nearby, otherwise the work can be costly.

I don't think going back to an older bike is going to make you happy. Bikes have improved considerably over the years, and you'd lose too many of those improvements.

One other option might be to find a modern used bike that meets your needs, and sell yours. If you shop hard and sell smart, the spread shouldn't be more than you might spend trying to rework what you have.

I hope I gave you something to think about, the rest is up to you.

Thanks for the reply, you're right about the older bike, I'd miss the modern shifters. If there's no other ill effects with just going for the riser then I'll just go with that.

I wouldn't spend a penny more on a frame that is too small for you. Get a modern used frame that would fit you better (higher head tube, less bar drop), sell your old frame.

Depending on how much higher you want the bars, a stem riser or riser stem (note the difference!) may be ideal. I say this because, in general, as frames get larger, they become more flexible, and depending on how you ride, your weight, and your strength, a slightly smaller frame may be more responsive. I also find that greater seat post extension allows the post to flex and damp vibration better, yielding greater comfort (depending on material/design).

Of course, the bike has to feel otherwise proper, that is as FBinNY noted, not too short overall. You may be able to use a longer stem, but you'll want to pay attention to how your weight is distributed across the bike. I suppose if you were out at 140mm with the stem on a carbon steerer with a stem riser, high leverage forces might be a concern, but otherwise I don't believe there is any meaningful downside to using a stem riser.

Personally, I very much prefer a smaller, shorter frame for the way my weight feels centered on the bike and that it can be steered "at the hips," with a little body english. A lot of it depends on the other elements of frame geometry and one's physique, too, but most everyone thinks my bike is too small, to which I can only reply, "too small for what?" It's comfy, I'm fast, it's fun to ride, so...

If there are attributes you dislike about the bike, such as toe overlap on the front wheel or whatever, then yeah, this might be a prime opportunity to replace the frame, otherwise I'd say take a look at where you want your bars and hands to be, and see what it takes to get them there. Combining a high-rise stem with a shallow drop bar, adjusting your reach both with stem length and bar reach dimension, may be enough to get you there, or a maybe the stem riser in combination with the other changes.

The nice thing is that stems and stem risers are inexpensive, and you can play with positioning and try things out for less than $50. There are adjustable stems that can help you figure out which rise you need, e.g. Kalloy Adjustable Stems - Modern Bike. Stems like this are marked to indicate degree of rise, so you can find what fits best, then look at the angle to know what you need in a fixed stem. Stem risers, new, should you need one, are similarly priced. Handlebars get pricey, but you can find inexpensive ones used, again just to try out various drop/reach dimensions, then replace if needed.

You might want to look for a 64 cm or even a 67 cm (27") frame.

Yeah, since you point it out, I guess that a 6'5er with 35" inseam is rather tall for a 58cm frame, especially since his torso is fairly long. I guess the OP should try out some larger frame sizes if possible, and give replacement a little more consideration, although it's still possible that, not knowing what kind of 58 bike we're talking about here, or other details of his setup and physique, that the existing bike could be made more appropriate.

I have a friend who is 6'5" who rides a vintage Panasonic 27" frame. He needs the height to get the bars high enough to ride comfortably. The stem and seatpost he would need to use on a 58 or even 60 cm bike would be really long, and the reach would not be there on such a bike. He wanted to buy something new or newish this season but in the end, he couldn't find something with the same or similar geometry to his old Panasonic unless he went with something custom or semi custom and that was out of his price range, so he just decided to stick with what he has.

Agreed - that's a pretty big discrepancy from what he should be on to what he's on. I also agree with you about the slightly smaller frame being a good choice for the reasons you cite. That said, it's going to depend on leg length, torso length and arm length. For example, I have a very hard time getting fit on stock frames because of long legs, long torso and short arms.

J.

Wow lots of good info here, especially the part about how a smaller bike could be a better thing, being more nimble, etc. I actually measured the reach for my bike and it came out to be around 440mm which is fairly large compared to some of the larger bike frames I was looking at like the surly long haul trucker. So as far as I know, im pretty good on length, the riser or adjustable stem seems like the best choice. Thanks all.

Interesting to hear about smaller bikes' advantages. Would it be right to say there are much fewer choices for smaller bikes with 700c tires?