Originally Posted by SJX426

@kolt54321 - Nice bike that looks like from the early 70's. French so the parts are French dimensions and not compatible with English or Italian. Need a knowledgeable LBS to work on it.

Fit is everything and it is hard to tell if it is too big or not. Measure from the center of the crank to the intersection of the center of the seat tube and top tube. I would not be surprised if it measures around 56cm.
My 1972 Motobecane Le Champion 24in or about 61cm
1972 Motobecane Le Champion 24" on Flickr
Note the length of the head tube and the distance between the top tube and downtube. Yours is quite a bit less.

My inseam is about 32 inches from bare foot on the floor to the crotch bone. The old school way is to straddle the top tube with riding shoes on and lift the bike by the saddle and handlebars. It should move about 1/2 to 1 inch. This was done to keep from getting pains in that region.
When you sit upright on a bike you are on the seat. When you are leaning forward on a typical drop bar road bike, you are on the saddle. The saddle mounts to either a post or pillar. It height should be as stated above, knee slightly bent with the pedal at the most distant from the saddle.

WRT handbag position. There are two, height and how far from the saddle. I am over 71 and ride my bikes with 2-3 inch drop of the stem from the saddle. My starting point for the stem length is when my hands are in the position on the handlebars, either in front of the brakes or on the hoods, the front hub is "hidden" by the bar. That gets me really close to the right position. if you have a strong core, you should be able to take your hands off the handlebars and not move your upper body. keep in mind there are three points of contact with the bike, hand, bottom and feet. They should be in balance.

WRT the hoods, you brake levers never had them and there aren't any to be had as you also have the levers that extend to the center of the handlebar. Those brake bases are not comfortable to use in riding "on the hood" position. That is one part you can replace without too much searching as it is not a unique French dimension.

The more you ride the more comfortable you will become, up or downhill. "just do it."

Originally Posted by overthebars

I’m surprised no one asked whether you can clear the top tube standing flat-footed - from the pic it looks doubtful. Isn’t that one method of determining whether or not a bike frame size is in the ballpark?

Originally Posted by Bigbus

That bike has some beautiful geometry. I love the way the fork angles forward, essentially making it much more stable. I would wager money that it's a 60cm frame and might be a tad large for your build, but adjust it as best you can for yourself and your body will more than likely adapt to it with riding. Good luck and enjoy,

Originally Posted by kolt54321

21 inches (53-4cm) actually! I'm just small at 5'7 lol.

Are the top tubes on road bikes traditionally shorter than on hybrids? I believe that's the "source" of my discomfort.

Originally Posted by nomadmax

Paging Moisture to the white courtesy phone for a bike fit question.

Originally Posted by SJX426

Typically the TT is equal to the ST. Measure to the intersection of the center of the tubes not the beginning of the TT or the top of the TT along the seat tube. Those are the two conventions of measurement. Anything else is subject to interpretation.

Another old school measurement is to put your elbow on the nose of the saddle and the tip of your finger should just touch the handlebar by the stem. We didn't talk about fore/aft seat loacation. KOP, knee over pedal is yet another measure. When sitting on the saddle and the right pedal in tthe 3:00 positon, your knee should be over your ball of the foot. Some say the front of the knee should be over the center of the ball of your foot. Its all ball park anyway. The more you ride the preferences will modify the initial settings.

Originally Posted by nomadmax

Paging Moisture to the white courtesy phone for a bike fit question.

Originally Posted by Bigbus

U look like you're in blimey England, old mate. You done good on the measurements. Now if it were me, I would want to move the seat up (cm at a time) and push it back. You might also have the nose of the seat angled down too much. Start with it perfectly level and then fine tune from there. If it's angling down at the nose you will be forced to lean more into your arms as the seat wants to push you forward. Racers might like that, most people like you and I don't. The way you're holding the drops tells me that you need to roll the handlebars forward/down or your wrists are going to take a beating in short order. When in the drops, it should feel as natural as shaking someones hand and still have a finger or two on the brake lever. That's a beautiful bike and it should fit you fine, it's just a matter of setting it up. I'm sure not everyone will agree with my opinions, but they're mine and I'm sticking to them (stiff upper lip and all) Good day,

Originally Posted by Bigbus

If you loosen those nuts on either side of the clamp you can slide the seat forwards or back. You can also change the angle that way. You don't really have 'hoods', but yes, rolling the bars would move the top of the brake mechanism further out. With your hands on the top of the bar do you have any problems using the inside brake levers?

Originally Posted by kolt54321

Good question - the brake levers on both sides are actually further out than I'd like them to be. In the drops I can't reach the brakes easily, but from the tops it's better. I rarely ride through streets (generally road-like trails here) so not as important to me, though I'm not one to underestimate safely.

I'll try adjusting the seat back then, that should solve most of the issue.

Originally Posted by kolt54321

This is the seat - I reckon getting the bolt off would allow the seat to go back, never had tried. Is that common or are saddles generally static in horizontal placement?

Originally Posted by kolt54321

This is the seat - I reckon getting the bolt off would allow the seat to go back, never had tried. Is that common or are saddles generally static in horizontal placement?

Originally Posted by Bigbus

I would also try adjusting it up just a tinch and see what you think. Remember, you won't get complete comfort with a simple test ride, you body will do a lot of conforming with several rides under your belt and the bike will gradually feel more 'right' to you. Good luck and keep us posted.

Originally Posted by VicBC_Biker

And, moving the seat up will also move it back, since the seat tube is angled.
There are lots of possibilities for changing the fit of a bike - different saddles with longer rails, different seat posts and stems, different cranks, etc..
Ideally, two things should be in place: a bike fit (with a pro or even DIY with internet info and a helper) and a well-stocked parts bin.
Buying a lot of new parts for an older bike can get uneconomic.

Originally Posted by PeteHski

Your saddle is already set back about as far as it can safely go. You shouldn’t push it back beyond the black markings on the rail. I can see the rail is already slightly bent and moving it even further back will make it more prone to bending at the back end. You shouldn’t clamp the seat very close to the end of the straight section of the rail. Maybe time for a new vintage saddle? You might find one with more fore-aft adjustment.

Originally Posted by philbob57

BTW, your photo shows that the valve stems of the tubes are skewed; they should point directly to the center of the hub. That's not an esthetic issue. The skewing stresses the valve stems and reportedly can lead to premature failure. This might help you fix it yourself : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE2xdvhAYCE. I think you can do it simply by deflating the tube. I've never had to take out the mechanism, but I've only had the problem with Presta valves.

Originally Posted by kolt54321

Thanks Pete! I went out and finally played around with it this weekend. Pushing up the saddle helped as the post is angled, but not enough unfortunately (90% of the way there). I think I also found that it'd help with pedalling to be a bit further back. Any tips on finding a saddle with more fore/aft adjustment, or it's just case by case? I'm assuming seats are universally supported, but I may be wrong.

Either way, some lessons learned - geometry really does make a difference! Next time I'll look for a bike that's more comfortable from the onset, but I do hope I can make this one work by finding a seat that can allow me to sit further back. I'm lightweight, so hoping such a seat won't cause much stress on the rail.

A quick check at what others were selling near me showed seats that look... fairly similar, like the below. Not any more to adjust on these, it looks like.