i found a bike for a decent deal that is a bit on the large size for me. i'm 5'10" with a 30.5 inch inseam without shoes. top tube length on the bike i'm looking at is 56 and lbs says i'll need a 90mm stem to fit correctly. what do you all think of this? is this too short of a stem or ok?

i rock a 90mm stem to shorten up my reach just a little bit and it works fine.

I have a 90mm stem on my bike, it makes the handling slightly twitchier than a 110mm but you get used to it after 1 or 2 rides, and I am a lot more comfortable now.

No two people are the same, which is why different stem lengths are made. Handling is slightly affected at most.

If even that. By far the geometry of any bike trumps stem length. OP you are fine in the 70-80 to 120-130 length.

Sounds good. When I got fitted we changed the stem from a 120 to an 80mm. Felt much better. Bike handles great.

Some people have longer arms or torsos compared to their legs. Others, like me, are the opposite. Longer legs for their height with a shorter torso. If the bike fits, Ride!

"for a decent deal that is a bit on the large size for me"

I don't think the stem length is that big of a deal but if you really think you are going to keep the bike long term, I wouldn't buy a bike that "is a little large for me." My last bike was 1 size too big and although it worked (with some adjustments), it never quite felt right. That was one "decent deal" that in the end wasn't worth it. I learned that lesson even more when I finally got a bike that fit perfect.

+1

A bike that doesn't fit is no deal at all...

....which is why this bike is fine.

I think any top tube that is over 0.5 cm over what you should be riding is too long and a shorter stem won't made it right. You'll get used to it, but it'll never really fit.

hmm..."I found a bike a bit on large size for me" says otherwise.

As 56cm bike should be spot on given your height and inseam. I'd be surprised if you really need a 90mm stem unless you have very short arms. (I'm 5' 9.75" run a 110mm stem on a 57cm top tube frame.)

56 cm. 5' 10. No problem.

Go ride it with the 90mm stem and then tell us if its too large or not. If it feels good to you, its the right size. If it doesn't feel good, then its the wrong one. sizing is much more subjective than some would like to believe.

What fits you and what fits the OP at 60" means nothing unless your identical twins with the same flexibility.

That said, I would have started the OP on a 56 if I were the one fitting him.

I agree, You might find yourself changing back over to a longer stem after a little bit of saddle time on the bike.

What he said. I tried several lengths (90,100,110), settled on the 90mm, felt right then and now, eye/handlebar/hub colinearity i(common wisdom, really just a starting point, like KOPS) is good. If I replace it, after having the bike now for a couple of years and some 11000 miles (I'm a bit more flexible in the riding position), I'll try a 100 just to see if that feels better. Or I may flip the 90, or I may not :-) . No pain, no aches from century length rides, either.

Also, a fitting is just a snapshot of your body geometry at a specific point in time. I bet most folks don't ride or stretch for a while before getting fitted; bet there'd be some minor differences if they did. Different stressors on the body in the store v. on the road, etc.

In my case, I've moved the saddle up just a tad (about 4mm) (which also moves it back a bit) from the fitting position and I'm quite happy.

The one change I've made I'm rethinking is, of all things, thicker bar tape, just doesn't quite feel right (probably something about the grip around the bar sending a subtly different position signal to the 'ole noggin), may rewrap in the older brand.

Just record everything, both from the fitting, and any changes in setup so you can return to a known position.

You didn't tell us your seat fore/aft position or the angle of your 90mm stem. Both will affect wether you think the frame fits you.

Yup. Hold on to the longer stem.

same exact deal here, 5'10" with 30" inseam. I could not get fitted on a 56, and was even stretched out on a 54 Caad9 w/ the 100mm stem (short arms too).

I was afraid the shorter stem would cause handling problems, but it looks from the notes posted here that they will be minimal.

One thing's for sure, it'll ride better with the 90mm stem than the highrise stem they threw on the bike to compensate for my short limbs. The handling with that setup sucked, especially taking a hard turn with riders on both sides of me.

shows how everyone is different.
i'm 5' 10" and ride a 56 with a 120 stem.

Yup. 5'10 on a 54cm with 100mm (might go with 110 if I get new bars).

That plus the fact that not everey brand's 56cm is measured the same.