How far stretched out am I?
 

So I finally built up my bike and need some advice. Against my lbs wishes I sized up and went with a 59cm frame. After riding it a few miles I've noticed I feel quite stretched. I know my seatpost is a little high, but I'm not too concerned about that right now. I added 40mm of spacers to help but it still feels long. I've pretty much convinced myself to take the 100-200 dollar loss and just get a smaller frame. So basically I'm wondering if you guys think I should get a 57cm or 55cm frame based on the pictures. Im just about 6' tall with a 31 inseam. I understand my saddle needs to be tilted down but I think my issue is bigger than that.

Also my lower back randomly started to hurt, could this be the issue? (I did about 600 sit ups on carpet a few days ago so that might be part of the problem)

And finally my last question; Are drop bars on track geometry just not comfortable when street riding?

Thanks for the help.


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Those drops are lowwwww and you look cramped. How bout a set back post too.

Cramped is the exact opposite of how I feel. I feel like I have to reach far and down to get to the drops. I guess flipping the stem up would help a little...

It's those handlebars. They aren't meant to be comfortable.

Swap them for road bars and you'll feel fine.

+1 on getting road drops and flipping stem up.

Ride around on the top for awhile. That should let you know for sure that it is the drops.

Yeah I figured this was part of it, but my hands and wrists arent really whats bothering me. Its more of the stretch out and down to get to them. With that said, you still think its the bars?

I've rode about 10 miles on the top fine. I mean they obviously aren't the most comfortable drops but I just thought my issue was more of the top tube being long, but if the consensus is the drops I'll probably end up switching them.

My lower back is whats really buggin me. feel like an old man and I havent even done 20 miles on this frame.

See how lucky you are!!!??? I am an old man, that's how I feel after I carry the bike down the five steps of the front porch to ride.:p

haha, I used to be a college athlete, now I'm limping around after a 10 min ride. Imagine that.

bend ur elbowz moar

All wrong.

The frame is much too small for you. The reason you feel 'stretched' is because you have to reach down at almost a 90* angle to get the drops. Since your back doesn't bend that far, you have to use your fully-extended arms.

You need a bigger frame; more specifically, a longer top tube and taller headtube. This will put the bars further forward, but also further UP relative to your body. Since you'll be able to extend your arms up and forward, you will have a flatter back and be able to bend your elbows, even in the drops. This may take a bit of getting used to as you build core and back muscles, but it is much preferable to what you have now.

How tall are you and what frame size is that?

Nudge that saddle's nose down just a little so you can rotate your hips and this will help you flatten out your back, change those track bars to road bars as you need to be extremely flexible to ride in a position that aggressive and flip that stem.

You have an unusual build in that your legs are shorter than the norm for your height which means you probably have a very long torso and long reach... I am not quite five foot ten and have a 33 inch riding inseam and normally wear pants with a 32-33 leg.

A 31 inch riding inseam would suggest a smaller frame than what I ride (52-55 range) but in doing that you will be cramped up top where it counts most.

didnt know what to expect with this thread title! especially right next to "bike porn" lol!

I'm just about 6' tall and this is a 59cm. I can't imagine fitting on a bigger frame though. At least it seems everyone around my height is getting 55-57cm. I'm starting to think maybe the super pistas geometry isn't made for me.

What if I get a 55, set the saddle back as far as it goes, and get an extra long stem. That might work?

i imagine I'll probably have to end up getting a bike fit, I just hoped I could narrow down which frame size would be ideal

Ummm, nobody has mentioned this but track drops are too deep for typical riding... go for shallow road drops, which in response to your last question will make a track bike more "comfortable".

Amongst everything else mentioned, having the saddle too high will lead to lower back pain because your hips will rock while riding. The saddle is also the first thing to get right when setting up a bike. With your back stressed, your core won't be supporting you and this will exacerbate any other fit issues.

Very important point IMO. Also agree do something about the crazy drop and lower and level the saddle.

Core strength and flexibility is something often overlooked. Riding a bike requires but does not develop core strength. I do a few minutes of crunches and back extensions on a ball most days to maintain my core strength. You do not look particularly flexible through the hips. Some of this may be due to your saddle position but you may benefit from regular stretching to increase hip flexibility.

That's crazy-talk. None of your problems would be solved by going to a smaller frame.

In terms of drop and reach specs, these bars were almost identical to all of Easton's road bars

You guys are right. The saddle height is probably my biggest problem right now. I'll swap it out and try riding at a much lower height. This should give me a better gauge for the over extending feeling I'm having.

Not much lower, remember to change things at small increments. It takes time.

bull****. What bars are those?

This ^.

I have similar if not the same bars on my Fixie and with it adjusted similar to my road bike and the bars on fixie are lower but i dont mind it as im planning on lowering the bars on my road bike to match.