On 2004-12-29, Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
So he basically said we need to scrap this. This bike isn't going to work.
He pulled a 55cm Bianchi Volpe (same frame, but with the braze-on, as the
Castro Valley). He did more measurements of the bike, me, etc. and he said
that (A) the Trek 1000 wasn't exactly 57 for starters and (B) the reason I
needed the funky quill setup was probably because I had the wrong size on
my current bike to begin with. So basically without me so much as asking
he took everything I wanted off the Castro Valley that I'd had put on
(computer, suicide levers, wider handlebars, etc.) and put them on the
Volpe.

Preston: My only concern is with your height (6'1") and the frame size
(55cm). I assume that Bianchi measures center-to-center, so a 55 would be
close to a 57-58cm if measured as Trek does, but even then that's a pretty
small size for someone your height, with the main issue being getting the
handlebars high enough. I don't sell Bianchi though, so it could be that the
model in question has a much-higher-than-normal front end, allowing the bars
to be high enough for comfort.

Like I said, though, I'm 6'1" with a long torso. If that makes a
difference.

Just curious, how much drop is there presently from the saddle to the
handlebar? Easiest way to measure this is the difference between the ground
and the top of the saddle vs the ground to the top of the handlebars. Too
much drop is the sort of thing that might not show up immediately, but could
be an issue down the road, especially on longer rides.

Actually there is no drop on either bike. They both are even straight
across. My original fit on the Trek put me at needing a handlebar height
at the same level as my seat. So they found the best bike, in their
opinion, that can manage that kind of geometry. We'll see tomorrow how it
works.

Having said all that, it seems that the guy is going to a lot of trouble
trying to make things right for you, so it's likely that things are going in
the right direction (and, after all, he's there, I'm not, so it could be one
of those things where it's obvious looking at you on a bike, even though the
numbers don't add up).

Are you sure about that? Remembering again that I have a size 30 inseam
(as measured for clothes). I have pretty short legs compared to my upper
body. From what I've read, that's about right for a 55, remember that it
lays out another couple CM with the stem. Whereas on my current bike, as
illustrated in the picture I posted...

http://www.prestoncrawford.com/album/images/fitting.jpg

....my quill stem goes straight up and out 0 inches, basically. So I have a
58, but no reach beyond that. So shouldn't a 55 with a couple inches of
reach be close? And this is assuming the 58 is optimum fit. The owner
seemed to think not.

Preston