Is a Kara Kum Big Enough ..?

... 'cos I'm starting to get worried.

A friend and I have ordered two Dawes Kara Kums. Well, one each. They're getting delivered to a local stockist near us, and we're going to pick them up.

We chose them because we're planning loaded touring to Amsterdam, and whilst I'd originally had my eye on a Surly LHT and had even put a deposit down on a Kona Sutra, the bank manager (I sometimes call her 'the wife') put the brakes on that one.

So Dawes are supposed to be good, we looked on the Internet, read all the reviews etc., and then went with the Kara Kum. I don't particularly like the bars, but will fit new ones, and a Brookes Saddle is on order, too. I really wanted a steel bike .. something like a Rivendell (or are they alu?), or yeah why not a LHT? But I can't afford it for the moment, and so a Dawes it is.

Just one thing worries me, though. I'm 6'4", and the frame size we've ordered is 21".

Is that too small? My inside leg is 33", if I recall correctly, but I'm sure that we can raise the saddle a bit, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Should it?

Your advice would be welcome.

At 6'4" with a 33" leg you should be on at least a 23" (58 cm) with a long (58 cm or longer) top tube, or a 24" (61-62 cm). The 21" is more appropriate for a rider in the 5'5" - 5'7" range.

What would you advise? Cancel the order and use the money for something else?

Just found a photo of it--it's got a sloping top tube. Since it's their largest size, it might work. BikesNBits.com says it's 58 cm.

My mistake. Give it a try.

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I would try to get a bike fit on a fit cycle somewhere to see which of the Dawes models would fit you plus which stem, etc. Touring on a wrong sized bike makes for some long days.