In need of some advice on bike buying

[CJDrillo]

I'm a fairly new rider, 15 months or so. I really enjoy riding and the majority of my rides are solo. I've done a few triathlons and really enjoy the multi sport forum as a life long runner. Here's my question/ dilemma I'm riding a Jamis eclipse from 1999/2000 and recently went in for a fitting finally only to find that the bike is a 58. I'm 5'9 175 and the tech told me that the bike is made for someone 6 foot with about 46 inch shoulders. I'm able to ride at a consistent 20mph flat terrain and17.5-18.5 varied hilly terrain How much of a dis service am I doing to my riding and should I replace my bike asap(assuming money is not an object) Thanks.

 

[el gato]

The bottom line is that a 58cm is too big for you. My guess is a 56 or even a 54 depending on the length of your torso. Your LBS should be able to fit you to the proper frame size.

 

[alfeng]

FYI (and, IMO!?!). To some extent, sizing is cosmetic ...

• so called "comfort bikes" which have tall head tubes are a concession to the notion that there should be a sizeable amount of exposed seat post ... whereas, a long time ago, seatposts where comparatively very short ...
• a bazillion-years-ago the first bike I was sold to me by my LBS was 60cm (yes, 24", c-c) GITANE ... it had a 72º seat tube, so I suppose a modern equivalent with a 73º seat tube would be closer to 58cm -- I'm 5'9" tall & it was not uncommon to size a frame with minimal (<4") exposed seatpost
• ten years later, I replaced it with a 57cm (c-c) FUJI frame (I still have the FUJI frame and have meant to rebuild it with some more-or-less contemporary components) because I was basing the FUJI's frame size on its top tube which I wanted to be the same length as the top tube on my Gitane
• FOR MOSTLY COSMETIC REASONS, most of my current frames range from 54cm to 55cm (with top tubes between 54.5cm & 57cm + stems whose length approximate a combined length of ~66cm) ... with some outliers.

That's a long way of saying that if the handlebar height & distance from your saddle is where you want it to be, or think that you want it to be, then there may NOT be a compelling reason for you to change to a smaller frame.

FYI. Handlebar width depends on rider preference which can be influenced based on WHERE you ride + stem length (meaning, a shorter stem length will allow you to use a wider handlebar, and a longer stem will have a similar effect on the REACH when paired with a narrower handlbar ... stem height relative to the top of the saddle is a factor).

I think that THE bottom line is that you are apparently comfortable when you are actually riding your bike, so until your aesthetic sensibilities change OR you want to a lower stem (are your hands always on the drops & you wish you could get into a slightly more aero position without bending your elbows further?), there probably isn't a reason to buy another bike until you feel that your current bike no longer suits your riding needs BECAUSE if your current bike 'fit' is good, then you will simply be replicating the location of the saddle to the pedals & handlebars on the next-and-future bikes.