(
[email protected]) offered:
> > Without knowing what frame it is, it probably could be trimmed,
especially
> > if it is steel. You should consult with a frame repair shop to see if
> there
> > are any mitigating factors.
> >
> > But I see this as an aesthetic issue. You won't change your riding
> position
> > by trimming the seat tube.
> >
> > Unless. . . Are you saying that you have your saddle higher than it
should
> > be because it cannot go low enough into the frame? That wouuld seem to indicate a frame that's
> > overly large for you.
> >
> > When you say "closer to the bars" do you mean because lowering the
saddle
> > along a 74-degree line moves it forward? That small effect is lost in
the
> > noise of your saddle's fore-aft adjustment on the post.
> >
> > Do write again, perhaps with a photo link. It would seem that a fitting session is in order
> > before the paint job.
"Robert Strickland" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Thanks for the comments Andrew (and others who've commented). The frame is steel and the main
> issue is fit but I think the frame is only marginally
too
> big. I've been riding on this frame for a couple of years and I am able to get reasonably
> comfortable on it but only if I lower the seat post to just
1
> or 2 cm above the seat tube. For some time I've felt a little bit
stretched,
> especially on long rides so I swapped out the original stem for one that brings the bars closer by
> about 1 1/2 cm. That seemed to help a lot. I
also
> swapped the seatpost out for one that isn't set back quite as far but I haven't had a chance to
> really experiment with that yet. My main interest
in
> shortening the seat tube is to give myself just a little bit more room to play with. The second
> issue is that with the seat post so low it's
virtually
> impossible to affix things like saddlebags or u-lock brackets to the post, which I'd like to be
> able to do. Since the tube projects at least 2 cm higher above the top tube than any other frame
> I've owned it seemed like
it
> shouldn't be a problem to take a couple of centimeters off. I've posted a couple of pics but since
> the frame is stripped I don't know how much they really help.
>
> www.invertebratadesigns.com/pics/st1.jpg www.invertebratadesigns.com/pics/st2.jpg
That frame can be trimmed quite a bit and a seat binder brazed on the back. There are very handy
cast "lugs" just for this sort of repair that include a binder and a ring around the top of the seat
tube. Those require minimal height over the top tube as thet are designed for use after a failure.
--
Andrew Muzi
http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971