Touring bike - typical top tube length for 50 cm seat tube ? ( Trek 520, Marinoni Turismo, etc.)

[Mark Freedman]

My Mikado D'Iberville has the following geometry.

Seat Wheel Top HT ST Chain BB Overall Tube Base Tube ? Angle Angle Stay Height Length

H-500 771 553 45 71 74 445 295 1069

It's always felt like the top tube is much too long. I've swapped the original 0 degree / 8 cm
stem for an adjustable angle 9cm stem, and have brought the bars back as far as possible. I'm
still getting sore hands and wrists.

(if the adjustable had solved the problem, I'd swap it for an "uplifter" which would let me lower
the bars while maintaining the horizontal position)

Before I give up on this bike, I'd like to know if the
geometry is vastly different from other "touring" bikes.

Are the angles typical ?

Thanks.

 

[Baltobernie]

For what its worth, I'm a long arm/torso - short leg male, and my builder's idea of a century
machine is:

ST 20" (c/c) WB 38.5 TT 22 HT° 75± CS 16 BB 10.5

So if you have a 20" ST (and 170mm cranks), and you had my physique, he'd spec you a 20" (508mm) TT
(with 110mm stem like mine). Since your upper body probably isn't any longer than mine, I'd estimate
that your total top distance is at least 1.2" too long with an 8cm stem.

Of course, all positions are different, and that changes these numbers, too. I have a rather upright
position, with saddle 45mm above bars.

Good luck! Bernie

mark freedman <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> My Mikado D'Iberville has the following geometry.
>
>
> Seat Wheel Top HT ST Chain BB Overall Tube Base Tube ? Angle Angle Stay Height Length
>
> H-500 771 553 45 71 74 445 295 1069
>
>
> It's always felt like the top tube is much too long. I've swapped the original 0 degree / 8 cm
> stem for an adjustable angle 9cm stem, and have brought the bars back as far as possible. I'm
> still getting sore hands and wrists.
>
> (if the adjustable had solved the problem, I'd swap it for an "uplifter" which would let me
> lower the bars while maintaining the horizontal position)
>
> Before I give up on this bike, I'd like to know if the
> geometry is vastly different from other "touring" bikes.
>
> Are the angles typical ?
>
> Thanks.

 

[Mark Hickey]

"baltobernie" <[email protected]> wrote:

>For what its worth, I'm a long arm/torso - short leg male, and my builder's idea of a century
>machine is:
>
>ST 20" (c/c) WB 38.5 TT 22 HT° 75±

Not to second-guess anybody - but isn't that a bit steep for a "touring bike" (or even a crit bike)?

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame

>CS 16 BB 10.5
>
>So if you have a 20" ST (and 170mm cranks), and you had my physique, he'd spec you a 20" (508mm) TT
>(with 110mm stem like mine). Since your upper body probably isn't any longer than mine, I'd
>estimate that your total top distance is at least 1.2" too long with an 8cm stem.
>
>Of course, all positions are different, and that changes these numbers, too. I have a rather
>upright position, with saddle 45mm above bars.
>
>Good luck! Bernie
>
>mark freedman <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> My Mikado D'Iberville has the following geometry.
>>
>>
>> Seat Wheel Top HT ST Chain BB Overall Tube Base Tube ? Angle Angle Stay Height Length
>>
>> H-500 771 553 45 71 74 445 295 1069
>>
>>
>> It's always felt like the top tube is much too long. I've swapped the original 0 degree / 8 cm
>> stem for an adjustable angle 9cm stem, and have brought the bars back as far as possible. I'm
>> still getting sore hands and wrists.
>>
>> (if the adjustable had solved the problem, I'd swap it for an "uplifter" which would let me
>> lower the bars while maintaining the horizontal position)
>>
>> Before I give up on this bike, I'd like to know if the
>> geometry is vastly different from other "touring" bikes.
>>
>> Are the angles typical ?
>>
>> Thanks.

 

[Baltobernie]

Mark Hickey <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> "baltobernie" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >For what its worth, I'm a long arm/torso - short leg male, and my
builder's
> >idea of a century machine is:
> >
> >ST 20" (c/c) WB 38.5 TT 22 HT° 75±
>
> Not to second-guess anybody - but isn't that a bit steep for a "touring bike" (or even a
> crit bike)?
>
> Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame

I said "approximately" because it appears to be the same angle as the ITM stem, which is spec'd at
76°. The Kinesis fork had just appeared on the market when this purchase occured, so we went with
it; it has curved blades. I really wanted a steel fork, but the builder's price is about that of
carbon. Now that threadless steerers are commonplace, I can probably pick up a carbon fork a
reasonable price.

Regarding the effect of steepness, the bike is very stable. I said I wanted to not only be able to
eat an apple while riding, but peel it! I'm just amazed how many different things affect a bike's
ride and handling; everybody debates frame material, and it's probably the <last> thing one should
worry about.

Bernie

>
> >CS 16 BB 10.5
> >
> >So if you have a 20" ST (and 170mm cranks), and you had my physique, he'd spec you a 20" (508mm)
> >TT (with 110mm stem like mine). Since your upper body probably isn't any longer than mine, I'd
> >estimate that your total
top
> >distance is at least 1.2" too long with an 8cm stem.
> >
> >Of course, all positions are different, and that changes these numbers,
too.
> >I have a rather upright position, with saddle 45mm above bars.
> >
> >Good luck! Bernie
> >
> >mark freedman <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >news:[email protected]...
> >> My Mikado D'Iberville has the following geometry.
> >>
> >>
> >> Seat Wheel Top HT ST Chain BB Overall Tube Base Tube ? Angle Angle Stay Height Length
> >>
> >> H-500 771 553 45 71 74 445 295 1069
> >>
> >>
> >> It's always felt like the top tube is much too long. I've swapped the original 0 degree / 8
> >> cm stem for an adjustable angle 9cm stem, and have brought the bars back as far as possible.
> >> I'm still getting sore hands and wrists.
> >>
> >> (if the adjustable had solved the problem, I'd swap it for an "uplifter" which would let me
> >> lower the bars while maintaining the horizontal position)
> >>
> >> Before I give up on this bike, I'd like to know if the
> >> geometry is vastly different from other "touring" bikes.
> >>
> >> Are the angles typical ?
> >>
> >> Thanks.

 

[Mark Hickey]

"baltobernie" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Mark Hickey <[email protected]> wrote
>> "baltobernie" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >HT° 75±
>>
>> Not to second-guess anybody - but isn't that a bit steep for a "touring bike" (or even a
>> crit bike)?

>I said "approximately" because it appears to be the same angle as the ITM stem, which is spec'd at
>76°. The Kinesis fork had just appeared on the market when this purchase occured, so we went with
>it; it has curved blades. I really wanted a steel fork, but the builder's price is about that of
>carbon. Now that threadless steerers are commonplace, I can probably pick up a carbon fork a
>reasonable price.
>
>Regarding the effect of steepness, the bike is very stable. I said I wanted to not only be able to
>eat an apple while riding, but peel it!

If the head tube angle is really 76 degrees, I think I'd have trouble eating an apple, much less
peeling it! ;-) I'm guessing it's like the vast majority of bikes on the market and falls
somewhere between
72.5 and 74 degrees.

> I'm just amazed how many different things affect a bike's ride and handling; everybody debates
> frame material, and it's probably the <last> thing one should worry about.

Absolutely.

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame