m-trax":121ojh38 said:
Hi Anthony
Well I have measured mine tonight, looks like my memory must be failing me.
I measured 17" from the top of the frame to about the middle of the bottom bracket. 55cm from the centre to centre along the top tube, and 56cm horizontally.
I do have the seat tube set to about its maximum point.
I will try and grab a pic at the weekend.
OK, well if you're 5-7 and the bike is a size 17 then it should be about the right size for you. Those measurements are a fraction on the short side for a size 17, but really only a cm or so. And when you compare that to (a) the difference between a straight seat post and a layback seat post, say 3cm, (b) the amount of adjustment on the saddle rail, say 5cm, and (c) the difference between a short stem and a long one, say 4cm, then a cm or so on the frame shouldn't be such a big deal.
So maybe it's something else that's causing the problem. You say the seat's at its maximum height (I assume you mean the seat post is quite short), so is the saddle high enough for you? I've found sometimes that having the saddle too low can promote sitting too far back, which is a very bad thing. You need the saddle high enough so that your leg is slightly bent with the pedal at its lowest. This gives you the most powerful pedalling position, the easiest transition to getting out of the saddle and a position if anything in fact towards the front of the saddle - to facilitate using your weight in helping to push the pedals down.
Another possibility that could explain you feeling cramped is that the stem might be too short or high for you? If it's say a 9cm high-rise stem, the bike would feel much roomier with say an 11cm low-rise. And again of course that would shift your weight forward, which is the powerful position. But not *too* far forward of course, or your wrists will ache!
There are other factors like the height of the bars, but really it's just a matter of adjusting things such as the seat post and stem to get your weight nicely balanced, not too far back, not too far forward. It's surprising sometimes what short bikes some powerful riders use, but by riding high, getting out of the saddle frequently and keeping the weight right above the pedal stroke, they don't feel cramped at all.
I hope this isn't missing the point. Maybe you need a new bike, but trying some cheap things first like a longer post or stem is a lot cheaper than buying a new bike, and actually if that's the nature of the problem then a new bike maybe wouldn't solve it anyway.
Do send a pic of the Dawes though.
