Feasability of cutting top-tube

[BigDaddySmooth]

My low back limberability is not what it use to be and I have a conundrum concerning my top tube. I have a frame that has a 55.5 cm TT and I feel most comfortable w/ a 54 and a 10 stem. The stem police will get all fired up if I go w/ a 9 stem so I'm thinking of sending the frame out to a builder of repute and chopping 1.5cms off (the frame is of the lugged variety). I've yet to get an estimate because it will need to be painted too. What do you chaps think?

Thanks.

[stevep]

sell it and get a new bike.
serious.

[CNY rider]

And if you want to try a 54 TT steel frame with a 10 cm stem let me know; I've got just what you're looking for.

[Lifelover]

The stem police do not seem to be nearly as active as they once were. Ride it with a 9 and be done with it.

Seems like allot of trouble to go through.

However, if the frame really means allot to you and you are considering a repaint anyway than maybe it would be worth it.

[93legendti]

My low back limberability is not what it use to be and I have a conundrum concerning my top tube. I have a frame that has a 55.5 cm TT and I feel most comfortable w/ a 54 and a 10 stem. The stem police will get all fired up if I go w/ a 9 stem so I'm thinking of sending the frame out to a builder of repute and chopping 1.5cms off (the frame is of the lugged variety). I've yet to get an estimate because it will need to be painted too. What do you chaps think?

Thanks.
There are all sorts of ways to solve your problem short of radical bike surgery.

What bars are you using? Reach on bars can vary between 2-3 cm! Ritchey, Salsa and FSA all make bars with reaches in the 75mm range.

What brake levers/brifters are you using? Campy has ~1cm less reach than Shimano. Switching brake levers/brifters is easier than chopping/selling your bike.

How many spacers are you running? You could always consider adding a spacer (you might need a new fork if your steerer tube is too short), since raising the height of the bars effectively shortens your reach.

If your bike as a 1" headset, consider switching to a threaded system, which can give you more height and adjustability.

[gt6267a]

in the same light as 93ti's recs, you could also angle the stem up which effectively raises the bars / shortens reach.

i think it prudent to get your contact points dialed in and then decide if the current frame handles nicely. if not, i say take stevep's advice, sell it and get something that fits.

[David Kirk]

It ain't cheap to do this.

The top, head, and down tubes need to be replaced. You can figure about $150 - $200 for each tube replaced. You need new head lugs....figure $75 - $100 for those and then you need to have it repainted.

So before you have it painted you're into it to the tune of $600 at the absolute minimum. Paint is anywhere from $200 ish to 4 times that easy and in the end you have a used bike.

Sell it to someone it fits properly and find something that fits you.

Sorry.

Dave

[goonster]

The stem police will get all fired up if I go w/ a 9 stem so I'm thinking of sending the frame out to a builder of repute and chopping 1.5cms off

You are seriously considering butchering a perfectly good frame for fear of offending the stem police? :no:

Try different stem/bar combinations, but if it really doesn't fit, sell it.

[Waldo]

Try different bar/stem combo and STRETCH you hamstrings and lower back. Cheaper and much better for your health.

[BigDaddySmooth]

It ain't cheap to do this.

The top, head, and down tubes need to be replaced. You can figure about $150 - $200 for each tube replaced. You need new head lugs....figure $75 - $100 for those and then you need to have it repainted.

So before you have it painted you're into it to the tune of $600 at the absolute minimum. Paint is anywhere from $200 ish to 4 times that easy and in the end you have a used bike.

Sell it to someone it fits properly and find something that fits you.

Sorry.

Dave


Dave, thanks for providing a craftsman's perspective.

All, thanks for the advice...I think I'll go w/ a 9 stem (it is a threaded fork). Oh, and do more hammy/low back stretching.

BDS

[RPS]

Dave, thanks for providing a craftsman's perspective.

All, thanks for the advice...I think I'll go w/ a 9 stem (it is a threaded fork). Oh, and do more hammy/low back stretching.

BDSSeriously, do you think stem manufacturers make 8 and 9 CM lengths just for you? As long as it solves your problem, go for it.

[William]

Ryan: "Can you launch an ICBM sidways?"


Skip Tyler: "Sure. Why would you want to?"






William

[Ginger]

The stem police do not seem to be nearly as active as they once were. Ride it with a 9 and be done with it.


Yeah, and kiss your handling goodbye. (Been there, done that. A short stem is a ill-concieved answer. Thank you.)

Yes, I realize...not necessarily. After all, my bike was *designed* for a 90 stem.

I bet that one wasn't.

And it wasn't designed for a shorter top tube.

Listen to Stevep. Buy a new bike.

[djg]

Well, obviously you cannot JUST shorten the top tube, and I gather Dave Kirk has given you a pretty authoritative sense of what would need to be done (and plausible charges for the work).

I have two suggestions: first, see if there's a handlebar stem combination that will shorten your reach appropriately without giving you handling that you don't like. By switching bars, you may find something comfortable that helps you avoid doing all the shortening at the stem. Go ahead and play with this for a few weeks to see if you can settle in to something that works for you. It might, and if it doesn't, the hit you'll take selling lightly used bars and a stem should be much much smaller than the money at stake in a new frame.

Second, if the first thing doesn't work, sell your frameset and buy a new one. If money is an object, shop around for something used--there's plenty of great stuff out there.

My second, second suggestion is that if you really want a new frame anyway, and are not roped in by your budget constraints, then party on and get the new frame you want to begin with, skipping the first suggestion.

[LesMiner]

If you were limber enough at one time, you should be able to make an improvement. I went through something similar with low back pain. Not just from riding a bike but in general although it did effect my riding comfort. I took a Community Education class on Yoga, cost me $25. A very entry level class. There were no beautiful people with bodies like Greek gods in this class! Mostly over 50 looking to improve their flexibility. Now I do a few Yoga poses and some additional streching right out of bed for 10 minutes in the morning and again for 20 minutes before bed. Try touching your toes, you are probably several inches away from toes. Try touching your toes in a more Yoga method. Strech your arms above your head. Bend over to touch your toes while keeping your arms streched out. You will come closer to your toes. Not so much a Yoga pose but a way to strech out your lower back. Lie flat on your back with your arms out, spread eagle. Bring up your knees now roll your knees to one side while keeping your shoulders flat on the floor. Hold the position for a count of 5. Repeat on the other side. Do several reps. Another Yoga pose, get on all fours. Arch your back down while inhaling then arch your back up while exhaling.

I know it may sound like an unreasonable commitment to do all this streching but if your flexibility is diminishing shorter stems, frame modifications, or new bikes are not going to improve your ride. There comes a point where a more upright position reduces your ability to apply power to the pedals. The distribution of weight on your sit bones will reduce your comfort in less time. Your average speed and distance will also go down. Needless to say, your resistance to the wind will increase. Improving your flexibility is a whole lot cheaper than a new bike.

[d_douglas]

I ride a 58cm and use a 9cm stem. it works for me, so that's all that matters. When I shell out $3k for my Vanilla or Kirk or ???, I will design it around a 11cm stem, but for the time being, a $50 solution suits me fine.

Stick with the stem...

[IFRider]

Consider looking at raising the bars up with a Nitto Tecnometic (sp?). that effectively brings the bars up and back. Also as other have suggested, different bars have different reaches and the campy/shimano difference is real. I had a disk removed (l4/l5) and tight hamstrings and found that helped a lot. Lots of stretching also.

Warren

[kbone]

You might consider a Nitto Noodle (177) bar. The top part of the bar curves back toward the rider "a bit". I think I read somewhere that it is as much as 1cm. The curve might get you in the proper riding position without having to shorten the stem.

[jchasse]

Yeah, and kiss your handling goodbye. (Been there, done that. A short stem is a ill-concieved answer. Thank you.)


Just curious, but how will going from a 10 to 9 cm stem ruin a bike's handling?

[thejen12]

Yeah, and kiss your handling goodbye. (Been there, done that. A short stem is a ill-concieved answer. Thank you.)

I've ridden and raced the same stock 50cm frame with a stem as long as 11cm and as short as 6cm and many sizes in between (trying to find the answer to my back problems). They all handled just fine. No differences I couldn't adjust to in about one ride, and we have a lot of great climbs and descents and pack-rides out here to test your handling on. Maybe it's just me, but I think the stem police are way over-rated. Or maybe I finally found the one area in life where I am *not* the princess-and-the-pea! :rolleyes:

I'd say, give the different stem-length a try. If you like the reach but don't like the handling, then at least you have a better idea of what size new bike you'll need!

Jenn

[RPS]

For the cost of a stem, I’d try that first. Who really knows – it may handle better, worse, or no different. And if it doesn’t work out, what’s as little as $30 compared to a new bike (unless you want one anyway)?

Additionally, if your back gets better, you can go back to the original stem and position much easier. What do you have to lose?