Frame size for bloke with girly long legs/short torso?

[Globalti]

My buddy is on the point of ordering the excellent-value Focus Cayo from Wiggle: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus_Cayo_105_2009/5360037591/#more

He is 5'7" tall but has unusually long legs for someone this height with an inside leg of 31". (I by contrast am 6' with a more average 32" inside leg).

On his present old bike he gets pain in the neck and shoulders, which indicates to me that he is too stretched - he seems to be more proportioned like a girlie than a bloke. He is thinking about going for the Cayo in Small size. Anybody got any experience of this or thoughts on the subject?

 

[accountantpete]

You can email Wiggle if the measurements are a bit odd -there's a link by the measurements box on the page under the description link.

The small has a top tube of 54 which I have on my bike with a 110mm stem. I am 5' 9" but with shorter legs so I reckon it could be about 3" too big for this guy.

 

[GrahamG]

This is (was!) exactly my problem - slightly longer legs and then short arms (33" inside leg at 5'10"). His aches and pains are what I used to experience and probably less to do with reach/stretch (i.e. horizontally) to the bars and more to do with the drop from saddle to bars as I was to find out. I've got riding mates who, body position-wise, are identical to me when riding on the hoods but whereas I've got a max 40mm drop from saddle to handlebars, they've got more like 100-150mm - they're apes compared to me.

I don't think that the Cayo will be very practical at all unless they leave the fork steerer un-cut and you have loads of spacers; it's a 'racy' bike. Plus, if anything, he'd be better off going a size up as his inside leg will dictate a v.high saddle compared to most and he won't be able to get the bars high enough.

It's worth noting that I didn't have a clue about any of this until visiting Paul Hewitt in Leyland for a fitting (a whopping £50!). I ended up getting a custom frame but looking at various 'off-the-peg' bikes, I now know that I'd have to get something that was more 'relaxed' with a taller head tube such as the focus ergo-ride or the Giant SCR range (now Defy) in order to get it to work for me.
The key issue for me in terms of position I had been a huge (like 6") drop from bars to saddle which I had compensated for with a shorter stem thinking it was purely a reach issue. In reality I now feel more stretched out but because I don't have a huge drop putting weight on my hands/arms/shoulders and forcing me to angle my neck up. 100+ miles now are completed without any discomfort at all.

 

[punkypossum]

I have the girly proportions (which makes sense being a girl), and after a Paul Hewitt fitting I was told as well to go for a longer headtube, short top tube combination. Looked at the sportive style bikes who tend to offer this (Cannondale Synapes, Giant Defy, Trek 1.x and a few others). Ended up with a Trek in the end as that was the best fit for me, but if you are oddly proportioned, paying for a fitting is well worth it afaic.

 

[Globalti]

Thanks, I've passed on your experience (after editing the bit about girly proportions!) and told him a trip over to Paul Hewitt looks a good idea.