Stem shorter than 60mm

Give it some time, sometime it take a week to sell it (even a month) you may have to lower it to £350.

A new bike is the best course of action so you can ride it for a long time with some tweaking to make the most of it.

Pop in to Compass beers too, new people are always welcome however short their stem is (frnar).

@TheFinalHour Yes I do know that I need a smaller bicycle, I acknowledged that. I'm not trying to convince myself otherwise. I'm getting a custom frame because I want to, because being my money I would like the bicycle to also look in a certain way to please my liking. Moreover, in all fairness, decide whether it is worth it or not to spend those money on one, at last, it's my own call and I don't understand why I will be deluded if I will eventually get what I currently want with such stubbornness. Still, meanwhile, why just surrender and trash a bicycle that could be improved? That's counter intuitive to me, it's not part of my personality.

@Carabo I know and indeed all the replies are very well received by my side, I wouldn't be here otherwise trying to better understand things. About my announcement in classified I felt a bit let down because I didn't see any message of people actually interested in it, not even people wanting parts :(

@edscoble we are getting close to two months now and I was already asking between £300 and £400, I will now update the thread with the photos I taken and more details about the bike itself hopefully that will help. As per the new bike I totally agree with you and that's what I want to do indeed, if I can get a new bike rather sooner than later I will obviously don't need to get a different stem and I'll be happier. Still it's hard to discourage me to go for a custom one, reason being I'd like a specific shape that is not commercially available (unless I buy a belt driven one) and because I really would like to go steel after reading all the praises to the material here on the forum.

One more question "...short their stem is (frnar)" ? :)

@lemonade quite nice, shall I also look for a basket and a bucket of flowers? :)

Judging from your for sale thread:
http://www.lfgss.com/conversations/267043
The stem might not be your only problem.
You should level that saddle. It'll be a lot more comfortable. With that slope you'll be putting too much weight on your wrists.

Although I'd imagine this was taken pre-fit so its been sorted now.

That's correct. all the adjustment were made. Saddle is now in neutral position, it was also moved forward as much as possible and seat post was lowered accordingly.

@debo Post up your fit data

I am sure @edscoble could find you a suitable otp bike pretty quickly

@dancing james I have to wait for cyclefit to resend them, the PDF was half empty :(
Still don't forget that I will also look at the aesthetic of the bike ;)

my fixie skidder bike was a custom job through cycle fit. it is amazing, wonderful and so damn comfortable. but it is also a ridiculous costly over indulgence though i would not change a thing about it.

there are probably many stock bikes that will fit me. though what i get from the serotta is a frame where the tubes were chosen for my weight, and the degree of stiffness/comfort that i wanted from it.

Pics of Serotta?

@dancing james then why do you want me to get an otp? :)

How much cycling are you doing? I was doing quite a lot when I got the bike.

It's more that you don't need custom.

Probably not as much as many of the people on here are doing. I'm cycling every day and sometimes in the weekend nothing insane to be honest, 70 miles a week probably but does that really matter? What I'm struggling understanding is, given I can afford one and everyone keep saying that custom steel frames are just the best, why should I settle for less? What am I missing?

but does that really matter?

More than you think, you'll feel very different on a bicycle after 50 miles riding non stop.

His point is more that you're rushing into getting a custom frame rather than riding more, joining the LFGSS group ride, etc. having fun.

You might want provision for a mudguard in winter for example, or two bottle cages, rear mount for a back brake etc.

More than you think, you'll feel very different on a bicycle after 50 miles riding non stop.

Can you elaborate more please? I can surely understand the basic principle, of course a continuos 50 miles ride puts the body under additional stress and fatigue, but then, if a good custom frame can mitigate this and make the ride more enjoyable and effective, shouldn't this also be true when scaling down to a more relaxed day to day commute? You know, it's difficult to say: "Ok let's go OTP" when pretty much everyone here on the forum continuously praises steel and custom builds, you can't deny it creates a bit of confusion in who like me is trying to make an properly informed decision. But I'm happy if someone can explain me in which scenario a custom frame will be worse than an OTP (forget about the cost for a moment).

In regards to mudguards, bottle cages, brakes and so forth, I see your point and that's why I kind of did my homework already and thought carefully about what I want and what I don't as I always do. I'm pretty good at being geeky when it comes to buy something new, I try to dive and understand as much as I can, which is also why I'm keeping making questions.

Also, whether it's a good trait of my personality or not (most would say not), unfortunately despite my age I'm still compulsive on certain things and when I put in my head that I want to do something I have to do it the way I want or close enough and that's why I'm insisting on this. It feels like you want to buy a Porsche but everyone tells you not to because they think it's not for you rather than tell you maybe to buy a Carrera instead of a GT2 instead.

lol. This thread.

@Dillahunt what's lolling exactly? Me asking for advises or people trying to stop me doing what I want?

thought carefully about what I want and what I don't as I always do.

Yet you're asking for a 4cm stem for a bike you don't even like :p

All I have to say is: Listen to these guys, because they have a lot of knowledge to offer. And in the end just make your own decisions. It's your money indeed. Good luck!

Yet you're asking for a 4cm stem for a bike you don't even like :p

Touché! :)

I did a mistake in past, I didn't ask around and trusted a friend and I also thought, a bicycle is just a bicycle, what can go wrong. Now I do know and I said already I just simply don't want to trash it straight away and I'm trying to get the most out of it.
I'm trying to listen, I really do and I appreciate the patience they are having with me. What I'm trying to understand better now is why a custom steel frame is a bad idea when everyone says it's the best thing ever...

I think what Ed and DJ and people are trying to explain is that you just might not be ready for a custom frame yet. Yes, you may well have the money, and you might have an idea of what you want in your mind, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to go fully custom.

A custom bike of any kind requires a serious investment of time, money, and knowledge. Just have a look at the numerous Current Projects threads on here, and you will see the huge effort involved from the customer and the builder. Just because you have an idea of what you want right now, doesn't mean that will be the same in the months (possibly years) you will have to wait to finally receive the frame. If you are not 100% sure on every single aspect of what would make the perfect bicycle for your fit and your planned usage, and every single aspect of your chosen materials and your specific design, then getting a custom frame might be a costly mistake.

Without sounding too mean, simply asking your original question about getting a stem shorter than 60mm suggests you don't know enough about bike geometry/ergonomics to get the most out of a bike built from scratch. There are many, many OTP bikes out there that cover all bases of cycling, and you might be surprised to find that exactly what you are looking for already exists.

Of course, if you are absolutely certain on every little detail of your dream frame, then by all means go for it - it will be a fine investment that should bring you a lifetime of cycling joy. But if not, then it might be worth taking another route for now and coming back to the custom idea once you've gained a bit more knowledge. Hope that helps.

^ All of this.

They aren't trying to stop you doing what you want. They're trying to stop you doing something you will, in all likelihood regret. As I understand it, a custom frame is something you decide to get after riding many different bikes for many many miles. Its a distillation of, and a reflection of your devotion to cycling, not a thing you do simply because you have the money. I do not mean this to sound harsh - I was lolling because it struck me as funny that no-one quite knew how to tell you this.

DNA zero stem...

Bikes are a bit like pairs of shoes, ideally you want the right pair of shoes for the activity you are doing. You may be able to use ill fitting shoes to walk to the shops but you'd not want to use them for long walks or intense sprints.

Given your limited cycling it seems that a fitted custom frame is really required. Also as you cycle more your posture,,fitness and strength will change so a bike fit now is not necessarily going to determine your longer term fit requirements.

You'd be better off buying a bike that fits you better, ride the shit out of it and then decide what you would like to invest in. Perhaps audax or touring become what you wish to do. Or maybe after a year you realise that all you want is a bike for doing sick skidz, in which case risers may be more what you want/ need than a bike with drop bars.

It's like you have bought a pair of shoes that were the wrong size and have now determined that what you need is for Lobb to create a list for you so you can get bespoke shoes made for you.

@dancing james @thross @Dillahunt those are exactly the type of criticism and explanations I was after.

I understand what you are saying and it surely it makes me think. There is only one point that I think it's been missed here very much likely because I didn't expressed myself well enough I suppose so please let me elaborate more to also try to take this thread a bit back on topic.

Without sounding too mean, simply asking your original question about getting a stem shorter than 60mm suggests you don't know enough about bike geometry/ergonomics to get the most out of a bike built from scratch. There are many, many OTP bikes out there that cover all bases of cycling, and you might be surprised to find that exactly what you are looking for already exists.

It's very much true that my current bicycle is not right for me, not because of the geometry but more because of the size (it's not that off though). I went to Cyclefit, got my bike fitting session, and comparing the values we highlighted all the problems it has in terms of sizing and we also took time to make all the possible adjustment to put the bike in a condition where I'm close enough to the position I should have while riding to have the right level of efficiency. We got very close with the exception of the distance from the saddle to the centre of the handlebar indeed. As explained it is something that it can easily achieved with a slightly shorter aftermarket stem. Yes the bicycle looks looks definitely too big for me now and it will possibly look even weirder after that.

At this point you might say: "Why don't you just change the stem then and stop buggering us?" Well I don't know, that's exactly what I was asking for in the first place, I still don't know how the conversation derailed to this point but because we got here, let me add that I'm trying to learn, I ride bicycles since ever, I rode any sort of bikes but a common dumb user, I never really got any close to be an expert or trying to understand them, I always rode them as mean of transport from A to B and I want to stop being that person, bicycles are more than that.

As I understand it, a custom frame is something you decide to get after riding many different bikes for many many miles. Its a distillation of, and a reflection of your devotion to cycling, not a thing you do simply because you have the money. I do not mean this to sound harsh - I was lolling because it struck me as funny that no-one quite knew how to tell you this.

Eventually we got there though. And yes you are right it's not just a thing you do because you have the money but I'm comparing this to my devotion to clothes and fashion. I bought several tailor made suits in my life, they are expensive and my taste for fashion changed as well as my body, I got fatter, I got slimmer, I ruined some of them... did that stopped me from buying more? No. Sometimes we just do thing driven by instinct and desire, because of the pleasure it gives us.