SturdyCycles (Tom Sturdy) custom made road frameset, Now £975 / Complete bike £1,750

Hi, I wear a 32ins jean.. but if you'll forgive me, knowing that is virtually meaningless.

Bike sizing is one of those things where everyone is different and 2 people of quite different heights, inseams etc can both fit the same frame perfectly well. Having had first-hand dealings with 4 bespoke frame builders in the UK and USA, and listened carefully to what each said about people's bike sizing, they all related the same thing: the bike industry has traditionally sold frames based on the wrong measurement. The seat tube length (which is how most bikes are sized e.g. 54cms, 56cms etc) is nothing like as important as the effective TT. For example, how easy is it to raise/lower a seat post? Compare that with fitting a longer/shorter stem. While a longer/shorter stem isn't difficult, it not only requires a new stem but also affects how the bike steers and handles. Seat posts are designed to be raised/lowered to suit inseam length.

Several manufacturers went to some effort a few years ago to introduce a better way of providing frame measurements by sizing their bikes using 'reach' and 'stack' instead of ST length. It's a much better approach, but it only took off in a limited way. The bike industry is reluctant to let go of traditions sometimes, which is a shame.

How someone sits on a bike is largely influenced by how flexible they are. For example, I have 2 friends who ride the exact same size Colnago as I did, one of whom is 5'7 and the other 5'11. I'm 5'9 and a half if that matters (...it doesn't). Most bike shops would sell those 2 friends different sized bikes, but both of them are experienced cyclists and both have had a few professional bike fittings and are on the correct frames for their respective physiologies.

Apologies for the mini essay on geometry, but I've been asked a few times how tall I am/what my inseam is/etc and my answer is always the same: how tall I am is (almost) irrelevant. You're better off comparing the geo of this frame to your ideal geo, or your current bike (assuming it fits you properly) to see how close it is to what you're seeking.