Mercian build

So once we had got the frame size we then had to look at the Geometry

Mercian go by the KOPS method

K.O.P.S. (Knee Over Pedal Spindle)

You place the ball of your foot over the spindle of the pedal

Then they adjust the seat tube angle

Until Knee, foot & spindle of the pedal are in a straight line

they measure this invisible line with a plumb bob & a bit of string

Well we did this and we learnt a couple of things

First of all I ride on my toes and not the balls of my feet

This is because my toe clips are too small

medium instead of large

Also as well as my present frame being a little small

I reckon my saddle is a bit low and all

Since I got back I have been experimenting with saddle heights

Most interesting of all though

'apparently' I have long femurs

Which according to the KOPS method give me a seat tube angle of 72.5°

As opposed to my present seat tube angle of 74°

Quite a difference

The 74° on the bareknuckle whilst great for sprints

Is too steep for sitting in the saddle and pedaling

And I know this because my present saddle is rammed back as far as it will go.

But 72.5° is a pretty ‘relaxed’ seat angle for an ‘aggressive’ bike

& this is going to be an aggressive bike and it needs to look like one

in the end I settled for a 73° seat tube

I figured that I can move the saddle back a tad if need be

Anyone know anything about the KOPS method...?

from what I can gather it is to find the best 'seated' position to ride in

MERCIAN 'Strada Speciale' built as a 1970's 'road track' with chrome track drop outs
55.5 cm seat tube 73° seat tube angle