Frame Sizing - I have searched and drawn a blank here...

Just been looking at sheldon and on here for an answer to this question but no joy as yet. Wondered if you lot could help me.

I ride a 57 ST x 57 TT frame, I have about 160mm of my seatpost out of the frame which seems a fair bit to me. Therefore, with whatever stem I use, (short reach, high rise, beleive me I've tried them ALL except the horrible hybrid 300mm long adjustable ones for many obvious reasons, least of all aesthetic!!) I end up leaning forwards becasue quite a bit of my seat post is out of the framne therefore the saddle is always much higher than any stem. This gives mew an unbeleivable amount of neck pain and upper back problems as a result of being flung forward and low with my neck bent upwards to be able to see what is in front of me (this is generally useful in London!)

So... I'm thinking of getting a new frame size. My thinking is this:

I want a frame that is longer in the ST so my saddle can not stick up so much but shorter in the TT so that I don't have to reach further forward to get to my bars. This emms impossible. If you had to choose one (i.e longer ST or longer TT) which one would you go for to achieve more comfy riding position?

What have other people done. I'm sick of this neck pain that I've experienced for years.

Thanks a lot.

Go and see Scherrit at the bike whisperer He will talk you through what you need, has decades of experience and has left many a forumenger pain free. £55 for a consult on what size/style of frame is best for your needs.

The same as a session at a physio......except you only see Scherrit once.

thanks Gav. Anyone else got any advice?

If I had to go for longer ST and TT or shorter ST and TT, mentioning the pros and cons above which would be better?!

also it seems to say it costs [FONT=arial, sans-serif][/FONT][FONT=arial, sans-serif]£145 which is a lot more than my budget allows
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That's for a fuul bike fit. To chat about what you need, what's going wrong now and what you would like to acheive from your future bike is £55. It's not cheap for a conversation but it can save you a forune in different stems, set ups and a lot of back and neck pain. He will measure you up properly and has a adjsutable frame their to assist with sizing and positioning ect.

How tall are you? What's your inside leg measurement?

teddy your getting into custom frame sizing with your question which is probably going to cost you a darn sight more than a trip to scherrits. Your instincts are probably right, but each body is unique and individual and what works for one person, may not for another. Anecdotal evidence and opinion whilst useful will probably lead you down a fair few blind alleys. Your best bet is to search for one of the frame sizing threads, there will be a host of links to various ways to size yourself and then figure out what frame size is better/perfect for you.

If you get the chance, it might be worth a chat with a bike shop that has a bike fitting jig in it, about what you require and ask them if you could spend a bit of time to see if your assumptions are correct. Most shops will want you to be buying a frame, but if your misgivings are correct, you'll probably need to buy a new frame anyway.

What's your thinking in getting another frame? New, second-hand?
I suspect that there's many a frame builder out there who's encountered this issue before, so that might be an option.
Alternatively, some older frames were built with seat tubes longer than their top tubes, e.g. the Holdsworth in this thread:
http://www.lfgss.com/thread52164.html

I am 6 foot tall. inside leg is about 34.5 inches. Thanks for the advice everyone. Really useful.

Top tube length is more important, as you can compensate seat tube length by using a longer or shorter seatpost. Compact sloping frames usually require you to have more seatpost showing as the seat tubes are made smaller, so its not unusual to ride with more seatpost showing.

get a bike with the right tt length. use stem spacers.

58st 56tt...........like this Frame and forks £175 from yours truly.

Modern Sportive frames now come with a geometry that gives a more upright and shorter reach than the tradtional long low stretched out full blown racer position.

They are going to have a compact geometry ie with sloping up top tube towards the front rather than the old skool horizontal top tube.

You could look at Specialized Roubaix range (sportive) and compare these to the Tarmac range (race) for instance to give you an idea.

This would be one way to go unless you are fixed on a horizontal top tube.Then look at Pegoretti for the extended headtube look.

Or you go bike fit / custom as has been suggested.

What do you use the bike for and for how long ?
pretty much impossible for anybody to say what you should do without seeing you on the bike and how your current position is set up.1st off is your frame straight ? back & neck pain doesnt always come from frame size.
A shallower seat angle and longer top tube is where I would look to make it more comfy if everything else is set up ok
But I stress nobody can advise properly without seeing you on it ,including new fangled calculators and email an expert websites