Author Topic: On the edge - small, or extra small troll?  (Read 6983 times)

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Offline swduncan

On the edge - small, or extra small troll?
« on: March 04, 2016, 09:10:31 pm »
Hi all - I'm shopping for a Surly Troll, and I'm a bit between sizes. I've ridden a small troll, and the bike shop thinks that might be the right size - they're leaning toward that size. It wasn't a floor model, it was the mechanic's bike so it's not a matter of moving inventory for them - like every bike shop, they have no trolls in stock.

I liked how the bike felt, but the standover is a little high. Just high enough to make me look at the extra small.

The concern is that the reach will be wrong and I'll be over center while riding - at least, that was the shop's term. The bike I rode wasn't a standard setup, it had a ~4" stem on it, with bars that swept back about as much, perhaps a bit less.

I do think perhaps I might want to put drop bars on this bike, at least, I'd prefer not to close that door if possible.

Last but not least, I'm looking at the rear dropout and thinking about how to remove the wheel when I have a flat with gears rather than an IGH. It looks tricky - not impossible, just like it's going to be a hassle.

The difference in standover between small and extra small is 1", reach is .9".

Any thoughts or wisdom?

Thanks!

Steve
« Last Edit: March 05, 2016, 11:40:12 am by swduncan »

Offline RonK

On the edge - small, or extra small troll?
« Reply #1 on: March 05, 2016, 03:03:02 am »
The difference in standover between small and extra small is 1", reach is .9".

Any thoughts or wisdom?
Yes. Why so focussed on standover height? It is least important dimension and is irrelevant to proper fit.

I would not compromise proper reach and centering for standover height.
« Last Edit: March 05, 2016, 03:05:38 am by RonK »
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Offline dkoloko

Re: On the edge - small, or extra small troll?
« Reply #2 on: March 05, 2016, 10:19:14 am »
Worry about standover height with a bike with a sloping top tube?

My local bike shop's owner/mechanic, who I have a lot of respect for, says if between sizes buy the smaller bike; easier to adjust for size from there.

Offline swduncan

Re: On the edge - small, or extra small troll?
« Reply #3 on: March 06, 2016, 07:30:19 am »
The back story is that when I bought my current bike (50cm LHT) I opted for the larger of two sizes, and as a result have lived with pretty high standover for the last 8 years or so. I can straddle the bike flat-footed, but there is definite moose-knuckling involved. I've never had injury due to this, but it requires enough extra attention that on my next bike I'd like to reduce the interference.

Comparing the effective top tube length on my current bike and the Trolls is difficult because of the difference in handlebars, and the Troll I rode had different bars (and I think a longer stem) than a regular Troll comes with. Both of the Trolls are quite a bit longer than the LHT.

The standover on the small Troll is less than my current bike, but there's still minor contact. To get zero contact it looks like I'd have to lengthen the 90mm stem by 25mm on the extra small to get my hands back to where they'd be on the small.

BUT I don't have a good feel for what other consequences that would have...hence the question.


Offline RonK

Re: On the edge - small, or extra small troll?
« Reply #4 on: March 06, 2016, 06:19:26 pm »

BUT I don't have a good feel for what other consequences that would have...hence the question.
The concern would be that the smaller frame would affect your centering over the bottom bracket. Too far forward can result in knee damage.
Rather than fit a longer stem, a better option may be to use a setback seatpost. These are quite commonly used in conjunction with this type of frame geometry.
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