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Received my custom bike and the size is way off?!
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All,

I'm looking to the forum for options and advice on how to handle this situation. I brought my Specialized Tarmac to a custom builder here in Portland, OR and here were are 5 months later and the frame is nowhere near my size. Here are the specs that are off:

The head tube measures 19 cm- that's 7 cm larger that the Tarmac
The wheelbase is 6 cm longer than the Tarmac
The top tube effective is 1.4 cm longer than the Tarmac

What are my options here? I'm meeting with the builder this morning but he is focused on getting me a shorter stem and not the fact that the frame is gigantic and not what I asked for at all. Any thoughts are much appreciated since this is a $1600 custom steel race lite frame I want to get this sorted ASAP.
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Re: Received my custom bike and the size is way off?! [Agrisham] [ In reply to ]
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Basically tell him to go F himself.

If it is not what you ordered he is wrong.
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Re: Received my custom bike and the size is way off?! [Agrisham] [ In reply to ]
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Just to get a bit more of an understanding:

When you originally went to the builder, did you specify that you wanted the same size as your Tarmac, or did he measure you up for the new frame? There's a part of the conversation we're missing out on here. Obviously, those dimensions are different, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are bad - maybe the Tarmac was a bit off for you. The top tube length doesn't seem too overly drastic, and the wheelbase isn't necessarily out of line, either. That head tube length seems way off at first glance, but it's hard to say without seeing you on your Tarmac. If you came to me all hunched over your bike with a 150mm stem with 3 spacers under it and your banana seat is tilted 45 degrees, I might question just how well your current bike fits you. Obviously, I'm exaggerating and I'm guessing your Tarmac fits a bit better than that, but I hope you see what I mean - make the bike fit you, not make you fit the bike. The builder should be building a bike for your body, regardless of what else you ride.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not sure it isn't right for you, depending on what the builder saw/knows and how he measured. Is the builder also going to fit you on the bike? How soon can you get fit and try riding it? Maybe you'll really like it once you get on it.

Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador
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Re: Received my custom bike and the size is way off?! [Travis R] [ In reply to ]
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I totally appreciate how thoroughly you are considering what's in question. I was running a 100mm +/- 0 stem on a 52 cm Tarmac. I agree that the wheel base and top-tube could still be correct but he built the bike to look like touring geometry based on the head tube length. It's completely relaxed geometry after specifying this would be a race bike and I wanted the geometry mirrored after my Tarmac. I have been fit on several bikes over the years and have owned around 8-10 roadies. I finally decided to make the plunge for a custom steel race bike and based on everything but the size of the frame, I love it. Full build at 16.0 lbs but the bottom line is that if a bike doesn't fit, it's not the right bike to ride.
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Re: Received my custom bike and the size is way off?! [Agrisham] [ In reply to ]
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Just playing with some numbers, is the builder suggesting a -17 degree 90 mm stem? Compared to your 0 degree stem, a -17 degree stem drop about 3 cm and would be horizontal to the ground. A 90mm stem would then bring it back closer to where you were before, although you would then still be a bit higher than you were on the Tarmac. Depending on what kind of top cap and any spacers you may have had under your stem before, you're actually pretty close geometrically.

But, I can appreciate what you're saying, too - if it looks goofy to you, it looks goofy. I hope it works out - when you have waited 5 months for a custom frame, you obviously want it to be right! Good luck!

Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador
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Re: Received my custom bike and the size is way off?! [Travis R] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for the thoughts. I'm actually having him come by with a 80mm +/- 10 to gain some of the aggressive geometry back. I'm just angry that a shorter head tube would have corrected a good majority of the issues and the damn thing looks goofy. I'll throw some options his way to make sure we have a good business deal and I'm satisfied but I can't help but not finish the payments on this until it's corrected to a standard that meets my needs since meeting my specifications would require a new build.
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Re: Received my custom bike and the size is way off?! [Travis R] [ In reply to ]
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He originally had a 100mm +/- 0 thompson X4 (cx or mountain stem?!) and the head tube has a hefty angle...my concerns with a +/- 17 is how ridiculous it would look although getting me back to the closer geometry.
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Re: Received my custom bike and the size is way off?! [Agrisham] [ In reply to ]
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Just some food for thought...

When I've had a custom bike built, the builder sent me a blueprint of the geometry and had me OK it before he cut a single tube. I think that most of the established custom builders use a similar process. FWIW, my bike arrived exact to the geometry I OK'd.

Hindsight is 20/20.
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Re: Received my custom bike and the size is way off?! [johnphillips] [ In reply to ]
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Yes, John. Hindsight is 20/20. I'm going to meet with him today and discuss the options. I'm tempted to just have him rebuild the frame and eat the cost. I really want to be as reasonable as possible and I feel like when a builder with a decent portfolio etc is building a custom bike then it's on him to build correct geometry.
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Re: Received my custom bike and the size is way off?! [johnphillips] [ In reply to ]
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More question then answer
did the builder do a fit first?
did some one else do a fit and send in the numbers?
did he see you on the old bike?
is this a new framebuilder. ?
did he spec the frame or was it done by a local shop
did you sign off on the order before it was cut?
did the builder say TRUST ME!?
did you sign your build agrement in a dark room with a blind fold on?
Did you guild the bikeand takeit for a ride?

Happy
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