So - my current Orbit frame, shown below, has finally given up and cracked...just at the time I've given my notice at work and am hoping to do some touring!!
(I flipped the photo as it seems to work better that way round)
I bought it second-hand from a guy who was 6'2" and happy with the size. I'm 6' 1 & 1/2" 187cm, with 91.5cm PBH, but it always felt a little small for me. After running it with drops (which it came with) for a while I switched to North Road style bars as I'm much happier in a more upright position. After trying about 7 different bars and a few stems I finally got the size I like with the very long stem in the pic and Raleigh North Rounder bars.
So - I've decided to go for the Surly LHT as a replacement, as it fits my needs as a utility and touring frameset which I can afford. I'm a little unsure about the sizing though. Having spent ages looking at photos and measuring, it seems like: the 56cm LHT is very similar to the Orbit, but the Orbit has a longer head tube, so the top tube ends up higher than the LHT at its highest point. Also the Orbit has a tighter rear triangle. The 58cm gives me around 1.5 - 2 cm more reach and the 60cm would be around 4cm more reach.
I'm thinking the 58 would be an improvement and mean I could run a shorter stem, the 60 may be too big, but it seems some people with my height and PBH use it and it fits great. So - I know sizing is super hard to advise on, but if anybody has any thoughts please let me know
Thanks! T
