Why did I do this?

[Charlieggo]

A little help please. Let me preface this by saying, I am new to touring but it is something I have been dreaming about forever. I am lacking in funds lately, but this summer I sold my Felt road bike and bought a Nashbar touring bike online and took a weeklong solo tour through California - awesome. Now, I have been daydreaming and researching touring bicycles because, even though the Nashbar is a capable bike, I don't want to dump a lot of money into it and I'd like to start out by getting properly fitted at a bike shop with a new build and proper gearing. So...why did I do this? I was looking on Craigslist and I see a great deal on a Co-Motion Norwester Tour. It was a beautiful bike. I email the guy and he says it should fit people 5'7"-5'10" perfect for me. It is in a price range I can afford for a bike I never thought I could afford. I had basically made up my mind to buy it before I got there. Well the bike is beautiful, I got a good price, but as it turns out, as sanity crept back in, I realize the frame is much too small for me. I can probably tweak it and get it to fit, but I don't think I will be happy, this should be a forever bike, not one that I know is too small for me. So what to do? I can sell it and get my money back I guess, but what about swapping out the frame and transferring the parts to an appropriately sized frame? Is that doable? Anybody suggestions?

[sashadieken]

I just wanted to say I like your dog

[Charlieggo]

I just wanted to say I like your dog

Thank you. That is Argus, also known as Baby Huey.

[IBrakeforPastry]

I second the suggestion to take it to a fitter. Sometimes we get used to a certain fit, thinking it's correct. I'm going for a fitting this week and I'm really interested to see if the bike I splurged on is the right one for me. Good luck - I really hope you can make it work.

[wildrover]

Hi! I dunno Charlieggo, I'm agreeing with Muirenn on the getting a fit thing done. When I bought my touring bike it was a very different feel from my other road bikes. Why does it feel small? How do you like the handling? My DH noticed lately that the Bike racers themselves are going to smaller frames, and fitting with longer seat posts and stems. If your knees aren't getting sore, it may just take a bit extra time on the bike.

Let us know?

[Charlieggo]

Too bad about the purchase. Looks like you know where you went wrong. You should be able to sell it, though. Good idea to keep the components. They are Ultegra? (And what size is it from what year? Any idea?).

Before you do that, though. Take it and yourself to an independent fitter and get some real numbers. And ask that person their opinion on the bike's fit.

Surly makes a great tourer for a reasonable price. And you could be fitted at a shop. Raleigh and Jamis also make nice tourers. So does Soma.

BTW, how tall are you? And would you say you are long legged, balanced proportions, or long-torsoed? What about your arms? Shorter or longer?

Edit, I like your dog too. And welcome to TE!

Thanks for the welcome. Okay, I took the bike to a new shop in town that specializes in touring bikes. The owner is interested in buying the frame for his wife, so I asked about swapping all the components onto a new frame fitted for me. They acted like it's a perfectly easy thing to do. So maybe I can have the best of both worlds, all the great Co-Motion parts, yes Ultegra components, and a frame in the right size. To answer your question, I am 5'9" with a 32" inseam, I think proportionate? BTW, the shop owner agreed that the frame is tiny for me, it's odd that the seller was just a little shorter than me. Well, if it doesn't work out you may see a Co-Motion in the classifieds with a very reasonable price I'll keep you posted.

[Charlieggo]

The bike is a 2007 but I don't know the exact size. Maybe I can get the bike shop to measure it for me. The standover height seemed good to me, the guy who sold it to me was about 5'7" but he must have a really short torso because it is very cramped for me. I talked to the shop owner about pushing out the handlebar, setting back the seat post, etc. but he still felt and I agree that the frame is too small. I'll keep you updated.

[Sky King]

How wonderful that the lbs can give you a hand. Good Luck. A bike you are going to be on day in an day out needs to be comfortable and keep you smiling. If you want to know the size, measure the seat tube from the center of the crank to where you seat post is inserted. here is link to the bike hermits blog post about touring bike size