The fitting went well yesterday. As I reported in another thread, Waterford/Gunnar is recommending a custom size for me, which does represent an upcharge, but I think it will be worth it. While I am going to call my fitters counterpart at Waterford Monday to get the sales pitch to understand why they recommend this, I already have some information from my fitter on the primary differences between my custom size and the stock Crosshair sizes they have.
It comes down several things - head angle, TTT length, chain stay length, wheelbase and tire size. No Crosshair size has a short enough top tube for me, and the Sport that does have a short enough TTT has problems in other dimensions. I also want v-pull brakes and 26 inch wheels and these are part of it but of course the head angle and TTT length are more important. In my fitters professional opinion, Gunnar does not have a stock size that will fit me without odd things having to be done to the bike to make it fit. Considering what he was able to do with my LHT, I trust his opinion. Gunnar strongly recommends the 26 inch wheels for me - which is comforting considering they didn't know that was my preference.
When I call Waterford Monday, I am going to ask how my handling will differ between the LHT and the Gunnar with the noted changes. They were told that I want a light-as-possible long-distance bike that won't be loaded with any real weight. The rake on the Roadie fork is greater than what is on my LHT, but the head angle is steeper, and the chain stay length and wheel base are both significantly shorter so that probably balances out the change in rake. I sound like I know what I am talking about
While a fit bike isn't a real bike, it felt pretty good yesterday, so that is quite hopeful. I am looking forward to my conversation with them Monday as I learn more about some of the choices they made for the design of my bike. It is fantastic that I have direct access to my frame designer - I do not want any questions remaining once I sign off on the design in the way or justifying the expense. I know there are a lot more expensive custom frames out there, and of course there are no guarantees until I get the completed bike out on the road - in the end I am learning a lot about bikes and bike design. That is a good thing