Which stem?

[Buck]

If you are happy with your position on the bike (saddle height and reach and pedals/cleats) then my understanding would be that the next thing to look at is your reach to the handlebars.
If you are straight armed then in my limited experience this says your stem is too long so you'd need to look at changing this for a shorter one but if you also say that the bike is too small for you, that does seem at odds with this?

Is it a case that perhaps you are not able/used to flexing more at the waist to give you that reach i.e. you are cycling in a more upright position which reduces your reach? It would be worth seeing if you can find a friend or someone on here local to take an objective view of your position on the bike and help you to make some adjustments. If not, set up a camera on a time delay setting and then sit on the bike and see how you "look" in terms of position?

Hopefully food for thought?

 

[craig kennedy]

this coming week im stuck at an expo in London so wont be doing much until after that, but ill get a photo of me on the bike in the two positions. I dont ever feel comfortable cycling while holding the bar on the top, I cycle normal with hands on the hoods and if I ever actually get any speed I drop to the hooks (look at me using the right words) but never the tops, it just does not feel comfortable on the tops.

 

[cyberknight]

If you are happy with your position on the bike (saddle height and reach and pedals/cleats) then my understanding would be that the next thing to look at is your reach to the handlebars.
If you are straight armed then in my limited experience this says your stem is too long so you'd need to look at changing this for a shorter one but if you also say that the bike is too small for you, that does seem at odds with this?

Is it a case that perhaps you are not able/used to flexing more at the waist to give you that reach i.e. you are cycling in a more upright position which reduces your reach? It would be worth seeing if you can find a friend or someone on here local to take an objective view of your position on the bike and help you to make some adjustments. If not, set up a camera on a time delay setting and then sit on the bike and see how you "look" in terms of position?

Hopefully food for thought?

I posted pictures of my set up on here and got some very useful advice which meant my whole set up went back 1 cm for saddle setback+ shorter stem and 5 mm higher and it transformed my comfort ,

 

[Gravity Aided]

I am 6'1" tall, and I think the bike is 54cm, which I realize may be too small, but I cant afford to simply change it so have to live with it. When I got the bike I never considered any sizes.

I think we were all that way, especially before the 80's, and a whole lot of cycling went on for a whole lot of years before that. Other sizes were offered by manufacturers, but not necessarily by bike shops, unless special order. Even then it was difficult. Bill Walton, American basketball star of the 70's and 80's, had a heck of a time getting a frame in his size, until he ran across some other serious cyclists. I remember the first time I heard about different frame sizes. I was riding around on a standard size Schwinn, when my father took me aside, and told me to ride down to the LBS after school. He turned up, and we looked at used bicycles of all sizes, which I had not noticed the existence of before. The owner, an old track racer, came out, and my father asked if there was a scaffolding with wheels and pedals or such, that might be available used. I was surprised at the difference in handling a large frame made. I think there were 4 or 5 used bikes that fit me, and I wound up with a Sekai. Good value for money, those Sekai. I think that frame, about a 60cm, is still around here. I have the parts for a full-on restoration. This winter, perhaps.