So, I've been shopping and dropped over to Foffa to take a look (and feel) at their Prima frame. Danii Foffa is surprising in many ways but most of all because of how tall he is, I thought he looked tiny on the web shots.
Any how the prima is a good looking frame which feels light and reasonably stiff, has a drilled top tube for inner cable routing and is finished really well.
Danii offered great and very helpful advice, talked for a while about how best to build up on my own (offering some really helpful hints) and even offered to help put a bundle price together for the odd bits that I need. ...oh and he also told me the frame comes with or without decals...all great, positive stuff.
I had the cash in my wallet to buy one there and then...but didn't... something was nagging at me.
Nothing to do with the frames, they look superb to me, nor Foffa themselves, Danii seemed genuine, helpful and clearly wanted me to pick the right frame... for me.
What was nagging was the look. I didn't know what it was but his (and the frames over at brick lane) all looked "odd" to me in their geometry and this was the point.
I've leanrt a lot already from you guys and from 'tinternet and visiting shops and what i didnt...perhaps still don't...understand is the term "compact".
I thought a compact frame was a frame with a small triangle, which was achieved by shortening the length of the seat tube and kinda sloping the top tube to meet. What I now (at least i think i now) understand is that compact effects the length, not the height of the frame.
So Danii's frame, and BLB's and most others, are all kind of tall looking...bit ladder-ish and for a tall chap like me, this is stretched still further as you upsize the frame.
To the extent that the frame I was going to buy made me feel like I was "perched" atop the bike as opposed riding with it.My arms felt almost vertical and not stretched out and I sat almost upright. This tall look seems very in-vogue right now and I accept that, but i need a frame that allows me to commute 40 miles a day in comfort, and that feels familiar so that I dont confuse my tiny brain when i switch to the roadie on the odd day.
So, after all that banging on, what geometry do you recommend...compact...or traditional?
oh, and for what its worth, what's your understanding of the difference between them.
Which I think demonstrates that there's a massive range of adjustment that can be made by altering the seat-post and stem, and if you don't mind a bit of fork steerer showing!
I'd rather have a shorter stem than an extra long seat-post, but you may prefer otherwise. It's a balancing act for those of us who don't have body shapes that conform to manufacturers norms.