[interceptor]

I lowered my seat and raised the bars....they are even now and I feel like I can ride further
and feels a little more comfortable. Wondering if anyone has the seat lower than the bars
and have you ridden long distances?

 

[turbogrover]

Why not? Whatever feels comfortable, and allows you to ride further isn't a bad thing.
A pro racer riding position comes a lot of seat time, and a strong lower back and abs.

 

[c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n]

Is the frame too big for you? or the effective top tube to long for you ...

 

[interceptor]

It is a 54cm frame. I am 5'8'', when I straddle the bike, I am barely touching the top tube.

 

[tihsepa]

Nope, but to each his own. Ride whatever works for you.

 

[Dave Hickey]

If it works for you great....

My only concern would be shifting all your weight to your butt...Make sure you have a comfortable saddle...

 

[Jay Strongbow]

you should lower, or raise, your seat so you have the proper/desired leg extension when you pedal. THEN adjust the bars accordingly. Maybe what you did also gave you better leg extension but it's generally a mistake to move your seat for purposes of it's height in relation to the bars only.
Anyway, whatever is comfortable for you. The seat and bars are about even on my hybrid. I've done a few longish rides on it and it wasn't much of a problem but it has a tractor seat on it.

 

[velodog]

My wifes touring bike has the bar tops and saddle adjusted to the same height and it has become her go to bike. The position doesn't lend itself to go fast riding but can't be beat for comfortable crusing.

But if the seat starts to get lower than the handlebars on a drop bar road bikes I would think that the ride dynamics of the frame will start to be affected.

 

[GabooN85]

I am also 5'8" and ride 54cm Jamis Ventura frame. I have the seat level with the top of my bars also. I ride in the drops a lot to be more aerodynamic in the wind etc though. I only have one 5 mm spacer below my stem, but 3 or so above the stem. I could probably drop the stem down the last 5mm but then I'd have to either cut the steerer tube or leave about 5 cm of spacers above the stem

 

[Hooben]

There's a bunch of guys that ride with plenty of spacers on the headset so the handlebars are way up. This of course makes it more comfortable to ride. It also may upset the cycling purists out there. Their hearts hurt when you get an Italian piece of art and ride it in such a manner. But if you're comfortable and can ride further, then why not. Just get the most out of your riding experience. Who cares what they say.

 

[Keoki]

It is a 54cm frame. I am 5'8'', when I straddle the bike, I am barely touching the top tube.

IMHO you should be riding a 52cm.

 

[GabooN85]

There's a bunch of guys that ride with plenty of spacers on the headset so the handlebars are way up. This of course makes it more comfortable to ride. It also may upset the cycling purists out there. Their hearts hurt when you get an Italian piece of art and ride it in such a manner. But if you're comfortable and can ride further, then why not. Just get the most out of your riding experience. Who cares what they say.

Yeah I know it's mainly an aesthetic thing. I do have my cyclometer mounted on the stem so it sits flush with the top of the steerer tube. I have a Garmin Edge 500 on the way too so maybe I will drop it further when that arrives.
*edit* read that as referring to the spacers above the stem like I was mentioning, my bad.

IMHO you should be riding a 52cm.

I probably should be on a 52 as well. I feel comfortable in my current position though for now. I bought the bike end of last summer on a bit of a whim and had limited funds. Next bike I know I will make sure to have all the money set out in advance and find the perfect purchase and make sure everything is in order a head of time. Last year I just wanted on the road and couldn't wait

 

[cda 455]

I lowered my seat and raised the bars....they are even now and I feel like I can ride further
and feels a little more comfortable. Wondering if anyone has the seat lower than the bars
and have you ridden long distances?

To achieve this, I'm looking for the biggest frame so that there is a high stack.

I have found that having the saddle and handlebars about level is very comfortable for me.

I got the idea from Competitive Cyclist:

1. The French Fit.
   This fit is so named because of its legacy in the traditions of endurance road riding such as brevet rides and randonneuring. However, the French Fit isn't merely about touring, riding long, or even sitting more upright. It is about getting the most out of a bike that fits larger and provides much more comfort to the neck, back, and saddle position. While the Competitive Fit generally puts you on the smallest appropriate frame and the Eddy Fit sizes up a bit or raises the bars, the French Fit puts you on the largest appropriate frame. While this bucks some current conventional wisdom - and is, in fact, the least commonly used position of the three we espouse - it is still the position advocated by some of cycling's wisest and most experienced designers, who also happened to be riders who like to go fast and far with an ideal amount of comfort.
2. 
   This fit features a taller front end (with a larger frame and/or head tube extension and stem), handlebar to saddle drops that are much closer to level, and favors riders who are looking to ease stress on the neck and back, ride as long and as far as they like, and are not concerned with the looking like an aggressive professional. In comparison to the Eddy Fit, the rider has even more weight rearward and a slightly more upright position such that "hands in the drops position" is close to the Competitive Fit's "hands on the hoods position." Some may say that this was not how modern race bikes were "meant" to fit but we have learned that the French Fit's size up tradition works great on the most modern bikes.
3. 
   By increasing the frame size we raise the bars without radical riser stems and still create balance and proportion with respect to the important knee-to-pedal dynamic. It is important to remember that as frames get larger the top tube effectively shortens. This means that the longer top tube on a larger frame is appropriate because as the bars come "up" and the ratio of saddle to bar drop lessens, the rider achieves a "reach" from the saddle to the handlebars that is just right!
   
   We recommend this fit for riders who really want to be comfortable and fast over longer distances. Please note that the French Fit disregards all emphasis on stand over height (standing with the bike between your legs and your shoes flat on the ground) because the French Fit school believes that this measurement has little actual value regarding fit. An ideal compromise for those who can't shed their concern regarding stand over height is the choice of a "sized up" compact design to achieve a higher relative handlebar position.
4. 
   Nevertheless, a French Fit can work with traditional, non-sloping frames as well. As an example, a person who might ride a 55cm or 56cm frame to achieve the Competitive Fit, might ride as much as a 59cm or 60cm in the French Fit. While bikes in the French Fit are not the racer's fashion they tend to look elegant, well proportioned, and ride like a dream.

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO

 

[Camilo]

IMHO you should be riding a 52cm.

Actually, the 54 is probably much likely to be a good fit for him compared to a 52, in my opinion and experience..... depending on how much reach and bar drop he wants especially. It would be very, very difficult for him to get his bars where he wants them with the shorter head tube on the 52 (assuming comparing a 52 and 54 of the same brand). To make any meaningful advice to his sizing, you'd need to know how the "54" compares to the "52" in the two most important dimensions - TT (or ETT) and HT lengths. Since "52" and "54" generally refer to the seat tube length, it's really meaningless to draw a conclusion based on it alone.

The current fad to undersize frames for the tall seat tube style usually results in difficulty getting the handlebars up where many (I dare say most) recreational and enthusiast riders would be most comfortable and therefore most efficient for their riding.

Of course I'm biased based on my own experience. I've always ridden 54's with ~54 - 55 cm top tubes and they fit me perfectly. 52's (again, given a given brand so that a 52 is scaled down from a 54 in the two most important dimensions - ETT and HT) are too small. I'm 5-8 barely, fwiw.

"Frame size" as it usually is based on seat tube measurement is irrelevant because the only thing it can even begin to estimate is how the person will standover the top tube, in other words, crotch clearance. Crotch clearance on a road bike only needs to be "barely enough" and what the OP describes is perfectly adequate if it is what's needed to get the saddle-bar drop he needs.

 

[c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n]

Agreed that whatever is comfortable is good ... but I was just wondering if he lowered his saddle because at the 'ideal' saddle height, he is having lower back pains and so the ETT is too long for him.

For someone 5'8", 52 - 54 will be good if he is of standard body proportions, I am 5'10 1/2" and my ETT is about 545-550, I think my torso is very slightly shorter than standard. That might equate to a size 53/54/55 depending on manufacturer ...

 

[T0mi]

I lowered my seat and raised the bars....they are even now and I feel like I can ride further
and feels a little more comfortable. Wondering if anyone has the seat lower than the bars
and have you ridden long distances?

What do you mean by long distances ? 100k? 200k?

I am exactly in the opposite, I lowered the bars recently on my racebike (total drop is 16cm now) and feel very much comfortable and more aero. The bar on my commuter is much higher though as riding in the drops with a backpack is not really comfortable with so much drop. Without the backpack I'm fine.

 

[illroots]

Hmmm..

sounds interesting I'll have to try...

 

[illroots]

Hmmm..

sounds interesting I'll try...